As we surveyed the garden this week we had a mix of excitement, anticipation and hesitation.
Excitement…We are so excited to see the crops that were emerging. We provided you with a taste of summer squash and/or zucchini. The sugar snap peas are so close and are flowering like crazy. The pea pods will grow at the end of the flower. We began to see cucumbers and tomatoes developing. The potatoes are blooming which is an indicator that they are beginning to produce potatoes under ground. The green beans are flowering which tells us that they to will be growing green beans shortly. We have also seen little pumpkins growing.
Anticipation…It is difficult to not wonder or anticipate what type of crop will be harvested. It is simply so much fun to imagine the possibilities of what the with you have a potential of yielding.
Hesitation…But we hesitate to get to excited. As we have seen this spring, Mother Nature is impossible to predict, and she never takes a day off. High winds, hail or heavy rains could wash all of the crops away and be gone in a matter of minutes. In addition, the potato bugs are always an underlying threat. Constant monitoring is necessary. Otherwise, they will take over and eat not only the potatoes but the tomatoes and other crops.
So as the crops begin to emerge, we continue to pray for cooperative weather, manageable situations and a bountiful harvest to share with all of you.
What’s Growing On
In addition to a lot of weeding, we installed stakes and twine for the tomatoes to grow on. We do this so that the tomatoes stay cleaner. The tomatoes are beginning to flower and are getting small tomatoes on them.
We installed teepee fences for the vines to grow on and to maximize our space. The “teepees” are made out of the hog fences from my parents that they were no longer using. We also are using old pallets for the vines to grow on.
We also help out with the garden at the boys school and were able to plant a few items this past weekend.
Garden Science
We replanted another round of a variety of vegetables. We are hoping that we have more carrots that grow this time around. We are trying a trick that Steve’s grandma used to do – mixing the carrot seeds with sand. Carrot seeds are very small. So when you plant them it is easy to plant them very close together and then they don’t grow well. I am also curious if the sand mixture is more conducive to a higher germination rate.
Boxes of Produce
This list is prepared before we harvest your share. Some guesswork is involved! We do our best to predict which crops will be ready to harvest, but sometimes crops are on the list that are not in the share, and sometimes crops will be in the share even though they’re not on the list.
Remember food safety in your kitchen when preparing, always wash your hands before working with your produce and always wash your produce before eating.
Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce – One of my favorite garden crops. Remember to wash your vegetables before eating.
Prizeleaf Lettuce – what a beautiful colored lettuce to add to the salads. Add some fresh strawberries or dried fruit to your salads and Enjoy!
Red Oak Leaf Lettuce – I love this beautiful red lettuce leaf. It adds such a wonderful color to your salads.
Spinach – Remember to wash before eating. A combination of these vegetables will make such a wonderful meal! Some spinach salad ideas from P. Allen Smith.
Beet Leaves – These are young plants that we are thinning out of th rows – eat the whole plant. It will add color and nutrition to your salads. Learn more here.
Summer Squash/Zucchini – A taste to begin the season.
Green Onions – Green onions are young shoots of bulb onions, and are milder tasting than large bulb onions. They have a small, not fully developed bulb end with long green stalks. Both parts are edible. Scallions are considered younger than a green onion because they should not have a bulb, while green onions should have a miniature bulb. Store by wrapping in a plastic bag and store in the vegetable crisper section of the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Store away from odor-sensitive foods such as corn and mushrooms, which will absorb the odor of the onions. Can be eaten raw, or you can also grill or saute them.
Cilantro – Fresh cut cilantro can be used in a variety of dishes from salsa to eggs. If you are not planning to use it this week. I would wash it and freeze them in an ice-cube tray. See how I do this.
Fresh Arrangement – A pot of herbs for you to enjoy at your home. The pot includes basil, parsley and thyme. Some ways to care for and use them can be found here.
Recipe of the Week
Garden Salad
One of my favorite items out of the garden is fresh salad. Like many of you I to struggle with making the time to prepare a salad each day to bring to work for lunch. So on the weekends, I try to make up a container with a salad that I can bring with me each day to work. This way, each morning I simply need to put it in my cooler and walk out the door.
Another recipe to use your lettuce and spinach with is Lazy Tacos.
My salads are simple. A combination of the lettuces, spinach and beet greens topped with peas, broccoli, carrots, cheese and hard-boiled eggs from our chickens. I then sprinkle some dried fruit on top and sometimes croutons. No salad dressing needed for me. I always know that after eating this I will be happier and healthier. Enjoy!
