If you haven’t heard, according to the NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information it has been the wettest 12 months in U.S. history, and May 2019 was the second wettest month of all time. We are grateful for good soil drainage and that we were able to work between the storms to plant.
Our next challenge is pest control weeds and insects. Look for more information on that to come. We are excited to see growth and the joys from the garden that are forthcoming. Read below to see what we have been up to and details on what is in your boxes. A shout out to Sam for taking the majority of photos!
Another round of crops were planted this week to help keep the vegetables growing throughout the season.
These are pea seeds ready to plant. As you can see the planter has a white circle plate wheel that rotates around picking up one pea seed in each opening which is then dropped below into a furrow that the planter has created which the seed is dropped into and then covered. The seeds have a pink seed inoculant on them. Inoculation is the process of introducing commercially prepared rhizobia bacteria into the soil by placing this on the seed which encourages the seed and newly formed plant to format higher amount of nitrogen nodules on plant roots for richer soil nutrients resulting in bigger plants and better yields so hopefully more pea pods.
Garden Science
Weed identification is an important part of this job. Hot, humid weather really made the weeds grow like crazy. Lambsquarters are the primary challenge in this area.
Weed control is so important in keeping plants healthy and growing. These are the cucumbers after the weeds were pulled. This minimizes competition for soil nutrients, moisture and sunlight which helps tremendously in growing a healthy crop.
Here we are towards the end of weeding. As you can tell there is a lot of enthusiasm for this task.
Pick-up and Delivery
- Remember that pick-up and deliveries will be on the schedule you have arranged with Harner Brothers CSA – please note the exceptions to this which were in the email.
- It is your responsibility to know that the pick-up or drop-off time will occur at the agreed upon time, and it is your responsibility as a shareholder to know this and be responsible for the produce at that time. If you are unable to utilize your share that week, it is still your responsibility: find someone else to pick it up or donate it to the food shelf.
- Each box is labeled for each family. The same boxes will be used for your family throughout the season. Boxes and containers should be returned the following week. Bags will only be used once.
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.
Rhubarb – One pound equals about 3 cups. Wash, cut the ends off, cut off any bad parts damaged by wind, chop into 1/4 – 1/2 inch pieces. No need to peel. You can freeze it in a Ziploc bag (no blanching) and use for months to come. Our family loves it in muffins, breads, jam, pie, crisp, sauce and torte.
Asparagus – Fresh cut asparagus from the Chute’s Farm Fresh Gardens in Aitkin, Minnesota. These farmers are friends of ours who we know from Farm Bureau and also the Minnesota Agriculture and Rural Leadership Program. They had some extra they wanted to share with us, and the delivery time worked out well. They snap the asparagus vs. cutting so that you are getting all edible stalk and should have very minimal amount that you do not eat. Enjoy! See how asparagus is harvested in California. Check out these recipes from Martha Stewart.
Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce – One of my favorite garden crops. Some of the crops are ran under cold well water to take the field heat off of them so they last longer in your refrigerators. They are not washed – just cooled. So remember to wash your vegetables before eating. See how lettuce is grown throughout the year so it is available in our grocery stores even on our cold Minnesota days.
Outrageous Red Lettuce – This variety adds beautiful color to any sandwich or salad.
Spinach and beet leaves – great for salads
Herb – Chives – wash then chop up chives into small pieces. I enjoy using them in potatoes on the grill.
Fresh cut arrangement – Hosta Leaves and peonies
Rhubarb Jam
Recipe of the Week
Rhubarb Jam
Mix together and set aside until a juice forms:
6 cups rhubarb sliced into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces
3 cups sugar
Next:
Add one can of pie filling (cherry, raspberry, blueberry, strawberry)
Cook these ingredients for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1 package of 3 oz jello (use Jello that is of the same flavor as the pie filling).
Mix well. Pour into containers. Refrigerate or freeze.
