Farm News – June 11, 2015

Hello Everyone!  So here we go — we have arrived at the first week of CSA deliveries. As previously mentioned we got off to a very late start with our planting this year thanks to another interminable winter. The first delivery will be a bit smaller than in previous seasons. We have some potatoes held over in cold storage from last season which we will be shipping this week and next as supplies last.

I recommend that you use them soon as they will begin to sprout quickly. If you need to store them it should be in the fridge until a day or two before you use them. Potatoes become sweet when they are refrigerated as some of the starch is converted to sugar; a couple of days at room temperature will reverse the process. We also have radishes, arugula, beautiful lettuce, and some nice bok choy. For herbs we will be relying on our perennials — oregano, mint, sage, and thyme — until next week when the dill and cilantro will be ready. The first planting of English peas are starting to mature, so some groups may receive a small amount. Much of the rest of the pea crop is in flower so these will be abundant soon. Also coming soon are kale, spinach, kohlrabi, and summer squash.

We received about 3 inches of rain since my last update so we are back on track with our soil moisture levels and we can take a break from constantly moving sprinklers around. Everything is growing well now after very slow growth during our spring drought. Hopefully we will get more regular precipitation in the coming weeks.

I look forward to meeting many of you at our farm visit this weekend. Currently they are predicting good weather for Saturday. Sunday looks a little uncertain.

Despite a late start my crew and I have been working hard and are mostly on schedule with our planting. I am looking forward to another great season!

The share for this week will be: Arugula, lettuce, bok choy, radishes, potatoes, choice of an herb and possibly peas.

Enjoy! Farmer John