Welcome to the first delivery of the spring CSA season, and happy second winter! Or is it third winter now, I keep losing track. Either way, spring is on the way, and the warm temps and sunshine this weekend will feel like we're in the tropics compared to what we've been having. It's almost time to put away the skis - I'm looking forward to some sunshine and a change to warmer weather for a few months again.
Speaking of changes, today is Farmer Ryan's last day here at Great Oak. He's going to be focusing on his own farm (Throughdirt Farm), as well as working with the Washburn school garden program. We're going to miss him dearly - he's been an instrumental part of the team here for the last few years! He will be a big asset to the school garden program, and we wish him all the best. I am sure you'll see more veggies from his farm available in your CSA boxes this summer, so it's not the last you'll hear of him.
The greenhouse is full and getting fuller now with transplants that are starting to look less and less like babies each day. Onions are stretching out, and some of the early hoophouse transplants are nearly ready to hit the soil - we'll get them in the ground next week (in hoophouses, of course - the outside ground is still snow covered and frozen). We had to set up another rack in the foreground to clear off some table space for washing microgreen trays and spinach.
Wait - spinach?! That's right - it's FINALLY ready! It's been a looong time comin' on that spinach. We planted it back in September of 2021, 6 months ago. SIX MONTHS! The plant gets established in the fall, but short days, low sun, and cool temps keep it semi-dormant until the first warm days of spring rekindle its fire and it begins to grow again.
.JPG)
Our cold winter temps encourage the plant to produce extra sugars which help keep the leaves from freezing (kind of like natural antifreeze), resulting in spinach that tastes out of this world. Our shorter day length keeps the spinach from wanting to send up a seed stalk (called bolting), which keeps the plant in a vegetative growth stage (as opposed to a reproductive growth phase with a seed stalk). This results in a longer harvest window and a really high quality, super tasty leaf. California can do a lot of impressive things, but they can't come close to growing spinach that tastes as good as spinach grown right here in the Northwoods!
While we wait for other tasty greens of spring to grow (Farmer Brian at Northcroft Farm has already been seeding his hoophouses up with great greens this spring) we hope you will continue to enjoy those microgreens. Eating something fresh, tender and green feels so good this time of year, and is a sure way to boost your health as well as your mood.
.JPG)
Speaking of seeding, we want to share a revolutionary new seeding technique we cooked up to help us get an earlier start on the growing season up here. Believe it or not, the first planting of sweet corn went in today!
