Hi everyone!
We've definitely felt a shift in the farm this week as the weather has continued to be so warm. Our peas are in FULL FORCE now - shelling peas, and sugarsnap peas (the ones that you can eat whole, pod and all). We have a second planting that will be flowering too so we're expecting to harvest peas for the next 4 weeks or so! I don't know about you, but peas are my absolute garden favourite. It's out of this world how sweet they are. We hope you enjoy them while they last.
In the brassica land, we say goodbye to bok choy and kohlrabi, for now. We'll plant them to be ready again in the fall. We're hoping for some more broccoli - the current plants are looking like they might hold out to make some nice heads. We also have little cauliflowers growing! Napa cabbage is growing really slow, so we are waiting patiently to see what will happen there. Our kale is liking this weather and is starting to flourish now.
Carrots are about the size of a pencil, so that's pretty exciting - they should be ready in a couple weeks. Our spinach has had some trouble this spring, but the newest planting is sprouting really nicely. Even the latest planting of lettuce and mixed greens are looking nice than the ones before.
This week we transplanted beets into the field and seeded leeks, green onions, and lettuce in the greenhouse. We weeded our tomato hoophouse and even ate a couple orange cherry tomatoes! We thinned out the cucumbers, zucchini, and winter squash that didn't get eaten as seeds. And we harvested all our garlic scapes! Speaking of garlic scapes, did you try them this week? We cooked them in a pasta primavera, a bacon and garlic scape pasta carbonara, and a frittata! We also grilled them with spring onions - yum! The Clock Tower in Strathroy made our scapes into a delicious pesto they served on fish. A lady at the market told me she likes to chop them up, freeze them, and then add them to soups and stews all winter long. I love this idea! We've also pickled them in the past.
Our current goals are to finish the irrigation, continue to plant (next up: lettuce, mixed greens, cucumbers, zucchini, potatoes), and start working on our farm stand.
Wishing everyone a Happy Canada Day! Hope you enjoyed the beautiful summer heat, and perhaps a great meal with some friends and family.
- Farmer Kim
