Couldn't think of any good ones to pull on you for April Fool's Day. We're just glad that the rain finally stopped. Sorry to get this out so late today. We were out planting 20,000 onions today and after that we sorta lost track of time. Too much fun outside I guess to get in to do the boring office work:) right?
We've begun planting outside but everything we're harvesting now is either coming from our high tunnels or was overwintered outside under frost covers. This is a tricky time of year because the crops that were sitting almost dormant during winter are suddenly growing rapidly and many crops want to go to seed. A lettuce head could be not quite large enough one week and then shoot up tall and bolting the next at which point it's only worth composting. So we have to be vigilant about getting crops harvested at just the right time and going to your boxes, the space cleared and amended and the next round of crops planted in the precious tunnel space. On a good note, we've started up weekly pickups again through After the Harvest where leftover shares and crops that just couldn't wait for the next CSA week can go toward meals for the underserved here in Independence.
There are still frosts in the forecast and we never feel out of the woods until early May when we can see into mid-May forecasts. We've had snow on May 5th, so we're careful with planting outdoors until it's safe. Outdoor plantings are limited to crops that can handle the cold (like onions, kale, broccoli, peas, lettuce etc) and even those we will cover with frost blankets if we can spare them. Things are greening up around the farm and so are our fields as we slowly seed them and transplant them. Our plum trees are just on the verge of blooming. We hope they hold off until after this coming mid-week frost. We won't hold our breath though. They've had their blooms freeze every year since we moved here. It's just a little too cool at night down in our little valley.
We hope you are enjoying the signs of spring. After that last bitterly cold stretch of winter, we're especially glad to see spring upon us. Thanks for enjoying the seasons with us and eating with the seasons as the farm transitions into spring!
Bread Shares this week:
Sliced: Sourdough
Artisan: Rosemary Olive Oil
Have a great week and don't play any too cruel April Fools jokes on us please.
Your farmers,
Dave and Sheri
