In the Share - Week 1

salad turnip tops

SALAD TURNIPS  I like crops that are tasty top to bottom.

LETTUCE  butterhead and red leaf lettuce from the high tunnel.

CHOICE:  SWISS CHARD OR BOK CHOY

CHOICE:  SPINACH OR SPROUTING BROCCOLI

GREEN ONIONS the over-wintered patch is looking nice.

CHIVES X2  common chives and garlic chives

IN TWO WEEKS:  lettuce, kale, tat soi, green garlic, herbs.

FARM REPORT:

What a nice week:  tomorrow, Wednesday, starts the CSA season followed by Earth Day at the weekend.  As farmers we fear the consequences of inaction on climate change.  What is needed is a higher rate of adoption of sustainable methods that are known to work.  Our goal is to show that food can be produced in a healthy way and we have already shown that it can be done while sequestering carbon.

Earlier this month we sped-up some carbon loss at the annual controlled burn of the native grasses on the Graff family farmland that surrounds our fields.   Burning encourages the switch grass and blue stem and knocks back cool season weeds.  Native prairies act as carbon sinks with their deep roots and high organic matter.

The home field is filling up with onions, potatoes, cabbage, greens and herbs.  The strawberries are flowering and the garlic is growing.  The far field is on sabbatical this season with only chicken grazing and cover cropping to occupy itself.

The laying hens are in peak production.  All egg share members are getting a double dose of eggs this week to help us catch up.  These ladies will slow down once Summer hits, so its best to enjoy this egg-tabulous season while it lasts.

What to Do With Your Share---Week 1

Welcome to the first week of the 2017 CSA season. Looking forward to sharing another year of farming with you. We are glad you have returned as we re-shape the CSA for a year.

One thing that isn't changing is that we will put out these blog posts on Tuesday night to help you better enjoy the share. If you are looking for a recipe suggestion you can start a search right here on our blog, as we have posted recipes for every share since 2008.

If you want to cook fresh, you can chop up just about everything in the share, dress it, toss it, and eat it. For a spicy dressing try a sesame oil based Asian dressing, or a creamy one using some Fair Share Farm eggs.

If you want to cook the veggies check out our stir fry primer and Spring Stir Fry recipe. That includes the gailan or sprouting broccoli. It is one of our favorite vegetables and we plan to grow more this spring.

Ferment Share:
This week's ferment share is what we call a sauerkraut slaw. Made with our best storage vegetables, it is great as a condiment, or as a side slaw. Put it in a soup, on top of a fresh salad, on a grilled cheese sandwich, or to accompany some fish.

We are happy to be starting our ferment sales. We may have a lag as we wait for this year's first harvests. We hope it will be a year filled with variety for you.

tree frog in the marjoram transplant