SWISS CHARD: If you are new to chard be sure to chop and cook the stems first, and then the leaves. We add a quarter cup or so of vinegar while the chard is cooking, to help mellow it out. Green garlic is a nice addition too.
CABBAGE: The cabbages have been stored in our cooler since fall, awaiting their return to our tables. Grate it into a slaw, cook it with the potatoes, or add it to a soup.
POTATOES: These Kennebec potatoes were dug late last summer. We keep them cold and in the dark, fast asleep until now. We like them this time of year in a hash.
SPOUTING BROCCOLI OR BOK CHOI: The sweet taste of broccoli vs. the crunchiness of bok choi make this a tough choice.
LETTUCE: First little heads from the high tunnel.
SPINACH OR LETTUCE: We may have one or the other at each distribution site, farmers choice.
GREEN GARLIC: It’s great to have the chance to harvest some garlic again. Chop it fine and add to egg salad or other spreads.
CHIVES: Garnishing your meal with fresh chives connects you with the first growths of spring. Mix it with sour cream or yogurt to make a great dip, or into your morning scrambled eggs.
FARM REPORT:
The farm is in week three of hunkering down due to the virus. We are staying home and away from others as much as possible. We are hand-washing, using sanitizer, physical distancing and other measures to ensure that we keep our community safe. Face masks arrived last week. We use them during post-harvest handling and at farmers markets and CSA pickup.
Compared to most, our lives have not changed much due to the virus. We work from home, grow food, with no kids and few social engagements. We are a crew of four which can easily keep our social distance across the fields. Less cars on our little country road have meant we hear more birds and frogs instead. So far we are all healthy. It is an embarrassment of riches during a worldwide pandemic.
We had thought perhaps that even Spring itself had gone into hiding. Bitter cold north winds blasted the farm on Easter weekend. The same storm that left a foot of snow in Wisconsin, led to 50 tornadoes across the South, gave us freezing temperatures and a relentless wind that turned our covers into tatters.
They were all patched and back on the next day, but it is too soon to tell how the crops will fare. The plants aren’t dead but they might be stunted.
Other crops are fine and happy for the moisture and cooler temps. The strawberry patch has been growing leaves, but no blossoms yet, luckily. May flowers bear June fruit, but they will probably start flowering in late April.
The onion transplants are adjusting to their new ground. They can handle cold nights and don’t need cover. You can also see here our new farming system on the contour with berms every 40 feet.
It has been fun learning to wrap ourselves around the berms and swales that we installed this winter. They attempt to solve the problem of uneven distribution of water on our farm. The berms slow down the movement of water down our slopes, preventing erosion and allowing more moisture to stay on the land and soak in. So far, they seem to be working.
Meanwhile, the hens are enjoying the fresh Spring growth of the cover crops and whatever insects might buzz their way.
We look forward to the day when we can welcome the community back to the farm to see it all in person. Until then, let’s stay home and be well.
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