Edgewood Farm Organics CSA
6/23/15 Newsletter
Happy Summer Days Everyone!
What a beautiful Summer Solstice - Father’s Day it was! We hope you all enjoyed the beginning of the transition into this new season full of adventure and light! With the summer solstice comes the possibility of bounty not only with our vegetables but also with the possibility of increased awareness and discovery within us. The CSA boxes will begin to demonstrate more variety and we thank you for enjoying the ride with us.
The wild spring dictated by El Ninos tantrums has allowed us to fine tune our patience. The clouds hung around and the sun was nowhere to be found for days this past week. There were glimpses of sunlight that were always quickly eliminated by cloud coverage and muggy, buggy air. A little more rain came on Wednesday and then again this weekend, nothing too crazy but enough to soak everything. To top off the madness last night we watched storms raging around our house and contemplated when we should scramble to the basement due to tornado warnings in the area. Destruction was narrowly averted once again and we were spared, how many more lives do we have left this season?!
In the field, one word has dictated our thoughts and our actions….WEEDS! At the beginning of last week, after some of the storms had subsided and we were finally able to enter the field we faced a world of weeds; enough to make your head spin, or possibly cause you to shed a tear. J Of course, there is “no crying in farming” so we held our heads up high and put up the good fight each day, hand weeding, mowing, and weed wacking. The chaos is more controlled now and we even had amazing family and friends come out for a bit on Saturday to help weed the beets and dill which we are so thankful for. Other than that we transplanted winter squash into the field, fertilized with our magical fish gunk, and attended to the growing population of insects that like to destroy our plant foliage. Our spirits are high the field now and the grip from the weeds has lessened so all is good.
In the greenhouse, we have moved the second round of winter squash outside to prepare them for their new life in the field. On Sunday, I had the great pleasure of celebrating my beloved father and the summer solstice by seeding our Fall Brassicas, (Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower), in the greenhouse. For some reason every time my Dad gets to help start seeds it happens to be the teeny tiny seeds, eyeglasses were mandatory! Other than that the greenhouse is quiet because it is much too warm in there for most crops.
As for the lil’ Russians, they are settling into the summer schedule and balancing farming and baseball like pros! They helped Emily weed on Saturday which I don’t think too many youngsters would be up for. I was at the farmer’s market but I heard that everyone was diligently weeding, until Joe yelled out to Emily, “Hey, when are you going to stop working us like dogs?!” And Emily promptly replied, “When you are finished weeding that row of beets!” Oh how this delighted me! Timmy has finally stopped looking for Celery in the field and is focused on figuring out how long until those first cherry tomatoes will be ready….but aren’t we all?!
In Goatlandia, everything is still goaty…..the milk is flowing and the BAAAAHs are louder each day. It sounds like they are yelling “Mom” and I think that’s my payback for standing up in my crib and yelling “MOOOM” very loudly as a small child. The newest wonderment the goats have brought to Emily and I is the daily occurrence of goats getting their heads stuck in the fence. The “grass is always greener on the other side” is the goats mantra. They want the grass that’s just out of reach and they go for it and get their heads stuck and yell and squirm and then eventually figure out the right angle to get free. Free entertainment for us I suppose.
That’s the news on the farm front; we are excited to deliver the fourth CSA box of the season. The variety of produce is broadening slowly but surely. We are trying our best to provide you with whatever we possibly can each week. As beginning farmers we ask for your patience throughout the season and in return we will always grant you our very best efforts!
What to expect in the box on June 23, 2015
Kale (Purple Power variety)
Swiss Chard
Onions
Zucchini
Beets (just a few but hopefully more next week)
Fresh Dill
Kohlrabi (we didn’t have enough for all boxes so some people got extra zucchini)
Grab bag items will be: Basil and Cilantro
We hope you enjoy Box #4 and we will post our favorite recipes throughout the week! Have fun with those onions this week, they are sure to add adventure to your meals! Happy Eating.
“Grow, Inspire, Repeat.”
With kindness,
Edgewood Farm Organics CSA crew