What’s been going on?

A quick newsletter today, too damn hot to not get out there early. We had a great Tomato Day at market last Saturday, great crowd, perfect weather and lots of tomatoes to taste and sell. If you were there you know how pleasant an experience it was. We also had a very pleasant Farm Dinner at Panzanella on Monday with a good turn out to taste the seven special dishes that Jim and crew made out of our produce. It was all good but I really liked the bright fresh taste of the tagliatelle with sungold and Roma tomatoes. It was good to see everyone who came. One more summer farm dinner this Thursday (tomorrow) at Fosters Market in Chapel Hill. Tim is using both tomatoes and peppers this year. It was a fun event last summer and Betsy and I will be there and I am sure I will talk a bit about the tomatoes in the dishes.

Well the turkeys graduated from High School with flying colors last Friday. It was time to move them to the field and this group is so brilliant that we actually walked/herded them the 400 feet from the brooder to the blueberry field where they will hang out under the bushes for the next several weeks. We usually catch them, load them in the truck and drive them down and then set them out into the field, but this group has behaved so well that I thought it would be less stress on them to walk them down, it was.

The final test was the first night, had they adopted the new mothership? They had spent a few nights in the portable shelter but in front of the brooder they knew as home. It is always a first time learning experience for the birds but once they get the hang of it, they act like they have done it for years. At dark I went out to herd them into the shelter and close the door for nighttime security. I rounded the corner and they were all pre-loaded and ready to sleep, and they have done it every night since, amazing! So this group is well on the way to graduate degrees!

Picture of the Week

They have already thrown their mortar boards off into the bushes

What’s going to be at the market?

The great conical shaped, firm headed Limelight Hydrangeas are coming in. Did some on say Crested Celosia? The felt like heads in yellow, pink, red, crimson and more. Lisianthus is slowing down some but still plenty, the queen of all the cut flowers, mostly in deep purple. Zinnias forever. Sunflowers are back. The fragrant Oriental Lilies and more Asiatic Lilies too. Betsy will have mixed Bouquets as well.

Definitely past the peak of our Tomato season. In reds we have plenty of Big Beef and very few of our early red Ultra Sweet. The best supply of heirlooms is in Cherokee Purples, all the rest we have some in each color but not a lot. Big bi-color Striped Germans, Green Cherokees, pink German Johnsons, yellow Kellogg’s Breakfast, Orange Blossoms and the higher acid Azoychkas. Also just a small amount of Oxhearts and Romas for sauces. Still a fair amount of Sungolds and some of the bi-colored elongated sweet Blush.

We are into the summer selection now. Basil to go with the tomatoes. Plenty of our cured sweet Red Onions. The first smatterings of peppers, Purple Bells and Cubanelles, Shishitos and Padrone, Jalapenos and Serranos, Poblanos and Anaheims too. Cukes!

As a reminder if there is anything that you would like for us to hold for you at market just let us know by e-mail, by the evening before, and we will be glad to put it aside for you.

Hope to see you all at the market!

Alex and Betsy