What’s been going on!

Last wholesale delivery of lettuce yesterday, after another three inches of rain this week I told the produce managers that if this was a prize fight I would stop it now, so I did.  A record short season for lettuce deliveries to Weaver Street, only three weeks but when it starts late and then it rains two or three times the average something has to give.  It was the lettuce.  That doesn’t mean we are done with lettuce for market, just not enough good looking heads to fill the large orders.  Oh well, time to move on, blueberries are calling.

Farm to Fork Picnic coming up in two weeks, June 9^th.  Apparently a lot of folks think that it is already sold out, which it always does but not quite yet, still time to get your tickets.  Not only is this a great food event pairing some of the area’s best chefs with the best farmers to create amazing fresh flavors and food but it also more importantly supports new farmer training programs at the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) and the Breeze Farm in Orange county where the event is held.

34 pairings this year plus the artisans tent, bigger than last year.  We are excited to be working with Scott Howell from Nana’s in Durham, his first time participating but not his first time at the rodeo as one of the finest restaurants in North Carolina.  We are working on something with turkey (a turkey salami) and of course a vegetable dish hopefully with the first tomatoes of the season.  Don’t let this opportunity pass.

So the rain has held us up on the big job this week, second only to tomato planting week is pepper week.  The beds for the specialty hot and sweet peppers have been prepared with irrigation line and landscape fabric and the cover crop on the no-till beds have been rolled and crimped.  Hopefully it will dry out enough today to plant the fabric beds this afternoon and the forecast looks as if we can get the rest tucked into the no-till area on Monday or Tuesday.  The plants look awesome, at the perfect stage of growth to hit the soil running, let’s hope we can get it done soon.

Picture of the Week

Thousands of pepper plants raring to go

What’s going to be at the market?

Just in time for the Holiday weekend, plenty of great things for the parties and general  lounging, even the weather looks perfect.

New flowers this week, finally.  Fragrant Stocks in multiple colors.  Tall and graceful Larkspur.  Snapdragons and Nigella (Love in a Mist).  This first of the Sunflowers.  Plenty of blue and yellow Dutch Iris.  Bachelors Buttons.  Yellow Asiatic Lilies too.  Beautiful Bouquets of course.

Finally Sugar Snap Pea season!  We always have the most beautiful and sweetest Sugar Snaps at market, a small crop this year so don’t miss out.  Still light on lettuce but we will have the new Little Gem a sweet bibb type and the first of the crispy and sweet Summer Crisp in Red and Green.  Some really tender Escarole.  The new crop of Lacinato or Dinosaur Kale, really beautiful, time for those raw Kale salads or Kale chips.  More Broccoli Raab it has been very tender this spring.  The last of the Red Radishes and the Shunkyo Chinese spicy ones too.  Beets are starting mostly with Golden and the striped Italian Chioggia this week.  Spring Onions Red and Green.  Dill and Italian Parsley.

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

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