What’s been going on!

Another busy week with the change of seasons in the fields but apparently not quite yet with the weather.  One more last reprise from summer for the next few days including the longest day of the year and official start of summer on Monday in the mid 80’s!  I always feel like we are buying time when there are days in the low 80’s and nights in the 50’s in June.

We have been mowing down and turning under more spring crops every day, making way for new plantings or cover crops.  Last week beet, carrot, radish beds went under the tiller, this week, fennel, radicchio, more lettuce went down.  Same in the flowers with campanula, stocks, snapdragons and more having their irrigation lines and trellis taken out and then mowed.  Not to worry, more lettuce was planted as well as zinnias and sunflowers.

Now we begin to settle into the summer work patterns of harvesting tomatoes twice a week and maintaining other the summer crops.  Betsy will make her daily rounds through the flowers, getting the sunflowers and zinnias that have opened overnight, checking the other flowers that might be at the right stage to harvest.  All mostly done in the mornings so we can hide out in the shade in the afternoons.  Lots of mowing, weed eating and tying up tomatoes and peppers.  A bit of replanting each week until mid-August when the fall planting starts in earnest.

Picture of the Week

An amazing Annabelle Hydrangea display, can’t possibly sell them all

What’s going to be at the market?

Did you donate to RAFI?  Let’s talk this week.  If you have RAFI thanks you!

A few more tomatoes this week, still holding with Orange Blossom, Cherokee Purples and Big Beef.  The last of the Fennel!  Italian Parsley and Basil.  Green Onions and the fresh Long Red of Tropea (Torpedo) onions.  More Cucumbers.  The first Shishito peppers of the season!

We have just the green Summer Crisp lettuce this week until we work through the planting gap we had a month ago when it was so wet.  The last heads of the  really nice Escarole.  Beautiful Lacinato/Dinosaur/Cavalo Nero Kale but it is nearing it’s run too.  Plenty of the various Radicchio’s with round red, some of the speckled variety and the heavy, less bitter, Sugarloaf, great for salads or for grilling.  Callaloo is back!  Actually an amaranth, the Jamaican spinach, a great great for a fast sautee.  Jennie’s teenaged Swiss Chard, tender in both stem and leaf.

More and more flowers.  Fragrant Oriental Lilies.  Beautiful white Annabelle Hydrangea.  The awesome Campanula (Bell flower).  Vibrant Safflower.  Gloriosa Daisies (black eyed Susans) and Sunflowers.  Dayglo Dainthus and Zinnias.  As always, amazing Bouquets.

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.  Just so you know, sometimes not everything listed will be at the Wednesday market.

Hope to see you all at the market!

Alex, Betsy and Jennie

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