SPRING IT (PICK) UP!
Amongst the bleak wet soil there is color! The grass is greening up and a few spring flowers have decided to show their shining faces. Things are certainly at least 2 weeks late, if not a full month. Zach had planted tulips last fall, with the plan on giving them to the winter shares during their last pick up in April...they have just started to poke their heads through the soil!!! After just a bit of sun and warmth, everything seems to sigh and grow. It will come soon enough. I have officially become obsessed with the weather forecast again. The typical human may not have noticed that we have not had a frost in the last 2 weeks (and none forecasted), but I have and I am LOVING it!! Usually spring is reeled with fighting remay (a cloth that covers the plants like a blanket to keep tender seedlings warm), but I have been able to skip this step...so far...I may have just jinxed myself. I did have to cover some plants to keep pesky flea beetles off, but at least the whole farm is not covered in white. It's nice to leave the plants uncovered so I can actually watch them grow and not just hope something is hidden under the covers.
The ducks are enjoying themselves in the spring rains (although as I type it is hailing pea-sized hail). They poke around the farm eating slugs, grubs and worms. As soon as we start up the tractor, they waddle over as fast as their little webbed feet will take them. They know the tractor disturbs the soil and unearths goodies for them to graze on.
Last week was full of transplanting. On our hands and knees, we had to throw he long johns back on to protect us from the cold soil and north wind. Knowing when to start field work in the spring is a yearly challenge. I generally try and wait for warmer soil temps to try and avoid the travails that come with planting too early. Watching the forecast rather than the calendar is a practice in patience, of which I don't generally have much of, but if I can control myself, plants are always happier in the end. Although much of my soils are still too wet to drive the tractor on, I had just enough space to get in what I needed to date...and so the 2014 season begins!
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We are looking forward to growing for old friends and new this year. Thank you for loving local food and supporting our farm! We work hard to fill your plates with tasty veggies and meats--we love what we do and believe our efforts make a difference your pallets will recognize. Enjoy!
This week's bounty: spinach, parsnips and other roots like carrots, potatoes, onions, celeriac and rutabaga
Recipes:
Carrots and rutabagas with Lemon and Honey: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Carrots-and-Rutabagas-with-Lemon-and-Honey-105812
Mashed Potatoes with Rutabagas and Buttermilk:
Rutabagas and Caramelized Onions:
Parsnip Bisque:
Roasted Parsnips -- (you can make "Parsnip Fries" like this):
