ITALIAN STYLE
This winter I bought a potato digger! (a Spedo, made in Italy) I am sooooo excited about it because 1) it will save time 2) it will save our backs and 3) I will be able to have volunteers help harvest...saving more time and more back pain : )
I still need a little practice, but when I had the hang of it, it worked like a charm. A shovel goes under the potatoes and lifts them from the ground. Then the material gets pushed onto a grate. All the while the machine is vibrating back and forth (so fiercely it nearly rattles every nut and bolt loose on the tractor AND my brain), shaking the dirt from the potato and leaving the tubers laying on top of the ground for us to pick up. Generally when I dig potatoes the upper leaves are dead...I think it will be much easier as some of the plants were clogging the operation. All in all though it worked awesome, even in wet soil. And now you get to enjoy the fruits of our labor--little nuggets of Red Gold.
Flower of the week--Dyer's Coreopsis
The flowers make a beautiful dye that the Native Americans used for ceremonial purposes and tea.
Check out this site for more info.
This Week's Bounty: lettuce, chard, beets, sweet onions, green beans, wax beans, new potatoes, cukes, zukes, summer squash, melons, tomatoes, eggplant, parsley and cilantro
(enjoy the zukes and ss--they won't be around much longer...)
Coming soon...corn, edemame, hot peppers, tomatillos (PYO)...
Farmer's Table:
*lobster with coleslaw
*burritos with lots of tomatoes and peppers
*many, many, many, raw green beans while picking (I mean it takes four hours, we need a snack!)
Recipes for summer squash and tomatoes
