Hi Folks!

The town seems to have transitioned over night to happy folks in their vacation garb...flip-flops, sunnies, and fancy hats...everyone is ready for summer. Things are also heating up on the farm with highs this week in the low to mid-80s and we are cranking up the irrigation for the heat wave. In addition to extra watering, this week we move the farm into "June" mode, meaning it is time to multitask. Plants take advantage of the long day length and warmer evenings to do A LOT of growing and it is often hard for a vegetable farm to keep up not only with the plants' needs, but also all the weeding! Another round of beans have been planted along with fall celeriac, parsnips, and pop-corn. June also keeps us busy scouting and protecting the farm from pests both big and small. We are imprisoning our head lettuce in a maximum security facility in hopes of keeping out our four hoofed foes while we are also calculating "degree days" to help us know when to look for cucumber beetles and the next round of cabbage moths. Oh June!

Still enjoying greens this week and we are adding to the arsenal of verde at the market. Baby bok choy is a spring favorite at our house. We enjoyed a 30 minute meal of steamed bok choy and pea shoots with glazed mushrooms over rice last evening which was both delicious, healthy, and quick. I also love to grill bok choy with some delicious garlic chili glaze or saute it with turnip greens and add it to a stir fry with turnips from the said greens. Speaking of turnips, they are back for the spring and ready for your indulgence. Always a crowd pleaser, these little dudes can be eaten raw in a salad, steamed, or roasted. I love to dip them in pea shoot or arugula pesto or glaze them in a skillet as a nice side. The greens are oh so nutritious and delicious, so be sure to work them into your meal plan somewhere. Finally, broccoli rabe is back. Strangely bitter but juicy and satisfying, this green is actually in the mustard family. Italians pare it with spicy sausage and pasta and they are right, it is awesome that way. I love to pile it high on pizza or steam it with salt and a little bit of malt vinegar. It is very delicate, so don't overcook to maintain optimum flavor and texture.

Looking forward to seeing you all very soon!
Katie

This Week's Harvest

Kale

Collards

Chard

Salad Mix

Spinach

Arugula

Spicy Mix

Radishes

Salad Turnips

Pea Shoots

Baby Bok Choy

Broccoli Rabe

Farmer's Journal

Moving into "June Mode"