- Lettuce
- Chinese broccoli
- spinach
- Peas
- Carrots or beets
- Green onions
- Cilantro
- Onions
- Kale
It was a Busy week here at la finquita del Buho. Weeding, transplanting and stringing up tomatoes. The main crop tomatoes had their first pruning and are already waist high. The first potatoes are starting to flower, which means in the next few weeks we should have new potatoes in the share. The cucumbers are starting to climb and the zucchini is in flower. It feels like summer is almost here.
The flowers inside the greenhouse are producing nicely. The flowers in the field are growing well. I have a Milpa planted. I have 9 different varieties of ornamental corn in production. I will use some for my wreaths and others for popcorn for the winter share. Currently, it is not looking very happy, but I am hopeful with the new water system and a little bit more time it will green up.
We managed to get five beds of winter squash, planted and an additional bit of summer squash just for good measure. Juvencio continues to work to try and get the new field ready for the experimental, dry farming, tomatoes, and Oaxacan green corn, squash, and bean project. We are inspired to try the three sisters again with more space between each patch and less irrigation. We hope to be able to produce something edible.
The dry farm tomatoes are three varieties that Italians use as sauce tomatoes in the winter. They harvest the whole bunch of tomatoes from each plant and hang them to ripen and slow dry. When they are ready to use them, they make a fresh sauce around Christmas time. I hope they are as good as they sound. They will have slightly tougher skins and will remind of us summer when we hit the solstice.
This week marks the first week we will harvest from spring planted outdoor crops. The cilantro and spinach was planted as soon as we could work the ground in April. Some of the sugar snap peas from outside the hoop houses has caught up with the inside peas. We will give a combo.As we start with peas this marks the time for subscribers to sign up to help harvest. The list will go out in the next couple of days. We hope you will come out to help harvest twice over the next 21 weeks. We harvest Sundays and Wednesdays. We start at 7:30 (at 7:00 if it will be hot that day) and we finish around 11:00. The more help the faster the harvest gets done. We understand not everyone can or will want to help harvest the vegetables. We expect you will decide what is right for you. On Wednesdays Juvencio is alone harvesting.
Families are welcome to bring their children just be sure there is a dedicated adult to keep track of the children as they will “help” for a short while and then be off to explore. If you can come for only a short while that can be accommodated for. You can just show up and help if it turns out there is a day that it just fits in. It is helpful to us to know you are coming when you sign up so we can plan (a bit)
Jo and I (a long time member and friend) sat down and penciled out a plan for farm events this season. We are toying with the idea of the canning party in early September, a farm to table type fundraiser later that month and the harvest festival in mid October. Juvencio and I hope to make pizza some time in July and invite you all to come by, but the date is not firmed up yet. If you are interested in helping make any of this happen do reach out and we can put you on the planning committee!
Here are some recipes to enjoy this week:
- We made a dinner of Asian inspired ground beef with scallions and cilantro over rice. I quick sauteed the kale with garlic and a splash of soy sauce. A delicious dinner in about 30 minutes.
- Delicious way to use that Chines broccoli: https://www.recipetineats.com/wprm_print/53487
- A complete meal with beef and greens: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023044-pad-kee-mao-drunken-noodles?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share
- How to use those scallions: https://www.thekitchn.com/5-ways-to-use-up-a-bunch-of-scallions-199374
- This kale salad looked great: https://thekitchengirl.com/lemony-kale-chickpea-avocado-salad/