Farm Notes
I can’t believe it’s been a week since my last update! I’ll be honest that the past few days have been a whirlwind, filled with spring planting and harvesting and mowing and weed whacking and weeding and fertilizing and running the farmstand… not to mention managing work for my other job, which thankfully can all be done from my phone/computer. It’s that time of year when I’m up with the sun and using up every bit of daylight to do all the things, and the farm is exploding with green and flowers (and lots of pollen…) in every direction!
Since it’s been a few days, here are some updates from the farm:
Last Thursday we finished planting the rest of our tomatoes, which are thankfully (mostly) all in our caterpillar tunnels, so I can lower all the sides on the tunnels to keep them protected and warm as the temps get down to freezing over the next two nights. Each season we grow 3 different types of tomatoes (mixed cherries, larger heirlooms/slicers, and romas/paste tomatoes) and in total I think we are growing about 16 different varieties of tomatoes – which may seem like a lot, but I’m actually pretty proud of my restraint because it’s so hard to narrow down all the options from the plethora of tomato varieties that are available these days.
We were supposed to be planting heaps of summer veggies this week (zucchini, cucumbers, basil, okra, eggplant, peppers, etc) BUT with the freezing temps that are forecasted for the next two nights, we’re going to hold off and plant all those babies over the weekend + into next week. Just goes to show that Mother Nature is always in charge, and as farmers sometimes we have to throw our plans out the window and work with whatever the weather throws our way.
LOTS of beautiful spring veggies getting harvested this days! Just to give you a sense for what we’re picking these days for the farmstand + restaurant customers, here’s a quick list: looseleaf lettuce mix, pac choi/bok choi, arugula, hakurei turnips, radishes, kohlrabi, kale, swiss chard, mint, cilantro, dill, parsley. Looks like over the next few weeks, our spring fennel, kohlrabi, and beets will also be ready for harvesting.
Kitchen Notes
I’m excited to announce that tonight I’m hosting the first (of many) Farmbelly Club mini virtual cooking lessons via Zoom + Facebook Live!
TONIGHT, April 21, at 7:45pm EST I’ll be leading a quick (10-15 minute), fun, and informative lesson all about HERBS! During this lesson, I’ll talk about the difference between spices and herbs, when to use dried vs fresh herbs, how to properly store different kinds of herbs, AND how to safely chop various herbs.
Want to join live tonight @ 7:45pm (EST)?! Here are the links for two ways to watch:
OR via our private Facebook Page
If you're not able to join live, no worries! The video will be saved on Facebook live, and I’ll also record the video on Zoom and will add it to our Farmbelly Club video google drive HERE.
Today’s Stats
Low temp: 32F
High temp: 72F
Sunrise: 6:36am
Sunset: 7:56pm
Moon phase: Waxing Gibbous
Additional notes: Sunny, breezy and beautiful… getting chilly by the evening!