Hello garden friends,
Today started with Iris & I harvesting a wagon load of squash & zucchini. What beautiful fruit. What healthy things are ya'll doing with them? Please share, it inspires me to keep growing for you. Are you enjoying any of the recipes that I send out? I haven't had much time to read, but that will change during the summer. If you have some good books about local food, or cooking that you would recommend, I am open to new material. When we began picking beans, we had to eat some. This week we picked beans from one row, next week we will be picking from four, so get your green bean recipes ready or plan to freeze some for later use.
We did find several different caterpillars in our harvest today, Iris brought one in to watch it turn into a butterfly. I also handpicked several stink bugs, however because the plants are strong and healthy, I am not seeing too much damage.Good news, there are lizards and ladybugs abounding and the grasshoppers are around, but I haven't seen much loss because of them. We have needed to use Bt(Bacillius Thuricide) on the corn, the squash, the cukes, the tomatoes and lately the bok choy and greens. I use it on the curcubits because inevitably we would have nice fruit with a fat pickle worm feasting inside. These little insects enter through the blossom end and you don't know they are there till your fruit turns soft or you slice into one. I am sooo happy about the fungicide that we are using. It is a product by Serenade and we harvested more edible pickling cucumbers than we ever have in our organic gardens. There will be more next week, so if you didn't get any, look forward to crisp cucumbers next week. I am investigating new pesticides that have pyrethrins in them. I am not happy with the one that we began the season with and would like to find something else. It has been effective, but I am not comfortable with the heavy handedness of it. I'd like something stronger than safer's soap, but not as strong as what I first selected.
We have decided to change the fabric above the one section of tomatoes in the Goodness and Mercy Patch, because the water and light are not penetrating enough where the fabric is parellel to the plants and the bushes are beginning to bend in search of more light. I did take a picture of some green tomatoes down on the bottom of a bush, I will try to send it, if I can figure out how from my phone. Please pray for rain. We did today and we did receive. More would be really Good. The corn in the Humble Plot has tassles!!YEA!! and the cantelopes are blossoming.
I forgot to ask several of you about the fennel... We have it, if you want one. Let me know and I will put it in your share. Some folks don't know what to do with this veggie. It is great with fish and citrus. You can use the whole thing. Find new uses for this, we all want to know. Can it be dehydrated?? I think you can snip the leaves and freeze them packed in ice cube trays and then move into a zip lock. Take out the number you need when cooking to add this anise treat to your dishes. I love it fresh, scissored into salad. I hope everyone enjoyed getting some new potatoes today, I added one of my favorite recipes for these in the attachment. I can't wait to make some meals with my Mom this weekend.
You will receive a survey with the next shares so that you can help me with feedback. Looking back over the last 8 weeks, I'd like to share with you some thoughts as we finish out the season.Our plan was to produce for 32 people. Some crops have been enough and others need to be increased. Due to the abundance God granted this spring 2011 season, we have been quite generous with what is called a half share and we are thankful to be able to be so. My decision to add extra into these shares comes from my desire to share the harvest and my lack of additional time and storage space needed to sell the overflow. If you have been receiving a half share and you are comfortable with the amount of food you are getting, it would be wise to consider a full share in the future. Those of you who purchased half shares and are left feeling inundated, I apologize. It has been a sizeable amount of food, and I do not want to discourage you from participating in the future. Rhonda and I have discussed if it might be best to have the shares every other week, in order to be more manageable and worth the drive, or if it is necessary to have an even smaller share available. I do have some ladies at my church that pick up a few things now and then, so please don't let my exhuberance be a discouragment to your personal attempt at acquiring local, organic food and eating healthy. We are all learning how to do this together and with talking about our experiences we will grow together. I can see us increasing from 4 full shares and 5 half shares to providing 6 fullshares with 4-5 half shares in the fall 2011 season. We could have sold 2-3 more half shares this season and as we go week to week we are finding ways to sell enough extras to cover new costs and God had been faithful both to bless ,to teach ,to encourage and to challenge all of us each week. Thank you all for joining me and Dave, Rhonda ,Donna, Shirley and Suzanna and the kids as we take these new steps.
The quantities of carrots are reasonable, and the beets need increasing(more rain too). We will have some of both in the next few shares. We will try a totally new variety of cauliflower during both the fall and spring. We will probably return to the DeCiccio variety of brocccoli, or do half and half with the Waltham variety. I like the big heads from the Waltham, but we are not getting near the side shoots that we had last year. I have planted the tuscan kale, but it is not doing well due to the heat, we will try again in the fall. We will start with more cherry tomatoes plants each season as they are plentiful and will be ready first, but I believe the six plants that we have will leave us all wanting more and the other small variety I am still waiting to judge.The swiss chard has been holding it's own finally, and although the bugs love it, so do I. Rhonda has started sweet potato slips in her back yard - thanks girl - so we are planning to have them in Oct or Nov. 2011. We plant them out in May in the Friendship Field.
We have harvested many Vidalia type Sweet Onions. They are for sale for $1.00 ea. This is an important cash crop for us. Please feel free to take orders from neighbors, friends and co workers. Please get cash. You can email me ahead with what you will need to pick up. We will also have many yellow squash. I haven't come up with a price yet, but let me know if anyone is interested. The organic ones in the store that I have seen are so small, so there is a limit to what can be done with them. I have 5 other types of squash planted, so we won't get bored with this veggie, lets find others to sell some of it to. We are using up all the fungicide and probably all the fertilizer by June 7th. We will still need to use some during the summer occasionally to keep up with tomatoes, peppers, and sweet potatos in the ground that will stay till fall. I would like to purchase some new lights since most are 3 years old and several are dying out on the seed table. I do intend to invest in a seed planter that lays the seeds down in rows since we are now attempting to cover such a large area and I beleive this tool will pay for it self over and over in time saved alone, not to mention my back. This summer we will be harvesting the casting for the fall instead of waiting till Aug to begin and this will be a big help. We do have worms for sale now and possibly castings in 1-2 lb bags by mid June. I can also make wom casting tea for anyone that is interested for $3.00 a gallon. Email me if you are interested.
I can't thank you enough for helping us to make our Merry Heart Farm a joy and a treasure. To God be the Glory Great things He hath done. Have a great time celebrating Easter with family and friends. He is Risen!! We are Redeemed. Do you know how? Check out the Easter Story Cookie Link on the attached recipe page. Don't skip it -even if the kids are grown - read through it for yourself. You will be glad that you did. May His Peace be upon you.
Smiles,
Farmer Jen
