Growing the Bounty

The farm blogger’s taking off for vacation tomorrow, so this one is a bit early. Still, there’s plenty to report; it’s been a busy week thus far, and we’ll start with the rousing success of the June Farm Dinner!

Catered by a stalwart crew of employees and volunteers, the dinner’s forty-two guests enjoyed a delicious, home-cooked meal, including: chard and ricotta gallete; kale and cherry belle radish salad; pureed carrot soup with garlic pesto; roasted tomatoes with lamb kifta over polenta; and lemon balm pannacotta with strawberries and cream for dessert. A general sense of satisfaction was reported, and the dinner was followed by a performance by a very skillful storyteller.

Out in the fields, the squash and pumpkins have enjoyed their first round of weeding, and the peas are flowering and will soon be bearing pods. The beds of lacinato kale have come back strong after suffering the hunger of cabbage loopers and imported cabbage worms, an invasive species of caterpillar from Asia. One of our volunteers, a particularly hale and hearty man, has even been clearing the unseeded fields of stones! Not only does this make tilling significantly easier, it also makes the quarter acre look good as new.

In other news, this week’s tomato harvest thus far totals roughly one hundred and thirteen pounds, up ninety-three pounds from last week. This includes cherry tomatoes such as Sungolds, Black Cherries, and Chadwick Cherries, 4^th of July salad tomatoes, and heirlooms of several varieties. The numbers only go up from here, folks, so stay tuned.

(pictured above: today's market spread)

For those of you chiefly interested in our eggs, good news: the chicks are growing up fast, and we should be acquiring eleven new laying hens from a third party. Our chickens thrive on a diet of organic, soy-free feed and various leftover produce, including tomatoes, kale, beet greens, chard, depending on the season.

That’s all for now. As a brief reminder, though, CSA is starting July 9^th; share pickups will take place on Wednesdays, 4 pm – 6 pm in the pavilion. We look forward to seeing you there!