French Breakfast Radishes
We are very happy to announce the start of share distributions this week! Despite the fact that we are getting hit with a ton of rain as we prepare, it still feels celebratory! (I'll try to hold on to that celebratory feeling while we are harvesting in the pouring rain.) On a positive note, we don't have the heat to contend with which is good. Thankfully there wasn't too much damage from last week's rainstorm. The fennel appeared to take the brunt of it but we're optimistic most of the plants will recover. This is a big planting time for us and while the team managed to get a lot in the ground last week, the rain did interrupt our progress a little.
Members, come and get it! The star of the show this week will be French Breakfast radishes. This radish is considered to be a spring radish, and while I don't particularly love radishes, I still find them lovely. It is generally served raw as hors d'oeuvres or in salads. Store without the leafy tops and place in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic to keep fresh for several days.
The team put up the tomato stakes on Saturday and Kevin has the callouses to prove it. Our cold storage room is up and running and our new wash table is in place. In the coming days we will be working to set up our washing/share preparation area and distribution area. A lot needs to happen in time for our first pick-ups but we are confident that it will all come together. Somehow. There is something so celebratory about the first harvests and the first week of share distributions. We've been working for months toward this goal and and are excited to see our returning members and meet our new ones!
Fresh From the Fields In addition to radishes, we plan to harvest kale and collards this week as well as spinach. Get ready for your greens! Our friend and member Jason recently told me that one of best aspects of our CSA is that it inspires his family to cook with things they don't ordinarily buy at the grocery store. We have heard this from several members and couldn't agree more. So start thinking about how you will use your kale and collards!
While our new fence is effective at keeping deer out, smaller animals can pass right through with ease. There seems to be an abundance of rabbits around the farm which means our young plants are susceptible to becoming rabbit lunch! Our children are delighted by their presence. Farmer Kevin is less so.
Thank you to Sue and Charlie for countless hours of assistance with weeding, mowing, planting, and harvesting. Thank you to Bruce for fixing our rototiller and thank you to Steve Jany for lending us his back hoe so that we could move our new washing table into place.
Welcome Martine! A big welcome to our first Apprentice, Martine! Martine is an Art Major concentrating in photography at Warren Wilson College in North Carolina. She will be spending a good part of her summer weeding, harvesting, preparing shares and lending general assistance around the farm and we couldn't be more grateful. If you see her, be sure to say hello!
Weeders Wanted! Do you enjoy gardening? Let me rephrase that. Do you enjoy weeding? There are no shortage of weeds competing with our young plants for energy and since we don't use weed killer, these need to be pulled out by hand or hoe. If you are interested in volunteering for a couple of hours, please send us a note with your availability via email or our contact us page.
Appelget Farm Book Club
This is a book club in the most informal sense as there are no scheduled meetings. Instead, I will be announcing a few titles over the course of the growing season and encouraging anyone who is interested to read along. You will be invited to share comments but not required! Our first book is Organic Manifesto, How Organic Farming Can Heal Our Planet, Feed the World, and Keep Us Safe by Maria Rodale. The paperback Edition is just $6 from Amazon. I'm reading are you?
Members, come and get it! The star of the show this week will be French Breakfast radishes. This radish is considered to be a spring radish, and while I don't particularly love radishes, I still find them lovely. It is generally served raw as hors d'oeuvres or in salads. Store without the leafy tops and place in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic to keep fresh for several days.
The team put up the tomato stakes on Saturday and Kevin has the callouses to prove it. Our cold storage room is up and running and our new wash table is in place. In the coming days we will be working to set up our washing/share preparation area and distribution area. A lot needs to happen in time for our first pick-ups but we are confident that it will all come together. Somehow. There is something so celebratory about the first harvests and the first week of share distributions. We've been working for months toward this goal and and are excited to see our returning members and meet our new ones!
Fresh From the Fields In addition to radishes, we plan to harvest kale and collards this week as well as spinach. Get ready for your greens! Our friend and member Jason recently told me that one of best aspects of our CSA is that it inspires his family to cook with things they don't ordinarily buy at the grocery store. We have heard this from several members and couldn't agree more. So start thinking about how you will use your kale and collards!
While our new fence is effective at keeping deer out, smaller animals can pass right through with ease. There seems to be an abundance of rabbits around the farm which means our young plants are susceptible to becoming rabbit lunch! Our children are delighted by their presence. Farmer Kevin is less so.
Thank you to Sue and Charlie for countless hours of assistance with weeding, mowing, planting, and harvesting. Thank you to Bruce for fixing our rototiller and thank you to Steve Jany for lending us his back hoe so that we could move our new washing table into place.
Welcome Martine! A big welcome to our first Apprentice, Martine! Martine is an Art Major concentrating in photography at Warren Wilson College in North Carolina. She will be spending a good part of her summer weeding, harvesting, preparing shares and lending general assistance around the farm and we couldn't be more grateful. If you see her, be sure to say hello!
Weeders Wanted! Do you enjoy gardening? Let me rephrase that. Do you enjoy weeding? There are no shortage of weeds competing with our young plants for energy and since we don't use weed killer, these need to be pulled out by hand or hoe. If you are interested in volunteering for a couple of hours, please send us a note with your availability via email or our contact us page.
Appelget Farm Book Club
This is a book club in the most informal sense as there are no scheduled meetings. Instead, I will be announcing a few titles over the course of the growing season and encouraging anyone who is interested to read along. You will be invited to share comments but not required! Our first book is Organic Manifesto, How Organic Farming Can Heal Our Planet, Feed the World, and Keep Us Safe by Maria Rodale. The paperback Edition is just $6 from Amazon. I'm reading are you?
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