Hi all! A lot is happening at the farm. Our big planting season is dwindling and our greenhouse is looking more full of space. We’ve disced in the oldest strawberry planting, opening up space for our fall brassica planting. We are spending a lot more time tending to the newer strawberry plants on the farm to ensure— as much as possible—a good crop for next year.
As some of you have noticed, the blueberry netting is up, thanks to help from two of our stellar work for shares and volunteers, Chris and Mark! Chris (one of our board members, on the right in the photo) has also been helping us harvest and wash for share pick ups as well as doing some significant clean up and beautification projects. Chris is also one of our “watering angels”—that’s what I’m calling the folks who water for Ken and me so that we don’t have to stand around holding a watering wand for an hour every morning while we are so short staffed. This is truly a game changer for us, and it makes our days so much more manageable. Mark (on the left) is the superstar who keeps our little fleet of tractors and their various implements running so smoothly. Thanks guys–you’ve done so much for us this season!
The flowers are ready to pick! We will provide scissors for the first week of flower PYO but after that, we suggest that you keep a pair of clippers or scissors in your car so that you can be prepared to properly harvest herbs and flowers. It’s important to use scissors for cutting and to not tear the stems off of the plants as this helps encourage the longevity of the plants. We hope that you enjoy your time in the flower garden.
You have probably noticed you’re getting lots of scallions. This is because we are able to irrigate the scallions here on the main farm and they are big and beautiful as a result. We had planned to have fresh onions for you now as well, but alas, our onions are tucked away in a field with no irrigation. They look healthy, but they’re frozen in time at a small, unharvestable size. While we wait for some rain to aid the onions’ growth, I encourage you to use your scallions in place of onions in dishes that call for them: they are not just meant to be eaten raw or as a garnish! Scallions are lovely sautéed with your greens, for example.
Thanks for reading, and I hope that you have had a fantastic holiday weekend!
Be well,
Mel, on behalf of the Stearns crew