Notes From the Farm Week 23

It may be hard to believe, but patience was once considered one of the greatest virtues of our time. Yet, in true human fashion, we have worked tirelessly to avoid any sort of waiting. You no longer have to wait days for a letter to come in the mail, only a few minutes for email. For a price, theme parks will allow you to skip to the front of the line. Airlines can equally be bribed: for $25 you can get on the plane before anyone else. People refuse  to be bothered with waiting and now our patience as a species is nearly extinct. 

This is simply not the case on our farm. We put hours and hours of strenuous, back-breaking labor into our fields each week for no more than a few inches growth a month.  The cold spring tested our patience beyond belief. 


Plants refused to grow. 


Seeds rotted in the wet soil.


Luckily, that patience is beginning to pay off. As the first of our plants give one final hurrah to make it to the finish line that is harvest, we are renewed. It is an invigorating energy that allows us to keep up our pace as well. The warm days and cool nights are just what our crops were waiting on. So, members, you can rest assured that harvest will begin in about 2 weeks! Keep your eyes out for an email containing a link to our website to verify your contact information, pick up location, date, and time, as well as your preferences. 

Now, a little preview....


The onions are bulbing up quite nicely, and should be finished around mid July. 

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Romaine lettuce will be finished in about 2 weeks! The cool spring has kept these organic beauties pest free, so they are quite spectacular in appearance. 

Tete Noir Cabbage is a small, tight headed, red cabbage that is extra crunchy. It doesn't hurt that the coloration is remarkable, after all we eat with our eyes first! While it has begun the heading process, it will not be ready until the first week of July. 

One of my all time favorite greens: the all american collard green. Nothing says country as well as a mess of greens. Normally collard greens are ravaged by the cabbage moth larvae, but not this year! These little guys have needed hardly any care at all, and that makes eating them even more enjoyable! Here are a few facts about collards:
~One serving is over half of your daily need for Vit C. 
~It has strong anti-cancer and anti-viral properties.
~308% of your daily Vit A requirements.
~1000% of your daily Vit K requirements! 
~Good source of required minerals: iron, calcium, copper, manganese, selenium, and zinc. 
~Only about 50 calories per serving!! 

Members, thank you for your patience. Once you sink your teeth into the first bounty, I am convinced you will never look at vegetables the same again, and you will be certain it was worth the wait! Until next week...

~Robert