Two Feet in the Dirt

There’s a good and bad side to everything and the early heat this year is no different. This week, we’ve gotten to see both the ups and downs of this weather. On the positive side, we’re getting many of our crops in earlier than last year. This week, one of my yearly favorites, garlic scapes, will make its debut. Garlic scapes used to be seen as only a leftover bi-product of garlic production and were usually relegated to the farm’s own kitchen, but they’ve gained in popularity in recent years and for good reason. They combine the traditional taste of garlic with a hint of sweetness and are especially tasty used raw in dishes like pesto. 

On a less positive note, the hot spring and the relatively mild winter have ushered in many insect pests a lot earlier than we usually expect them. We’ve already seen the first Colorado potato beetles munching on the eggplant, Harlequin beetles going after the kale, and Mexican bean beetles, all of which are pretty major problems that I hope every year will make a late appearance. Flea beetles have been a particular problem this spring and set the eggplant transplants back a couple weeks, but they’ve started putting on some new growth at last, so hopefully will be able to outgrow future damage at this point.

Otherwise, the crops are growing away and there seems to be something new ready for picking each week! See our full harvest list below and we’ll see you at Burke and Urbana this weekend.

Farmers Katie & Mike

This week at the market:

• Salad mix
• Arugula
• Baby kale
• Spring onions
• Garlic Scapes
• Kohlrabi
• Radishes
• Lettuce heads
• Green garlic
• Hakurei turnips
• Kale
• Collard greens
• Rainbow chard
• Carrots