Just like that we have lots of spring veggies ready! Although the last week or so has been unseasonably cooler, and it's been rainier and cloudier than we'd like, the veggies got an amazing jump start earlier in the spring.
Every year we joke about the dreaded week 2, and we think maybe it's time to stop worrying about it. In our earlier years, we'd deplete most of what we had available during the first week, and by week 2, we'd be scraping together enough veggies to fill the spring shares. The last couple of years, week 2 hasn't been as much of a problem (Though last year, week 1 was! Remember how cloudy and rainy Spring 2020 was?!)
Speaking of week 1, this past Thursday was the first Trumbull Farmers' Market of the season. It takes place every Thursday from 4-7 at the NIA ball fields on Unity Road. If you ever want to come check it out, we'll be there through the fall!
Happy Mother's Day to all of our mom members! We hope you have a very special day.
Thank you everyone, for making our hanging flower basket sale a success! We still have about 10 available for purchase this upcoming week if you are interested. They are $20 each.
Katelyn from Rustle Floral Co., who grows flowers on our farm, also grew some potted dahlias, which are just starting to pop up. They are $10 each or 2 for $18. Here are the varieties:
Like the other potted flowers we grew, these dahlia tubers can be saved for next year. You just need to dig them up and replant them every year.
Randy and new crew member Laina trellised and pruned our greenhouse tomatoes last week. The trellis system will help them stand up and make it easier to harvest off of them eventually. Pruning tomatoes helps increase air circulation, removes any foliage that isn't contributing to fruit production, and focuses the plant's energy into creating nice, big tomatoes. Believe it or not, a few of the plants actually already have some flowers. When do you think we'll start harvesting from them?
This week, you'll notice that the kale bunches look a little funny. We're getting rid of the overwintered plants from the field, so we're harvesting the whole tops of the plants to make a bunch. You can absolutely use the leaves in the same way - just pull them off of the stalk, remove the thick center vein, and enjoy!
Another big project we've been working on is transplanting for our garden kit pickup and seedling sale on May 22nd. This week we transplanted all cucurbits (squash family plants - cukes, zukes, yellow squash, pumpkins, watermelon, and cantaloupe) as well as tomatoes (slicing, grape, and heirloom), kale, and eggplant. We also transplanted a ton of 4-packs of herbs: basil, rosemary, thyme, sage, dill, oregano, and mint. Next week, we'll be transplanting lettuce, peppers, broccoli, beans, sunflowers, and zinnias, and then we'll let them rest for the final week before the pickup and sale. Here they are in the greenhouse.
Here's a look at the field. Huge pieces of Reemay cloth are covering beets, carrots, kale, broccoli, cabbage, collards, and kohlrabi. Most of those crops are ready in June.
That middle row is where your collards and kale came from!
And a look at snap pea progress (and a peek at garlic progress to the right, too!) That's greenhouse #1 you see.
In Your Share (One size for Extended Season!)
1 bunch of radishes
1 bunch of kale
1 head of lettuce
1 head of escarole
1 lb. of leeks
Caring For Your Share:
Remove the greens from the radishes and store them in separate plastic bags. Wash and eat the greens within a few days; the roots will keep for a couple of weeks if stored properly.
Store leeks in a plastic bag in the fridge. Wash when read to use.
Store kale in a plastic bag in the fridge. Or, snip the ends and store in a glass of water, like a bouquet. Wash and spin out when ready to use, within a few days.
Shake out any excess water in the heads of lettuce and escarole, then store in a plastic bag in the fridge. Wash and spin out when ready to use.
Check out the Library of Resources for more in-depth information about each crop and storage tips (long-term storage, too!):
LGF Cooking Club (Check out the Library of Resources for more!)
Escarole and White Beans with a Parmesan-Nut Crust (includes leeks!) https://www.weightwatchers.com/us/recipe/escarole-and-white-beans-with-a-parmesan-nut-crust/5626a5f6271fc584086c75a1
Leek-Smothered Cod https://recipeland.com/recipe/v/leek-smothered-cod-35688
P.F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps https://damndelicious.net/2014/05/30/pf-changs-chicken-lettuce-wraps/
Escarole with Crispy Ham and Eggs https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/escarole-crispy-ham-eggs
Sautéed Radish and Kale Spaghetti https://eatsimplefood.com/radish-kale-spaghetti/
Radish Salad with Yogurt Dill Dressing https://themodernproper.com/radish-salad-with-yogurt-dill-dressing
Grilled Kale and Escarole Caesar Salad https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/grilled-kale-escarole-caesar-salad
Housekeeping:
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @laurelglenfarmllc. We are always sharing quizzes, polls, and interactive features to go along with our posts, and most of the updates you see here in the newsletter are posted daily first to our social media accounts.
Please remember to bring a bag with you and to wear a mask in the store. You'll be parking in the lot in front of our store and entering into the farm store (the stone and white building). We'll check off your name and bag up your share. If you owe a balance on your subscription, it is due at the time of pickup. If you can't remember if you owe a balance, please send us an email. If you can't remember which day you signed up for, please email us.
Join our private Facebook group! Here's how to join:
Find our page @laurelglenfarmllc
Click on the Community tab
Find the group called 2021 Subscription Members
Request access, and we will approve you!
What if I forget to pick up my share?
Life happens! If you forget to pick up, we always hold your share for 24 hours, so you can come to the store the next day to pick it up. The only exception to this is for Saturday pickup members. Since we are closed on Sundays, we can hold it for you until Monday. After that, it will be forfeited and donated.
I know I can't pick up my share or receive my delivered share on an upcoming date. What are my options?
If you know you'll be unavailable on a particular date, we can schedule your share to be packed for another day. You must email 48 hours in advance of the day of the change to be accommodated.
The only exception is if you receive a delivery on a given day. We can't deliver on another day because of our routes, but you do have other options. See below.
Some examples:
You usually pick up on Tuesdays, but you have somewhere else to be and won't make it. You are free on Saturday, though. Email the farm by SUNDAY (48 hours in advance of your pickup day) and we will pack your share for pickup on Saturday instead of Tuesday.
You will be on vacation for an entire week and won't be available at all. We can skip your pickup or delivery for that week and double up for your following scheduled pickup or delivery date. (Biweekly pickup members, your "off" week can be an option).
You usually get a delivery on Wednesdays, but you will be away. You have 2 options. We can either skip your share this week and double you up for the following delivery. Or, you can email the farm to switch to another pickup day that week. Come to the farm to pick up and we can give you additional vegetables in place of your delivery fee.
We always harvest and pack shares the day before they are scheduled to be delivered or picked up. Therefore, we can't accommodate any changes the day before. Once your share has been packed, there are no opportunities to reschedule. Sorry!