Memorial Day this past week was wonderful. In years past, we used to start the Main Season portion of our program on this week, which was always a big mistake. Our ultimate reason for changing it is that we found that members who don't love greens were disappointed by their first boxes, so we wanted to reserve those for Extended Season members who love all of the veggies and wait until there is more variety to begin the Main Season.
Secondly, it used to take us all day to harvest, wash, and pack the veggies into the first shares of the season (and still does on a normal day during the Main Season, but was a huge drag on Memorial Day). Last year it only took us a few hours and this past year it only took us an hour and a half! Having items in the boxes that are primarily bunches and heads of greens makes the harvesting easier, and it was all hands on deck from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Everyone was sent home early, and even Randy was finished working by mid-day and we enjoyed a friend's picnic for the rest of the afternoon. A far cry from where we were in 2021. Felicia, Laina, and Emily were the only crew members left to snap a photo of around 9:30. Thank you for the help, crew!
This week I spent a lot of time on administrative tasks, from ordering supplies, to banking, to ordering products for the store, to planning a staff meeting, to filling out paperwork for the Department of Agriculture, to cleaning... the list goes on and on. One of the very lovely tasks I had the privilege of working on was picking out flower bulbs for next year. If you were with us in the fall, you know that we almost missed the ordering window for tulips and daffodils because the task slipped our minds. We ended up not getting all of the varieties we wanted and luckily snatching up some of the very last inventory.
We definitely don't want to let this happen again, so I picked out bulbs while it's early enough in the year and this past year's sale was still fresh in our minds. We really wanted to offer some really unique and fun varieties, and these 7 really stuck out to me. What do you think? It's a really rudimentary document, but it allows me to see the variety altogether.
Our seedling sale has officially concluded and we thank you so much for your support with both those and the hanging flower baskets, which are now all gone. This week, Randy will be using some of the leftovers in our fields and then I offered the rest to Real Food Share, a nonprofit that grows and rescues fresh produce specifically for donation in our area. I spent a little time late last week looking through seedling inventory and making notes for next year. On my list? More basil, herbs, and maybe even some cherry tomatoes!
With me spending so much time inside this week, I really enjoyed my field walks to check on what's up and coming for shares. Sugar snap peas aren't in enough abundance to offer in shares, but my guess is that you'll see them in our store this week.
What a view! Garlic scapes aren't popping up, which I was checking on here, but those are a June crop and should be here soon.
Greenhouse tomatoes are fruiting and should ripen up for later this month, too.
Also coming this month: squash, zucchini, cucumbers, beets, carrots, more lettuce and broccoli rabe.
Our best guess for next week's shares as the Main Season begins: Napa cabbage and kohlrabi. Of course, this could always change.
This week's weather looks iffy. These huge temperature swings are awful. They trick the greens into going to seed, which ruins them, and the cold night temps have also slowed down the squash, zucchini, and cucumbers significantly. We ended up covering them with Reemay cloth to help them along, so hopefully we won't see notable delays in our harvest schedule. We're also praying for rain. It's incredibly dry and it kind of scares us to think of having another drought this year... We'll continue to transplant through it this week.
We are again in need of very large boxes for a special project that we're beginning next week! (More on that in next week's newsletter...) Please bring them our way if you have any (large sizes like this only).
Also, say hello to Audrey, who is working at our wash station during the week and in our store on Saturdays!
New tea flavors were delivered this week and just in time for the start of summer!
To wrap up, a message I received from Randy this week said, "Not a bad view from the office." I have to agree!
In Your Share (Listed approximately from shortest shelf life to longest)
Large:
1 bunch of cress
2 bunches of spinach
1 bunch of Swiss chard
1 bunch of kale
1 head of lettuce
1 bunch of collard greens
1 bunch of scallions
Small:
1 bunch of spinach
1 bunch of Swiss chard OR kale (farmer's choice based on availability)
1 head of lettuce
1 bunch of collard greens
1 bunch of scallions
Caring For Your Share (All of this information, plus long-term storage info, can also be found in our Vegetable Library of Resources).
Store collard greens, chard, kale, spinach, and cress in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your fridge. Or, trim the ends and store it in a glass of water, like a bouquet. Wash when ready to use (within the week).
Shake out any excess water in the head of lettuce, then store in a plastic bag in the fridge. Wash and spin out when ready to use.
Store scallions roots-down in a glass of water in the fridge, like a bouquet. Cover the greens with a plastic bag. Or, store in a plastic bag in the fridge and use within the week.
The LGF Cooking Club (Recipes to try in addition to those in the Library of Resources!)
Summer Glow Strawberry Kale Salad (Jones is open for the season!)
Grilled Chicken & Strawberry Salad Wrap (Jones is open for the season!)
Veggie Fritters (with Greens)
Large Share Additional Items:
Please note that Victoria does not work on Thursdays this season. Emails received on Wednesday night through Thursday will be answered on Fridays.
How to Change Your Pickup Day
If you need to skip your share for the week, or change your pickup day, you must provide us with 48 hours notice since we pack shares the day before pickup. Once your share has been harvested and packed, we can not cancel your pickup.
For Tuesday pickups being changed, we need to know by Sunday. Wednesday pickups, we need to know by Monday. Saturday pickups, we need to know by Thursday. You have the option to choose another of those pickup days: Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday. Or, you can skip a pickup and double the following week.
If you miss your pickup, we will hold your share for 24 hours after your pickup day (Monday for Saturday members), and then it will be donated to a local food pantry. With more members than ever before, we don't have the cooler space to hold onto shares longer than this. This is a great option if you accidentally miss your pickup - just come the next day.
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