Last Week of the Spring CSA

Welcome to the last week of the Spring CSA!  Spring is such a tumultuous season on the farm.  Full of promise, full of surprises, never short on frustrations.  Thank you for joining us on our

journey this spring.  I hope you enjoyed eating what our gardens had to offer.

Summer weather has arrived suddenly with sunny skies and high temperatures reaching into the 90’s.  And right on time the black rot is creeping into the kale.  And the caterpillars, too.  We can control the caterpillars with an organic spray, but the black rot is beyond our control.  But that is the way it goes as we move from one season to the next.  The spring greens make way for summer vegetables.   You are probably starting to get tired of kale, anyway.  Or maybe you never get tired of kale.  Either way, we may have another week or two of greens before we get another go of it in the fall.

We are squeezing in one more round of Senposai greens this week because we got rave reviews from several CSA members and market customers.  We will definitely be planting this green again in the fall.

Usually the end of May is when we start harvesting squash and zucchini.  By mid June the walk-in is  overflowing.  Squash is one of the easiest crops to grow.  Which is why is extra demoralizing that I simply cannot coax it forth this year.   Cucumber beetles emerging from their winter slumber nearly wiped out the entire first planting.  I am astonished by how many cucumber beetles I keep collecting in our yellow bowl traps.  Second planting – cold wet soil spelled dismal germination.  When will we have squash?  I do not know.  But I just keep trying!

So, what is doing well?  The kohlrabi, obviously.   Everyone is getting two big kohlrabi this week.  Don’t be put off by the size, they are still tender and delicious under that thick skin.  And if you still have a kohlrabi or two hanging out in the fridge, don’t worry about it.  They will last for more than a month if left whole.  Cooper prefers his kohlrabi raw.  I like it best cubed and roasted, but it is a delicious stir fry vegetable as well.  A couple weeks ago I took all the leftover “uglies” and made this delicious broth-based kohlrabi gratin.

In other good news: There are still plenty of carrots out in the field sizing up.  The potatoes are looking good as well, despite having been besieged by more Colorado Potato Beetles than I have ever seen on our farm!  I’m a little nervous about what is around the bend because it seems we are having a banner year for certain garden pests.  Usually a little hand picking is enough to keep them at bay, but not this year!  Luckily, the larva can be controlled with a couple of organic sprays.  I am happy to report that I have not seen evidence of the potato leaf hoppers that demolished the potato crop last year.  Now everyone go knock on wood!

Small Shares

• Omero Red Cabbage
• Kohlrabi
• Senposai
• Red Russian Kale
• Carrots

Full Shares

• Napa Cabbage
• Omero Red Cabbage
• Kohlrabi
• Senposai
• Hakurei turnips
• Carrots