I'm crossing my fingers that last week will be the last week with night time temps in the teens. As long as we're in the mid 20's and above, anxiety over our heated propagation greenhouse is at a minimum. I keep two heaters in the greenhouse just in case our main propane heater fails, then there is a backup diesel heater ready to jump into action and keep it from freezing if need be. But on nights like tonight and what is forecasted for the rest of the week, I don't even have to worry about the heater failing! It's like living a carefree life!

We had a big day on Friday transplanting into the ground and into pots for the plant stand. We potted up lots of Dahlias, Begonias, Verbena, Lantana, and more flowers for the plant stand come warmer temps in May. We also started to pot up stand tomatoes! We'll have 18 varieties of heirloom, cherry, and hybrid tomatoes for sale at our plant stand this spring. I can't wait!

In the morning we spend the day switching over beds from overwintered spinach to their new inahabitants. Joe and I were lucky to have a couple workshares in with us, Kristen and Keara, for a busy day in the greenhouses. We seeded a bed of Radishes, and transplanted beds of Romaine Lettuce, Beets, Kale, and Fennel (pictured above)! I am expecting all of the new transplants to start being ready for spring shares by the end of May.

I kept forgetting to include recipes over the last few newsletters, but I have one for Baby Kale below.

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Spring Shares Week 4

It's going to be like a whole new share this week! We're pretty much done harvesting from over wintered beds, and will start picking from beds seeded on Feb 1st this week. That means there are going to be a lot of firsts this week!

Arugula is looking tasty in the greenhouse. Baby Kale is my favorite green to put on sandwiches. Microgreens are a staple. I will say ahead of time that we are seeing some yellowing on the trays that are ready for this week. It shouldn't effect the greens too much, but they might have a shorter shelf life than usual. Radishes Yum! It feels early to have radishes ready for us, but they are the right size to be picked and super sweet! Spinach is coming off our newly seeded beds and will be closer to a baby leaf size for the next couple weeks. Super tender and very sweet!

Spring Week 4
Arugula
Baby Kale
Microgreens
Radishes
Spinach

Egg Share: Weekly Eggs Only

RECIPE LINK: BABY KALE SALAD w/ LEMON, PARMESAN, AND CRISPY CHICKPEAS

Ingredients

For the Roasted Chickpeas:

▪1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

▪1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

▪½ teaspoon salt

▪¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the Salad
* 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, from one lemon
* 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
* 1 small garlic clove, minced
* ¼ teaspoon salt
* ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1 5oz Bag or Container Baby Kale or Kale/Dark Greens Mix
* ½ cup shaved Parmigiano-Regianno

Instructions

1.Preheat oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2.Place the chickpeas on the prepared baking sheet and toss with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 10-12 minutes, stirring once, until the chickpeas are slightly shrunken and crispy. Let cool.

3.In a large bowl, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Add the greens and toss until evenly coated. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary (I usually add a bit more salt). Arrange on plates and top with Parmigiano-Regianno shavings and crispy roasted chickpeas.

4.Note: If you can't find baby kale, feel free to substitute any other deep green blend, arugula or Lacinato kale (you'll just have to chop the leaves and let it marinate a bit).

The Farm Store is OPEN!

We've got some new additions in the farm store freezer this week! Mark from Archway Farm brought by some Maple Breakfast Sausage, Uncured Smoked Kielbasa, and Nitrate and Nitrite free Pork Hot Dogs! I'm particularly excited about the hot dogs! Joe is a vegetarian, so times have changed a bit, but the farm used to be fueled by hot dogs!

Another addition is our own Basil Pesto! The pesto was made in collaboration with the Harvest Bridge program that takes excess produce from farms and processes it in a commercial kitchen for resale. Harvest Bridge is run by Jacob Sherwood and is an incredible resource for farms in the Monadnock Region. We sent over about 15lbs of basil last year for him to make pesto, and it is delicious!

We'll keep adding new products in to the store as spring carries on. This week available in the store is:

Spinach
Microgreens
Carrots
Baby Kale
Arugula
Radishes
Kielbasa
Maple Breakfast Sausage
Hot Dogs
Pesto
Ice Cream
& Eggs!

3rd Annual Monadnock Earth Day Film Fest!

JOIN us for the 3rd Annual Monadnock Earth Day Film Fest, FREE! Running Wednesday, April 19 through Saturday, April 22nd, I am very excited to be a part of this event bringing you award-winning and nationally recognized films that celebrate this wondrous planet we share! There are both in-person and virtual offerings.

The Festival is free but registration is required on Eventive - a free, online film platform.

I will be on a panel discussion for the film "DelMarVa and the Ground for Change" on Thursday, April
20th @ 6pm.

The Festival is brought to you by Dog Days Farm, MFCC, MONIFF, and the Mon Food Coop.

Thank you so much!

Interest in Pickup Location for Archway Farm Meat CSA?

When Mark was over the other week dropping off sausage for the farm store, we got to talking about using our barn as a potential pickup location for members interested in an Archway Farm Meat CSA Share. I have been a share member for about a year now and it is a highlight of my month every time I receive my share. I absolutely LOVE it and I'm pretty sure I have talked about it in the newsletter before.

So, if anyone is interested in getting a pickup location setup at Dog Days Farm, send me an email. I won't guarantee that it will happen just yet, but if we get enough interest, it is fairly likely.

Support the Fitzwilliam District Nursing Association!

Each year our farm provides CSA shares to the Fitzwilliam District Nursing Association for their food delivery program. The FDNA has been providing food for members of our community for decades, and Tracie's Farm, and now Dog Days Farm, has been providing CSA shares as a part of their programming for over 10 years. Last year we packed 8 baskets per week for their food delivery program. The FDNA is run by a group of volunteers that are passionate about not letting members of the Fitzwilliam Community go hungry. We are lucky to have them as our neighbors.

I am putting out a call for members or friends of the farm that would like to pitch in to help purchase CSA shares for the FDNA this season. I match shares purchased for the FDNA, so if we are able to get four shares paid for, we will be able to offer another 8 baskets per week for our community members in need. Shares can be purchased directly from the farm and receipts for your donation from the FDNA are provided upon request. Donations are tax deductible.

If you would like to help purchase a CSA share for the FDNA, please send me an email at jack@dogdaysnh.com. Additionally, if you are in need of food assistance and would like to be on the delivery list through the summer, please send me an email and I will put you in touch with a member of the FDNA.

Workshare with Us!

We are looking for workshares to come help out on the farm one day a week for the summer season in exchange for a CSA share. Workshares are one of my favorite parts of the farm. We often get returning workshares year after year, and they almost always become longtime friends of the farm. It's a great way for me to get to know our CSA members and for members to get to know their farm.

Physical labor is a given for workshares, but we are often able to find tasks that suit the abilities of those that are able to help out. We have seen workshares of all ages on the farm over the years. It is a full day commitment, and we ask that members pick one day out of the week and come in that day for the duration of the season. Workshares are allowed to miss up to three days during the summer to accommodate vacations. In exchange, you receive a full summer share plus bread and eggs, as well as lunch on the farm on the days you work and access to deals on bulk veggies.

If you are interested in worksharing, please email me at jack@dogdaysnh.com

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