Do Your Rain Dance!

It's feeling pretty dry on the farm this week. We got a bit of a shower last Wednesday, but the moisture didn't stick around long. I've gotten used to the dry springs it over the past few seasons, but it doesn't make it any easier to get crops established and the ones in the ground could use a sip. Pushing the seeder through the dust yesterday made our need for rain pretty glaring. Most of that seed will just sit in the soil until we get some moisture to start the germination process. Not only that, but the high temps later this week are going to put added stress on our crops already in the ground.

All in all though our fields are filling up quickly and looking good. I've written about the water wheel transplanter a few times already, but boy am I happy that we have it for dry spells like this. The couple thousand starts we planted on Friday are looking good in spite of not getting a shower after planting. We'll take a pause on planting this week while its so dry and we wait for the hot weather to pass. Instead we'll get our high tunnels prepped for tomatoes and cucumbers (I got a few grumbles from the crew when I told them it was too hot to plant but not too hot to work in the greenhouse haha). Next week we'll get right back to planting in the fields and put the tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant in for summer time. It always feels good to be on this side of the frost date.

We'll be renting the soil steamer from the Cheshire County Conservation District over the next couple of weeks to get our greenhouses prepped. We also rented it in February to steam the tunnels in advance of spring growing. A soil steamer does just what it sounds like, steams the soil. It is a large boiler that discharges steam under a tarp set up in the greenhouse in order to pastuerize the upper two inches of the soil and sterilize any weed seeds. Soil steaming was a commonly held practice early in the 20th century prior to the proliferation of chemical weed control and it has been gaining popularity again as the organic movement has taken off. The greenhouse we steamed in February has been essentially weed free all spring. It's a thing of beauty.

This is our last week of Spring CSA shares and Summer Shares are just around the corner. If you're a summer member, keep an eye out for information emails going out in the coming weeks. Shares start on June 14th. I'm looking forward to it!

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR FALL CSA!

Final Week of Spring CSA Shares

A big THANK YOU to our spring CSA members this week. Its been a great season on our end, and we hope you've enjoyed it, too. I'm hoping to send you out with a bang, and we've go some new items in shares this week. Starting with Asparagus! Finally! Our asparagus beds coudn't catch a break early on this season, but they're producing heavy now and we should have enough for all of our members on Wednesday. Peas are also going into shares! Woohoo! I'm excited about the Little Gem Lettuce Heads we're picking this week, as well. This lettuce variety has become increasingly popular with restaurants over the years, and for good reason, the leaves are exceptionally tender and flavorful while maintaining excellent structure. Rhubarb is also going into shares this week. Below is a recipe for a carrot rhubarb soup, but it is also great for pies and jams!

Spring Week 12
Asparagus
Carrots
Little Gem Lettuce
Microgreens
Snap Peas
Rhubarb
Spicy Salad Mix

Egg Share: Weekly + Every Other Week Eggs

Tomatoes in the Plant Stand!

The frost should be behind us now and the plant stand is fully stocked!

In the stand this week:

Hanging Baskets

TOMATOES

▪Mt Fresh (Hybrid, determinate, large red, good for containers)

▪Big Beef (Hybrid, Indeterminate, Classic )

▪Granadero (Hybrid, plum)

CHERRIES

▪Sungold (classic)

▪Sunpeach

▪Black Cherry

▪Indigo cherry drops (brilliant red blaze on bottom with deep purple top)

▪Sunrise Bumble Bee (show stopper with red and yellow flecked fruit)

▪Super Sweet 100 (standard cherry)

HEIRLOOM

▪Brandywine (classic heirloom, pinkish hue)

▪Green Zebra

▪Black Krim (smaller plant, popular heirloom)

▪Valencia (orange heirloom tomato, Low acidity

▪Moskvich (extra early, red heirloom)

▪Striped German (beautiful ripening from green to yellow to red from the bottom, delicious large tom

▪Garden Peach (Victorian heirloom, sweet little treat in the garden)

▪Yellow Brandywine (lil twist on a classic)

Veggies
Beets
Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts
Cabbage
Napa Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celery
Chard
Cucumbers -- Slicers & Picklers
Eggplant
Green Curly Kale
Red Curly Kale
Flat Kale
Red Leaf Lettuce
Romaine Lettuce
Leeks
Peppers
Red Onions
Summer Squash
Tomatoes
White Onions
Yellow Onions
Zucchini

Flowers
Begonia
Cosmos
Dahlia
Geranium
Pansy
Petunia
Snapdragon
Sunflower
Yarrow
Zinnia

Herbs:
Basil
Lavender
Thyme
Sage
Mint
Parsley
Oregano

The Farm Store is OPEN!

Stocked Wednesday Afternoons

Open to the Public.

Dawn - Dusk

Honor System

In the store this week:

Carrots
Lettuce Heads
Microgreens
Salad Mix
Kale
Radishes
Beets
Snap Peas
Kielbasa
Maple Breakfast Sausage
Hot Dogs
Pesto
Ice Cream
& Eggs!

RECIPE LINK:Thai Carrot Rhubarb Soup

Ingredients

▪2 cups diced onions, 1/2” dice

▪2 Tbsp. olive oil

▪Salt

▪Freshly ground black pepper

▪8 ounces carrots (1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped)

▪2 large cloves garlic, chopped

▪1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

▪1 tsp. cumin seeds, crushed

▪2 tsp. coriander seeds, crushed

▪4 ounces rhubarb (1 cup coarsely chopped)

▪2 cups vegetable or chicken broth

▪1 cup coconut milk

▪1/4 cup lime juice

▪2 Tbsp. fish sauce or vegan “fish” sauce

▪1/2 – 1 jalapeño, seeds discarded and coarsely chopped

Instructions

Sauté onions, lightly seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper, in olive oil until onions soften. Stir in carrots, garlic, ginger, cumin, and coriander until ingredients are coated with oil, and cook for 1 minute. Stir in rhubarb, broth, coconut milk, and lime juice. Bring to a boil, turn down heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until carrots are tender. Put soup in blender with jalapeño, in batches if necessary, and puree. Serve hot or cold with fresh cilantro and basil on top.

Pickup Location for Archway Farm Meat CSA

I heard back from a few of you interested in an Archway Farm meat CSA share, so Mark has added the farm as an additional pickup location. Now if you want to sign up, you can pick up your meat share from the same place you get your veggies! It makes choosing what to make for dinner a breeze!

Visit www.Archway.farm to explore options and order a share delivered to the farm!

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