Strawberries Are Coming!

   We've had a lot of rain out here in the last few days -- one night we got two and a half inches in a couple of hours, some of which ran under the doors into the market! But after fighting off  two hard freezes in in April, our strawberries are making the most of every break in the clouds. With a little luck and a little more sun, they should be going gang-busters for the Spring Farm Tour on May 21 and 22.
 
   To boost our production of other berries, we added 1200 new blueberry plants last week, and we've recently added several hundred black raspberries as well.

   CSA members, if your summer vacation plans are already set, please log into your account and make your vacation hold requests. If you've forgotten your log-in codes, let us know and we'll re-set you. 

No you-picking this week. Strawberries should start i week or so.

Delivery days for group sites and and home delivery members will be determined at the end of May, after we've sold most of our shares. Watch Crop Talk for that information and other news.

Spinach Salad with Awesome Delicious Sauce  

   A fun game I like to play when I don’t feel like making dinner is to tell the kids to pick an ingredient which we then add to a dish. This works well if you are making a stir fry, soup, or pizza. The other day my oldest son choose the spinach he had picked (of course), and my youngest son grabbed strawberries. My 9 year-old daughter made a phenomenal dressing using avocado and tahini -- which I can only assume she picked up from one of the many cooking magazines and cookbooks in the house. I was so impressed I encouraged her to enter it into a contest . . . . Even if she doesn’t win, this recipe is a winner! #proudmama

--Marla
 
Modern Farmer Magazine on Wheatgrass Juice

   On May 5, Modern Farmer’s Lynsey Grosfield published an open-minded report on the wheatgrass debate. “The consumption of immature wheat shoots—whether in a smoothie, in powderized and pill form, or in topical applications like lotions, sprays, and massage creams—is a surprisingly polarizing subject in the nutrition world,” she writes. Grosfield acknowledges her position in the debate by reporting that a shot of wheatgrass juice made her Mango Tango smoothie “taste like a freshly-mowed lawn,” but she then proceeds to offer specific information both supporting and rejecting the consumption of wheatgrass. It’s a good read.   
Nibblins Herb News

The Nibblins Specialty Food and Cookware store in Winchester just sent us a newsletter suggesting which herbs to use with which foods. Some of the pairings are surprising — and exciting -- like basil with blueberries, and chives with pears. I’ve been using parsley and cilantro in large quantities lately, a cup or two at a time, more like greens than garnishes. I’m eager to try the bouquet garni...

Read more here.
 
Meet us at the Farm!

Joyful Dog LLC announces the second year of
Great Country Fidos for you and your best friend. 
T hree  weekly specialty classes: Canine Parkour, Con fi dence Foundation, and  Right on Target.  Tuition for farm members is $108 for each four-week term.  Register for 1, 2, or 3 terms! First term starts May 22.  
Audley Farms CSA Add-on

   If you made it to the Members Open House on April 30, you had a chance to sample some of the extraordinary beef that comes from Audley Farm . We're carrying that beef in our market this year, and we're offering a special CSA beef add-on for pick-up here at the farm. More information about the add-on program is available on our blog .
 
  Coming Up

Strawberry Festival Weekends: May 28 & 29 and June 4 & 5

Admission included with CSA and Fan Memberships.

Food Truck Friday this week at Bluemont Vineyard: The Farm Effect Food Truck. 

And, by the way, three Bluemont Vineyard wines are now available in the farm market. Take one home after picking berries!

 
 
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Great Country Farms | 540-554-2073 | CSA@GreatCountryFarms.com | www.GreatCountryFarms.com