The fields are alive. The tree fruit has all now blossomed and the fruit itself is beginning to appear. The little blueberries can be seen where there were once flowers. The strawberry plants that overwintered under their comfy beds of straw are now sending out beautiful flowers that will soon become the first fruit of the new season. Strawberry plants last for only about three years. To ensure continued fruitful harvests into the future, last week we transplanted about 15,000 new strawberry plants. The ten different varieties we chose will produce an extended strawberry season. June is the traditional strawberry season in New England but with different varieties we now harvest not only from June into July, but even some in September! The fruits of our efforts will be sweet indeed.
Farmer Dave
In Your Share: Week 12
The following items may make an appearance in your shares this week. The actual contents of your share may differ based on harvest conditions. As always Mother Nature ultimately dictates what is available.
Carrots
Potatoes
Spinach
Herbs
Tomatoes, Cherry or Slicing if we're lucky!
Shiitake Mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm
Apples, McIntosh and Cortland
and more depending on harvest conditions
Try some of these recipes from our blog! The Spinach Edition!
The next few weeks look like they will be bringing us a bounty of delicious spring spinach. The spring spinach season comes in a short yet abundant burst before the summer heat brings the harvest to an end.
Some of the spinach that we will be harvesting in the coming weeks was overwintered in the fields. While we wash the spinach as it comes in from the fields, you may find some residual sand clinging to your leaves. Be sure to give your spinach a thorough wash and spin before eating.
Spinach is really easy to freeze and use later in recipes or smoothies.
Remove stems and thoroughly wash but don't spin dry.
Place spinach in a large microwave safe bowl or container. Loosely cover with a lid.
Microwave on high for 1 minute, then allow to cool.
Press into a block (or multiple single serving blocks) and wrap tightly making sure to remove as much air as possible. Then freeze!
Thanks to generous donations by you (CSA members) to the Groundwork Share-A-Share™ fund, we were able to subsidize the cost of shares in 2016 for over thirty individuals and families, as well as shares for local food pantries.
