A couple of weeks ago I had mentioned that the apples were blooming around the first of May, a little earlier than their typical time right around Mother's Day! I find that there is little growth when temperatures are below 50 degrees. Well, I checked our weather station and sure enough the average daily temperature over the past two weeks has been just 50 degrees. As a result of the cool weather, the apples have had an extended bloom. This weekend they were still in their glory, attracting pollinators. The bees and other insects that pollinate do not forage for nectar very much when it is cool. Slower movement of the insects is offset by giving them more time to do their necessary pollination work. It is nice how Mother Nature so often takes care of herself.

We thought we had been a little behind schedule on some of our plantings in the field, but now we are all caught up. With the cool weather there would have been little growth anyway. In the case of the transplants they were better off in the warmth of the greenhouse rather than out in the cool soil. It is as if there were a guiding hand slowing us in our field work knowing that the first half of May would be so cool that we were better delaying some of our plantings. If they are out in cool soil too long they might eventually rot instead of growing. Yet, knowing that this week will warm up nicely I am glad that so many plants have recently had a little time to extend their roots out into the soil and get a nice soaking rain on Mother's Day. Now the week's warmth will give the plants a nice jump in growth to set the season abloom.

Farmer Dave

 

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.  

Stacey schools us on the spring share carrots. In this video:

• How are spring share carrots different from carrots in the main season?
• How are they stored over the winter, and how does this impact the way we store them at home?
• Chopping and freezing carrots for later use
• Easy carrot cooking ideas 
• Stacey's Carrot Fries

 

  

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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.

Please consider helping us in our efforts to make the CSA accessible to more families by donating to Groundwork Share-A-Share.