Well I had this grand idea about climbing up onto my soap box to talk about who even knows what in this email and then . . . the flowers decided the flower share should start, my flower manager is out today and it was FINALLY going to rain. So I did what farmers do, which is just do what needs to be done, and got up at 4am, picked the flowers so I could be ready to meet the crew at 7 and pick the zucchini, squash and peas before it started raining (we try not to touch these crops when wet because fungal diseases spread easily in moist conditions, and when you are harvesting it's really easy to spread something from plant to plant).

And then we picked the rest of the vegetables in the rain. I just came in from tying things together in wash and I just don't have it in me to try and write something smart. This whole starting a farm thing is really taking a toll on me.

But check out the sunrise I got to witness this morning! And all these lovely flowers that kept me company!

The flowers in the photos are called stock. They are beautiful members of the cabbage family, if you can believe it, and last a long time in a vase. We get just one stem per plant and they don't like to grow in hot temps, so when they decided to be ready this week, it was time to start the flower share! If you signed up for the flower share you should have received an email from me just a bit ago. If you think you signed up and didn't receive an email, let me know. If you'd like to sign up, we have a couple spaces left!

It was a hot one this weekend. Harvey was a champion helping me with harvest and finishing up the to-do list we couldn't get to during the week this weekend. He's been doing so great being positive and actually helping (for at least a few minutes before he gets distracted and starts trying to get me to play some game he's made up or come look at something 50 feet away from where I'm picking).

Doesn't he look cool? We got to "float" down the river behind our house after picking broccoli and cucumbers and watering the greenhouse on Sunday. It was half float/half walk but it was a total blast. Definitely a parenting win!

I made scallions pancakes yesterday! They were really good and I'm proud of myself for actually doing it because when I read the recipe and it said I was going to basically need to make a roux, I thought, hmm, this is more involved than I thought. And it was, but they were so good, I'm going to make them again. And you can freeze them for up to 3 months!

I'm a pretty average cook. I lean on the fact that I have good ingredients and keep things really simple, so whenever a recipe has even the slightest complication I'm usually like "nope!" In fact, if it requires a recipe I probably won't make it between the months of April and October.

I used this recipe, the only thing I did that it didn't suggest was add the salt to the scallions instead of to the oil/flower mixture. The salt kind of softens the scallions just a bit and makes them fit in the filling better. If you are like "what the heck is she talking about" but you like scallion pancakes you should give this recipe a try. We're going to try cooking the second half of the batch in our oven which has an "air fry" setting. I used butter for the roux instead of peanut oil because I didn't have peanut oil. I didn't take pics, but I will tonight after we cook the next batch.

And aren't these greenhouse cucumbers amazing! Seedless, crisp and sweet. We eat them like apples and you should too!

Or put some in your mocktail/cocktail. Can you guess who made which drink, I bet you can't!

Broccoli is here! It's kind of all coming in with a bang. I plant 5 different varieties with different days to maturity to try and spread out the spring broccoli harvest, but with all the freezing this late April and May and then the long dry spells, none of the varieties are behaving like I might expect.

Anyway, there is lots of broccoli this week! My favorite is the purple bunching broccoli, the stems are so sweet it's the one I like to eat in the field.

And there are some peas! Snow peas are the ones the turkeys didn't eat. Sorry. I know that sugar snap are the favorite and if I had the opportunity to negotiate with the turkeys I would have definitely done my best to protect the sugar snaps . . . but, life goes on and these peas still taste great.

Something like this: it might change a bit over the course of the week.

Choose two bags of greens: lettuce mix, baby kale, micro greens, arugula

One bunch carrots!! (OH, I forgot, carrots!)

Mix and Match 2 pounds: Cucumber/Zucchini/Summer Squash/Kohlrabi/Beets

Pound of broccoli

Broccoli bunch

Pint snow peas

Bunch scallions

Bunch kale

Bunch Chard

Bunch radish

Head lettuce

Bunch Basil

Green cabbage

Hi - Jess Girotti here. Don't forget to check out the recipe pages on the Upswing website if you need more ideas for your other veggies. I added new pages for garlic scapes, dandelion greens, and cucumbers this week!

Arugula pairs beautifully with a lemony dressing, salty feta and sweet and crunchy sugar snaps.

This is a great recipe to have in your back pocket for the week that you're feeling overwhelmed by the amount of greens you have on hand. This recipe will work with pretty much any of the dark leafy greens: spinach, arugula, Swiss chard, kale, carrot tops, radish tops, kohlrabi tops, etc and herbs like basil, cilantro, mint or parsley. Whenever I make pesto I freeze it into ice cube trays and then use them in soups, sandwiches, pasta, and marinades all year long.

I love a crunchy salad and my kids adore ramen so I'm thinking that if I ever want them to be excited about a salad, this combo is my ticket.

Pick Up Details:

34 Rogers Rd, Holliston

Tuesday, 1pm-6pm

Park beyond the farm stand (up the hill, past the yellow house)

65 Brookline St, Pepperell (parking is more like 50 Brookline on maps)

Tuesday/Wednesday 2-6pm or Thursday 2pm-6pm

Park in the lot near the greenhouses with the white 'Upswing Farm' sign

93 E Main St Hopkinton (but don't pull into the main entrance!, see parking info below)

Thursday, 1pm-6pm

Just west of the nursery is a traffic light. Turn up the hill onto Legacy Farm Rd North and then take your first right into the back gravel parking lot to park. You will see our truck and tents from the street.

Call 508-215-8378 with questions. If you text, please make sure to include your first and last name in the text.

Email brittany@upswingfarm.com with any planned schedule changes

Greens: In a plastic bag in the fridge, not near the freezer. (Ideally between 34 and 40 degrees with 98% humidity.) If they don't come in a bag, undo the twist tie when you get them home and put them in a bag. They will wilt without one.

Root veggies: All roots (even most potatoes) want to be in the fridge. Fresh onions will also want to go in the fridge. The whole green stalk is edible and delicious. You should twist roots like radishes, beets, turnips and carrots off of their greens before storing. The greens are all edible - so you can store them separately if you plan to eat them.

Herbs and scallions: Unless you are drying them, they can go in a plastic bag in the fridge.

Tomatoes: Don't like the fridge! Store on the counter at room temp.

Cucumber, zucchini, eggplant, peppers, beans: In a plastic bag in the fridge.