Hi Folks,

Well things just don’t stop for a minute around here this time of year. There is no standing still on a farm in early summer. Sometimes just looking at Ben’s to do list makes my head spin. It’s the kind of to-do-list that gets longer as the day goes on. One thing about farming, and something thing that many farmers (including ben) love about farming is that there is always,always a better way to do things. This means that systems are always in flux, jobs are always changing and we are always learning how to do things better. This is also a surefire way to drive yourself crazy, because it means that you are really never ‘done’ developing your systems. We learn from our mistakes, our successes, from other farmers, our farm crew and from our members.

What’s in the shareroom this week?

Your farm share this week will include carrots, chinese cabbage, beets, broccoli, hakurei turnips, radishes, summer squash, zucchini, baby bok choy, fennel, broccoli raab, Swiss chard, kale, collard greens and more……

UPick information

Early flowers are open for picking and they are looking gorgeous. Pick a bouquet this week.

Main season flowers are coming along and should open up in July sometime. A new planting of cilantro and dill will open up sometime this week. UPick hours are Monday-Saturday during daylight hours. The farm is closed on Sundays.

Recipes

Don’t be afraid of vegetables that may be unfamiliar to you!

We thank farm member Kara Martin Snyder of VitalCorps Wellness in Northampton for providing this weeks recipes. Try Kara’s easy recipe for Beet Salad or a Summer Squash Casserole. The more ambitious among you may want to give her Beet & Pine Nut Goat Cheese Ravioli a try.

Check out Kara’s website or facebook page for more info about her work.

Try your Napa cabbage using this easy recipe from the New York Times Dining and Wine Section for Napa Cabbage Salad and this recipe (also from the NYT) for Grated Raw Beet Salad- so easy and delicious!

There are many more recipes to check out on the recipe page of our website. Have you done something great with your farm share? We would love to post recipes from members here, so if you have a recipe to pass along, send us an email and we will share it. Thanks!

KIDS ACTIVITIES AT THE FARM

Mark Your Calendars: Every Monday at 3PM through the end of August we will have a story time at the farm! Farm shareholders and storytellers extraordinaire Tom McCabe and Carol Weis will gather with parents and kiddos in the kids area for about a half hour of stories. Please join us!

WEDNESDAYS at 3PM: JOIN US FOR A PRESCHOOL AGED FARM ACTIVITY WITH ANNIKA–THIS WEEK STOP BY AND HAVE YOUR KIDS START THEIR OWN SEEDLINGS FROM THE FARM……