UPDATED LIST THIS MORNING – after looking in the fields this morning and thinking about what we want to hand out next week, we’ve made some changes to the shares. We’ll have some summer squash and kohlrabi in the swap box for the partials and we’re saving the Swiss chard for next week.

In the Share:
PEAS: Sugarsnap and/or snow (F/P) We’re going to try to give everybody the sugarsnap and make the snows an extra item somehow. Tomorrow morning’s picking will tell.
YOUNG SPRING CARROTS (F/P) The first of the year, small but tasty. Scrub well and eat the whole root for the most nutrients.
Choice: SUMMER SQUASH or KOHLRABI (F) The cucurbitae family enters as the brasica exit til fall.
YOUNG SPRING ONIONS (F/P) They’re beginning to bulb out.
LETTUCE (F) Smaller heat-resistant romaine and crisphead types perfect on a sandwich.
KOMATSUNA (F/P) Crunchy and leafy in one. See farmer tom for more info.
HERB CHOICE (F/P) Mint or Parsley or a dried herb. New dried dill , marjoram & oregano will be available. Check farmer tom’s blog for a great mint tea recipe

Next Week: More summer squash and peas. The first cucumbers and beans. Swiss chard and beets. Meat and Egg share delivery.

June 20th is the first day of summer and the longest day of the year. The summer solstice marks the confluence of our three growing seasons, as spring departs, summer enters and we prepare for the fall. This week Tom began the process of turning under the broccoli, spring lettuces, radishes and turnips. The first of the cucurbitae family – melons, cucumbers and squashes have begun producing. And this week we seed the first fall crops: brussel sprouts, kale and collards in our summer shade tents by the greenhouse. While the greenhouse is put to good use drying herbs at over 100 degrees, our shade tents will house the seedlings until they are planted. Cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli will soon follow.

Preparing for this shift at the farm is a bit nerve-racking with all three seasons going at once. The fall seeding, in particular, takes several days each week. Meanwhile the crabgrass is giving us hours of slow toiling through the spring and summer crops. This cool, wet weather is any grasses dream and we are struggling to keep it in check. We remain hopeful, partly because the crops so far have been able to put up with the crowding until we get to them, but the list of weeding chores is endless at the moment. Also, we are strengthened every time someone lends a hand. Jenn Baughman, our dazzling apprentice, has been slugging it out alongside us building her finger muscles as we pull millions out by the roots. A few stellar volunteers have us on their weekly schedule for a half or full day of farming followed by a free pass through the strawberry patch. And last weekend a few friends organized themselves for an impromptu visit, filling our refrigerator for most of the week with the leftovers and buoying our spirits. It’s the time of year when the community aspects of our farm operation really shine. Your weary farmers are deeply thankful.

If you’d like to visit the farm, the strawberry patch is still producing some, mostly good berries. Take what you want and pick some flowers too.

Since the first season of the Fair Share Farm CSA in 2004 berries have topped the charts on our survey of what crops we should increase. So, in our second season we planted about 600 strawberry plants in three of our field beds.

Immediately the deer found them and ate most of their leaves. A great many crowns were yanked right out of the ground in the process. We tried all manner of deer repellents, animal hair, powdered bobcat urine and hot pepper sprays to protect our precious crop and a few plants did survive. The deer fence was up by later that season and the beds started to fill in … with grass that is. The sparse strawberry plants were no match for the sturdy brome grass and ladino clover that covers our walking paths.

But, there were still some berries out there, or at least there were until we went to pick them only to find that someone else had gotten to them first. We soon discovered the culprit (s) – a seemingly endless number of raccoons. For the entire strawberry season, Tom dutifully carted off the latest critter caught in the live trap to the other end of the farm. Every morning there was one in the trap or on one occasion, surprisingly two. As we were sharing our strawberries with our four-legged neighbors, there were hardly any for our dear two-legged members. The last two strawberry seasons have been nerve-racking with us only being able to distribute perhaps one pint of strawberries per member over the course of the season. Frustration reigned as members had to check off on a list for whether they had gotten their berries, so that the next week the rest of the membership could receive them. Very annoying for all of us, let me tell you.

We were beginning to think we should give up on the whole berry business, when we decided to give it once last try. The deer fence was keeping the deer out and we had started talking about getting a dog to keep out the raccoons. That winter at the Great Plains Vegetable Growers Conference, I attended a lecture on berry production where they described the ‘matted-row’ system for strawberries where you develop a thick row of plants separated by a mulched path. So early last year we prepared a 50’ x 100’ block and planted around 900 plants, a foot apart in rows five feet apart. At first the planting didn’t seem to be going too well as the early April ground was tight making digging difficult. Libby Negus, our fabulous ’07 apprentice, slogged along beside us digging the holes and carefully planting each one on a mound of soil with the roots carefully splayed about. For the entire 07 season all eyes were on the strawberries. On days when we finished the CSA harvest early, the members diligently weeded and mulched the patch. By fall we had jointly weeded the strawberries on five different occasions and applied about 80 bales of straw mulch.

Over the winter, we swore ‘never again’ to the raccoon onslaught decided to get a dog. Our pup, Rocky, was only here a short while before he frightened off his first varmint and there’s been no signs of our old masked bandits since. With the patch now protected, the plants were able to thrive in the cool, wet weather of this spring and by early May the rows had filled in nicely and were in full bloom.

Last week the strawberry distribution began with a tasting of strawberries for the Wednesday shares. By Saturday, we were picking 20 quarts a day. This week we are averaging 50 quarts each morning. Depending on how much help we have, it is taking us two to four hours to harvest the strawberries every day. But we cannot complain even though the other crops may be a bit unkept, because we have loads of the juciest, freshest, most scrumptious berries. This week the full shares will receive 2 quarts and the partials one. The overage we hope will end up in the freezers, canning jars and bellies of those who order extra. As this is a new experience for us, we’re not sure how long it will last. Our ‘Honeoye’ plants are June-bearers which are supposed to produce for 3-4 weeks, so we may have another weeks or two. So enjoy the berries while you can and remember all the good people who made it all possible – it was truly a community effort.

With two weeks under our belts, it is now time for a little reflection on our community process. Distribution of the shares each week involves every one of us, farmer and CSA member alike, for it to run smoothly. On my end, I am responsible for at the very least sending in the right number of items for the shares. Contents of boxes must be filled based on the number of partial shares or full, and farm or off-farm distribution spot. This accounting responsibility is one of the trickier aspects of being a CSA farmer.

So, once counted and packed, labeled and delivered, the shares become the property of the CSA. With our ‘build your own’ or ‘buffet style’ distribution method you get a lot more choice than would be available if we boxed the shares at the farm. However, as is often the case, greater freedom requires greater responsibility. Thankfully, there is a cadre of talented folks among you who have taken on the weighty responsibility of organizing the shares so that you all can get them (i.e. distribution). The City and Liberty distribution coordinators show up early, stay late, haul lots of tables and boxes around, field inquiries, and clear up confusions every week for 24 weeks. We are so very grateful to these gals (by and large, it’s the ladies, the ladies…) who put their heart and soul into their work. Next time you pick up your veggies, you can help them by remembering a few things. First, wait until setup is finished and the workers have given the ‘all-clear’ before attempting to fill your share. Or better yet, lend a hand and make it go that much faster. Make sure to check your name off the list and take the time to read the labels on the boxes. Some weeks you may take three heads of lettuce, but next week it may be only two. And finally, have fun, commune with your fellow CSAers and rejoice in the abundance of the spring season.

Greetings –

Finally some gorgeous spring weather after so much of the cold and muddy. Storms were all around us last week although we missed the deluge that others have seen. The paths we spaded last fall to allow excess water to drain out of the growing beds seem to be working. One place that we hadn’t spaded was in the potato beds, so Thursday we bailed the potato trenches by hand. After moving literally a ton of water, they are now drying out. All of the spring crops are in the fields but growing slowly with the cool temps. Looks like our latest planting of peas rotted, but we’ve got four other beds growing. Now is the time when we begin to fret about whether all of our winter planning combined with the vagaries of climate will lead to the season starting on time. With three weeks away from our planned first distribution, the mood at times is tense. So far, we think we’ll make it. In the meantime, we continue with the spring chores. This week we thinned the direct seeded crops: arugula, beets, chard, rapini, radishes, and turnips.

Our transplants have been extra nice this year – we think we’ve finally found a potting soil combination that grows a healthy plant quickly. Microleverage compost from Sedalia, MO and organic worm castings in the potting soil and effective microorganisms in the greenhouse water appear to be making the difference. The lettuces in this photo were particularly vibrant – it was hard not to eat them instead of planting in the field. So far we’ve planted over 900 feet of head lettuce with many more successions on the way.

The greenhouse is full of the summer crops: all kinds of tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers, eggplant, summer squash, zucchini and cucumbers. With the sun shining again they are beginning to catch up with the calendar. As soon as these next couple of cold nights pass they’ll move to the coldframe in preparation for field planting. So far we’ve just planted one bed of cherry tomatoes who are safely snug under a layer of heavy row cover.

When its too wet to do anything in the fields, we continue our work on our old barn. This spring our goal is to build a permanent roof over our wash area and the old creamery. In past seasons, we’ve gotten by with a temporary canopy like the ones many use at farmers markets. While they served us well as a quick fix to our need for shade, the canopies have a lot of drawbacks including only shading a 10’ x10’ area and being very buoyant in a strong wind. We plan to use mostly recycled materials in the roof extension: metal tin and wooden posts from the old equipment barn along with used decking donated by one of our CSA member angels.

Rocky, the farm guard dog in training is proving to be a quick learner, if a bit headstrong at times. He loves visitors, young and old, and for a puppy is pretty well-behaved. Today he did well with a couple of young visitors at the farm while we searched for frogs up at the pond and played in the yard. His tendencies to become over-excited seem to coincide with cooler weather. A sunny day even in the 70s finds him hunkered down in the shade of the picnic tables. Undoubtedly he will be pretty much a nocturnal animal once the summer heat sets in.

And finally a word from our friends at the BADSEED:

ATTENTION CONSCIOUS EATERS & CONNOISSEURS OF LOCAL FLAVOR:You are invited to the BADSEED Farmer’s Market Season Opening!!Friday – May 2nd – 4:30 to 9 PM1909 McGeeKansas City, MO64108(in the Crossroads)Local organic delights including succulent and exotic greens, heirloom sweet potatoes, fresh flowers, herbs, home-made baked goods, artisanal goat cheese, free-range meats and eggs, and organic soaps & beauty products!!!Featuring live music, art, and prepared (local organic) meals by Eden Alley Cafe (http://www.edenalley.com/)For more info please go to http://www.badseedfarm.com/See you there!!

Here’s Rocky in the snow.