Happy Spring! I both can’t believe it’s already April, and that it’s only April. Winter hung around for a long time this year, but I can’t believe this means our Winter CSA is officially over. Both the baby plants and our crew members are grateful to get some warmer weather and sunshine.

Before I update you all with what’s been going on, I want to let you know that we have fewer than 10 Summer Shares left. If you or anyone you know has been thinking about signing up for a share, I would recommend doing it soon before they sell out. We still have plenty of Winter shares and preserving shares, so make sure you sign up for those too if you haven’t already.

Now back to what you all came here for, farm updates. Our potting shed has been filling up with onions, leeks, shallots, the first planting of brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, and kale), greenhouse tomatoes, and peppers. This time of year, the germination chambers are rarely empty, and the stacks of seed starting trays diminish quickly. 

Catherine has been busy getting our greenhouses ready for the season. Last fall she planted rye in all the tunnels to help the soil replenish nutrients and to support the all-important soil life that keeps our crops healthy. Once it gets to be 4-6 inches tall, we place black tarps over the top of it for about 3 weeks, to help kill it with a minimum of tillage. After the three weeks are up, we use various tools to prep the soil for planting. Our first round of greenhouse carrots, beets, and green onions were all seeded last week. Our greenhouse tomatoes are set to be planted by the end of the month. Broccoli, onions, and shallots are scheduled to be planted, OUTSIDE by the end of the month. Fingers crossed mother nature cooperates with our planting schedule. 

In the pack shed, Teri and I have been bagging and boxing vegetables for our wholesale customers. The coolers have quickly started to empty out as we finish off pallet boxes of veggies. Once our inventory gets low enough, we start closing down coolers so the spring cleaning can begin. Last week we closed down the first of our three coolers. It won’t be much longer before the second cooler is empty and ready for cleaning. Spring cleaning on the farm means deep cleaning and sanitizing everything in the pack shed after it’s been closed up all Winter. It also means taking inventory of our CSA supplies, farm tools, and seed starting equipment. April is our final chance to make sure all of our T’s are crossed, and our I’s are dotted. Once May arrives, we are in full growing mode until the middle of November. 

Things on the farm have obviously been very busy, so we are incredibly grateful for our wonderful volunteers who showed up to lend a helping hand throughout the winter. We know getting out of bed to put on far too many layers (then add one or two more), drive through questionable road conditions, and stand around in a chilly pack shed for multiple hours, isn’t everyone’s idea of a good time. Somehow, we keep finding amazing people who decide getting local veggies into your homes makes it all worth it. Thank you to all of our volunteers who showed up, packed veggies, coordinated pick up, and supplied us with smiles and laughs. We could not have made it through another CSA season without all of you! 

We have lots of cleaning, seeding, planting, weeding, prepping, and dog petting to do in the next 2 months. We can’t wait to see many of you again soon when our Summer season starts in June. Thank you for making this another amazing season! We couldn’t keep doing this without all of your support and encouragement. See you soon!

In your share this month:

Rutabaga – Russet, Yellow, and Baby Red Potatoes – Onions – Shallot – Garlic – Orange and Purple Carrots – Parsnips – Chioggia and Red Beets – Greens Mix

If you’re looking for a way to use up a small amount of a lot of veggies, check out these root vegetable fritters. They’re packed with veggies, cheese, and so much flavor. You can play around with using different colors of potatoes and carrots to change not only the color of the fritter, but also the texture and flavor. I like topping these with a runny egg for a delicious breakfast. They’d also be great as an appetizer, after school snack, or a side dish.

Spring time always gets me in the mood for potato salad. It’s the perfect combination of cozy, comfort food, and bright flavors. If you’re feeling uninspired by your usual potato salad, or you want to try something new, here’s a recipe for Alsatian Potato Salad. It uses white wine, chicken stock, vinegar, and Dijon to make a creamy dressing. If you aren’t a fan of mayo based things, this recipe is for you.