Counting carrots!

FFF Photo a Day - Day 189

Today (like every Tuesday and Wednesdays) was spent counting carrots... and other veggies. 

We share our produce from the farm with our CSA shareholders with pick ups on Tuesday and Wednesday nights... this means that we are busy picking, packing and organizing their boxes of produce for much of those days. 

It is always rewarding when we are done and the boxes are ready to load! 

Week #2 - 2015 FFF CSA - What's in the Box! - Top Notch!

Week two of twelve is upon us and the recent rain was welcomed by the plants but complicates picking by making it very muddy... Yesterday's cooler temps was nice to work in however! 

This time of year you will get lots of greenery in your box... the lettuce, spinach, kale and swiss chard are yummy, nutritious and pretty straightforward. This week however,  I wanted to remind you that you can also use the beet & carrot tops too! 

Yes, both beets and carrot greens can be used in salads, smoothies, in pesto and sauces. 

If you are a fan of pesto, simply replace the basil in your typical pesto recipe with chopped carrot greens and you have a interesting and delicious twist on an old favorite. 

Beet greens while good raw, can be sauteed with some butter or oil and eaten like spinach... throw in some garlic and its pure heaven! 

So in summary... What's in the Box this week?

• Swiss Chard
• Kale
• Rhubarb
• Lettuce (mixed greens in bag)
• Spinach (in bag)
• Zucchini
• Carrots
• Peppers (sweet)
• Beets (remember you can eat the beet greens too!)
• Herbs in the red cup: 
• Oregano
• Chives
• Parsley
• Cilantro
• Rosemary
• Basil (for full shares only)

Notes to our CSA Share holders: 

We pick the vegetables within 24 hours of the box being delivered. We do rinse the produce but it would be important to wash all vegetables before you eat them. Keeping the herbs (ends) in a cup of clean water will keep them fresh longer.

Please return your empty box along with all re-usable containers (pails, cups, bags etc) so that we can reuse them all over again. 

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Seedy sweet-talk

FFF Photo a Day - Day 37 

Today was spent doing inventory of saved and leftover seeds and pouring over seed catalogues. After much debate surrounding what we will grow this year, we managed to come up with a complete list of varieties and quantities and finished our seed orders! Whew! 

Looking forward to trying a few new things such as collards, Armenian cucumber and Honeynut Squash. Of course we have way too many varieties of tomatoes (if that's possible) and are also trying a few some yellow and red carrot varieties. 

Week #6 - 2014 FFF CSA - What's in the Box - Dog Days of Summer bring Cows?!

This nice long stretch of hot, sultry weather... often described as the Dog Days of summer... has put a smile on almost everyone's face! With the exception of the need to water more frequently, the hot weather is generally good news for all things plant like. The veggies are soaking up the warmth and growing well. Of course, lettuce, spinach and cilantro tend to bolt in this kind of weather which is only a problem if you want to eat them.. ;).

 Our most recent excitement was this week's birth of Grace's calf. If you haven't met Grace yet, she is our Dexter mama cow, who last year around this time, gave us Gwendolyn, a lovely heifer (which is what you call female cow who hasn't given birth yet). This year she has produced a healthy male (bull calf) who we have named Gaston! (big thanks to all our Facebook fans who sent in a multitude of suggested names!) 

Earlier this week, Grace very politely waited until morning, sauntered out to the back field and expertly delivered Gaston on her own. I think Gwendolyn was more excited than anyone, as she ran around, bellowing at the top of her lungs most of the day! You would swear she was announcing her new baby brother to the world! Mama, babe (and older sister) are doing well! 

It is hard to believe it is week #6 of our CSA share this year, meaning we are already half way through the twelve weeks. As usual the boxes are getting heavier each week, as more and more of the root vegetables become ready to eat! This week we have some yummy carrots ready for our shareholders. I've linked up some nutritional information about carrots  - they do more than help you see in the dark! as well as some recipes that you may expand your ideas of what to do with them! 

So... What's in the Box this week?

• Swiss Chard
• Mixed Lettuce/Spinach 
• Cucumber
• Beets
• Broccoli or Cauliflower
• Turnip - full share only
• Kohlrabi - full share only
• Beans
• Peas 
• Kale
• Carrots - New!
• Hot Peppers
• Potatoes
• Herbs (Dill, Oregano, Basil, Chives, Parsley (Curled and Flat leaf)

... and remember we pick the vegetables within 24 hours of the box being delivered. We do rinse the produce but it would be prudent to wash all vegetables when you get them home. Keeping the herbs (ends) in a cup of clean water will keep them fresh longer.

Please return your empty box along with all re-usable containers (ice cream pails, plastic containers, etc) so that we can reuse them all over again. 

Follow us on Facebook or on Twitter at @FenezFollies