Every Tractor Has a Name
You cannot imagine the learning curve I experienced after moving from “Suburbia” to “farm world,” after we got married. One of the many interesting tidbits I noticed is that farmers “name” their tractors. In our case, when you consider all the tractors Kurt’s dad owns (and that are at our disposal), we have quite a [...]
Pinch!
This time of year, when the cucumbers and zucchini plants are building their strength in the field, we start seeing a lot of flower buds form on their vines. What you may not know is that these squash blossoms are actually the beginning stages of the vegetable’s “fruit.” Every squash blossom, if left untouched, will [...]
What to Do with those Garlic Scapes
Garlic scapes are the curly flower stalk of hard-necked varieties of garlic. Removing the scape allows the plant to put more energy into formation of the garlic bulb. This leads to a win-win situation, because not only do we get a bigger (by 20-30 percent!) and tastier garlic bulb in the end, we also get [...]
Cutivate! Cultivate!
One of a farmer’s almost daily upkeep tasks is to cultivate his fields. Cultivate is a fancy word for “weed.” We use lots of different methods. We try to do as much mechanical cultivation as possible. These mechanical cultivators are pulled behind a tractor (some like a basket weeder ride underneath), and are made up [...]
Week 2 Recipes At a Glance
Radish and Pea Shoot Crostini Recipe adapted from readingmytealeaves.com For some reason, a salad served on toast is more exciting than serving it in a bowl. The pea shoots and radishes are dressed simply with lemon juice and olive oil, then piled onto toasted bread with a smear of ricotta cheese. Ingredients 1 [...]
Week 1 Recipes In their Entirety
You can also find these posted under our Recipes tab in the Recipe section of our website. You’ll have to know the vegetable featured in the dish to find it. Steak Salad with Arugula, Lettuce and Blue Cheese Recipe adapted from smittenkitchen.com To serve this recipe to children, make a “deconstructed” version of this salad–place [...]
Farmers and their Field Maps
How do farmers decide where to plant their crops in the field? Enter the field map, which is a great tool to keep Farmer Kurt (and the growers) organized. We divide the field into three blocks — A, B, and C. A is closest to the barn and house. Each block is then further divided [...]
How to Care for Your Potted Plants this Week
This week, you’ll receive potted herbs as part of your veggie share. A full share will get to choose 2 plants, and a half share will get to choose one. So what do you do with them so they’ll stay alive all season? Your herbs can be planted in the ground or maintained in a [...]
Kurt’s Field Journal Week 1
This is a new column we hope to continue every week to summarize the in’s and out’s of the field work and Kurt’s to-do list. It’s meant to give you an honest summary of how the crops are doing — the good, the bad, and the ugly. Weather Conditions this week: mild and cool, overcast. [...]
Sylvania Site Has Moved… about 100 feet
With a major increase in customers at our JFS site in Sylvania, we are concerned that there will be parking jams in the parking lot. So we have received permission from Temple Congregation Shomer Emunim to move our Sylvania site to to their NE parking lot, which is free and clear that time of day with easy [...]
