We’re excited about so many things this week – the start of tomatoes, cukes, zucchini! – but the most exciting finds for the boxes weren’t in the gardens. Oddly enough it was the swamp that brought me the most delight! Those of you who live near some of Madison’s many marshy areas already know that in the past few days the native flowers have hit a high point. continued »
Boy, we needed this rain! Even though we all love a string of hot dry days in the summer so we can get out and enjoy the sun, when you garden for love or a living all of your best laid plans and crops can be laid waste by a few weeks without water. There’s a popular country music song right now called “Rain Is a Good Thing” which captures some of what farm boys feel about it (lots of which has nothing to do with plants!) but the video is really adorable and has some wonderful footage of old farmers talking about rain. Sort of like a very modern take on a Wendell Berry poem. continued »
Farm friends! Please accept my apologies for the late list – we find ourselves this week long on work and short on workers. Some weeks are just like that! We’re on the cusp of summer eating here with this box – just now enjoying the baby leaves and fruits of every good thing that will take us through ‘til fall. continued »
I ate my first tomato of the year today – a red zebra, right out there in the garden. Yum! Then I went and picked another near it that was slightly underripe. Too pushy. But, hey! After a year without tomatoes (last year we lost our entire crop to late blight) I’m a little over-zealous. These tomatoes are the most pampered plants on the planet and it’s about time they gave back!
Things in the garden are finally starting to get fun. Tomatoes, squash and beans are doing their rampant rush up trellises and across fields, filling up every available space with green, green and more green. Shiny fruits peek out from under bushes of eggplants and peppers, while flowers of every sort, cultivated and weedy, are open everywhere with bright faces to the sun. The air on the farm is laden with fragrance these days – sweet clover in the pastures, dill in the herb garden, mint and lilies in the perennial bed. The boxes are full of color and scent this week, too: pretty rainbow chard, Red Gold potatoes, butterfly bush bouquets. continued »
