On the Farm

We have turnips in the box again this week. In an effort to keep you from getting tired of them, I've included a favorite recipe of ours and one from a farm member to try. We have a bumper crop of turnips that is holding its quality. The tops are showing wear and tear so we removed them from the bunches.

That reminds me - if you have a recipe you love and wouldn't mind sharing - please send it to me.

Before I go, I do want to give you a quick field update. Some of our crops look promising but are a little behind schedule. Here are some of the good things that are happening:

• The zucchini and yellow summer squash are flowering as are the potatoes (I plan to harvest some as new potatoes in the next week or two.

• We are starting to get some small broccoli heads - bigger ones are on the horizon.

• The cherry tomato plants are covered in yellow flowers, and the eggplants have purple ones. The regular tomato plants have green tomatoes.

• And the green beans are getting taller and should be ready to harvest in a couple weeks.

Last year we expanded our vegetable production from 3/4 of an acre to 2 acres. We rented a tractor so Bill could carve out the plots needed from our hay field. This year we decided to adjust some of the beds making them more raised. That will help them warm-up more quickly in the spring as well as be easier to work in. Our decision required Bill to rototill and reshape the beds with our two-wheel walk behind tractor. He did the job, but it took much longer than we anticipated to complete. The result is nicely shaped beds with later maturing crops growing in them. We appreciate your patience as we continue to improve the soil in our fields. However, have no fear, more vegetables are coming your way in just a few short weeks!