today's harvest

Please remember to bring back your bags.

FULL SHARES:

10 oz lettuce mix

bunch kale

bunch salad turnip

bunch collards

8 oz snap peas

handful snow peas

cutting garden*

p.y.o. strawberries**

SMALL SHARES:

8 oz lettuce mix

bunch kale

bunch salad turnip

bunch chard or collard

8 oz snap or snow peas

cutting garden*

p.y.o. strawberries**

*CUTTING GARDEN: This week, in addition to the perennial herbs that are still available, you may cut a few sprigs of parsley. The parsley is just a little further down the hill in the cutting garden. You cut the bottom leaves of the parsley, leaving the new growth and crown intact. The parsley is still relatively small, so go easy on them! Also, please be very mindful not to step on the other beds in the garden as there are many small herbs planted in them.

**PYO STRAWBERRIES:

We still have some strawberries in the two beds located just below the perennial herbs. You may pick up to a pint. The pint containers are next to the sign-off sheet in the barn. You may pick your pint of strawberries at any time this week (until next Monday). If the plants have already been picked over by the time you get to them, feel free to come back a day or two later.

EXCHANGE CRATE: Today we will have a crate in the cooler. If you'd like to trade something from your share, for what is already in the crate, you may do so. If you take something from the crate, you have to put something from your share back in the crate.

CSA Friends and Family Plant Sale

WHAT: Plant Sale--Everything must go: annuals, limited selection of perennials, Dahlias, and hanging baskets!
WHEN: This Sunday June 26th, 10:00 am-2:00 pm
WHERE: Touching Earth Farm
WHO:  Our CSA members, their friends and family.  Please spread the word!

today's harvest

Please remember to bring back your bags and place them on the shelf in the cooler where your share name is posted.

FULL SHARES:

10 oz mesclun

2-3 heads bok choi (size dependent)

bunch couve (Portuguese collards)+

2 heads lettuce

bunch kale+

garlic scapes

some bags will have strawberries*

SMALL SHARES:

8 oz mesclun

bunch couve (Portuguese collards)+

2 heads lettuce

garlic scapes

strawberries**

*Some full shares are getting strawberries this week. If we have strawberries next week, we will put those in the full shares that did not get them this week. If the strawberries are done, we will make sure you get other berries later in the summer.

** The small shares that did not get strawberries last week, are getting them this week.

+The kale and couve had some aphids on them in the field. They have been washed off, but we would suggest washing them again just to make sure they're clean. We had a difficult year with aphids in the greenhouses and it seems some of them made it out into the field. We are using organic methods to control them, and now that the plants are actually uncovered, the natural predators will be able to eat the aphids as well.

CUTTING GARDEN: This week, in addition to the perennial herbs that are still available, you may cut a few sprigs of parsley. The parsley is just a little further down the hill in the cutting garden. You cut the bottom leaves of the parsley, leaving the new growth and crown intact. The parsley is still relatively small, so go easy on them! Also, please be very mindful not to step on the other beds in the garden as there are many small herbs planted in them.

today's harvest

Please remember to bring back your bag from last week. Please place it in your space on the shelving.

FULL SHARES:

3 heads lettuce

10 oz lettuce mix

8 oz mesclun

2 heads bok choi

garlic scapes

strawberries

cutting garden+

SMALL SHARES:

2 heads lettuce

6 oz lettuce mix

1 head bok choi

bunch spring raab

garlic scapes

some bags will have strawberries*

cutting garden+

*We don't have enough strawberries for all the small shares this week. We're keeping track of who received them, and will give strawberries to the half shares that did not receive them next week.

+CUTTING GARDEN: Herbs only today. The cutting garden is in the middle of the field, below the big black mat.

You are welcome to visit our bed of perennial herbs and cut a few small sprigs for yourself (.25 cent value). We have chives (flowers are also edible), sage, thyme, tarragon, and oregano. Please bring your own snips. You can visit the cutting garden at any point during the week. There is a sign in the field illustrating how to cut the herbs.

Reminder: the cooler is shut off Wednesday night. We recommend picking up your share before then.

today's harvest

Today, you will find your shares pre-bagged for you in the cooler. Full shares are on shelves around the perimeter of the room and small shares are on the shelves clustered in the middle.

EACH SHARE IS LABELED WITH YOUR SHARE NAME. PLEASE DON'T TAKE A BAG THAT ISN'T YOURS. (Sorry for the capitalization, but we've had problems with this in the past.)

Please take your bag, and bring it back next week when you come to pick up again. Please remember to check off your name on the clipboard outside of the cooler.

*If you are sharing a full share, it is your responsibility to split the full share bag. You do not have a small share.*

FULL SHARES:

4 heads lettuce

bunch spring raab*

bunch salad turnip**

cutting garden#

SMALL SHARES:

2 heads lettuce

bunch salad turnip** -or- 4 oz bag of spinach

cutting garden#

* The stems, leaf and flower of raab are edible. They are great sauteed w/ garlic and olive oil.

** The salad turnips can be eaten raw, or sauteed w/ butter. The greens are also edible. (recipes on our website)

Both the raab and turnips also fell victim to our unexpected surge in flea beetle population. Neither are as pretty as we desire, but are still delicious. Damage on the turnips can be cut away.

Please remember to wash all your vegetables before eating! We do wash them, but there's bound to be some grit, weeds, or bugs that make their way into your bags.

#CUTTING GARDEN: Herbs only today. The cutting garden is in the middle of the field, below the big black mat.

You are welcome to visit our bed of perennial herbs and cut a few small sprigs for yourself (.25 cent value). We have chives (flowers are also edible), sage, thyme, tarragon, and oregano. Please bring your own snips. You can visit the cutting garden at any point during the week. I'll try and get a sign out there describing how you cut the herbs.

today's harvest

Today, after 3pm your shares will be in the walk-in cooler located in

the back left-hand corner of the barn.

FULL-SHARES: Please take a 12 oz bag of mesclun and choose from either a

bunch of radish, a 6oz bag of arugula, or a 4oz bag of baby spinach.

SMALL-SHARES: Please take a 10 oz bag of mesclun and choose from either

a bunch of radish, a 6oz bag of arugula, or a 4 oz bag of baby spinach.

All veggies have been washed, but it's always a good idea to wash them

again before you eat them.

Please remember to check your name off the list located next to the

cooler door. The cooler will be on until Weds night. You may come

collect your share until dark tonight, and anytime tomorrow.

Please note: normally your shares will be in a bag with your name on it.

Today is a little different.

Enjoy!

Spring Update

The first CSA pick-up will be this Tuesday after 3pm. You'll have a variety of greens to choose from including mesclun, arugula, and baby spinach. We'll have more details posted on Tuesday. This pick-up will be different than usual — there will be no bags with your share name on them; instead there will be crates of bagged greens for you to choose from.

I ate my first mesclun and arugula last night, and it was amazing. Unfortunately, the mesclun and arugula are not as pretty as we're accustomed to. Many leaves have tiny holes in them caused by a common New England pest called a flea beetle. We haven't had much of a problem with them in the past, but this year, either due to the weather or just a gradual increase in population, they are a real menace. We can't do anything about our first beds of greens, from which we'll still get several cuttings, but we'll be using row covers from now on to keep the beetles out of any new beds that we sow. Fortunately they don't have much of a taste for spinach or lettuce!

The spring in general has been difficult due to the excessive rain and dimness. After we planted our first crops, the constant rain made it impossible to get the tractor into the field, or to use our push seeder. As a result, we were behind schedule. The lack of light also slowed the growth of our basil and tomato seedlings. This last week the field was finally dry enough to get the tractor into it and to use the seeder. We are now pretty much back on schedule — and all the plants (and weeds) have really responded to the addition of pure sunlight.

The initial delay means that some crops (radish, turnip, carrot, beet, raab) will be delayed, and the first share pick-ups will be slimmer than usual. However, as the season progresses we will be making up for it. We ask for your patience.

While the rain dropped, we were still able to plant certain crops like onions, head-lettuce, radicchio, collards, kale, broccoli, chard, napa, choi and cabbage. All those crops are right on schedule, and looking great.

The next few weeks we'll be doing a lot of weeding and planting. If you'd like to volunteer, please email or give us a call — all help is welcome!