Week #6 Saturday, July 26– Tuesday, July 29, 2008 Downloadable Word .doc for printing

In your bag
Lettuce (adolescent romaine)
Purple Kohlrabi
Scallions
French Filet Beans
Fennel bulbs
Cucumbers
Zucchini & Summer squash
New Potatoes (Purple Viking)*
Fresh Garlic (store fresh garlic in refrigerator)
Tomatoes (any or all: sungold cherry, early girl, heirloom)
Basil, Cilantro
*New potatoes are potatoes harvested before their skins are set – these potatoes have very tender skins and are not meant to store.

Coming Soon
We’ll have a cabbage next week along with some carrots, onions and maybe peppers – all the fixins for a coleslaw. There will likely be beets, more tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini.

Got Stories?
You’ve probably heard that Spring Hill Community Farm is approaching its 20th anniversary. In celebration of that we are collecting farm stories and histories. Bring your stories or your desire to listen to Washburn Library, 5244 Lyndale Ave. So., Minneapolis, on Saturday, August 2nd. From 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. current and past farm members will meet to tell tales about the farm. There will be some guided writing exercises to jog our memories. We’ll talk, write and share our writing if we choose. Expect a contemplative, fun, free-wheeling morning. To R.S.V.P. for childcare, call Marilyn Johnson, 612 227-5311, or Kim Laudert, 612 827-0063. Or e-mail johnsomr@tcfreenet.org See also the library’s webpage.

Farm News
The harvest season has begun in earnest around here. Our stalwart crew spends about 1-1/2 hours every other day picking beans. The zucchini and cucumbers are hard to keep up with and now the tomatoes are coming in. It’s the time of year when the arms get long and the back gets strong.

We harvested most of the garlic in this week – just a couple of more rows to go. We’ve got the whole thing down to a system. This task, which once seemed quite daunting, now takes some effort but is really very manageable. First Mike drives the tractor down the row with a shank attached to a tool bar. The shank is pulled along side the garlic row loosening the soil. Someone follows down the row pulling the garlic out and rubbing off excess dirt. Another person follows along and clips part of the top off , and finally someone loads the clipped garlic into tubs. Once we’ve completed a row, the tubs are loaded on a trailer and brought back to the greenhouse (now wearing its shade cloth) where the garlic is laid out on screens to dry. (We’ll be posting pictures of the process on the web site if you’re interested.) I am pleased to say, the garlic crop looks wonderful!

We attended the annual CSA picnic for farmers in Minnesota and western Wisconsin. This year Hogsback Farm in Arkansas, WI hosted the event. It is always fun to visit with this group of folks, share ideas, get new ones, commiserate, be inspired. We’ve got a new turnip variety to try – maybe yet this year and a new planting method for leeks to trial next year and a seeder we’d like to purchase. We got a look at their new water wheel transplanter, a mechanical transplanter that waters the plants in as it goes - and now we are coveting our neighbor’s goods!

Next Week’s Harvesters
Saturday, August 2 - Abby Nesbitt, Teska/Nederveld Family, Preble/Hedlund Family,
Karen Schilling, Sally Fink
Tuesday, August 5- Suzanne & Roger Dahl, Carolyn Faacks, Erin Mohr & Jack McGrath, Lynne Dekker & Bernie Lindholm