yep- a little drier this time

So this week we really will be bringing an assortment of field grown heirloom tomatoes- all of our varieties, with the exception of the sungolds this year are non-hybridized which is exciting for us- so because of that could someone please chill this weather out a little- I need consistency with temps- and rain that softly comes from the ground up every other day for about 45 minutes and if possible from about 5:30 am till about 6:15- than chase that with a nice breeze because I really don't like wet plants with no breeze or sun- ya feel me. We were starting to get a little worried with all the rain there- now that we have experienced three sunny days I feel like its ok to tell y'all that Ghassan and I had gotten in the habit of lookin around to see if anyone was building a rather large boat.Not that we got too worried cause if they were building a boat and recruiting critters in 2 by 2's and forgot these 2 funny mf-ers than that boat ride would have sucked.
Heres what were up to this week- lots
today were gonna tie tomatoes, and finally get our sweet potatoes in the ground- 2 weeks late of course, pick up some straw to mulch them and then kick back and watch em grow- no wait- i mean then were gonna take the strawberry plants out of the ground and plant a cover crop were they were- to get that spot ready for the fall brassicas. and believe it or not its time to start all the fall plants again- doesn't the universe know we're very busy and need an extra few months here.
we'll try to get all the rest of our sorry garlic out of the ground- we left in the ground through that rather rainy period and will now pay the price- the outside husk is gone so we have tons of naked bulbs- indecent.
we'll start digging potatoes as soon as they decide its time- and hopefully we'll bring you some beans here soon

maters
garlic
eggs
squash
cukes
pac choi? maybe its almost time
and maybe some flowers or- well something fun-

so yeah- see you this week-
sincerely,
kid & play

Farm to Fork

If my typing looks a little rough this morning, I assure you this computer has a hangover , not me. It has nothing to do with the awesome Farm to Fork picnic yesterday, where with Monica from the Lantern, we made hand shaved strawberry sno-cones with homemade marshmallow honey cream, and a candied strawberry. And after a few malt beverages I definitely didn't go from there to a Harvest dinner at Il Palio and drink a glass of wine with course after course of awesome locally driven fare like four onion soup, and lamb ravioli .
Usually my life is a little less like a rap video- and a bit more like 80's metal one--- I try to just to have a nominal amount of over the top delicious food and decadence mixed with ample work- but you know that's how we roll here at lilfarm. Some days it rains- Some days we make it rain.........think about that.

This week: you might see

The last of the spring greens-
we will say good bye to kale and collards pretty soon here,
along with this years really small cabbages-

more summer squash- or squarsh depending on how you pronounce it- hopefully the little lemon squash will make an appearance this week

and if all goes well the first of the field grown heirloom tomatoes- we pulled the first three ripe ones on Friday-but..... tragedy found them, we brought them home and gently placed them on the counter but alas, they weren't safe in the kitchen- the last thing I remember seeing was some monster preparing what appeared to be a sandwich without meat- the mayo, the salt, the pepper, fresh bread-and he kept saying things like- ive been waiting months for this, and you lookin ripe... oh its too painful- I can't even talk about it..

we pulled some garlic on Friday- we'll hook you up-

and we were gonna start pulling potatoes this week but all this rain is keeping them going-which means more potatoes- be patient

what else..oh maybe parsley and more fennel- dont worry when the bulb fennel is done- we will have bronze fennel(herb)- your mouth will forever feel clean
and damn those flowers were fly- maybe more of those bouquets-- did people like the edible flowers or was that a little too kitchy?
alright- - see you this week--

Captain and Tennelle

This Week

Hope you are all enjoying the sweltering heat out there- coupled with the torrential downpour-(thailand anyone) Believe it or not this is my kind of weather- I like that beer at the end of the day to feel like an oasis rather than an aspirin - like I earned it you know. SO this week has been a battle the weeds kind of time- we fought back against the invasion of spiny amaranth- which gets its name from the really large spikes, that are definitely armor piercing, that go up its stalk , through your gloves and into your fingers. Its our dominant weed in many of the fields- which is great because not only does it set seeds in 4 weeks are less- but it sets thousands per plant, and they can lay dormant for about a hundred years or so- every time you scratch the soil a new bumper crop is waiting right there for you. Our seed bank is mighty- luckily so is our desire to make rent- So the war rages on...

We have green tomatoes all over our plants- I tied up the first planting yesterday and was admiring the different shapes that they are all taking on. The first cherry tomatoes turning red- We planted 1500 in the first planting and they were all heirloom open pollinated varieties this year- except for the Sungolds- which are a necessity- Heirloom means that it is the same variety that it has been for ever- the seed isn't hybridized, and if you were to save seed you would get the same thing year after year- we grow them rather than the typical flavorless hybrid varieties so that we can not only enjoy the real flavor of food and and years of genetic information- but because all the commercial varieties are being snatched up by huge seed companies who can't wait to get a hold of all the types so they can put patents on them to control seed banks, and genetically alter them to not only taste like shit, but they can ship from here to the moon, and they show up cosmetically identical. We prefer to be difficult- never mind the politics of it- you can't go to Harris Teeter and get white or black tomatoes- or a variety of red that was smuggled out of Iraq (al- kuffa) and sent to Missouri so that while this occupation continues the history of this variety won't be decimated like the area it came from, and maybe one day it will find its way back there- and hopefully the plants will continue to set fruit so that it will also find its way into your kitchen.and eventually your mouth.

What are we gonna have this week? Please no more escarole.

This week we are gonna start pulling all our garlic and onions and sending them your way- red and white onions- this year should be like all the others, I 'm realizing that I might not be an onion grower- maybe one day, I guess i can't be perfect in all ways- just most
Garlic- might start coming to you all soon- I pull it and then cure/dry it so it will have a bit of a shelf life- but get ready- and eat it often to scare off the mosquitoes
Squash- fry it up and eat it- or stew it with onions and eat it- or puree it with milk and butter and eat it- or...
We still have greens- don't be tired of them yet because you might miss them soon
The cukes should be here soon- salt pepper and and vinegar- refreshing
haruki turnips- sweet salad turnips- I like em raw but you can eat them anyway you like- braised mashed- stir fried- any thing you want
edible flower mix- add this in your salads or sprinkle on a dish to dress it up a little- a mix of nasturtiums , borage, marigolds, bachelor buttons and calendula-
eggs-
fennel bulbs- fennel's awesome but it takes some getting used to - I like it roasted with maybe some turnips and carrots - coat it in oil and roast it till its soft- than add in whatever you like and watch how fast it goes
Munich bier radish- yeah they go with beer- salt and butter - and lets assume based on the name that the Germans enjoy not only Hasselhoff- but also deez radishes
escarole- so the trick to cooking this bitter is acidity- cook it or grill it and it becomes sweet- or if you go raw- use lots of lemon juice or vinegar- and of course you can cover it in bacon grease to not only be my hero , but also a traditionalist- look for lardon salad on the webs and get creative from there-

beets are suckin wind- we might not have any till the fall- whoops

but beans are lookin good- so is the celery, and the peppers-
and real soon we are gonna drown you in potatoes- we planted 10 varieties so get your Peruvian taste buds ready and see what your favorite is-
well I gotta go to work- these plants aren't gonna complain themselves into order.
See you this week- bring me some brown bags if you have them piling up
Later-