CSA Week 2: Springing forward!

Clockwise from bottom left: Pak choi, onions, garlic, radishes,
beets, kale, lettuce, arugula, cilantro.

Running a CSA turns out to be lots of hard work--but it is also amazingly rewarding. The plants themselves are easy. They are genetically programmed to grow. Harder than that is the timing: we don't want your first box to be twice as big (or half as big) as your last, and we do like to put out a diverse set of crops.

This week continues the spring greens theme from last week, with a few additions:

• Spring onions: they are getting bigger! We have another planting that is still too small to ship out, so you can expect onions as a regular item most weeks. 
• Baby garlic: Again, this is getting bigger; we will be harvesting all the remaining garlic in the next week or two and hanging it to dry. 
• Red globe radishes: We have enough radishes for another week or two assuming the plants don't bolt before then.
• Arugula: The heat is starting to get to our arugula, and the remaining plants are starting to bolt; this is probably the last week for this spring crop.
• Beets: Bigger and bigger! The red beets are some of our favorites; if all goes well, we'll have golden beets later in the season.
• Lettuce: This is black seeded Simpson, a loose leaf lettuce that makes a killer salad. 
• Pak choi: Same as last week--maybe the last bunch for the season. But we also have:
• Kale! New this week, this is the first of the kale; some is curly, some is flat.
• Cilantro: OK, some people hate it because it tastes like soap to them (it isn't their fault.) We love it in salsas but also in salads and soups. 
• SPECIAL ADDITION: Basil seedlings: Our thinning is your gain. You can keep these in a window indoors (well watered) but they will probably need a larger container. Or, plant them outside if you have the space.

Don't forget to share your favorite recipes with us and your fellow members on our page on the Facebook. Our squash and cucumbers are blooming, so look for those in the next couple of weeks.

Don't forget  1) Wash! Our produce is grown without herbicides or pesticides and we wash it all before it gets to you, but there is likely residual dirt. 2) Bugs! One reason  to wash again is to eliminate any lingering critters. You may notice holes in the leaves (of the pak choi and beets in particular). See above: no pesticides. That means that the little bugs get to nibble some, too. Enjoy the veggies--more to come next week!