I was once asked by an interviewer for a newspaper shortly after we bought the farm how I felt about moving into a vocation that is so deeply dependant on weather pattern and with the idea that climate change is here, how was that going to affect our success as farmers. It was a very valid question and probably more important than I realized at the time.
More than three weeks have passed since it really rained last. We prayed before our meal on Sunday night for rain that was still just a 50% possibility. We saw a very slow moving storm on the radar and were checking weather.com and weather.gov almost every hour to watch the progress of the storm, hoping, praying and believing that it would hit us. In the middle of the night around 3am we woke to the sound of 3/10th of an inch of rain falling on the roof. There was never a sweeter sound. Even the baby woke, but it was just fine with me. Many hands make light work when harvesting lacinato kale!
In the last couple weeks we have been busy little beavers seeding green beans, corn, carrots, cilantro, and beets while trusting that rain was bound to come around soon enough. I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but 3/10th of an inch simply is not enough. We’re in the mood for a good soaker. We need something to make the seeds swell and be brought to life. The plants need a reason to stand tall again, the beets need a drink to become round. Many of our mulched crops like potatoes, garlic, and sqashes all seem to be withstanding the mini drought that we’re in pretty well. Everything that was planted into bare soil is just out there in the wide open wind and penetrating sun rays. There are a few ‘maybe rainy’ days in the forecast, but nothing that really lifts our spirits. I tend to be very hopeful and pathetically optomistic at times, but maybe it’s age or previous experiences that grinds away at my patience and anticipation.
I still am not sure how to answer the interviewers question about climate change and why, in my right mind, would I make the choice to become a farmer when weather seems to becoming more severe. I suppose that some of us are just born to do something, wether or not it is practical, logical or wise. Perhaps the inventation of an irrigation system is in order on the Small Family Farm. After all, we’re far from ready to throw the towel in on this life. But it sure would be nice if it rained a little.
Asparagus- More yummy Asparagus for putting on the grill! Love it while it lasts, Asparagus season is about over!
Overwintered Shallots- These little buggers have been patiently waiting in our cold storage root cellar since last summer. They’ve been sitting dormant, waiting to be opened up in your kitchen and tossed into your sauces and dressings. Keep them cold or eat them soon. They will want to sprout if transfered to a warm area.
Lacinato Kale- Yeah, my fav! This dark green brassica leaf rates off the charts as far as anti-oxidants go. It’s a super-rich cooking green that is wonderful torn into soups, casseroles, egg dishes or simply sauteed with garlic, oil and soy sauce.
Spinach- Our final giving of spinach for the spring. With this warm weather, the spinach is shooting for the moon. The leaves this week might fair better for cooking rather than eating raw in salads.
French Breakfast or Cherry Bell Radish- A little more spicy this week with no rain. The more rain we get, the less spicy the radish. The leaves are a little chewed up, but remember that they are edible if you’re hungary for more greens! A fun new radish dip recipe below with avocado!
Head Lettuce- Plenty more lettuce to come along! Spring lettuce is my favorite becuase it should still be a little while before it starts to get bitter from the heat. It’s so nice to be eating salads at almost every meal.
Oregano Plant- More planting to do folks. Now you know how we feel! Plant the whole thing, pot and all, right into a little pot filled with an organic potting soil mix. Oregano can be planted outdoors and is a perennial which means that it will overwinter and come back next spring! Oregano likes full sun and plenty of water.
Pac Choi- The last of the pac choi. This was growing inside our greenhouse. It was getting a little hot in there, so it was time for the pac choi to come out. No more funky asian greens until fall because the bugs just like to eat them too much. 
A garlic scape on the garlic plant.
Garlic Scapes– These little guys shoot right out of the center of the garlic plant. They do a little loop-de-loop and then we snap them off to eat them. They’re actually the garlic plant’s best effort at making seeds. We snap them off so that the plant puts more of it’s energy into making larger garlic bulbs rather than making larger seeds. The best part to eat is from the blunt end up until the light green/yellow colored nodule. The top of the scape is still edible, but more chewy.
Peas or Kohlrabi- We just started picking peas and a few early kohlrabis are popping up. Only 15 people received a kohlrabi, while we divided our early pea harvest amungst the rest. All peas are edible pod varieties which meals you can eat the whole darn thing!
Cilantro- Woops, this was a surprise. We weren’t expecting to harvest this until next week, but it came a little early! I love cilantro so much! Keeps best in a plastic bag in the fridge.
