(We are updating our webpage. This is the June 8 newsletter.)

Are we still here on the MiniFarm? Yes we are, and with so many projects keeping us busy it seems like we have no time for anything else, like writing newsletters. So without further ado, here is the catch-up edition!

 How does your box grow? Beets, carrots, and lettuce sprouting in mid-April

 And the box now at maturity.

 

 The box garden continues to be fruitful. We have been harvesting lettuce and beets for several weeks now; the carrots should be big enough within the next couple of weeks.

An example of companion planting. The strong odor of the onions will mask the carrots and protect them from the carrot root fly.

 

 We hilled 100lbs of seed potatoes. That’s a lot of potatoes and a lot of hilling!  After the late winter scare of potential potato rotting under the snow the plants have been growing like crazy. We don’t think we’ve ever seen potato plants this tall!

Normally new potatoes are ready a few weeks after the potatoes bloom, around the end of June. We dug up a few tubers to check their size and to our amazement they are already sizing up! There will be new potatoes in next week’s baskets.

Speaking of new potatoes, a little bit of trivia. A new potato is the young tuber harvested early in the season while the plant is still green. It has a higher moisture level and lower level of starch than mature tubers.  This means it is sweeter (the sugar hasn’t converted to starch yet) and they are ideal for boiling as they keep their shape better than older, starchier tubers. But they are just as good using other cooking methods.

Size is not the only indication of a new potato. Check the skin. A true new potatoes skin should be so thin and fragile that it often scrapes off when washed. There is no need to peel these spuds!

Surprisingly, even with the cool weather our hot weather crops are moving right along. The tomatoes are all flowering and there are even some small, green fruit on the plants. 

Juliet tomatoes

The peppers are also flowering, and one of the cayenne plants also has fruit. Not enough for full shares, any volunteers for the first hot pepper? 

The pea pods have hit peak production and the cool weather and abundant rain have kept them sweet. You will be getting both varieties in next week’s basket.

Chinese pea pods                                                  

Sugar snap pea pods

The sugar snap peas (round pods with large peas inside) have been hailed as one of the greatest increases in garden productivity. A pea that you can eat it all-peas and pods! Cook just like the Chinese pea pods-either in a stir fry or boil for a few minutes until the color turns a darker green. These do have a bit of a string, so before cooking pinch off the stem end (I use a paring knife to make a small cut in the stem end) and then pull the stem and string off the pod. Or just eat them as a snack by hand and peel with your teeth. Yes, we really eat the pea pods as a snack, they are so sweet!

Unfortunately, the remnants of tropical storm Andrea finished off the strawberries. Two days of heavy rain instantly turned the sugar filled berries into fuzzy mold balls. It was a short lived run-but great while it lasted. Now we have to scrape red slime out of the rows.

Such a fleeting pleasure…..

The dill is making flower heads. Since we have other herbs coming along we will let them set seeds and then plant in the fall for another round of dill.

So this is the state of the MiniFarm. Wait, we didn’t get to show you the beans, and cucumbers, and squash, and leeks, and eggplants, and……

Well, all those will just have to wait for the next newsletter. Andrea has moved on, the sun is out, humidity is around 98% outside, and it’s time to start the next project.

Until next time,

Jeff and Sandra