Newsletter: Yahoo for Box 2!

Bags of fresh spinach harvested at Foxtail Farm.

Paul (former Foxtail owner) gave me some advice when it came to writing newsletters. What he told me essentially, was don't complain. He explained that you all have plenty going on in your own lives without worrying about our problems. In that spirit, I try to keep the tone of my newsletters light, and focus on the positives. That said, there's only so much spin you can put on the weather this past month, and at some point, realism wins out.

This spring has been a challenge, to say the least. After a brief reprieve over the weekend of the 9th, we have dipped back into low 20's just about every night since. As I alluded to in the last newsletter, cold temperatures combined with high cloud cover drastically slows plant growth. Even with the added protection of hoophouses and row cover, there is only so much we can do without Mother Nature's cooperation. Crops we had slotted for this box are significantly smaller than we'd anticipated, and we've held off on transplanting other seedlings for fear of them not surviving their transition from climate controlled seed trays to cold bare soil.

On top of the unseasonable cold (I hesitate to say unprecedented, we've heard enough of that word for a lifetime), high winds have made a less than ideal situation even more difficult. We saw 50 MPH gusts last Thursday, and unfortunately the front of one of our four hoophouses blew open. While the row covers inside the hoops miraculously stayed on, saving most of the crops, the first ten or so feet of the garlic, dill, and cilantro beds were frozen. That loss isn't catastrophic, but it is significant.

I'm not bringing this up to complain, but to hopefully explain our situation and why this box may feel a little like deja vu. It is our goal to put as much food and as much variety in the CSA as possible, and it doesn't feel good to fill a box that doesn't totally check those marks.

Part of the Community Supported Agriculture model is about sharing the risks and the rewards between farmers and members. When we do well, you do well. When the weather turns, and it will, your boxes will once again overflow with gorgeous, tasty, fresh, organic vegetables. Please be patient, and I'm saying that as much for me and Emmalyn as I am for you.

Warmly,
Cody & Emmalyn

What’s in the Box?!

-Spinach: These spinach seeds woke up from a winter slumber in our hoop houses and are as sweet as ever! Enjoy a fresh salad, or cook with it if you wish.
-Wintery Mix: A blend of hardier greens from this cold spring. A bit of spinach, baby turnip greens, kale and rainbow chard. Great for fresh salad; loaded with nutrients.
-Green Onions: So excited to bunch up these fresh green onions from our hoop house again! This new experiment really panned out! Enjoy on a salad or as garnish!
-Sweet Mokum Carrots: Yum. These carrots hold up until the fresh ones come in. We still love um raw with humus, steamed, sautéed or roasted.
-Sauerkraut: (Foxtail green cabbage, Kosher salt, patience) This live culture kraut is packed with probiotic goodness for your bellies. It will help you digest and fully absorb all the nutrients!

-Daikon Radish: These radishes have become a household favorite. Their flavor is great thinly sliced on a salad, roasted with EVOO, salt and pepper, pickled or made into a salad (see recipe below).
-Butternut Squash Puree: Makes a great soup base or curry. Try it out as a pumpkin pie filling or in a sweet loaf or bar.
-Pickled Veggie Quartet: (All veg from Foxtail! Watermelon Radish and Daikon Radish, Carrot, Kohlrabi) These pickles are in a vinegar brine spiced with peppercorns, mustard seeds and garlic cloves. They're tangy, crunchy and wonderful on a sandwich or atop a spinach salad.
-Apple Sauce: Just so tasty. We had to send ya another one :)