When you look out onto our fields, in addition to all of the new green growth that the crew is putting into motion, you might also see big long white blankets billowing in the wind. Those are sheets of floating row cover, and they’re one of the most versatile organic growing tools that we use throughout the year. In Springtime, we count on them to protect some of our earliest plantings against light frost and insect damage. The covers are permeable, so water and light can still reach the plants growing underneath, and eventually, when we notice that a blanket is sitting up a little taller, we know its time to take a peek. This is usually a Sunday afternoon chore for Mark and I, and when we peeled back the cover yesterday, we were delighted to find a full lush bed of Gai-Lan, a variety of Chinese Broccoli that is intended to be eaten in its entirety—tender stem, leaf, floret and all. If you were sad to see the Purple Sprouting Broccoli come to an early end, you’ll really love digging into Gai-Lan. And this year, we have enough for the entire CSA this week. That is a win and a half!

And then we pulled the cover back further, and were surprised to find…some of the most stunning Bok Choy we’ve ever grown, flourishing, several weeks ahead of schedule, right on the heels of the greenhouse Bok Choy that we’d just harvested for the CSA. Yikes! We know, we know…there’s been a whole lot of Bok as of late, and for that, we apologize. This is the sort of thing that gives CSA farmers a bad rap; however, it is way too pretty and delicious not to share. So, along with your Gai-Lan and some more of our Spring Green Garlic, you’re set up for the Stir Fry of a lifetime and some easy meal prep!

Here’s to some of our most demanding days of the year and the simple but delicious dinners that Spring vegetables make possible at the end of them.

Many Thanks,
Katie