WILD HARE WEEKLY, SUMMER #13

There's plenty to be said about the level of exhaustion a farmer might feel approaching the final days of August, but I'm learning that decision fatigue is the real kicker. There are just five more weeks left before we transition into our Fall Share, and as year-round growers, we're looking at a years worth of choices all at once in August, setting the next nine months of our farms livelihood in motion at the same time that we're experiencing and evaluating the consequences of choices and plans we set in motion as far back as February of this year. If I could only insane number of decisions Mark and I find ourselves having to make on the fly, or laboring over the consequences of each and every day. Actually I don't even want to try and count that. It hurts. But you should know that the process of working backward from forming a given week's share ingredients to crop planning is a deliberate one that almost never goes off without a hitch, hence the mind numbing array of decisions that we're making as we go along.

For example, heading into this week, I was thinking we might let up on the lettuce for a week for the CSA in favor of some bunching greens, but then just look at those heads, will you? They're perfect and gorgeous this week, and looking at a forecast of nearly ninety over the next couple of days, harvesting that butter lettuce in addition to some greens, and keeping those sweet crisp heads in our collective fridges is the better choice made all the more prudent by the upcoming Labor Day weekend. I know we've had a whole lotta lettuce this Summer, but our crop rotations will thank us for it, and we'll be looking back on our lettuce wraps and quick BLTs longingly long about November, I promise. Not to mention the buckets of tomatoes, stone fruit, sweet onions, corn, zucchini and cucumbers. Let's hear it for all of those Summer sweeties this week too, because I'm not going to choose a favorite.

WILD HARE WEEKLY, SUMMER #11

IT IS THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN... 

Organic Freestone Canning Peaches from Tonnemaker Orchard will be available for pickup by the case at our farmstand  NEXT WEEK on August 20th, 21st and 24th. As those of you who have been buying these over the years can attest, whether you’re canning, freezing, dehydrating, infusing or just eating fresh, these peaches are a dream!  CLICK HERE TO reserve your peaches by Friday, August 16th and pay just $25/case (That’s $2.50/lb down from $3.50/lb) . 

As for this week, I'll celebrate another trip around the sun on Thursday with a Split-Tomato Bloody Mary (thank you, heavy rains) and the clean, cool crisp flavor of our celery crop. We've been waiting all year for it!  Sure, you can have your ants on a log, but why stop there.  Salads just got a little more savory, Hazel's tuna melts more crunchy and flavorful, and you KNOW those stir fries and soups are going to be extra delicious thanks to those very edible and delectable leafy tops. I really hope that all of you Celery juicers are still out there, ready for us to blow your minds now that the crop is actually in season.  

Here's to all of that and then some!
Katie

PS:  If you're reading this and you're one of the folks picking up at the Broadway Market on Thursday, please be advised that the market will close one hour early (at 2pm instead of 3) this week so that the TFM crew can get set up for the Grit City Gala!

WILD HARE WEEKLY, SUMMER #10

It is the first week of August, and across the United States, we get a chance to honor just how delicious, vibrant and vital Farmers Markets are to our communities. We'll also be celebrating Irrigation Appreciation Week around here, given that the forecast has temps dancing around 90 degrees over the next few days. I've been lucky enough to be a market vendor on two coasts, and I can tell you that some of my favorite meals, longest days, hardest earned dollars, cherished friendships, incredibly supportive customers and greatest memories slinging vegetables for a living have come my way because of Farmers Markets. Mark and I are really honored to show our daughter the ropes these days.

I'll let you in on a little secret--Markets are really HARD, and that is coming from a farmer. We spend the day prior, harvesting, sorting, washing and properly cooling every bit of produce that you see come to market, usually harvesting more than we think we can potentially sell, because market shoppers are drawn to abundance. (If you've ever been the person to buy the very last bunch of something from our table, you're a special kind of awesome.) On Fridays, we do this prep three-fold in preparation of two markets and CSA distribution. On Saturday mornings, we're up before the sun, loading vans, using every square foot of space in the back of the van to fit all of the produce we can, surrounded by all of the tables, tents, weights, baskets, bins and bags that we need to present it to you all. It is kind of like moving or packing for a road trip three times a week, and when you arrive at your market destination, you might just have enough time to unpack it all and stage it all out in an appealing way. And then you are there for five hours actually selling, and if it hasn't rained and shoppers like what they see, you thank your lucky stars that you have less to fit back in that van at the end of the day when you repeat the whole cycle again.

We are, therefore, very fortunate to be a part of three unique but fantastic markets here locally. The staff and boards of people behind the Tacoma Farmers Market, Puyallup Farmers Market and University District go above and beyond and put an incredible amount of work into making the market days great for vendors and shoppers alike. In addition to all of the crazy marketing and logistics that come with setting up for a physical market in a place that every other part of the week is just part of the open street, the staff behind these organizations spend time applying for grants that help put fresh food into food insecure households and raising funds that incubate new businesses and support farmers who face adversity. This is all to say that there's so much more than meets the eye when it comes to Farmers Markets, and we're so thankful that ours have brought so many of you into our booths and lives. Tacoma Farmers Market is hosting theSecond Annual Grit City Gala next week on August 15th. If you'd like to support the work that this organization does for our community, and enjoy a fabulous seasonal meal, there still may be a handful of tickets left for the event.

Enjoy these hot August nights...and head out to a market this week!
Katie