WILD HARE WEEKLY, SUMMER #14

It is a school night, which is why you didn't get a newsletter yesterday. It was our last night of the long summer school break together, and our daughter already had to put up with Labor Day also being a work day at her house. I really struggle with juggling parenthood and a farming business sometimes. Even though there are definite merits to raising a child on a farm, the two don't always dovetail beautifully for me. I lay awake some nights, quite foolishly, wishing I could sprout another arm or bargain for a few more hours in each day just to keep everything in the air and properly nurtured. I know I'm not alone in this feeling, but it weighs heavily on me as I attempt to weave harvest lists with homework, loading market vans and packing lunches. Food is my love language, so sending her off with chopped up vegetables, PB & J and a little lunchbox apple tomorrow is a simple but big deal for me.

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!