Weeks like these I want to laugh in the face of anyone who has ever thought of farming as the Simple Life. As I paced my way in from the blueberry field a bit ago, I was hit by the realization that we’re currently tending to four seasons of crops (the majority of which are not perennials). While some of the days were spent picking blueberries, loading up wheelbarrows of zucchini and trellising Tomatoes that are just starting to blush, the crew spent the end of the week knocking out huge fall and overwintering planting—one that we will likely be harvesting from well into next Spring. And at one point in the past 24 hours, Mark discovered that the pump we currently rely on for irrigating our fields of Sweet Corn, Celery and Winter Squash was down for the count. (Thank goodness for this overcast Monday weather!) And thankfully, after troubleshooting, ordering parts, troubleshooting some more, he got the pump up and running again. This is all to say that farming is just a bonkers line of work, but I’m thankful that we have good food to show for it. So, let’s get into it!

This week is shaping up to be a toasty one, so I’m extra thankful that there is so much fresh and refreshing food on the harvest list for this week—fresh Favas, fresh Garlic, fresh (and pointy) Cabbages and fresh Blueberries! After losing the battle with the birds last year, this year’s Blueberry harvest is off to a fantastic start. You may recall that we lost last year’s crop in its near entirety to a flock of opportunistic Cedar Waxwings. It was a major disappointment for us, and though we had to give up on picking much earlier than we’d hoped, I have to give it up for Mark who was very sad but took the opportunity to resume watering much sooner than we would have if we’d been actively harvesting. This Spring, we could see that the plants were taking very kindly to this extra bit of TLC—there was a whole lot of fresh growth appearing on the bushes, with a whole lot of blossoms that became berries that are ripening to sweet blue perfection right now. The crew has tied up slightly longer strands of “Flashy Tape” that you see twinkling when you drive by the farm in hopes of deterring the birds—between the vibrations of that tape and the occasional spirited chase from Lupa the wonder pup, we’re keeping them moderately at bay. However, each day is a race against the birds, so the heat is on in more ways than one this week.

Now that we’re a few days beyond the solstice, the first signs of our fruiting season are visible in the field (as are the weeds:). Pale little Blueberries are putting on color slowly but surely, and the Sugar Snap harvest is winding to a close (be sure to snag your last few little pods at the farm stand this week). And perhaps the most palpable sign of Summer— Zucchini and Summer Squash have come on just in time for holiday grilling, and so have the Fava Beans! I love growing and eating fresh Fava Beans, and it seems like they only get more and more popular among our customer base with every year. Fresh beans are such a fleeting treat, and if you're new to the world of Fava Beans, be sure to check out the tips in the recipe section below for some ideas for putting yours to use. And if you're looking for a way to enjoy them without the fuss (or the stove), and impress your family grill-side this week, you can grill the pods whole, let them cool a bit, and then pop them out casually to enjoy them as a savory snack. Favas also make a great pairing with Escarole, and there were a few more heads out there for this week. For as many years as our kiddo can remember, we've clocked some serious time on the porch pulling big broad beans out of their pods and skins, snacking on a few raw ones before cooking them up for dinner. It takes a bit of extra work, but an opportunity to slow down and pass the time together is something I relish, even if she’s in charge of the playlist these days.