Once upon a time, long before we were parents ourselves, Mark and I had a delightful neighbor. She was the mother of twin toddlers and their family had just welcomed a third child into their already full and lively home. She had her work cut out for her, but I’ll never forget the advice that she gave us. She shared that the thing about kids and babies is that just when you think you’re at the end of your rope or things seem beyond difficulty, babies have a way of showing you something new or giving you something new to work with, right in the nick of time. It might be a first smile, a new word or expression, a motor skill, a work of art—there’s always something that seems to happen, and it keeps you going somehow. I think about her advice constantly as a parent and as a farmer. Last week was ROUGH. There was HEAT, there were setbacks, and I felt like things were unravelling from day to day. But we held onto the thread somehow, so there was also perseverance and progress. Mark and I pulled back one of the panels of row-cover in the field this morning to find a stunning bed of petite Daikon Radishes ready for harvest. The cucumber house has just started to produce, and the crew did as beautiful job as I’ve ever seen in getting it pruned and trellised. They’re working on the tomatoes now, because ripening is imminent. And as you walk up to the farmstand this week, you’ll notice that the CSA flower garden is in bloom. Pops of color from an array of Poppies, Zinnias, African Daisy and more are opening up just in time for members of the CSA to cut little bouquets to take home starting this week, free of charge. So grab a pair of scissors and give yourself a few extra minutes when you pick up your share between now and the end of our Summer season. It is one little way that we can thank you for supporting us and showing up here week after week, and it is our hope that cutting a few stems brings a bit of color, creativity and calm into your life! Helpful hit—a travel mug or cup makes a great transport vessel for your flowers. You can add water from our spigot, and pop your bouquet right into a cupholder for the drive home.

I like to believe that there’s wisdom in the seasons, particularly eating in along with them. This line of thinking is what gets me through the cold and dark days of the Winter, and it is the kind of magical thinking that is going to get me through this week’s heatwave (so help me!). And this is why I say THANK GOODNESS for fresh Blueberries. They’re refreshing, and they come on right when we appreciate them the most—The Dog Days of Summer.

We’ve picked our first round of Zucchini and we’ve got Fresh Favas on deck for this week! Fava Beans, aka Broad Beans, have become a big favorite around here, and as I spent the morning rounding up recipes, I realized that many of the ones I like to share have come straight from members of the Wild Hare CSA. My mom wishes we could grow them all year, but alas, Fresh Beans are a fleeting treat. 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. I did this for the crew at lunchtime today—it takes 10 minutes, tops. This is the method that I use most of the time, though some of my fondest memories involve shelling the beans from the pod, blanching the beans and then peeling away the pale skins on the porch with our daughter, watching her tiny hands pull those big beans out of their pods, snacking as we went. She’s got bigger hands now, but the tradition stands, 10 years later.