Bok choi is bolting (flowering) because of the warm weather. Rather than becoming inedible, it becomes a whole new delicious vegetable. We harvested these at peak perfection. The stems are crispy and juicy. The leaves are tender. They can be eaten in a salad, sauteed with garlic and oil, roasted, tossed in pasta, or honestly, saved for snacking. Come check em out. We'll have them for the next couple weeks.
A whole tower of straw, and that's just the start. We are really laying it on thick for our garlic this year. Hopefully that leads to less weeds and happier crops. We'll keep you posted.
Microgreens are super green. These broccoli micros are packed with nutrition. Every time I include them in my day, I feel like I've done myself a favor. Eating good food is one simple way partake in self care and microgreens really make it easy. My favorite way to eat them is drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled lightly with salt. I also enjoy them on a sandwich or tossed on at the end of any hot meal.
Tyler took up the mechanics mantle bridging the gap between now and when Jim left the farm in 2022. Since Tyler is off to tackle his own agricultural enterprise, machine maintenance and improvement falls back to me. It's a learning curve alright but at least one I already have the crampons to climb. More importantly, I have a few good mentors and find it interesting.
Here's a disc gang in components. Reassembled, those platter sized metal hunks and cylindrical spacers are skewered on to axel like a metal shish kebob. All sandwiched between two bearings that are responsible for allowing the rotation.
Big question: what are the pine cones for?
Here's a disc gang in components. Reassembled, those platter sized metal hunks and cylindrical spacers are skewered on to axel like a metal shish kebob. All sandwiched between two bearings that are responsible for allowing the rotation.
Big question: what are the pine cones for?
Ahoy reader!
While we vegetable farmers love a good spring break (in the weather) like anyone else, it inspires a particular anxiety for many of us. We don't want to let "the early weather window" go by. Usually there is only one early one. But the field can't be too wet. If it is we could damage our soil structure, affecting drainage as well as air and nutrient availability for years to come. The first soil work of the year happens on the morning that I go out to the field and scoop a fistful of soil and give a squeeze, expecting moisture to ooze out, but it doesn't. It is just dry enough to flip some ground. This week, I thought that was going to be Friday. When I wrote this Thursday night, I believed I was wrong, but you better believe I went out ther this morning to poke around to be sure.
Why do we want to get out there? So we can plant the kale, start the sweet turnips, get those fabulous onions on their way to being bulbs etcetera etcetera, but we quite literally can't rush nature. It's another example of something vital that is not human control. Acknowledging my lack of influence over the weather is a great practice toward sanity.
If you didn't read about it last week, we launched the GoFundMe for our Stockbridge Community Outreach Project. We are growing vegetables for our local food pantry and are asking for donations to cover the overhead. I appreciate any support you have to offer, even if it is sharing it with a friend or on your social media, so please, share with abandon!
Cheers,
Helen
she/her/hers
In this email:
Fresh From the Field-
Greens:
Bok choy shoots
Micros: Broccoli, Radish, Arugula!
Pea shoots
Spinach
Tatsoi
All Manner of Deliciousness
Apples: Evercrips, Gala, Pinata, Modi, and Ida Red. From Almar Orchard (Eastern only)
Napa Cabbage from Jacob's Fresh Farm
Cabbage
Carrots by Yoder
Kohlrabi
Potatoes! Yum!
Daikon
Watermelon Radish
Rutabaga!
Sweet Potatoes from Yoder Farms
Purple Top Turnips
Fall Squash: delicata, long pie, butternut, autumn frost, black futsu
Coming Soon
Arugula
Kale
Farms we are collaborating with:
When something sold by us is grown by another farm, we will always label both to support them and so that you can make informed decisions.
Not all the farms we are working with are certified organic. If they aren't, you better bet we know them well enough to trust their growing practices. This is both because we have asked them about how they care for their land and what materials they use, but also because we are friends. We have asked each other questions and shared information and resources over the years. We know most of them well enough to have had dinner together and to call to share family news. This collection of family farms are our community and our colleagues. We are proud to know them and to work with them.
Almar Orchard, Flushing, Certified Organic
Cinzori Farm, Ceresco, Certified Organic
HillTop Greenhouse and Farms, Ann Arbor. They supply the eggs from free range, happy chickens.
Jacob's Fresh Farm, Dexter
Sunnyside Produce, Homer, Certified Organic
Titus Farms, Leslie
Yoder Farms, Leslie
While we vegetable farmers love a good spring break (in the weather) like anyone else, it inspires a particular anxiety for many of us. We don't want to let "the early weather window" go by. Usually there is only one early one. But the field can't be too wet. If it is we could damage our soil structure, affecting drainage as well as air and nutrient availability for years to come. The first soil work of the year happens on the morning that I go out to the field and scoop a fistful of soil and give a squeeze, expecting moisture to ooze out, but it doesn't. It is just dry enough to flip some ground. This week, I thought that was going to be Friday. When I wrote this Thursday night, I believed I was wrong, but you better believe I went out ther this morning to poke around to be sure.
Why do we want to get out there? So we can plant the kale, start the sweet turnips, get those fabulous onions on their way to being bulbs etcetera etcetera, but we quite literally can't rush nature. It's another example of something vital that is not human control. Acknowledging my lack of influence over the weather is a great practice toward sanity.
If you didn't read about it last week, we launched the GoFundMe for our Stockbridge Community Outreach Project. We are growing vegetables for our local food pantry and are asking for donations to cover the overhead. I appreciate any support you have to offer, even if it is sharing it with a friend or on your social media, so please, share with abandon!
Cheers,
Helen
she/her/hers
In this email:
- Generally important notes
- WE ARE HIRING! Visit our Work With Us page for more info. Please share it with people you think fit the bill.
- A link to our Stockbridge Community Outreach Project
- Notes for members (or potential members!):
- Find a copy of the 2025 membership agreement here.
- Now offering $100 CSA memberships with a $10 bonus. Please email for more info.
- If you shop with us regularly, consider signing up for our farm membership (CSA). This is the perfect time to do it as it offers maximum support to us and the most opportunities to use your balance over the course of the year.
- If you love our produce, consider giving the gift of food to someone in your family or friend. We are an especially good match for people that want to eat local fresh food but don't know how to get started. I love talking recipes, environmentalism, telling animal stories, and eating raw vegetables on the spot.
- Here is link to our Social Justice page on our website. It is a list of resources to keep active in effecting positive social change.
- Fresh From the field
- Recipe: Smashed Potatoes!
- Member Info-
- Royal Oak members, please give me a little more time to send a separate email to you.
Fresh From the Field-
Greens:
Bok choy shoots
Micros: Broccoli, Radish, Arugula!
Pea shoots
Spinach
Tatsoi
All Manner of Deliciousness
Apples: Evercrips, Gala, Pinata, Modi, and Ida Red. From Almar Orchard (Eastern only)
Napa Cabbage from Jacob's Fresh Farm
Cabbage
Carrots by Yoder
Kohlrabi
Potatoes! Yum!
Daikon
Watermelon Radish
Rutabaga!
Sweet Potatoes from Yoder Farms
Purple Top Turnips
Fall Squash: delicata, long pie, butternut, autumn frost, black futsu
Coming Soon
Arugula
Kale
Farms we are collaborating with:
When something sold by us is grown by another farm, we will always label both to support them and so that you can make informed decisions.
Not all the farms we are working with are certified organic. If they aren't, you better bet we know them well enough to trust their growing practices. This is both because we have asked them about how they care for their land and what materials they use, but also because we are friends. We have asked each other questions and shared information and resources over the years. We know most of them well enough to have had dinner together and to call to share family news. This collection of family farms are our community and our colleagues. We are proud to know them and to work with them.
Almar Orchard, Flushing, Certified Organic
Cinzori Farm, Ceresco, Certified Organic
HillTop Greenhouse and Farms, Ann Arbor. They supply the eggs from free range, happy chickens.
Jacob's Fresh Farm, Dexter
Sunnyside Produce, Homer, Certified Organic
Titus Farms, Leslie
Yoder Farms, Leslie
Smashed potatoes! Who would have thought that cooking potatoes twice would be worth the effort. I'm here to tell you it is.
Boil them til they can be punctured with a fork.
Put them on a roasting pan smash them. I used a flat plate for maximum smash.
Apply a generous amount of olive oil and seasoning (I like salt and rosemary) and put them in the oven at 350 for 60 minutes, flipping halfway through. You'll see.
Also, check out those cutie pink potatoes. Find those at our table this weekend. As tasty as they are cute.
Boil them til they can be punctured with a fork.
Put them on a roasting pan smash them. I used a flat plate for maximum smash.
Apply a generous amount of olive oil and seasoning (I like salt and rosemary) and put them in the oven at 350 for 60 minutes, flipping halfway through. You'll see.
Also, check out those cutie pink potatoes. Find those at our table this weekend. As tasty as they are cute.
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