Lizz and Brianna Hangin out with the freshly harvested garlic in little barn
We are entering what I am coming to know as the dry season. It has been almost two week since we received any rain and it is quite apparent. The farm drives between fields are loose sand and we have been diligently moving irrigation lines around doing our best to provide adequate moisture for our plants. It was a lot harder to do when the temperature were in the nineties every day. At least this coming week the highs are in the eighties and the drop to the sixties at night, keeping evaporation rates lower.
The dry weather is good for something though: harvesting and curing garlic! You know your garlic is ready to come in when the bottom three to five leaves dry out completely. Almost all of the varieties we are growing this year are exhibiting those signs. Our hope is that this week we will pull all of the garlic that is ready and get it curing in in the barn, protected from sun and rain. In ideal temperature, humidity, airflow conditions, it takes approximately two weeks but it is important for the bulbs to dry completely for ultimate storage potential! While the garlic cures, it continues to take nutrients and oils from the leaves while the roots pull out moisture. Once cured, we trim them up and tuck them away to be enjoyed for as long as our supplies last. Even better news is that we don't have to wait for our garlic to cure to eat it. This week at market we will have uncured garlic, the juiciest and most poignant garlic you will ever taste. Sometimes I cut off the top, pour a little olive oil in and roast the heads whole! When they are finished, I spread the resulting smooth garlic over bread and enjoy a fully decadent snack.
Garlic harvest is a sure sign that summer is upon us. It goes with so many of the things that we have already. A garlicky gazpacho with cucumbers and mint. Cabbage, light tossed in a hot pan with garlic, peanuts and a shredded apple. Zucchini sliced and stir-fried with minced garlic. Uhm, everything? Basil pesto. Roasted garlic eggplant. We are all about to increase the decadence of our plates.
We are also in the process of plowing down the buckwheat that we seeded about a month ago. It really is a fast cover crop. I am excited to do it because I recently had my most successful plow event yet and feel that I am finally getting the hang of the implement. There are a lot of adjustments to make to the plow when using it. It needs to be positioned behind the tractor just right, with the right angle so the shares bite into the earth just right but not too much, and the right tilt so both shares go into the ground evenly, regardless of the cockeyed angle of the tractor due to the fact that both tires on one side of the tractor have to sit in the trench just dug by the plow. It is also important to go at the right speed allowing the earth to flip over just right, leaving the underside facing up and the upside facing down. And there is the real gold of the situation. We will be taking our cover crop, plowing it as it stands and all that plant material that has captured carbon and nutrients, will then provide food for our soil microbes, our plants, and increase the organic matter content of our soil which will increase water retention (to help in dry times such as these) and nutrient holding capacity. Anyway, I think I finally got the adjustment right. When I looked back at the fields I plowed last week, rather than looking like cardboard waves from an old theater set, the ground is relatively smooth topped. The ride finalizing the preparations won't be nearly as bumpy as the last time when a seatbelt was required to keep me at least partly in the driver's seat.
You can look forward to lots of summery goodness in the coming weeks. Our tomatoes are coming into season. So are peppers and hot peppers plus a feast for our eyes: sunflowers!
The dry weather is good for something though: harvesting and curing garlic! You know your garlic is ready to come in when the bottom three to five leaves dry out completely. Almost all of the varieties we are growing this year are exhibiting those signs. Our hope is that this week we will pull all of the garlic that is ready and get it curing in in the barn, protected from sun and rain. In ideal temperature, humidity, airflow conditions, it takes approximately two weeks but it is important for the bulbs to dry completely for ultimate storage potential! While the garlic cures, it continues to take nutrients and oils from the leaves while the roots pull out moisture. Once cured, we trim them up and tuck them away to be enjoyed for as long as our supplies last. Even better news is that we don't have to wait for our garlic to cure to eat it. This week at market we will have uncured garlic, the juiciest and most poignant garlic you will ever taste. Sometimes I cut off the top, pour a little olive oil in and roast the heads whole! When they are finished, I spread the resulting smooth garlic over bread and enjoy a fully decadent snack.
Garlic harvest is a sure sign that summer is upon us. It goes with so many of the things that we have already. A garlicky gazpacho with cucumbers and mint. Cabbage, light tossed in a hot pan with garlic, peanuts and a shredded apple. Zucchini sliced and stir-fried with minced garlic. Uhm, everything? Basil pesto. Roasted garlic eggplant. We are all about to increase the decadence of our plates.
We are also in the process of plowing down the buckwheat that we seeded about a month ago. It really is a fast cover crop. I am excited to do it because I recently had my most successful plow event yet and feel that I am finally getting the hang of the implement. There are a lot of adjustments to make to the plow when using it. It needs to be positioned behind the tractor just right, with the right angle so the shares bite into the earth just right but not too much, and the right tilt so both shares go into the ground evenly, regardless of the cockeyed angle of the tractor due to the fact that both tires on one side of the tractor have to sit in the trench just dug by the plow. It is also important to go at the right speed allowing the earth to flip over just right, leaving the underside facing up and the upside facing down. And there is the real gold of the situation. We will be taking our cover crop, plowing it as it stands and all that plant material that has captured carbon and nutrients, will then provide food for our soil microbes, our plants, and increase the organic matter content of our soil which will increase water retention (to help in dry times such as these) and nutrient holding capacity. Anyway, I think I finally got the adjustment right. When I looked back at the fields I plowed last week, rather than looking like cardboard waves from an old theater set, the ground is relatively smooth topped. The ride finalizing the preparations won't be nearly as bumpy as the last time when a seatbelt was required to keep me at least partly in the driver's seat.
You can look forward to lots of summery goodness in the coming weeks. Our tomatoes are coming into season. So are peppers and hot peppers plus a feast for our eyes: sunflowers!
Buckwheat hard at work in the field
See you at market!
Helen writing for the Lake Dividers
Fresh From the Field!
Greens:Head lettuce: Butterhead, green leaf, red leaf, summer crisp, and romaine!
Kale: flat leaf, green curly, and red curly
Microgreens: Spicy and mild.
Shoots: Lite in the beginning of the week and heavier toward the end of the week. We are admittedly still working out the kinks.
Salad Mix
Swiss Chard
Herbs:
Basil- it is pesto time!!
Cilantro
Dill
Mint
Oregano
Parsley
Sage- Have you tried fried sage? Heat up some olive oil and flash fry those big flat leaves. Toss them in some salt- SAGE CHIPS!!
Thyme
All manner of deliciousness:
NEW: Beans? We shall see
Broccoli- LIMITED
Cucumbers- Gazpacho anyone? Here is a link to a recipe. Not vetted thoroughly so if you know a better one, please share!
Cabbage
NEW: Garlic!!! Oh my gosh GARLIC!! Yay!!
Eggplant: LIMITED- Still coming to its full potential.
Fennel
Kohlrabi
NEW: Peppers: Green bell peppers, a touch of hot peppers, and maybe a few shishitos!
Tomatoes: A handful of slicers and cherry tomatoes. LIMITED, but not for a limited time!
Summer squash- Go squash crazy now folks! The season is upon us!
NEW: Sunflowers! Make your life lively with the proven joy-bringing power of a sunflower
Markets, always rain or shine!Wednesday: Ann Arbor
The Ann Arbor Market is located in the Kerrytown District at 315 Detroit St, Ann Arbor, MI. The market runs from May thru December, 7 am to 3 pm and January thru April from 8 am to 3 pm.
Thursday: Jackson
The Jackson Green Market at Allegiance Health is located at East Michigan Avenue and Waterloo Street. It runs from May through October 9 am to 2 pm
Friday: Stockbridge
The Stockbridge Open Air Market is located on the square in downtown Stockbridge. It runs from May thru October from 4 pm to 7 pm
Saturday: Ann Arbor and Chelsea
The Ann Arbor Market is located in the Kerrytown District at 315 Detroit St, Ann Arbor, MI. The market runs from May thru December, 7 am to 3 pm and January thru April from 8 am to 3 pm.
The Chelsea Farmers' Market is located in the lower library lot along Park St. It runs May thru October from 8 am to 1 pm.
Sunday: Howell
The Howell Farmers' market can be found in the heart of Howell at State st and Clinton st, adjacent to the historic Livingston County Courthouse. It runs May thru October, 9 am to 2 pm.
Helen writing for the Lake Dividers
Fresh From the Field!
Greens:Head lettuce: Butterhead, green leaf, red leaf, summer crisp, and romaine!
Kale: flat leaf, green curly, and red curly
Microgreens: Spicy and mild.
Shoots: Lite in the beginning of the week and heavier toward the end of the week. We are admittedly still working out the kinks.
Salad Mix
Swiss Chard
Herbs:
Basil- it is pesto time!!
Cilantro
Dill
Mint
Oregano
Parsley
Sage- Have you tried fried sage? Heat up some olive oil and flash fry those big flat leaves. Toss them in some salt- SAGE CHIPS!!
Thyme
All manner of deliciousness:
NEW: Beans? We shall see
Broccoli- LIMITED
Cucumbers- Gazpacho anyone? Here is a link to a recipe. Not vetted thoroughly so if you know a better one, please share!
Cabbage
NEW: Garlic!!! Oh my gosh GARLIC!! Yay!!
Eggplant: LIMITED- Still coming to its full potential.
Fennel
Kohlrabi
NEW: Peppers: Green bell peppers, a touch of hot peppers, and maybe a few shishitos!
Tomatoes: A handful of slicers and cherry tomatoes. LIMITED, but not for a limited time!
Summer squash- Go squash crazy now folks! The season is upon us!
NEW: Sunflowers! Make your life lively with the proven joy-bringing power of a sunflower
Markets, always rain or shine!Wednesday: Ann Arbor
The Ann Arbor Market is located in the Kerrytown District at 315 Detroit St, Ann Arbor, MI. The market runs from May thru December, 7 am to 3 pm and January thru April from 8 am to 3 pm.
Thursday: Jackson
The Jackson Green Market at Allegiance Health is located at East Michigan Avenue and Waterloo Street. It runs from May through October 9 am to 2 pm
Friday: Stockbridge
The Stockbridge Open Air Market is located on the square in downtown Stockbridge. It runs from May thru October from 4 pm to 7 pm
Saturday: Ann Arbor and Chelsea
The Ann Arbor Market is located in the Kerrytown District at 315 Detroit St, Ann Arbor, MI. The market runs from May thru December, 7 am to 3 pm and January thru April from 8 am to 3 pm.
The Chelsea Farmers' Market is located in the lower library lot along Park St. It runs May thru October from 8 am to 1 pm.
Sunday: Howell
The Howell Farmers' market can be found in the heart of Howell at State st and Clinton st, adjacent to the historic Livingston County Courthouse. It runs May thru October, 9 am to 2 pm.
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