Eat Your Greens

Ahhh, greens!

Spinach. Kale. Chard. Collards. Mustard, Beet and Turnip Greens.

I am finding many people at the Charlottesville City Market who love to share their love for greens. Whether it is roasted, sauteed, wilted, baked, blended, or just thrown in a salad,,,,everyone has their favorite way to eat greens!

Tender greens (i.e. spinach, chard or beet greens) are delicious sauteed. Holly shared a recipe that calls for sauteed tender greens in olive oil, with onion, crushed red pepper, sea salt and garlic and then add granny smith apples right at the end for a tart crunch. Mmmmm.

Most other greens (Kale, Collards or Turnip greens)don't do well with sauteing and are better steamed or boiled. (they don't have enough moisture in them and just burn if sauteed)

Curly Kale is a favorite for tossing in olive oil and roasting in the oven with sea salt for about ten minutes to make kale chips (kids love them)

I was introduced to Lacinato (or Dinosaur) Kale this year that seems to be a favorite among market goers. It is sweeter and milder than the typical curly kale and it is dark green and rich with nutrients. And the general consensus is that it is "Delish!"  This type of kale is quickly becoming a favorite for my "green smoothies".

 Please feel free to share your love for greens and your favorite greens recipe! As greens are prolific in the garden right now, I am willing to try any new recipes...please share!

.

we love/hate row cover!!!

This little piece (or not so little piece) of fabric, I believe, is a major key to successful organic gardening. Plants are transplanted from the greenhouse into the garden and then this "row cover" is placed on top until the plant produces a flower. In the case of plants that don't  flower (as in root crops or lettuce) the row cover is left on until harvest. 

I must admit, it is difficult for me to cover these beautiful new transplants,,,I would like to admire my work for at least a day before putting them under cover, "but it is for their own good", Holly assures me as we hide our hard work. We have essentially created a little greenhouse under that fabric. The soil stays moist, the tender plants are protected from the harsh sun and pests (including deer), and the plants grow twice as fast as they would if they were exposed to the elements! And once the flowering plants are uncovered, they are stronger and hardier and can withstand heat, pests and disease.

Hoops keep the row cover off of the plants and bags of rocks around the edge keep it from flying away. The rock bags also make it easy to remove the cover for weeding, watering, harvesting, etc.

Having said all that, we definitely have a love/hate relationship with this row cover. It would be so much easier to do without, of course. It rips easily and does take time to cover and uncover for harvest (especially when you are harvesting lettuce 4 days a week). It can become quite heavy when damp, crushing the plants in the process of covering/uncovering. In the larger fields (60 x 100 ft) it is quite cumbersome and takes two people to maneuver. But it is a necessary part of the job and the results are amazing!

We love/hate row cover!

Please forgive me,,,

What? It's been 4 weeks already? Wow! I think I got a little lost in the garden.How so? Let me tell you...

So far, this early in the season, there are14 garden plots each around 30ft  x 100 ft (this is only 1 acre out of a total of 3 acres of garden) as well as a beautiful (overflowing) greenhouse about 90 feet long. It is easy to get lost out here!

We are already harvesting spring vegetables: several lettuces, 3 different kales, rainbow chard, 3 types of radishes, turnips, and a variety of herbs. Peas will be ready in about a week or so. We have recently planted starts of cukes, tomatoes, squash and are getting ready to plant peppers and flowers this week.

A very busy time indeed! Amidst all the planting harvesting and weeding we are selling to 3 different farmers markets each week. Which adds a whole new element to the week. This farm is definitely bustling from dawn til dusk every day. What I love about the work here is that I am never doing any one thing for more than a couple of hours at a time. Between the greenhouse work, weeding, planting, harvesting, preparing for market, etc., there is never a dull moment! I love it!

I am also amazed and in awe of the hard working couple that run this farm. They are completely dedicated to this daily (as in EVERY single day) for the next 6 months. No vacations, not even a weekend away. They did this completely on their own last year with no help. I remember talking to them during the peak tomato harvesting season and they told me that there were nights that they were too exhausted to even put sheets on the bed before crashing. My hope is that this year they are not only able to sleep on clean sheets, but to actually have time to cook a meal and enjoy their evenings!  I am here to make sure that happens!

and I will definitely keep you posted. And I promise not to wait 3 weeks before my next update. Please forgive me...