3rd Summer CSA pick up this week (it’s a meat week!)

Farm News: Rise in temps means the work explodes!

This time of year it is all aboard for all the tasks. We are still planting successions of things in the hoops, 2-acre, and 25-acre, but we also get to do all the things at the same time too (weed, tend, harvest…). This is the start of one of the great lessons our Apprentice farmers learn: how to be thorough and efficient!

Work days being what they are (full to the brim), efficiency becomes the most important goal of the farm. What is the best, shortest, most clean and easy journey from the start to the end of a task? At the start of each new task, we introduce our Apprentice farmers to the the skills and efficiencies of that particular task: how to trellis and prune tomatoes, hula hoe weed the potatoes in the 25, weed while harvesting kale for market, “fast weed” in the 2-acre, and harvest all the peas and zucchini they can find while not dwelling on it (lord knows they will be 7 times as big next week). Even our returning farmers spend some time right now remembering their efficiencies. Each task has its own unique way and approach.

Being efficient doesn’t mean efficiency at all times. In fact, efficiency all the time is counter to how we recommend enjoying the food you get from Rainshadow. The beauty, indeed necessity, of our food is that it makes you recognize that actual humans and ecosystems are behind what you eat and where your food is from. We pick up the speed so that you can slow down and enjoy your carrot or pea or hamburger made with Pitchfork T beef or whole roasted Rainshadow chicken.

Speed up to slow down.
Be efficient so you can enjoy the beauty of the moment.
Always remember to smell the flowers and enjoy what you eat.

~ Alison & the Farm Crew

Photo Credit: Ray Hansen, Natalie Leder

Top Pic: The lupine are going crazy right now. They have been loving the cooler temps! As the temperature increases all the other flowers we have on farm will begin to show up to the party too! We can’t wait.

Next Pic: We planted our buckwheat and cover crops 2 weeks ago. They have started to come up! The buckwheat is our grain crop for this year and the cover crop will keep the soil fed and full of nutrients as it gets a boost before it grows another crop next year.

Final Pic: We weeded all the garlic. Look at that garlic! It was planted around Halloween last year and is already looking great. Garlic scapes should be coming soon. A word about weeding the garlic. We use the tractor to weed the outsides of the garlic beds, but the inside and along the garlic is all done by hand crawling and removing and having a nice long chat with your farmer friends at the same time!

Veggie CSA

Every week, we include this section with what we think will be coming out of our fields and hoop houses for the CSA pick up. Keep in mind, that we send this email on Monday just as we start harvesting for the week. That means this is a guess/estimation/extrapolation of what we think we are seeing in the fields. Sometimes we are spot on, but other times we are not.

Harvest List will probably include:

Arugula
asian greens
green onions
dinosaur kale
head lettuce
napa cabbage
parsley
rhubarb
radishes
salad mixes
salad turnips
zucchini
fennel

fresh carrots
kohlrabi
baby brassica salad mix
spinach
peas
thyme
asparagus
chives
oregano
mint
lemon balm
lovage
bulk potatoes, shallots, beets

Meat CSA

Each week we will let you know what you can expect in your meat CSA. Occasionally (although we try very hard for this not to happen), we do the math wrong and your CSA might look different then what is here. Embrace the surprise, we really tried not to have that happen.

1 package stew meat
1 package pork country style ribs (this is a slow cooker cut!)
+/- 1 ground beef

1 package pork links (could be bratwurst, breakfast sausage, hot or sweet Italian sausage)

1 beef sirloin tip steak (makes sure to tenderize and/or marinate this for 24 hours!)
1 round, rump, or sirloin tip roast (turn this into sliced roast beef for sandwiches!)

2 packs pork links (could be bratwurst, breakfast sausage, or hot or sweet Italian sausage
1 pork shank (fresh ham hock)  (this is a slow cooker/instant pot cut!)
+/- 2 ground beef

1 beef sirloin tip steak (makes sure to tenderize and/or marinate this for 24 hours!)
1 round, rump, or sirloin tip roast (turn this into sliced roast beef for sandwiches!)
1 pork shank (fresh ham hock)  (this is a slow cooker/instant pot cut!)
1 beef top sirloin steak

2 packs pork links (could be bratwurst, breakfast sausage, or hot or sweet Italian sausage
1 beef german brown sausage (like kielbasa)
1 package bacon ends (use these to make salads, quiches, etc.)
+/- 2 ground beef

This is how you know it is about time that the baby chicks graduate from their very protected indoors house to getting a bit more space and room to move: they are big enough to hop up on the divider wall and roost.