An old pallet hangs on the side of our shop, holding a selection of hand tools – the ones we use most often.

Garden rakes, pitchforks, shovel and hoes – lots of hoes! There are at least 6 in total. Some are newer, while 2 of them are older than me & were used by my parents many, many years ago. And they are still being used today!

If you grow vegetables you need a hoe. There are always weeds growing (usually faster than the vegetables) that need to be removed. A hoe is an efficient & quick way to weed.

A lot of hoeing happens on our farm!

Even more efficient & quicker than a hoe is our double wheel hoe with finger weeders. It rolls down the rows, right over the small vegetable plants, the yellow “fingers” removing tiny little weeds before they grow up & become a big problem.

And sometimes we have to weed with our own fingers. It’s a lot of work & expensive, but sometimes the weeds get away from us & hand weeding is the only way to go.

It’s a good feeling when the fields are relatively weed-free (or at least the weeds are under control) and it makes for easier & faster harvesting as well.

The tomatoes are not only mulched & stakes, but the first pruning (suckering) & tying is complete. They are growing rapidly now & will require pruning & tying almost weekly.

The first planting of zucchini & cucumbers are also mulched …

… eggplant & peppers too.

What’s in the box?

Pea shoots, bok choy, green onions or green garlic,

salad turnips, lettuce mix, spinach, arugula.

• The box of pea shoots in your share this week is meant to be eaten – not planted!  Place the box outside in partial shade or inside near a window. Keep them well watered & let them reach about 10-12 cm. Then use as desired – cut what you need and add them to your salad or sandwiches … If you cut them about half way down, leaving a stem & some leaves, they will grow back and you can harvest them again. (Cutting them all the way down at soil level gives a larger harvest – but only once.)

• Bok choy is one of my favourite green vegetables. It can be added to your salads, but most often is sautéed or stir fried. We like to cook some garlic or onion in a bit of oil (olive or sesame) for a couple of minutes, then add the bok choy and continue cooking until it is wilted & still bright green – around 5 minutes or less. Season with salt & pepper to taste. We usually grow several kinds of bok choy – white & green, small & mini, tight heads or looser heads. Some prefer hot weather while others like it cooler. This ensures we always get a harvest.

Check out the bok choy recipes on http://www.cookwithwhatyouhave.com including: https://www.cookwithwhatyouhave.com/csa/simplest-bok-choy-stir-fry/, https://www.cookwithwhatyouhave.com/csa/sauteed-radishes-andor-turnips-with-bok-choy-and-garlic-scapes/ (As a member of our CSA you have access to this website with 900+ recipes, templates, storage and preserving tips, pantry stocking suggestions and vegetable prep videos, organized by vegetable and created using CSA Produce. Log in using the access key you received in a recent email.)

• The first green onions are about big enough to harvest. Choose either a bunch of green onions or green garlic for your share this week.
• There should be radishes in your box again this week – but there isn’t! Radishes are a cool weather crop and while we had some cool weather last week, we also had some hot days resulting in overgrown & hollow radishes. Good thing for salad turnips though! They are more heat tolerant than radishes with a similar taste & texture.
• Enjoy fresh spring salads with our lettuce mix, spinach & arugula.

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Around the farm this week …

The blackberries are starting to blossom.

A killdeer nest with 4 eggs right beside our vegetables.

Mother killdeer with her “broken wing” trying to lure me away from the nest.

Flynn in the fields trying to lure us toward him, hoping for a belly rub.

Blue flag iris blooming in our water garden.

Sooo happy we get to see this little guy more often again on the farm!