Inside the lettuce fortress: We planted our next succession of head lettuce and harvested our first succession of carrots today! See y'all at the market!

Good Morning Folks!

And what a good morning it is! The cloud cover and cooler temps feel so luxurious this morning, I just want to swim around in it until my fingers get all pruney and hope that the feeling sticks with me when we are back in the 90s. It is just what we needed, a break from the heat and the grind of July. I say it every year, so why change now, July is tough for farmers. It is the crux of the climb, the time when you get your grit. The time when everything seems like it is going wrong and you are just putting out fires, hoping to make it to August harvest time. The stress is tremendous and everyone is feeling to some degree "hissed" (our combination of hot and pissed). Coolers can't keep up, irrigation pumps are breaking (because they are running around the clock), and the pest pressure is intense. Luckily there is swimming. I often think back to 2012 when there wasn't any swimming in July, when it was 103 degrees and the ash from the fires made the river black and uninviting...and I'm reminded that we'll get through it just fine. BUT, if you are feeling up for it, give your farmers a high-five today and let them know they are doing a good job. They deserve it!

Carrots are back on the farm this week and they should be here to stay for a while. I probably don't need to talk too much about what to do with fresh carrots, but in case you what to spice them up a bit, make some delicious dipping sauce. Andrea Bemis has a very simple recipe for garlic herb butter that she swears is great for dipping all veggies. (butter, shockingly good). Why not ditch the ranch and chop up some fresh cucumbers, carrots, and turnips and let folks go nuts. Walla Walla onions are ready this week. These early sweet onions are super on the grill, but really make you want some onion rings. Don't have a fry daddy? Yeah, we don't either, those things just make it too tempting to fry everything. Instead, make a simple batter with beer and flour and do a light version on the stove, only a little oil needed. If storing longer than a couple days, keep the Walla Walls in the fridge as they are a fresh onion that has not been cured and they will not do great on your counter. Broccoli is back this week and we are overloaded. We combined two plantings in May when it had been too wet to get into our fields and now we have a tsunami. Please email me if you would like to get some bulk broccoli for freezing, it is 2.00 per lb for 10lb or more (normally $3.25 at the market). Just let me know which market you would like to pick it up at and I will have it packed up and ready to go when you get there.

Finally, I'm sure many of you have seen the gorgeous flower bouquets at the market stand this year. Please feel free to pick some up and put them on your market accounts. Olivia, our dedicated flower farmer has been working hard to bring you beautiful, organic flowers and we hope you will treat yourself. (they are almost as good as swimming when it comes to vanquishing the July blues...although those blues might just be reserved for farmers). She also does weddings and other special events, so feel free to spread the word!

See you all real soon!

Katie

This Week's Harvest

Kale

Collard

Chard

Head Lettuce

Basil

Eggplant

Broccoli

Beets

Cucumbers

Summer Squash Zucchini

Carrots

Sweet Onions

Garlic

Greetings Folks!

Happy Summer! With highs soaring into the mid-nineties this past week, it sure does feel like summer and its time for your farmers to beat the heat...in more ways than one. After a hot morning on the farm, there is nothing better than a lunch time wallow in the cold mountain water of the Poudre River. With only a 12 hour travel time from the top of Cameron pass, the water will take your breath away and leave you feeling as crisp and perky as a chilled kale bunch. Ok, bad farmer joke, but I swear that is what you feel like. Then its time to do some serious cooling on the farm. To keep things like head lettuce and broccoli from going to seed, farmer Nic has to double down on the evaporative cooling which actually works for farmers too. A wet long sleeve shirt goes a long way on a hot afternoon. Aside from trying to stay cool, your farmers have been busy harvesting like crazy. For some reason, our vegetables are behaving some what like the weather this year...unexpectedly. Some things are early, some things are late and some things are just surprising. Either way, it is making for an extra busy June.

We are having a serious broccoli glut on the farm this week and it is equally as beautiful as it is abundant...so come and get it! Spring broccoli can be hit or miss, but apparently this stuff liked that snow storm that we got in May. I love it roasted or sautéed at on high heat, but in this weather, do it on the grill. Just marinate it in some soy sauce and balsamic and throw it in your grill basket on high for 20 min or so. It is awesome. Be sure to eat the stalk! It is nutritious and tasty and can be chopped up and grilled with the broccoli OR do 'em fried...check out a good recipe here.

It's finally time for the great escape! Garlic scape that is. Many of you have been asking and they have finally arrived. The scape is the seed stalk of the garlic and is magically delicious. Sorta like garlic favored asparagus. Many folks grill them or make pesto with them, but they are lovely chopped into a curry or stir fry too. We have a limited supply because the heavy snow knocked over a lot of our garlic and it never really stood back up. They will be available this week only. Speaking of this week only, last week for sugar snap peas. They have surprised me a lot with continuous yields and that is great news for you pea lovers. Get em while you can, we only have them once per year! Finally, other surprises this week include cauliflower. It is not usually ready until July and so I was surprised to see their heads peaking out at me while I was drowning in broccoli. Some heads are more like art installations than actual food, so treat them gently. Roasted cauliflower is my favorite, but I think I'm going to try it grilled this week, maybe marinated like a steak as I can not make my house warmer than it already is. Don't forget the parmesan and garlic, it takes the cauliflower to the next level.

Looking forward to seeing many of you real soon!

Katie

This Week's Harvest

Kale

Collards

Chard

Salad Mix

Head Lettuce

Spinach

Arugula

Salad Turnips

Radishes

Garlic Scapes

Sugar Snap Peas

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Zucchini

Baby Fennel Bunches

Beets

Spring Onions

Farmer's Journal

Give your Famers a high five today!

Happy Summer!