High season on the farm continues. Flowers are blooming, fruits are fruiting (strawberries, cucumbers, beans, tomatoes, squashes, eggplants), root crops are still abundant, and the leafy green crops are large, and still very tender.
This week we are harvesting the first of the springtime squashes and cucumbers. It’s nice to have these new flavors and textures back on the menu after many cold months!
Strawberries are abundant now, too! As the weather gets warmer, the strawberries will become less abundant and eventually be gone until December or January! Now is a good time to stock up on strawberries in the freezer before the summer months. We love to freeze strawberries whole (green tops and all) for smoothies in the summertime when we’re missing our fresh berries.
Another new crop we are harvesting now is green garlic. This crop is highly seasonal and only available in late March through April. Green garlic is a young garlic plant, pulled before it is dried and cured like garlic you get in the store. Green garlic is so nice because it is very easy to prepare for cooking. No need to peel – chop the entire garlic bulb like you would a fresh onion. It has the fresh pungent flavor you would expect from any garlic, and you can use the tops too (use the green tops like chives). In May, we will harvest the rest of the garlic for drying and curing and replanting for next season.
Sincerely,
Ellen and Cole