- Eggplant: eggplant roll ups
- red pepper, Carmen (long, thick) and jimmy Nardello (not hot, skinny)
- Tomatoes
- onion, walla walla
- garlic
- basil
- cucumber
- zucchini, summer squash, and/or lemon squash: Tuscan grilled squash
- lacinato kale: beans and greens tacos
- chiogga beets: warm orzo salad with beets and greens
- carrots
- beans
- celery: Parmesan basil chicken salad
- sweet corn
herbs: parsley, sweet marjoram, tarragon, mint
My folks were kind enough to go on a road trip to Iowa for me this last weekend and pick up 7 Katahdin ewe lambs. This will make our flock size be at 10 ewes and 1 ram, all registered breeding stock of this hair type of sheep. We enjoy their natural low maintenance style on our pasture system and the 3 lambs from this spring have sized up very well. If anyone is interested in a half of lamb, let me know. Next year, we may have 20 or so spring lambs.
I have decided to get 50 Barred Rock chicks to replace some of older hens in the spring. We have to raise the chicks to around 6 months old before they start laying so this is the time to order in preparations for next year. The Barred Rocks are a heavier breed that tolerates winter well, is pretty calm, lays brown eggs, and have a unique beautiful mottled coloring making the group easily identifiable from the rest of our birds.
Besides animal planning for next year, we are planting field salad, spinach, and fall radishes for this fall. The summer season has peaked and we are forced to begin counting the weeks left until frost. Dreaded words to most, but the daylight is tied to this frost date as well and the number of daylight hours are of utmost importance in getting crops planted at the right time for fall and winter harvests to develop to the right stage.
The Chiogga beets are new to the box this week. Hidden behind the outer red skin is a candy stripe red and white coloring. Cut one in half to revel in this beauty. It is an Italian heirloom and tends not to bleed like regular red beets, although the distinctive coloring does fade when cooked.
This Friday evening at the farm, our local dairy princesses will be here promoting Wisconsin Dairy and serving soft serve ice cream cones. Come on out to the farm and enjoy some wood-fired pizza and a cone while our beautiful summer weather continues.
Eat Well. Smile Often.
Your Farmer,
Heather