Lida Farm

I set my alarm for 3:30 am this morning. A cup of coffee, threw in a couple suitcases, and we at Hector Airport by 5 am. Early morning, but necessary to transport such important cargo.

Camila is the same age as my daughter and certainly received the Mexican gene for working hard. As soon as we finished one task, she was asking about the next, only stopping every so often to fill her Minerva University water bottle. Together we planted, weeded, and harvested, sometimes for 10+ hours in a day. She put up with my bad humor and ramblings about everything from the internet ruining our brains to details about growing tomatoes. In return, she taught me about Mexican geography and culture and rekindled my spirit for the everyday joy of farm work. It takes a novice to show the veteran just how much farming is a miracle, growing abundance from some tiny seeds.

By dinner she’ll be eating pozole in Mexico City and I’ll be back to flying (mostly) solo. Still, I know that she left some of her upbeat and can-do spirit at the farm to help me through the season. Camila – we miss you and wish you the best. Thank you for your efforts this summer!

In the box:

• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Red Potatoes
• A couple onions
• A couple regular cucumbers
• Dino Kale
• A Baby Bok Choy

In the world of vegetable growing, there are three distinct seasons: early season, high season, and fall. I suppose it could be early, middle, and late, but I like the term high season.

Early season is all radishes and greens and things out of the high tunnel. It’s the time of the year when we appreciate anything coming out of the garden and excited to have something fresh. But we’re now transitioning into high season, which brings the more exciting crops that we all look forward to – sweet corn, tomatoes, peppers, and melons.

Now, don’t get too excited. It’ll still be a bit before I put a melon in the box, but that corn has tassels, so the ears are growing. I think for a lot of middle-aged customers that the build up and anticipation of sweet corn season has replaced the magic of Christmas after the luster wore off. I start getting questions about when the sweet corn is ready sometime in June, which makes me question their reality. Haven’t they looked out their car window and seen a corn field in June? But, if you’ve spent any time with an 8 year-old talking about their Christmas list in September, you know the power of anticipation, so I can’t really blame them for jumping the gun.

Anyway, we’re edging into high season and the proof is the appearance of the red potatoes in the box. Only a matter of time until the other high season crops fall in line.

In the box

• Broccoli
• A Couple Onions: One red, one sweet
• Red Potatoes
• Parsley
• Cucumber
• Zucchini
• A Head of Lettuce
• Curly Kale

My farm mentor, Paul Burkhouse, had a term for vegetable farming in July – The Heart of Darkness. Like in the book where things got worse and worse the further you traversed down the river, that’s July!

About 7-8 days ago after some rain, heat, and humidity, we found ourselves engulfed in a weed explosion, foxtail and pigweeds jumping up feet in a matter of days. The only way out is like in an action movie where you have to fight your way out, hand-to-hand combat. You lose some of your crew along the way, just like our second plantings of beans. Too far gone. I made the call – mow them down.

July also gets hairy because it isn’t just weeding. This is the one time of year when we still planting while harvesting and also keeping weeds in check. Throw in the tomato trellis, which is a beast of task, and you can get this “how are we going to get this done” kind of panic.

But in most action movies, the team does get out. I’m no SEAL team commander, but, at this point in my life, I am like a grizzled sergeant on his 20th tour of duty. I’ve engaged this enemy before and I know we will break through to August.

In the box:

• Cilantro
• Parsley
• Green Onions: Friday people, we’ll transition you to spring onion bunches.
• Green Cabbage
• Kohlrabi
• Cucumber
• Zucchini
• Romaine Lettuce
• Daikon Radish or Two
• Fresh Basil
• Red Butterhead or Red Oakleaf Lettuce

What would a farm newsletter be without some weather talk?

Sure I could write about the spring of 90-degree desert climate followed by a cold rain that lasted 10 days, but my memory is only so good. Those stretches both caused problems, but I only remember they were back in the past. May sometime?

Instead, let’s talk the last week – that I remember. We are again in a rain pattern, but with all the heat and humidity in the air, it’s a more dangerous weather. The big story here with recent rains is we’re lucking out.

Just Saturday night we were running around closing up the greenhouse, battening down the hatches, getting ready for some high winds with some hail. I typically hide in the basement when hail comes because I just can’t listen to it and picture those hailstones ripping the greens to shreds. But on Saturday I didn’t have to because the purple on the radar just vanished when it hit Lakes Lida, Crystal, and Franklin to the West. Incredible.

Well, maybe the Lord is looking out for us. There have been a few times recently when we were ready for the worst, and luckily only ended up with (another) heavy rain. These heavy rains do cause problems with disease and beating up small plants, but it’s better than a heavy rain with a tornado or heavy rain with a 100 mph wind with hail. We did have a light hail about two weeks ago – you may see evidence in the outer leaves of the Napa – but, all told, I’m simply thankful for the good weather we have had. Although, honestly, it could stop raining at this point.

In the box:

• Salad mix
• Zucchini: I’m a huge fan of morning zucchini fritters – grate zucchini and add an egg and a little flour (less than 1/4 cup for a few fritters) and saute on frying pan, flipping when bottom gets firm. Fritters lend themselves to lot of variation – saute the chard with a scape or two and put on top of the fritter, melt cheese on top, put sauteed kale on top. You get the idea.
• Radishes
• Dino Kale: Dark green bunch with a blue band. Unlike standard curly kale which works in a salad, dino kale needs to be cooked.
• Swiss Chard: Colorful bunch that may think is rhubarb..has great mild flavor here at the beginning of the season.
• Garlic Scapes: Small bunch of curly green things. Mince and use anywhere you’d typically use garlic.
• A couple of big beets: I got this recipe when googling “Beet Recipe for people who don’t like beets.” I’ve done a similar recipe in the past and the mix of nuts, goat cheese, and beets totally works: https://alphamom.com/family-fun/best-beet-recipe-with-onions-goat-cheese-pecans/
• Napa Cabbage: Don’t get intimidated by the size of this thing. It could keep in the crisper in your fridge for a month easy. This is the main ingredient in kimchi if you’re a fan and a very versatile crop for both Asian stir fry recipes and some salads like this favorite – https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/18517/napa-cabbage-salad/
• Fresh Mint
• Fresh Basil