We had been eagerly awaiting this week, and it exceeded all expectations.
Dry as a stray blade of hay adrift in a Manitoba heatwave, it allowed us to make up for lost time, moving and reinstalling the caterpillar tunnels which shelter our nightshade vegetables, planting our winter squash and many other vegetables, weeding the first carrots and onions…I will spare you the myriad details that mark the zany days of market gardeners.
I am not saying everything is under control, but we are getting there.
Everything plays out between June and July, the two pivotal months for any market garden, because everything has to go into the fields — quickly and well — under the watchful eye of the weeds, which wait for the slightest moment of inattention from us to reclaim their territory. We have lost many battles to them, but that will be a story for another time…
This week’s basket will be similar to the last,
i.e. quite leafy, while we wait for the zucchinis, cucumbers, and other more consistent vegetables to ripen. Be sure to clear out your fridges, because the kale and Swiss chard leaves will be extra-large this week…There will also be pak choi, kohlrabi, beets, and depending on the delivery point, either radishes or turnips, and more. We had hoped to offer garlic scapes, but they are not quite ready, and the strawberries from Diversibio will also have to wait — the strawberry season is disappointing, according to my friend Mathieu.
In any event, see the Recipes section of our website where we offer a few general references, in addition to the links to the week’s vegetables above.
Post Scriptum
Speaking of fridges, to store all these beautiful
vegetables under optimal conditions,
please read our storage suggestions in a blog post from
