As I write these lines, a late rain is beating down on the farmhouse tin roof, another one of the scattered downpours that interrupted our harvesting all day long today. Harvesting lettuce or radishes under stormy skies is not much fun, but when the time comes to harvest, there’s no turning back. That said, we can’t complain too much, as we’ve had sunshine for the past several days, an ideal combo of warmth and water which has allowed most things to ripen, particularly our beets and kohlrabi which had been treading water for a while. Our garlic has also begun to yield its scapes – flowerbuds and their stems – which will grace this week’s baskets.
Given the copious portions of greens which nature offers up at the start of every season, we thought it opportune to remind you of a few conservation principles. As soon as you get your greens home, be sure to dunk them in cold water, spin or towel them off well, then refrigerate. Storing them as dry as possible is key. A salad spinner for salad greens is a must, a towel will suffice for the rest – and a hermetically sealed container is always your best bet to ensure freshness and longevity.
This week’s basket has more crunch: another serving of radishes, beets, kohlrabi and garlic scapes, for starters, followed by Swiss chard, a coloured bouquet of lettuce and more spinach on the leafy greens front. We have yet to make the call on strawberries – the jury is out as to whether or not they will be ready to be included in your baskets. We shall see. We look forward to seeing you all again.