Farm Notes

In typical North Carolina fashion, we’ve been spoiled by blue skies and spring-like weather the past week or two, and now this weekend we have heaps of rain and extremelyyy cold temperatures coming our way. Saturday’s low temperature is going to be around 20F, which is COLD for mid-March! It’s especially tough for all the farmers around here, as we’ve been busy planting tender spring babies that will now need protection from the frosty temps. Last weekend I had a great crew helping me out here, and we got all our lettuces, swiss chard, kohlrabi, beets, and fennel in the ground… still to plant are all our brassicas (kale, cabbage, broccoli, etc), alliums (onions, scallions, leeks, etc), and our potatoes!

Thankfully, I have plenty of frost cover and I will have all our veggies tucked in tight throughout the chilly weekend… but the main bummer is that in anticipation of the freezing temperatures, I’ve decided to hold off on planting the many thousands of plants that are still waiting to go in the ground. Alas! Farming is always a bit of a gamble, and I’m constantly being reminded that Mother Nature is still in charge. Speaking of frost cover - if any of you are in the same boat and have planted some veggies outside that are susceptible to freezing temps this weekend, I definitely recommend heading over to your local garden store and picking up some frost cover (something like this)!

Yesterday was cold and rainy and not terribly fun, but we toughed it out and got a big section of beds prepped and ready for planting next week. It’s this time of year that I’m especially grateful for our silage tarps, which have been hanging out on top of our beds since November/December. Today we peeled back a big area that had been tarped, and the beds look amazing (see below for a pic of when we pulled back the tarp). No weeds in sight, not too wet (even after a pretty wet winter), and super easy to prep for spring veggie babies. We source our tarps from a company called Farmers Friend, and I can’t recommend them enough!

Alright friends, let’s not let this dreary weather get us down… it’s time for another giveaway! Each month this year, I’ll be giving away some of my favorite tools for the garden and the kitchen, just as a thank you for being a part of this community. These giveaways aren’t sponsored –it really is just me wanting to share some of the tools that I find most helpful, in hopes that it will help inspire and empower you to eat like a farmer. :)

This week, I’m excited to giveaway one of my favorite garden tools… a “Cobra” weeder/planter/cultivator! I feel like this tool doesn’t get enough attention… it’s an amazing all-purpose hand tool with so many uses! It is great for getting out weeds (both small or large), making small furrows in the soil, and I also use it when transplanting seedlings into the garden.

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY – There are two ways that you can enter this giveaway (just choose 1):

Comment on this post in our private Facebook Group and share what vegetable or fruit you are most excited to grow in your garden this year! If you aren’t already a member of our private Facebook Group, just request access here.
OR Click the “Comment” button at the bottom of this journal entry and share what vegetable or fruit you are most excited to grow in your garden this year!

You have until Thursday, March 17th @ midnight to enter, and I’ll announce one randomly selected winner on Friday, March 18th. One entry per person please.

Kitchen Notes

Swiss chard is one of the first veggies we harvest in early spring, and our spring crop of swiss chard (sitting cozy in our warm tunnels) is soooo close to being ready! I’ve been looking forward to the return of swiss chard all winter long, and this super simple + flavorful recipe is one of the first dishes I plan to make. A note that you can absolutely use this same recipe with whatever greens you have on hand… kale, spinach, collards, etc will also work! Recipe adapted from Cooking Light.

SAUTÉED RAINBOW CHARD WITH GARLIC, RAISINS & PINE NUTS

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2 bunches Swiss chard, stemmed and washed, stems diced and leaves coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup raisins, rehydrated in some warm water
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, plus more to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

PREPARATION

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet. Add the diced yellow onion and chard stems, a pinch of kosher salt, and cook for 3-5 minutes, until tender.
Add garlic and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute or until the garlic begins to smell fragrant (careful not to let it burn).
Add the chopped greens and raisins, tossing with tongs until they are well coated with oil and beginning to wilt, 3-4 minutes. Stir in vinegar and pine nuts, tossing until well combined. Taste and season as needed with salt and pepper (and additional vinegar if desired).

Today’s Stats

Low temp: 50F
High temp: 59F
Sunrise: 6:33am
Sunset: 6:21pm
Moon phase: Waxing Gibbous
Additional notes: Partly cloudy, showers in evening