The hot, dry days make for good weed killing. We’ve been hoeing, cultivating, harrowing and handweeding like crazy, getting caught up from the days before our summer help arrived. This season has really started off with a bang—hot July weather in late May and early June. It’s hard not to think back to last year at this time when we were struggling to get fieldwork done and it seemed like we were transplanting into a cold, soggy bog. It’s a bit of a relief to get so much weeding under our belts and even our first field of hay put up, it would be really nice to finish it off with some nice, slow rain.

The first pick up of the summer season occurred on Thursday.

We have a full crew now, a welcome relief! Michelle and Maureen are both here during their summer college breaks, tackling the weeds and animal chores. Mike has been with us since February giving the horses a good workout just about every day while he is heading up field work.

In the Farm Shares

In the veggie share: lettuce mix, mesclun mix, chard, kale, arugula, radishes, rhubarb, asparagus, prize choi, pac choi, beet greens, carrots, dry beans, oat and wheat berries, cornmeal, whole wheat flour. More spinach next week. Coming soon: strawberries, garlic scapes, peas, napa cabbage and more turnips.

**Beet greens are a nutrient-dense powerhouse with more vitamins and minerals than the beet itself. According to the USDA data base one serving (100 g) has 32% of your RDA for iron, 50% of your vitamin C and well over 100% of both vitamins K and A. Use it as a cooking green like you would kale or spinach.

In the meat share: Fresh beef in the cooler, All cuts of beef, pork and broiler chickens in the freezer. Lard available by request.