Green Eggs and ...

Pieter enjoys the bright orange yolks!

Contrary to some misconceptions, green and blue eggs  still have orange yolks. Yes, we are asked that question more than once. We are starting to get a few small eggs from the Araucana chickens.  It is exciting to see color in the carton among the brown eggs. We also have had a few really light colored eggs; almost white.  Just because they are white does not mean they are store-bought.  Grocery stores offer white eggs because usually those chickens that lay white eggs can produce more eggs more often when in a large, commercial operation, so they are ideal for the wholesale market.  The biggest difference in farm fresh eggs, no matter the color of the shell, is the bright yolk, flavor, and small air sack- that makes it hard to peel when they are hard boiled.

Sweet Peas for Sweet Memories

 mmmm....I wish you could smell these Sweet Peas through the computer!

We are firm believers that every vegetable garden needs flowers. They offer a splash of color to contrast the leafy greens, and flowers tend to bring a smile to faces in a way that vegetables can't. (Until you're eating them. Maybe I'll grow nasturtiums next year- then I can smile and eat them.) Flowers easily stir up memories too. Everyone in my family (this is Anna writing the sentimental blog) grows Sweet Peas. That's because my grandmother, Lois, loved Sweet Peas. So every year we grow them without question. My Aunt Jean always wanted to sell flowers at a roadside stand, but didn't have a chance in her lifetime.  One of her books, Flowers for Sale by Lee Sturdivant was passed on to me and is inspiring me to grow enough cut flowers to sell at the market-...now I just need to make time in the spring to plan and plant seeds and bulbs.

Coleslaw Dressing Recipe

We brought more beautiful cabbage to the market this week and they were huge! As promised to all those daring customers brave enough to tackle a big cabbage, here is a recipe for coleslaw dressing that does not include mayonnaise.  It was passed on to us handwritten on an index card the first year we grew giant cabbages and didn't know what to do with them.  Officially, it comes from The Better Homes & Garden New Cookbook, 1976 edition.  I have transferred the recipe just as it was written for us.

Coleslaw Dressing

3 Tablespoons sugar

3 Tablespoons cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

Mix all dressing ingredients together until sugar and salt are dissolved.   Patience. 

We like shredded cabbage soaked in ice water first.  Drain the cabbage well. 

Pour dressing over; stir to coat.

Other ideas for cabbage: "lettuce" wraps, stuffed cabbage, soup (gasp- in this heat?), sauteed in olive oil, and of course, sauerkraut. One customer was going to eat it raw like an apple. This cabbage is sweet enough to do so...

Strawberries + Hard Work = Sweet Rewards

No-spray and hand-weeded. That is how we market these strawberries. There is a very good reason naturally grown strawberries from small farms are priced at a premium. They are A LOT of work! All strawberry work is done on the hands and knees. Weeding them is time consuming because the plants are grown close together so you can't just use a tool in between them. Thus the "hand weeded." We do not spray the weeds, so there are a lot of them. Strawberries need to be picked often to prevent the spread of decay when overripe berries are left on the plant.  When picking, those berries with mold should be picked separately from the ripe berries so it is not spread by the picker's hands. That's why our Dads are both seen here weeding and picking strawberries. Fathers are good for a few rows of strawberry maintenance without one complaint!

Birds, these are not for you!

The cherries are starting to ripen and once again we are in competition for our food with the birds. This year we were ready and covered the big tree before they were ripe with four nets to keep birds from reaching the cherries. Our method for covering it is a little unorthodox, but it was a little easier this second time around after we were a little more practiced. We stretched the long nets between two tall bamboo poles and lifted them up and over the tree, making sure each section was covered. Then Vince had to go in from underneath and arrange the nets around the limbs with the bamboo pole. Now bring on the cherries! We're ready.

Our Pot of Gold

I know...this picture has nothing to do with farming- except that rainbows ending on our land can mean two things for us: It is a sign that no, this June rain won't last forever, and there is a possibility that there is gold somewhere on our property. It may not be in the broccoli, but maybe in the strawberries?

Wet Spring

It has been so rainy the last two months that we have not been able to get in the wet gardens or fields very much. Last weekend we were finally able to plant squash and cucumbers and replant some of the sweet corn. We hope for warm summer nights and a late fall so that everything will ripen.
We will be going to the Snohomish Farmers Market next week. This will be our first market for the season and the strawberries are ripening just in time.