Growth on the farm

(CSA Newsletter: Week 13)

Meet this week’s vegetables:

The farm grew in many dimensions this last week. First of all, of course and naturally, the spring planted crops grew. And grew and grew. It’s been amazing weather: warm and sunny, followed by warm and rainy. Even though the rain is very wet, it is good for the crops. They drink it up.

We planted our onions last Thursday just before the big rains arrived again. Just a few days later, they’re already putting on fresh new green growth. Soon they’ll be reaching for the skies.

But our farm grew in other ways too: namely in the number of people working in our fields. Our two employees, Daniel and Erika, began working with us last Monday. We’ve learned already that doubling the workforce more than doubles our productive capacity. It’s amazing how having four sets of hands and minds around allows us to work on multiple projects at once. Or, if we’re all working on a project, we can simply get it done in record time. The aforementioned onion planting took us a record breaking 2 ½ hours, from start to finish.

It’s great to have the extra help, since the workload is very quickly increasing as spring progresses. Of course, the rain puts off some of our work for a few more days, but then we’ll be sprinting around the farm again trying to prep ground, plant, weed, and harvest.

You will have an opportunity soon to come and see the spring growth for yourself. The first open house will be next weekend — see side bar for more details.

And, the newly planted spring crops will finally find their way into CSA shares very soon. We predict that the veggies in the shares will begin changing dramatically next week. In the meantime, we’re giving out two brand new vegetables this week for you to try: cardoons and salsify blooms. Let us know what you think about them, because they’re new to us too, and we may or may not grow them again. But we thought that after many months of kale and potatoes, you might enjoy a new culinary adventure in your diet.

But, of course, we’re still also enjoying those over-wintered staple foods that taste so sweet and delicious this time of year. Be sure to savor those winter flavors this week — because they are almost gone! Enjoy the vegetables!

Your farmers, Katie & Casey Kulla

Farm Open House coming up!

Our first on-farm event is coming up soon! The first open house will be held on Saturday, May 16, 2:00 – 4:00 pm. Stop by for refreshments and an informal farm tour. We’ll be gathering rain or shine! (If it is raining though, dress appropriately!)

Directions to farm: From HWY-18, head south on Lafayette Hwy. Turn left (east) onto Fairview Rd (there will be a sign for Hauer of the Dauen winery). Stay on Fairview as it crosses Hwy 221-Wallace Rd, at which point Fairview will turn into Grand Island Rd. Stay on Grand Island Rd as it crosses the bridge. Turn right at the first intersection (there will be grapevines on your left & a cherry orchard on the right), onto Upper Island Rd. Our property is the second on the left. We’ll have signs to direct you to parking & the fields. Please be respectful of our neighbors as you come & go! Call if you have questions: 503-474-7661.

A friendly health reminder from your farmers:

There’s been a lot of talk on the news lately about the possibility of a pandemic flu virus. Even here in Yamhill County, there have been possible cases already. We tend to take these kinds of news announcements with a conservative skepticism, but we also think it is a good opportunity for all of us to assess our daily sanitation habits. Here at the farm, we have basic daily habits regarding cleanliness in our washing area, including regularly washing our hands.

As I’m sure you’ve heard, hand washing is a simple and effective way to prevent the transmission of common illnesses between humans. We should all wash our hands after sneezing or coughing, before eating, after eating, and after using the restroom. Parents need to be especially watchful over their children’s habits as well.

Most people know these things. What is less well known is exactly how we should wash our hands. Here are some tips:

First of all, get your hands wet under warm running water before soaping up. Then, use a liberal amount of soap to work up a good lather on your hands. The bubbles that form are an important part of the cleansing process. Keep rubbing your hands together for 15-20 seconds and remember to pay attention to areas around wrists, any jewelry, and your fingernails. If you have a hard time standing there that long, try singing a song in your head (“Happy Birthday” is a good choice). Finally, rinse thoroughly and continue to rub your hands together. Friction is also an important part of the cleansing process. Dry your hands on a clean towel and ideally use that towel to turn off the water.

Of course, these are the same tips you’ll find posted in every restaurant bathroom around the nation, but I think that many of us are in the habit of rushing through this important health preserving process. In all seasons, we should take our time to wash our hands effectively.