Spring 2009 CSA

Newsletter April 3, 2009

This Past Week

Last Sunday a.m. we got a decent frost here at the farm so our tomato harvest was probably set back a few weeks as the plants lost a lot of their flowers and immature fruit. The good news is that we did not loose many plants. After the frost forecast abated, we quickly planted all our zucchini and summer squash in their respective beds. Somewhere midweek we had a thunderstorm that prevented us from transplanting any more greenhouse seedlings. Within the past few weeks we have received almost 7” of rain here at the farm. Not sure about the rest of Texas, but we could use a good stretch of days without rain.

Field Update

The thunderstorm, mentioned above, dropped quite a bit of baseball size hail that did a “real number” on our beautiful broccoli, napa cabbage and cauliflower plants. While the majority will probably rebound from their battle scars, they could benefit from a drying out period. Last week I mentioned that our potatoes had not yet surfaced; well I am pleased to say that about 30% of the potatoes field has now got two to four inches of rich green colored seedlings above the soil line. The other 70% are likely having a challenge working themselves up through the mud. Potatoes are tough though, so let’s keep the faith. The greens planted for our baby salad mix have really been hurt by the consistent wet weather over the past few weeks. We’ll have to wait and see how they react over the next few days to see if we need to replant or what. Fortunately salad greens are a fast crop so we remain optimistic. Strawberries continue to look okay, the fruits are growing larger, but still no red fruit yet.

When Do We Begin Etc?

As mentioned previously, we are targeting the April 15th-22nd timeframe, as being our first “CSA delivery.” The plants will be the determining factor. This a.m. I sent out an email requesting that you reply with “your desired PU location.” If you have not already responded, please take a moment to let me know what location you would like to pickup your shares.

At the Bayou City Farmers Market this Saturday, April 3rd, we will have the following:

• Baby Salad Mix
• Micro Arugula
• Micro Green Blend
• Smoked Pork Tenderloin
• Whole Smoked Chickens
• Pulled Pork
• No Mayo Chicken Salad

I am taking smoked turkey orders for pickup the Saturday of Easter weekend. These turkeys are brined, stuffed with apples & rosemary, and then sent to our smoke house where they are hot smoked with our native red oak. Reasonably priced at $3.25 per pound and average 12-16#s. Contact me if you are interested.

Until next time,

Van
Cell 713 876 8645
csa@woodduckfarm.com