THIRD WEEK OF THE SPRING SHARE The beans we seeded last week have already germinated. The zucchini have buds. The cucumbers have transplanted well. The first Sweet Corn is planted and this week, the field tomatoes will go in the ground. The tomatoes in the polytunnel are flowering and the broad beans are getting fat. Must be Spring!

NOTES ON STORING THE HARVEST Please check out our Vegetable & Fruit page on the website to find tips on maximizing the life of your veggies. We envisage that many of the vegetables you are receiving this week will last for two weeks with careful attention to storing upon arrival. Although we do wash all the greens after harvest, we are washing to take the heat out of the plants and wash away some surface dirt, not to prepare them for consumption. We also spray a seaweed/herb brew about every ten days. While this will not harm you, it does have a taste. We do suggest washing your produce prior to eating.

WHAT’S IN THE BOX The following are the items harvested this week. Items and quantities in your box may vary depending on your harvest day and the total harvest of each crop. The boxes are completely governed by what is ripe and ready for harvest and how much of it there is. We endeavor to divide the harvest fairly. 1/4 share: 5-7 items 1/2 share: 8-10 items Full Share: 10-12 items

Bok Choy Braising Mix Coriander Kale Pea Shoots Pumpkin Radishes Silver Beet English Spinach Turnips

Extras Artichokes Broad Beans Broccoli Lettuce

NOTES ON WHAT IS GROWING The first Spring planting of Broccoli is heading up and the Spring cabbages are also starting to form. The broccoli will be ready for harvest in the coming weeks- the cabbage will take at least a month to full form a head.

We hope to begin harvesting the Spring planted beetroot next week. We also will begin harvesting the first pea planting. The plants were seriously damaged by the red legged earth mite which infested the farm in early Spring. We are unsure of how many peas we will find in the first planting. The second planting looks great!

OPEN DAY, U-PICK AND EXTRAS AT FARM PICK UP We had a wonderful open day on Saturday with 60 adults and many children touring the farm. The tour emphasized our biodynamic practices, crop rotation, green manure crops and SOIL...our favourite muse! We will try and have another open day in Summer. All CSA members are always welcome to come to the farm during the farm pick up times for U-picks. This week their are U-pick edible flowers. There will be someone at the shed to give you scissors, show you what is edible and instruct you on where to find the flowers.

Also at farm pick up we have eggs from our chicken tractors ($7/dozen). These chickens are rotated through crops and pasture around the farm. We also have Mountain View Dairy grass fed herd, organic yogurt and halloumi cheese.

For farm crew lunch we made a warm french lentil salad served over Spinach with friend halloumi croutons - Delicious! I will try and write a recipe for this.