Welcome to Week 2!
The contents of the share are smaller at this time of the season while we're waiting on the crops to grow and proliferate. We've increased some amounts of the produce we are giving to make up for the lack. Normally we try to have ten different vegetables in your share each week, but this week there are eight. We hope you understand and see that the shares reflect what the season allows, and once high summer comes along, they will increase in size.
Farm news: We got a dairy cow! She is a Brown Swiss/Shorthorn mix, and she came with the name Rosie, which we are unsuccessfully trying to change to Daisy. (Una's choice to change the name to Daisy, after the cow in the children's book Emily and Daisy by Elsa Beskow) Cheesemakers love the Brown Swiss breed because of the high content of fat and protein in the milk. Rosie/Daisy is incredicbly sweet. She is gentle and affectionate and loves being around people and animals. She milks very well. She is young, in her first cycle, and newly separated from her calf. This, along with her change of location has made her quite stressed out and uncomfortable. We've been containing her in a small pen to help her calm down, and today for the first time we took her out to pasture to graze. She loved it, and when we put her back in her pen for the evening, she was content and calm, which makes me so happy. I was getting stressed out watching her stress. This cow's presence is a BIG THING on our farm, both in terms of the responsibility we have in caring for her, but also the wealth that she will bring to us. We are looking forward to life with a dairy cow here at ATF.
In your share:
Radish-ever try them roasted?
Arugula
Salad Mix
Pac Choi-Jamie Oliver does Pac Choi
Herb Mix/Oregano/Mint (chop the herbs and add them to your various different salads!)
Chamomile- A common plant found on gravel driveways and other compacted soils. Some call it the "pineapple weed" and the Latin name is "Matricaria discoidea". Matricaria translates to "dear mother" and wild chamomile can be a very safe and useful herb for mothers and their children. You may remember Peter Rabbit's mother sending him to bed with chamomile tea after his stressful day in Mr. McGregor's garden. You can also prepare a simple tea to soothe, calm, and relax your nerves (or the nerves of your child) by adding a teaspoon of fresh wild chamomile blossoms to a cup of boiling water and steeping for ten minutes. Then strain and drink, maybe sweetened with a little honey. Also the dried herb could be sewn into little cloth sachets and kept near you or the child's pillow to help with restful sleep. To dry the herb, spread it out evenly on a drying rack or basket, out of direct sunlight. When the herb feels dry, store in a sealed jar. Note: Wild chamomile comes from the plant family Asteraceae, and it may cause allergies in those who are sensitive to other plants in this family (asters, daisies, or sunflowers).
Kale
Flowers
Eggs
Enjoy the share!