After the driest spring in my memory, summer is off to a gloriously rainy beginning. Everything in the garden that was growing slowly now looks lush, and the beans and tomatoes have even begun to bloom! Next week, I think I’ll be scrambling to trellis tomatoes and pull all of the weeds that have suddenly sprung up with all the moisture.

The peas and radishes seem to know that the solstice just occurred. The pea vines are yellowing and the radishes bolting, and I have just a few of each for the market tomorrow. So if you want some of the last sugar snap peas and radishes of spring, come early – they might go fast!

You can also find kale and perpetual spinach (chard) at my table tomorrow, but no lettuce. Somebunny keeps squeezing under the fence and, despite my efforts to block all of the holes, has managed to devour all of my ripe lettuce heads. Oh well. With all of this rain, summer veggies should be ripening soon!

See you at the market!

This week’s farm update is coming out a day early because I will be set up in Harrisonburg this evening!

The Harrisonburg Farmers Market has added a Sunset Market to their lineup, occurring on the third Thursday of every month from 5 to 8 p.m., June through September. In addition to typical farmers market offerings (fresh produce, meat, eggs, baked goods, handmade items, etc.), the Sunset Market will include children’s activities, live music, and food trucks. If you’re free this evening, come join the fun!

I will have lettuce, kale, radishes, and sugar snap peas, as well as garlic salt, plants, and crocheted and knitted items at the Sunset Market today. The peas are beginning to slow down, so you’ll want to snatch some up while you still can!

Of course, I will still be setting up in Broadway as usual on Saturday morning, so if you can’t make it tonight, you can still find me there. The weather forecast looks great for both days.

See you at the market!

I’ve been getting quite a few questions about the greens on my market table, all revolving around a common theme: What are those? So let’s take a deep-dive into greens today!

First up is the lettuce. I think part of the confusion here was my display last week, as I had several heads set tight together in a basket, making it difficult to differentiate one from another. Also, this variety has beautiful red-tinged leaves in a loose head, rather than the standard green, tighter heads commonly found in the grocery store. Called Marvel of Four Seasons (Merveille des Quatre Saisons in the original French), this heirloom butterhead lettuce is equally great on sandwiches and in salads, especially with warm bacon dressing (ask me for a recipe card at the market!).

Those tall, blue-green leaves with purple stems standing in a basket like a bouquet are actually kale! This unique heirloom, called Ragged Jack, has a milder flavor and more tender texture than many other varieties. I’ve been putting it in everything this spring: stir-fry, burritos, creamy quinoa, kale salad, chicken quinoa salad, and even egg salad. And I’ve heard from many people that it’s the best kale they’ve ever tasted! So even if you’re on the fence about kale, you might want to give this one a try.

At the Broadway Community Market tomorrow (8 a.m. to noon), in addition to kale and lettuce, I will have a few bunches of radishes and lots of sugar snap peas, as well as plants, garlic salt, and knitted and crocheted items.

See you at the market!