I know.  You're all a little tired of the green leafy stuff.  Especially if you've been eating with us from the farm through the winter.

The list of crops we have available looks much the same as it has the past few months, but trust me - if you haven't eaten any greens lately, it all tastes so different it might just be a whole 'nother vegetable.  Over the past week or two, we've mowed down and turned under the last of the over-wintered greens.  Our offerings are all still heavy on the leafy greens, but instead of scrounging through frost-bitten plants that have been in the ground since last August for a few good leaves, now we're cutting through heaps of tender new growth.  Baby chard so sweet and delicate you can use it as a salad green.  My favorite crinkly-leaved heirloom Bloomsdale spinach that no, is not baby spinach, but has an incredibly meaty, rich flavor sauteed with a little garlic.  The new collards aren't sweetened by frost, but are grown quickly and cut small to keep them on the sweet side, too - try using spring collard leaves to make gluten-free sandwich wraps or stuffed cabbage rolls.  Sweet Red Russian kale bears no resemblance at all to the bitter green crinkly stuff you find at the supermarket year-round: the leaves are almost like tissue paper now, perfect for juicing or green smoothies.  We're still taking the first cuts off of several beds of baby mixed lettuce - and those first cuts always bring the sweetest, smallest leaves. 

Late spring and summer brings an endless barrage of even sweeter vegetables: sweet sugar-snap peas and sugary beets, sweet Sungold tomatoes and sweet corn, sweet peppers and sweeter-still melons...and by the time fall rolls around, I usually feel like a gluttonous kid who has indulged in way too much at the candy store.  Our spring greens are sweet, for sure, but be sure to enjoy the last of these fuller flavors before the even sweeter sweet stuff rolls in.  Get some greens on the table for just a little while longer!

We still have quite a few tomato, basil and pepper plants for sale, but we are already running low on a few varieties.  If you haven't gotten your garden in, get those plants in soon!

Yes, asparagus!  A full month later this year than the past few years, but better late than never, right?

Hey local gardeners, most of the tomato, basil, and pepper plants are ready for your garden!  You can get a preview of the varieties we have to offer this spring here.  I can't fit all of the plants in the truck to bring to the markets, so if there's something you have your heart set on, please reply to this email with your wish list, and we'll be sure to set them aside for you.  Plant-sale season is also a great time to come out and see the farm, if you feel like taking a little road trip.  You can shop from the greenhouse yourself, and we're happy to pack up some fresh produce for you or give you the dime tour while you're out this way.

If gardening isn't your cup of tea, don't worry, we have plenty of tomatoes growing here on the farm!  Last week we planted out 700 tomato plants, in addition to the 200 tomato plants already growing in the greenhouse.  In all, so far we have 17 different varieties of summer deliciousness coming your way soon. 

After we set out the main crop of field tomatoes last week, my husband asked "did we just plant a mile of tomatoes?"  No dear, just a quarter-mile.  But there's more to plant next month - in all, we'll end up with around a half-mile of tomatoes.  I don't think we're going to run out of tomatoes this summer...

If you're still thinking about joining our CSA, we will be taking new CSA memberships until the end of the month of April.  Just a few more weeks to sign on, get the choice pick of the farm's bounty, and save yourself a little money to boot!

Raleigh Downtown Farmers Market starts next Wednesday on the 24th!

Temperatures should be in the 80's this week and that makes me so happy I'm not entirely sure what to do with myself!  We finished up with the bulk of the spring/cool-season planting last week.  This week it's time - and thankfully warm enough - to move on to planting out warm-season crops like tomatoes, corn, squash, and cucumbers.  Hooray!

The Midtown Farmers Market also starts this Saturday.  8am to 12 noon, and you will find me in the same corner in front of Omega Sports as last year.  It's great to see the beginning of yet another marketing season.  We're going to have somewhat slim pickings for the first week or two, thanks to the unusually cold weather in March, but it will all come along eventually.  Hope to see you there! 

Hey local gardeners, the plants are almost ready, so get your ground ready!  I'm anticipating having most of the tomato, basil, and pepper plants ready to leave home by next weekend (April 19-20).  Yes, that is a little later than usual, but that's how the story's going this spring.  In the meantime, prep your beds, get your rows ready, and decide which varieties you're going to grow.

Last but not least, our hens are laying so many eggs we've run out of cartons to put them in.  Before we have to get too creative, if you have empty egg cartons hanging around, please do return them to us!  We're also thrilled to be able to re-use any other packaging materials like plastic bags or waxed produce boxes.  Thanks and see you soon!

The thin green lines of spring are finally starting to appear. 

Our little world is at last starting to green up and leaf out after what felt like the most miserable month of March.  Yet we're still at a turning point right now, watching the remainder of the winter crops go to seed, and the spring crops aren't quite ready yet.  We're at last starting to see some growth on the spring-sown crops.  I've been scouting the asparagus field every morning for weeks now, and finally found the first three spears of the season this morning!

It's hard to believe the farmers market season begins next weekend.  It's likely to be a slower, smaller start than in recent years, but we'll be there at the Midtown Farmers Market for opening day on April 13 nonetheless.  We're taking this week off from any harvests or deliveries, to try and give what crops we have a bit of a head start, and to catch up as much as possible on other farm work before we go a-marketing.

The opening of the farmers markets marks the beginning of our busy season; the start of a mad race from here to October.  But before we lose our marbles, I wanted to extend a huge thank-you from the bottom of my heart to all of you who support our farm through the winter.  Peas and broccoli, tomatoes and cucumbers will always sell.  For all who ate your weight in winter kale and collards, carrots and turnips throughout the cold months, we can't thank you enough!

Have a great week, and we'll actually "see" you all soon!