Well, winter ain't over yet, is it? In the picture above, the roof of a hoophouse is behind me completely drifted over with snow. It took the better part of a day to even get a lane plowed TO the hoophouses, and one drift was as tall as the hood of the tractor (about 5'). That was quite the storm we got this week. Now that we can access them, we'll be working to clear snow away from the hoophouses to let warm sunshine in and get that spinach growing again, and clear a path along the sides for the next round of snow to pile up. Don't think for a minute that this is our last big storm - it's not even March yet.
While it was tough to pin down exactly how much snow we got due to drifting and blowing snow, somewhere around 16-20 inches of actual snow seems about right for us here at Great Oak. Further up the peninsula in Bayfield and Washburn, they got about 30 inches of snow!
Thankfully, all of our hoophouses stood strong, and I have not heard reports of any other farms losing their hoops under all that snow. Light fluffy snow, while bad for drifting, is mostly easy on hoophouses and other buildings. If all of that snow was wet and heavy, it would have been a much different story though.
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The greenhouse looks tucked in now and cozy, snow piled around it like a blanket. That snow will actually help insulate it when we turn it on in early March - it'll be less than 2 weeks until we start our first transplants for the 2022 growing season. Onions and early transplants destined for hoophouses are first, and soon after those come the tomatoes!
This week in your veggie boxes, we'll have some of the last winter squash and onions from summer 2021. Fingers crossed for some warmer weather soon (-16 last night here at the farm is not quite spinach growin' weather) and we'll be looking for spinach to begin growing again in March. Until then, stock up on jams and jellies, frozen lasagna, and other value added items, and add some microgreens to your box if you are craving something fresh and green!
To get some big flavor in your meals this week, we're offering basil and cilantro micros ON SALE! Add some bright, fresh flavor with these mighty micros in your pasta dishes, on pizza, on tacos, or however you like them.
How about white sauce on pasta with chicken and your favorite micros on the side for dinner one night this week? There are loads of great recipes for homemade white sauce online, and it's really pretty simple to make - just butter, flour, cream or milk, parm cheese, and your favorite spices. Chop up some fresh basil micros to add on top at the table and you will be coming back for more! We had this for dinner last night and it was a hit with our family.
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One new micro we're trying out this week is called tokyo bekana, pictured above. It's very mild, emerald green leaves with bright white stems, has a slight mustard flavor, and is not at all spicy. We'll only have a few clams of those to offer, but if you are up for trying something new and enjoy mild flavors and bright colors, add one in your box!
Also, we have decided to discontinue growing any more dill microgreens. They just didn't have the flavor that we were hoping for. The basil and cilantro micros are jam packed full of flavor, and despite our best efforts the dill just kept coming up bland. But herbs should be all about flavor! To make good use of the FIVE POUNDS of dill seed we have remaining (!!) we'll be planting dill this spring and summer to harvest as a mature herb. I see dilly beans and potato salad in the future...
Well, that's about it from the farm this week. I hope you are dug out fared well in the storm this week, and thanks as always for making us YOUR farmers!
In community,
Farmer Chris
Great Oak Farm
