It's All About Timing...

As the old saying goes, “If you’re on time you’re late and if you’re early you’re on time”. This is the case with a couple of our crops so far this year. Our red raspberries are growing like wild fire and our early tomatoes are starting to get ripe. Both crops are running about 2 weeks ahead of our schedule which makes our hearts smile!

Timing is everything on the farm and anticipating the wants and needs of our customers is something we work very hard at doing. With some more luck and lots of prayers this dryer weather will allow everything to catch up and jump start their growth.

Watching the plants grow is like dangling candy in front of a baby! It makes us want to eat the produce immediately but is so worth the wait when it’s fresh. We hope everyone enjoyed their first delivery of CSA’s. We appreciate any and all feedback we can get from our guests and customers! Now…back to work! The produce needs us!

Carrying On About Our Business

So we’re thinking about building an arc here at the farm…with all the rainy weather it feels like summer will never come. I believe we’ve even stopped checking the rain gauge knowing there’s just going to be more to dump out. Somehow with the all the moisture everything is still looking healthy and growing. On the upside, our first week of CSA’s are being delivered this week, we’ve been hosting some school tours, market weekends have been going strong and our roadside market is now open on the weekends with fresh asparagus, a few strawberries, bedding plants and a few other items. Stop by and see us soon! The market is located just west of Lexington on 24 highway.

With all of the veggies on the verge of finishing growth and ripening it’s easy to stay optimistic through it all. Here is a pic of the sweet corn taken the other day when the sun was actually out. Can’t wait for it to be ready! Everything sweet corn related is a hit around here.

And here is a pic of some okra- still in its growth stage of course but any growth is good growth. The fuzzy stuff will be ready June to July and is a good source of vitamin A and K. Most people like it fried but a favorite here is to eat it pickled from the jar.

If you're looking for a different way to fix Okra here’s an easy recipe to add to your collection. It was found in the Seasonal and Simple guide from the University of Missouri Extension Service. Enjoy!

Crusty Okra

2 tbls. Bread Crumbs
3 tbls. Parmesan Cheese, grated
1 tbls. Cornmeal
3 c. Okra, sliced
¼ c. Olive Oil
2 Garlic Cloves, minced

Mix bread crumbs, cheese and cornmeal. Add the okra and stir to coat. Heat the olive oil, then sauté the okra and garlic for about 5 to 10 minutes. Most of the roping should disappear and the okra should be tender.

CSA's Are On The Way, Yummy New Recipes Shared Today!

Just a little heads up. We will be starting our CSA’s next week! Of course since it’s still early to have lots of crops everyone will be getting some asparagus which around here, getting some of the fresh stuff is like winning the lottery. Be checking your email for more information.

And now for a really important topic…Rhubarb. I’ve always thought that this odd plant was something that only an 80 year old grandma would enjoy cooking with but boy have I been proven wrong in recent days! Sorry to all you younger folks that have come to know and love this vibrant plant before me. You’re a true pioneer. We stumbled upon this ridiculously easy recipe, made a couple changes to suit our tastebuds and made this creation with flavors and color unlike any out of the freezer pie or cobbler. Serve this cobbler warm with vanilla ice cream and be prepared to want seconds! I added a cup of halved strawberries, because we had some fresh picked ones in our fridge and it worked out very nicely.I’ve never really cared for cooked strawberries, it’s a consistency thing but trust me, in this, it’s very much worth it!

Turn somthing kind of odd looking into...

This! A very "rustic" rhubarb cobbler. Baked in Missouri made pottery I might add...

Make this for your family tonight. They will thank you!

Easy Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler

• 3 cups Diced Rhubarb

• 1 cup strawberry’s, halved

• 2 tablespoons Orange Zest

• 1 package Strawberry Jello, 3 Oz. Box

• ½ cups Flour

• 1 cup Sugar

• ½ teaspoons Cinnamon

• ¼ cups Butter, Softened

Place diced rhubarb and strawberries in a small baking pan. Sprinkle zest over the top then sprinkle the package of strawberry jello over the rhubarb mixture. Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Sprinkle over the top of the rhubarb goodness.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until it’s bubbly.

Fresh picked early berries!