Everything is falling into place

This past week was a turning point in my apprenticeship. In what felt like a matter of days (but was actually a matter of weeks), we made the shift from plant production to vegetable production.

No longer are we working in the greenhouse all day long. No longer are we planting fast and furiously for the early season crops. No longer are we wondering if nature will be kind to us and turn our hard work into a bountiful harvest. Vegetables? They're here, baby!

This past week was also the first week of our CSA, which meant that individuals and families from the community were driving out to the farm on Tuesday and Friday (our distribution days) and bringing their enthusiasm for fresh vegetables and summertime along with them. CSA stands for Community-Supported Agriculture, which is a way for members of the community to invest in their local farms and, in turn, receive a share of the bounty. This type of arrangement gives the farmers some steady financial ground to stand on at the beginning of the season, and also strengthens the farm's community ties.

For the first CSA distribution, we harvested quite a bit in comparison to the previous weeks' lettuce and radish repertoire. If you're wondering what was in the first week's share, here's the list: (click on the picture to enlarge it)

We also opened the pea section up for members to pick their own:

But as wonderful as it was to be harvesting a variety of vegetables and start up the CSA, the week wasn't without its bumps in the road. After a week of storms, we realized that some of the lettuce had been damaged by hail. It hurt some varieties more than others, and all in all it wasn't horrible. It was most noticeable on the heads of Boston lettuce. On the bright side, the weather plumped up the radishes and -- amazingly -- didn't even cause them to split! The result? Huge (read: gigantic, baseball-sized) radishes that tasted sweet and juicy. Definitely not your average supermarket radish.

We also brought a variety of vegetables to sell at the Saturday Farmer's Market. That large leafy green on the bottom, to the left of the pints of sugar snap peas, is basil. HUGE greenhouse basil, with velvety leaves that have never been exposed to heavy rain (or hail, thank goodness). They love life in the greenhouse!

And perhaps the most exciting of all? TOMATOES! Our greenhouse tomatoes are on the way to red, ripe, juicy deliciousness. Can you spot the red ones in this photo?

Mmmmm tomatoes...