Tuesday Market

Argh! I forgot to post last night! Another crazy week with soccer, dance recitals and markets. Oh, and the rain. Did I mention that? Good night nurse--stop with the rain already! We got almost an inch on Sunday/Monday. So far we haven't lost any crops to too much wet, but this is setting up just like last year when we did lose various harvests to rot and disease from too much rain in a short time. That's the life of a farmer: always a gamble with forces that you can't control or change.

By the way......even when it rains on a market day--we are still there to sell produce! Rain or shine! I much prefer the shine part and will even take a cloudy day, but plants still need harvesting even if it's raining. It is a fragile circle with the producer and customer. We both need each other; the farmers need someone to sell their produce to and the customer need to buy their produce from someone. We promise that we will be there, rain or shine with all the summer goodness that you could want. So, find the umbrella or rain jacket, grab your cloth bags and head out. It's just rain! I do understand why the crowds thin out with poor weather, as I HATE to be wet. The only time we would not be at the market is due to severe, dangerous weather when everyone should stay inside!

So, for those of you that weren't at the market Saturday--did you miss out! Not only did you have to go several days without any fresh greens, this heat is not doing many of our leafy crops any favors. Bill reported last night that some of our early lettuce has bolted(gone to seed) as well as the spinach. We may have head lettuce this week and are very unsure about next week, so if you want to enjoy one more really great salad, hop to the Trailside Market tonight. On the flip side of the heat coin is the zucchini and squash are really taking off and we should have some at a market by next week. The corn loves all this heat and rain and is growing well--we are predicting harvesting about mid-July at this point.

What will we have at the Trailside Market? Glad you asked!

• Head lettuces: Buttercrunch (far & away the favorite of everyone!), Red Sails, Xena and Giant Caesar Romaine
• Spinach: This is probably the last of the spinach as it is going to seed very rapidly.
• Leaf Lettuce: still sweet and tender. We will keep harvesting it as long as we can.
• Red & white radishes: still sweet, but getting a little more "pepper" taste
• Green onions: cool & crisp, not hot or bitter
• Turnips: these are just starting to be large enough to harvest; nice and mild taste and you can also eat the greens
• Arugula, Mustard Greens and Collards: All good leafy greens to eat raw or cook down

The Trailside Market is located next to the Amtrak station off Linden, behind Wild Country. There is parking in that lot OR park by the Children's Discovery Museum and walk over to the market. I'm in the far west spot, closest to the station! Today looks like a lovely day, so come on out!

Week 4

Good Morning Friends!

We didn't get any of the severe weather at the farm last night or any rain in Bloomington, so imagine my surprise when I turned the Weather Channel this morning and saw a huge tornado with the caption of Tazewell County! It looks like only minor damage was sustained to some outbuildings. We know quite a few farmers in that area, so we hope that they are safe (most importantly) and that their crops weren't damaged.

We've had over 2.5 inches of rain in the past two days--everything is soggy! Luckily, many of our fields drain fairly well, but when the ground is saturated and there is even MORE rain, it makes planting, growing and harvesting crops very difficult. Bill's most immediate worry other than severe weather that includes hail (hail will make grown farmers cry!) is not being able to get into the field to continue planting sweet corn. Soft, wet ground and big, heavy tractors don't mix. Plus, the seed sits in the wet grounds and will rot. Patience is a farmer's friend, but often times the weather is not but you do what you can.

Bill is taking off work early to go out and plant the 2nd crop of muskmelon today. The first crop is in and doing well and is on schedule. The watermelon are doing wonderfully so far. We are cautiously optomistic about the watermelon and all the rain: last July, we endured 10" of rain in about 8 days and it wiped out our first watermelon crop. This year, they are in a different field that has better drainage to minimize any ponding or water build up.

I was joking with another farmer at the Uptown Normal market Tuesday about how we work so hard, but what we all excel at is growing weeds! The weeds are becoming a problem with all the rain and warm weather. We don't spray for weeds (save for exceptional outbreaks in the watermelon or sweet corn) and who wants to hand weed 30 acres? We do what we can by hand weeding in the rows while picking or by mowing/weed wacking.

Part of eating locally and seasonally is that items come and go. Just a few weeks ago, we welcomed spring with lettuces, radishes and green onions. If you remember, it also was cold enough to wear coats and long sleeves! The old saw about the Midwest is if you want the weather to change, just wait 5 minutes. So true! Today at 8:09 am, the temperature is 75 degrees with temperatures projected to be in the 90 degree range for the next week.

While we are welcoming warmer weather, it means beginning to say to good bye to some of the early spring vegetables. Consistent temperatures in the 80's and 90's will make most lettuces and spinach bolt and the heat will turn radishes from sweet to hot. However, the heat loving squashes, sweet corn, melons and cucumbers really start to grow fast with the hot, humid weather. One season's end is another season's beginning. The sugar snap peas are just about blooming, with the green beans coming in close behind. Bill is predicting that we might have summer squash in about 10 days!

I am still amazed that there are people on this planet that have NEVER eaten a radish! Often times, their only experience has been a limp, soft disk in a restaurant salad and they don't give that poor veggie a second chance. In the Midwest, you can't have spring without radishes. It's a law, actually! I've always eaten them raw, sometimes with a little salt or ranch dressing. Then, last night, we GRILLED them. Oh. MY. It was a completely different taste than eating radishes raw. One of our CSA members, Nicole, told me that they had grilled their CSA radishes with a meal last week. She convinced me that grilled radishes were the bomb and I really, really needed to try it. This is so simple: clean radishes (red ones work best), cut off root and top. Put in zip top bag with olive oil, salt, pepper and Lawry's Seasoning; shake. Use a grill pan or skewer (like kabobs) and grill until soft on the outside, but still a little crunchy on the inside. There are so many other herb & spice variations that you could try--so experiment this weekend!

So, what will we have this Saturday?

• A variety of our loose head lettuces: Red Sails, Green & Red Oak leaf, Xena, Buttercrunch, Giant Caesar Romaine. The opportunity for these delights is ending fairly soon, so if you haven't had any yet, get some!
• Leaf lettuce--We've kept the leaf lettuce covered in the raised bed in the back yard, so we may be able to keep it going for a few more weeks.
• Spinach--this has been fabulous this spring: crisp, cool and so healthy! A bag will last at least a week in the fridge.
• Red and white radishes--these beauties have been so sweet and good, but will start getting a little more "peppery" as the weather heats up. Enjoy them now! Grill them!
  
• Green onions--a spring staple. Use the entire shoot in salads or the greens as a garnish with your meals.
  
• Spring turnips--FINALLY--all you turnip fans can cheer now! Cook down the greens, roast the roots and nothing goes to waste.
• Mustard greens--this leafy plant is new to us this year. I've only had it in a salad so far, but is it also good cooked or lightly wilted. Mustard greens have a little more pungent taste than collards or other greens and are high in vitamins A & K.
• Arugula--another green that is new and we love it! Bill couldn't get over the aroma while he was picking it for our CSA. Arugula has a rich, peppery taste. I think eaten raw it has a bit of a nutty flavor to it. It can be eaten raw or cooked. An easy way is to mix the leaves with pasta and let it wilt. Bill just can't get over how much he likes the taste and wishes he had been growing it sooner!

This weekend Bill and I will be in St. Louis for a work function for Bill. Duty calls and we try to be team players! :) Bill's dad, Larry, and our very good friend, Kyle, will be subbing for us, so stop by and say hi! Many of you will remember Kyle from last year, but it's been a few years since Larry has been to the market. The market has grown quite a bit since he's been here; in fact, vendors were still facing the sidewalks the last time he came with us. So, don't be surprised to see different faces in the orange shirts.

Remember, that the market starts at 7:30 am and runs until noon. Don't forget your canvas & recyclable bags!

Trailside market this Tuesday

Thank you to everyone that checked with Bill on Saturday to see if Allie and I were safe in Indy! It was an interesting and very long night, but the most severe weather stayed to our north. Our team had a good time at their tournament and we got to see our girls play some great soccer!

This week the Trailside Market in Normal will start! We are just getting to the point where we have to start picking during the week, so this market is starting just in time. If you find that you don't have time on Saturday or just like to sleep in, don't miss this opportunity to get some fresh, local produce. We have a good mix of producers, so there should be lots to choose from.

We will continue to have a variety of head lettuces, spinach, leaf lettuce, radishes and onions. The season for these spring goodies is quickly coming to an end with the consistent warmer weather, so now is the time to enjoy a really good salad.

The Trailside Market is beginning its fourth year in Normal. The first two years we pretty rough, as word didn't spread as quickly as we thought it might. Last year was a very trying year trying to sell produce in between large earth moving equipment! The town quickly found us a nice spot next to the Amtrak station--we're the only market in Illinois that has a rail stop! We really do get some passengers from the train that take advantage of the stop to get some fresh, local produce. Once the Uptown Normal project is complete, we will be moved to yet another location, but I'm sure it will be nice! The Town of Normal is committed to the Market and is working hard to make it a success.

The Trailside Market is located in the Parkinson Street parking lot, next to the Amtrak station. Market hours have changed for this year: the bell will ring to open the market at 3:30 pm and the market will stay open until 6 pm. A new addition to the market is entertainment! There will be musical performances at the east end of the market, right next to our stand. So bring your re-usable bags and stay for a bit to enjoy our musical entertainment.

See you tomorrow at 3:30!

Week 3

The time is just flying by! I can't believe that we are already into our 3rd week of the season. It looks like the weather will be cooperating a little more by warming up and being sunny. We could use a little less rain--and no severe weather!

Bill will be flying solo this weekend, as Allie and I go to a soccer tournament in Indianapolis. Unfortunately for me, there will be no sleeping in. Her team is scheduled for 8am games Saturday and Sunday, plus IN is an hour ahead of us.

Not much new happening on the farm front. The plants need warmth and sunshine!! The snap peas and green beans are starting to bloom, so it won't be too much longer before we start picking them. The squashes and cucumbers are making some slow progress, but once they start producing, they won't stop!

We'll have the usual suspects this week:

• Leaf lettuce

• Spinach
• Buttercrunch lettuce
• Red Sails lettuce
• Green Oak Leaf lettuce
• Red Oak Leaf lettuce
• Curly endive
• Bok choi
• Red radishes
• White radishes
• Green Onions

The warm weather does bring changes, too. I noticed last night that some of our very early Simpson lettuce had already started to go to seed. Unfortunately, warmer temperatures mean the demise of the cooler weather crops like lettuce, spinach and radishes. We should get a few more weeks from these crops before it gets too hot.

Did anyone notice the big red "Be A Locavore" bill board on South Veteran's Parkway? Facing west, you CAN'T miss it as you head east. Be a Localvore this weekend and bring a friend to the market and check out all the great spring produce we have downtown. Don't forget to bring your canvas bags and show all of Bloomington/Normal that you support local, fresh produce.

Slowing down

You've seen him: the older gentleman, usually in a plaid shirt with a free seed corn hat on. He's not in a hurry; moving at a moderate pace in his pick up truck as he checks out his fields. That gentleman is usually a farmer and there is good reason why he isn't in a hurry. You can't farm fast and I found that out this weekend.

There isn't much on our farm that I haven't done or helped with. I've crawled on my hands & knees planting cantaloupe, watermelon and tomatoes; pulled plastic up in the spring; weeded never ending rows of beets and turnips, moved hoses and equipment. One chore that I haven't been a part of is planting sweet corn.

That changed this weekend. We needed to plant our 4th crop of sweet corn before it rained again. This crop will be ready about the middle to end of August. Bill needed someone to drive the truck with the corn planter while he drove the tractor to the other farm. Since our kids can't drive (legally), I was drafted for the task. Our "new" tractor is a John Deere 4020. It isn't fancy-open cab, no GPS, AC, radio or electronics. It is geared differently than a car and I just couldn't figure out exactly how to change gears. It occasionally gives Bill fits by not shifting as it should. Top cruising speed is 20 mph and the Manito farm is about 2.5 miles from the Green Valley farm. We load up with our corn and some water and head out. Very. Slowly.

He's running all out and I'm barely idling, even pulling the planter.













Finally, we get to the Manito farm. First, before planting, the ground needs to be disked up, so we pull into the farm yard to hook up the disk. The disk is an intimidating contraption consisting of two rows of steel plates that are very sharp, set at opposing angles from each other. Dropped into the earth, the first row lifts up dirt in one direction, while the other side flips it back the other way. On the tractor, you do feel as if you are really going fast (!) and watching the soil move like water is very hypnotic. It is fairly dry and we are quickly covered by a fine layer of dirt. As we move across the field, red winged blackbirds, robins and grackles land behind us, picking up seeds and insects that are exposed.

Then, back up to the yard to hook up the planter. Did I mention tractors don't go very fast? Also, we just can't cut across the field--we have to go around what has already been planted. Slowly.










Bill checks out the planter, hooking up the chains that release the corn seeds and putting seed in the seed boxes. There are chains to hook up to the gears that allow the corn to drop out, hydraulics to hook up and make sure they work and the marker arms to unlock. Finally, we head back out to the field and now we can begin planting!














Bill is pouring in the corn on the left; on the right is what the corn looks like in the seed box. It does not resemble the final product at all! It's very wrinkled and hard. It's pink from a grub protectorant otherwise the grub in the soil would eat all our seeds! With this, they stay away and eat something else.

Here we are--ready to go! Bill puts the tractor in gear, lowers the planter and moves ahead.












The arm sticking out from the side of the planter marks where Bill needs to line up the body of the tractor to plant his next rows. We plant 4 rows at a time in rows that are just short of a quarter mile long. It's easy on a tractor. Picking it this August will be a different story!


Something that is very important when you are planting corn is to make your rows straight. It looks easy, but is is so easy to lose concentration or move the wrong way when you look behind you to check on the progress of the planter. Bill has done this so many times, that he is pretty good and all the rows were very straight. Crooked rows are no fun to pick and your picking crew get very cranky!
Here's how it looks right before we turn around and make another pass. On the left in the distance, are the trees that mark the house. We're only about 3/4 of a mile from the house, but it seems much farther. The ground immediately to the left of the ground that we've just planted is the crop that we will pick in early August. Farther over to the left are crops one & two that should be ready in July.

By now, I'm bored, my butt hurts from sitting on the wheel well and it is well past lunch time. We've planted 1.5 acres and it only took a little over 2 hours. Now, we have to go back to the yard, empty any corn out of the boxes, make the planter ready to go on the road, hook it up to my truck and take it to Congerville (long story). We finally get to our destination almost 3 hours later.

This all unfolded s-l-o-w-l-y. Farm machinery moves at a snail's pace. You can't pull a planter through the ground fast or your seeds won't land in the right spots. There are parts that break or come off at the wrong time. I cannot imagine doing this as my full time job, driving back and forth from one side of the field to the other, even with the newer tractors with AC and a radio. I have a new appreciation for the farmers that don't seem to be in a hurry--they aren't.

Picnic, parties & BBQ, oh my!

Rain, rain--go away! Not a good way to start week 2 of the market season, but Saturday is supposed to be very nice. Don't stay away; come down to the market! Sorry this update is late; Allie & I were cheering Normal West's Girls Soccer team at their sectional game last night! Allie is very into soccer and has been playing travel soccer for the past year. She and her U9 buddies were on the sidelines cheering on the "big" girls and watching some very good soccer and hopefully learning by watching. It won't be too long before they will be the "big" girls.

This is the kickoff for the summer and most people have picnics, parties and barbecues to attend, often several over the weekend. What will you take as your "dish to pass"? Why not come to the market, get some inspiration from the wonderful produce and take a dish made from local ingredients?

It's been a quiet week on the farm. Bill's dad is in WI for his annual fishing trip, so Bill has to pick up the slack with some of the little daily chores, like turning water off & on, monitoring growth progress and dog feeding. Scoot & Sam are Dad's dogs and they are full time farm dogs. Both are bigger (and stronger!) than Skipper and stay in their dog runs while we work. Boy, when we let them out--get out of the way! Skipper tries to keep up with them and they all tear off into the fields to do whatever it is that dogs do. We don't seem to have much of a problem with varmints like rabbits or deer--wonder why!

Bill reports that all the crops are coming along; albeit slowly with the cool temps. Beets, turnips, squash and peas are just on the verge of a growth spurt and we should be seeing more veggies in the coming weeks.

This week, the farm is providing us with:

• Red Sails loose head lettuce-this is the most popular lettuce we have, great taste and very pretty!
• Red Oak Leaf lettuce--we had this last year for the first time. It has a very distinctive oak-like leaf and deep burgundy color. It is a perfect counterpoint in a green salad. Nice nutty taste.
• Green Oak Leaf lettuce--just like the Red Oak, but with green leaves.
  
• Endive--new this year. We had several customers ask for endive (or ON-dive, if you prefer!).
  
• Buttercrunch head lettuce--a variety of the Bibb-style lettuce, this is also a very popular lettuce. Very soft velvety texture and great taste. One head makes a lot of salad!
• Giant Caesar romaine--this is a variety of romaine that you won't find in the store. The head is a little more open and the leaves are more tender and soft, but will still hold up well to a Caesar salad!
  
• Xena--another wonderful loose head lettuce. Xena is showy with very ruffled edges.
  
• Bok choi--one of my new favorite greens! I like it added to a salad, stems and all, or cooked down, Southern-style.
  
• Napa cabbage--this isn't your round Irish cabbage! Mild cabbage taste and smell, you can add it easily to a salad.
• Red radishes & white radishes--we have two types of red radishes this year: Cherry Belles and French Breakfast. The Cherry Belles are the round red radish that you are familiar with. French Breakfast radishes are oblong, mostly red but fading into a white tip. Yes, I've eaten radishes for breakfast. No, I don't think that's strange!
• Green onions--You can't beat fresh green onions. Perfect for eating alone or in a salad.
  
• Spinach--You all are some spinach loving folks out there! Once it warms up, the spinach will go to seed, so enjoy it while it is in season.
• Leaf Lettuce--the perfect lettuce for a spring salad--small leaves, soft and tender. Like the spinach, leaf lettuce doesn't like hot weather, so it will only be around a few more weeks.

I don't have many good ideas for using lettuces or greens, other than salads. What is easier than some fresh leaf lettuce and a little olive oil/balsamic vinegar or a milk dressing! I remember as a child the dressing my mom would make for leaf lettuce. I'm sure it has a proper name and actual measurements, but I've never run across it in any of my cook books--and I even have a cookbook that is ALL salad dressings! Combine about 1/4 cup mayonnaise (NOT Miracle Whip--it will not work!) with enough milk, thinning it, but not runny. Add about 1 tsp sugar and mix until the sugar dissolves. Add vinegar (cider vinegar works best) to taste--I like it pretty sharp, so I add about 1 TBS or more. TASTE AS YOU GO! You can add more milk or mayo to achieve your desired consistency. Gently mix with leaf lettuce and enjoy!

Start the first official holiday weekend of the summer right by coming to the market! See you there!

Ready, Set, Go!

Are you ready for the first market of 2008? We are! So much is starting and we just can't wait to get going.

If you got hail in the storm Tuesday night--raise your hand! We did, several times! Allie and I just got in from soccer practice, got the rental car put away (long story there!) and the hail started coming down! Now, I've lived in Illinois all my life and have only occasionally seen hail and then it has only been pea-sized. We got quite a bit that was nickel sized! Fortunately, we didn't even get rain at the farm and I hope that any of our farmer friends here locally didn't get any damage. The kids thought it was pretty cool and Carson actually ran out in it. He came right in after he realized how much hail hurts! Good thing it wasn't golf ball sized!

Bill has been working hard getting plants into the ground and doing the spring clean up that we always seem to be doing. This has been a long and difficult spring, farm-wise and we just got through a week of work/personal stress when Bill got a call from his dad: our 100 year old greenhouse/former chicken house burned to the ground. Our farm is one of the oldest farmsteads in Tazewell County and while cleaning the greenhouse out this spring, I found dates etched into the concrete foundation: 1908. We are the 3rd family to occupy this farm and the first family, the Weyrich's erected the chicken house 100 years ago. The house is a few years older.
So, after moving everything out of the greenhouse and sweeping the accumulated leaves and dirt out AND moving everything back in (by myself) and organizing it (the men in my family are NOT organized), we had a great space to start out the year. The greenhouse is where most of the plants live until they go into the field. It gets toasty warm and the plants really take off! This time of year, we do have propane heaters running-----you can see what happened. So, we have a mess and less space to put plants. Fortunately, we do have two other buildings that we use, they just are small. On the bright side, the house didn't burn and we will be installing a much needed storage shed on the site and a new green house in a better location.












Greenhouse after 5 hours of cleaning--see the boxes? Yeah, they burn for a long time when they are full of plastic bags. Bring your canvas bags!













What a mess! Old wood burns fast!

But, enough about us, what about the market? What in the world will be ready?

PLENTY!

This Saturday, we will have:

• Bok choi
• Napa cabbage
• Simpson elite loose head lettuce
• Red Sails loose head lettuce
• Green Oak Leaf loose head lettuce
• Leaf lettuce mix
• Buttercrunch loose head lettuce
• Red & white radishes
• Green onions
• Spinach

Everything else is still growing and really wants some sun and heat. In the following weeks, we'll have beets, French Breakfast radishes, kohlrabi, turnips and more lettuce.

Some items of note for this year:

The market is starting LATER and staying open LATER. The starting bell will ring at 7:30 am and the market will be open until 12:00 noon. The time change should allow more people to get down to the market and to allow everyone to get a few more minutes of sleep!

BYOB! I'll copy-cat Mercy of Blue Schoolhouse and encourage everyone to bring their own bags, boxes or wagons to the market to carry their loot home! It is truly amazing how many cases of bags we plow through in a season and we appreciate everyone that brings a canvas bag for their produce. The canvas is much gentler on produce and easier to carry. As an incentive, the Bloomington Market is going to give away bags at the first market, so get down early and get one! We have Mitchell Farms Produce canvas totes for our CSA members--see below how to get one.

We have a few openings for our CSA--if you are interested or know someone that is looking for a CSA, go to our website, www.mitchellproduce.com, for all the information! There will be items for CSA that won't make it to the market. CSA is a fantastic way to eat better, guarantee a steady supply of fresh, LOCAL produce and get a super durable canvas tote to show off to everyone at the market. Concerned that you might have too many veggies? We do have a few half shares available as well.

I can't wait to see all our farmer's market friends this weekend. We will be doing a give away for a Mitchell Farms tote bag and a Mitchell Farms t-shirt. Stop by, get some salad fixin's and put your name in the drawing!

See you Saturday!