4th Week of June

*Special days and hours for the July 4th Holiday*
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Wednesday, July 2, 3-7pm
Thursday, July 3, 9am-7pm
Closed Friday & Saturday, July 4 & 5
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A Week at the Farm

Nine hundred pumpkin seedlings and 1800 winter squash planted…all in a days work. Yesterday was a full and pleasantly tiring day as we planted all of those seeds in little nests of moist compost mix and Brian and Jeff and Bob laid a network of trickle irrigation to keep the vegetables from becoming stressed by the current high temps, low humidity and lack of rain.

So who cares for the farm and grows the food? Let’s meet the people behind the food. This week I’ll write about the staff and next week about the trainees: Brian Martin, a senior at Millersville, is the newest staff member and has been doing excellent work with irrigation management, weed control, and cultivation among other things. Amy Finnegan, who did great seasonal work last year, is able to be here again, mostly on weekends this year. Elizabeth Swope, the Assistant Farm Manager, continues here again thankfully, doing superb work with the trainees, field operations, harvest, accounting, and things too numerous to mention. And myself, going on eight years of farming here, working on the overall function and planning for the farm program—work distribution, soil and crop management, equipment operation and systems, repairs, and this being a farm, myriad odds and ends.

Serving Suggestions for the Harvest

• Garlic scapes: milder than bulb garlic, it is great in pesto, stir-fry or salads.
  See: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/18/dining/18appe.html from member Sharon Sacks. Thanks.
• Beets: excellent grated raw in salads, roasted coated with olive oil, or steamed til tender.
• Radish: adds a nice "kick" to salads.
• Cilantro: prominent in Vietnamese cooking and also salsa—great in soups, salads, etc.
• Swiss Chard: cut off ribs, steam lightly and add garlic, oil and parmesan cheese, nuts, etc.

Did you know? - 1 tablespoon of soil may contain more than 1 million microscopic organisms, including bacteria, protozoa and fungi.

Farm Seminars and Workshops Update from Heather

Hi everyone! Just wanted to recap that we had about 9 families participating and about 10 kids. We learned about simple kids' gardens that the kids could start, and the importance of using our senses in the garden, and about composting, and then we all planted seeds (and some of us took repeated trips through the sprinklers!). Many thanks to Master Gardener Michelle Bunce!

Our next seminar will be Saturday, July 12 (7/19 raindate), at 10 am, and the topic is *Home gardening*: pruning, composting, patio gardens, vermicomposting, organic gardening, & natural pesticides/herbicides, presented by Tom & Susan Smith, Master Gardeners, from the Lancaster County Extension Center. There is a sign-up sheet in the the pick-up area at the Farm, just so we know we have enough attending. Questions? Write to Heather at lawgirl924@hotmail.com, or call 808-7060.

Enjoy, and have a nice 4th of July!
Scott