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What's happening on the farm right now:
Yesterday the light on the farm was so brilliant. My photo doesn't remotely do it justice. I had to stop many times that day just to take it in. I don't know if this spring is special but it feels like a particularly beautiful one to me.
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We've been doing more weeding, planting and daily covering and uncovering the strawberries to protect them from any possible frost.
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The dahlias are going out today. Lots of new varieties this year as we lost most of our stored tubers during that cold spell over Christmas. We dig all our tubers in the fall and then store them in the root cellar under our garage/workshop. They do really well down there and just need a tiny bit of supplementary heat on only the coldest of nights. With all the holiday hoopla, I totally forgot to put a little space heater down there and they all froze. That was a bad feeling for a few days when I realized what had happened. Just 10 minutes of effort and they would have been okay. Oh well, now we get fresh, new, disease-free tubers to trial in new colors and forms. Not all bad. Just expensive.
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PLEASE NOTE: Due to UNC Asheville graduation, the North Asheville Tailgate Market is at the SALVAGE STATION for this coming Saturday. Hours are the same, 8am until 12am. The address is 468 Riverside Dr, Asheville, NC 28801 Next week, we'll be back at our regular location on campus.
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I know we are all obsessing about the strawberries right now (and rightfully so, they are amazing) but the blueberries are coming along nicely too.
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What's available in the store and at market this week?
We've got head lettuce and lettuce mix this week. The romaine and red butter lettuce are particularly lovely. For cooking greens, we have green kale, black kale and Swiss chard. The red round radishes are back. And more strawberries as well. The plants are still blooming so I'm hoping for a nice long season.
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Peonies, snapdragons and ranunculus for flowers as well as mixed bouquets.
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Lots of new plants are in the online store. This is going to be a good weekend for planting as next week looks to warm with rain showers, just what all new little plants like after they get in the ground.
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This Saturday only: NATM will move to the Salvage Station on Riverside Drive due to UNC Asheville graduation. The address is 468 Riverside Dr, Asheville, NC 28801. Same hours 8am to 12pm
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River Arts District Farmers Market hours are Wednesdays 3-6pm at the Smoky Park Supper Club, 350 Riverside Drive. North Asheville Tailgate Market hours are Saturdays 8 am until noon on the campus of UNC Asheville.
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John's Recipe of the Week
| John Loyd is our dear friend, neighbor, CSA worker member and a gourmet Southern cook. His delightful observations on gardening and cooking appear here each week. |
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“Drama is very important in life. You have to come on with a bang. You never want to go out with a whimper. Everything can have drama. Even a pancake.”
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We have found even with cooking our berries for a good while that sometimes preserves just don’t set. Sometimes they do. It’s magic, but not predictable. So, this year we are considering using pectin as an option.
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WHAT IS PECTIN – Pectin is a starch that comes from fruits like apples and citrus.
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It is natural and vegan if you use the kind without sugar. Pectin is used to thicken up preserves, about 4 tablespoons per 6 to 8 cups of berries. Follow the directions on the box. There are a number of choices when buying.
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CHURNLESS STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM – From The Food Network for folks who do not have an ice cream maker. Mind you, this is not the 6-egg custard which is the old fashion way and far richer and closer to the divine intention for frozen desserts.
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One 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
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1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
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2 cups of heavy cream, chilled
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Pulse strawberries in your processor until they are pea-sized. Add the condensed milk, vanilla and salt and pulse to combine. Place in a medium bowl.
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Whip the cream until firm peaks form and fold 1 cup into the strawberry mixture with a spatula until combined. Then fold the mixture into the rest of the strawberries until well blended.
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Pour into a chilled 9 by 5 by 3-inch metal loaf pan and freeze for about 5 hours.
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I have nothing but respect for this nutsedge growing through asphalt in downtown Asheville.
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Your farmers, Vanessa and Alex
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Love the flowers. Honor the vegetables. Let the weeds go!
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- Cheri Huber and Ashwini Narayanan
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