another hot day

The stifling heat is getting to be a norm... we started harvesting at 5:45 this morning, and I enjoyed getting thoroughly soaked washing turnips.  The lettuce is huge because of the heat, and that rain we got last weekend.  Probably the most gorgeous lettuce I've ever seen.

Some of the varieties look like they might be wanting to flower ("bolt"), so we had to pick them before that, when the leaves are still tasty & tender.  The problem is there's just too many!  We can give 2 heads of giant lettuce to CSA members, but 3?  

Can you eat 3 heads of lettuce in a week?  And if we don't pick them in the next few days, we may have to let them go.  What a problem to have-- too much food.  The delicate timing that the farmer has to balance with the unpredictability of the weather.

If anyone wants to coordinate a volunteer picking of the surplus harvest to donate somewhere, by all means, let us know.  We just don't have the time to get to it, with all the other planting & weeding & harvesting we have to do.

I spent the afternoon on the John Deere, rototilling fields A, B, E, & F, after Nick spread fertilizer.

Tuesday evening distribution went well.  We gave a huge share including 2 heads of lettuce, 2 giant bok chois, 2 pounds of spinach, a bunch of turnips, 1/2 lb arugula, and 6 garlic scapes. 
Oh yeah, and broccoli!  It's ready now!  And delicious...

The first set of baby chicks aren't babies any more... they're looking (and acting) like little chickens now.  A few of them have these really interesting "hairdo"s  which is appropriate since we call them "the teenagers".... I wonder what breed that comes from.  Maybe Silkie?  I"ll keep you posted.