A rainy day...

...on Douds-Floyd Farm.
In anticipation of the rain, we worked very hard to get some plants into the field. These cool, wet days will be perfect for transplants to adjust to their new home.
On Monday, Phil fertilized and disked three fields. In one field, he planted sweet corn (Cameo), which will be ready around September 1. In another, he planted beans. While he planted, Becky loaded lettuce and cut herbs and traveled to Coraopolis Farmers' Market.
On Tuesday in the third field, Phil and Becky laid 2400 feet of black plastic mulch. With Sue's help, we planted about 850 pumpkin and winter squash plants. The time was 5 pm and we were ready to quit. A check of the weather helped us decide to plant 200 more plants...melons and various types of summer squash. It's a good thing, too, as we already have 0.7 inch rain. We won't be planting anything for a few days!
The pumpkins are planted in a field that has always been a favorite for killdeer. Perhaps they appreciate a small adjacent wet spot covered with tall grass where they can hide. While we worked, a pair scurried around with 4 young. The babies are so cute! They would walk down the middle of the row, playing in the puddles of water formed where each pumpkin was planted. If we got too close, a parent would raise its wing pretending to be injured and make a terrible twitter.

To Market, To Market

We are going to market now. Come see us in Coraopolis on Mondays, 3:30pm-6:30pm, in Ambridge on Thursdays, 4 pm-7 pm, and in Beaver on Saturdays, 10 pm-1 pm.
Our green and white truck, familiar to many of you, has been retired. Look for our blue and white veggie van, shown below.
Lettuce, broccoli and herbs are the first veggies ready for harvest. Please see last year's blog (http://doudsfloydfarm.blogspot.com/2008/07/few-words-about-our-lettuces.html)
for photos of the different lettuces we grow. Herbs include mint, flat parsley (Jiminy Cricket), curly parsley (Forest Green), large-leaved basil (Caesar), lemon basil (Sweet Dani), lime basil, and Thai basil (anise).
The basket in the photo above is full of garlic scapes. The garlic bulb you usually use will not be ready until mid-July. But now the plant is producing a long spiraled stalk with a flower at the tip. This flower is called the garlic scape. We cut them off so the bulb will grow even larger. You simply cut and saute the scape for garlic flavor in your favorite recipes. Recipes using garlic scapes in soup, pesto, etc. are available on the internet. They store for at least a month in the refrigerator, so purchase enough to last until the bulbs are ready.
We look forward to bringing you fresh veggies throughout this season.