When it rains, it pours!

This season is so far one of extremes - from drought and wildfires to the rainiest June in recent memory (about 8"!!). On the farm, we have learned to expect the unexpected, but there's only so much we can do with 8" of rain. When considering irrigation needs and plant health, typically we aim to give the plants about one inch of water per week. Mother nature has provided twice that amount and no opportunity for growth in between downpours. Our hot crops (peppers, tomatoes, eggplants) are the most sensitive to over-watering, so we have strategically placed them under cover in a tunnel - they also benefit from the extra heat. Despite rainfall never touching them directly, the saturation of the soil has kept their roots soggy. There's a visible difference between our peppers in the row closest to edge and those merely 2' further inside - the soggiest plants are pale, stunted and their leaves are curling. The challenges of too much moisture are real, but given the summer standard of extreme drought, I'm hesitant to complain about the rain even when it is overly abundant. I'm optimistic that the sun will come out again soon and all of the damp plants will jump a foot in size overnight.

We were so grateful to have Charly helping us out on the farm this past week! A friend of a friend on exchange from Germany, they were so willing and keen to help out even in the wettest conditions - thank you so much, Charly! We'll have lots of weeding to do in the fields once this rain stops, but aside from that, we are very on top of our summer tasks thanks to the extra hands. Our summer crops are all in the ground, our fall crops have been seeded, our tunnels are weeded, future fields are limed, and our pathways and fence-lines are mowed. We even weeded the seeding greenhouse - a job that rarely makes it to the top of our to-do list in the summer.

This season, like most, has been full of highs and lows. We are finally expanding the farm into fields that we began preparing 3 years ago. We have 70 amazing CSA members, several wholesale clients, and attend one very friendly community market in Liverpool. Compared to where we started just a couple years ago, it seems almost unbelievable that we are able to help feed so many people. I have to constantly remind myself of how far we've come because there are certainly still growing pains that make me question everything, but as I mentioned, we are learning to always expect the unexpected and remain diversified enough to account for any losses (of which there are lots - carrots not germinating in hot dry conditions, pests decimating early planting of brassicas, chard growing slowly due to still too acidic soil conditions). Some days it feels like our hard work simply isn't yielding enough results, but then I make a meal made entirely of food that I've grown, cared for and harvested with my own two hands and am reminded why I do this at all. So that's my hope for all of you - that you may taste some of that joy when eating local food!

One of those recent meals was a variation of this, burrata with spring onion, zucchini and salsa verde. This is my call for you to run don't walk and treat yourself to some soft cheese, grill whatever veg you have around (historic radishes or turnips still in your fridge?), place all ingredients on a bed of greens and top with an herby dressing. So fresh, so good!

Other fun recipe ideas:

• Charly wowed us all with pan-fried fennel last week and you all need to try it! All the housemates proclaimed that it was the best fennel they had ever had!

• Garlic scapes are now officially on the go! Try putting them in a food processor with your favourite herb, some lemon and olive to oil to make a delicious and zesty pesto. Alternatively, give a bunch a quick pulse in the food processor, add about a tbsp of salt, and pack this mixture into a jar. A market customer described this as his favourite way to enjoy garlic year round. He claims that this paste will last in the fridge until next year's scapes are harvested and that it is delicious spread on sandwiches - sounds good to me! First time eating scapes? Snap off the section below the bulge. The firm, "snappable" bit is what you'll eat. The leafier top section can be tossed or saved in a freezer bag to season future soups.

• Green onions are a staple on the farm and will frequent the CSA shares. I think they're good on everything! One CSA member shared that they made scallion pancakes, cong you bing, this week and I think you should too!

Thanks for reading!

Rebecca