We are moving away from the greens and onto some color, in particular, RED!  The first of the beets are really coming in now and they are oh so good!  Boiled, baked, grilled, steamed, which ever way you cook them, these small early beets are full of sweetness and so tender. Some might even score some of the beloved Golden Beets or a few of the Badger Torch Beets. Badger Torch are a new variety developed by the University of Wisconsin.  The shape is more cylindrical and they have a darker gold than the Touchstone Gold with some red striping.  There are not many planted this year as it is more of a trial run, but they are looking and tasting very nice.

The dry weather as of late has actually been, overall, pretty handy.  It has allowed for some great weed control, crops do well at sinking down some roots a bit deeper in the soil and that heat allows those warm season crops like tomatoes, peppers and egg plants to really put on some growth.  The tomatoes are fully caged and mulched and full of flowers, so with any luck I can begin to watch them begin to really set fruit.  The garlic scapes will be done as I removed all that were remaining and you can have as many as you would like today.  There is also some fresh garlic, as there will be until it is fully cured in August.  Fresh garlic should be put in the refrigerator until used to keep it at its finest.

Also included is a little head of early cabbage called Premier, some beautiful Napa Cabbage.  Napa can be sauteed or eaten in a slaw but is mighty tasty in this Ramen Noodle Cabbage Salad.  There is the last of the lettuce for a while, some more chard or Kale, some tasty minty and tarragon and  sugar snap peas.  The larger share also has a bundle of early carrots.

A little added bonus is a sampling of my brother Dave’s popcorn!  Last year was the trial run for the popcorn and it was a huge success.  He had a great yield of some of the best popcorn many have ever tasted.  Popped in a little coconut oil with dash of salt or in the air popper, it always pops beautifully and has a great melt-away texture. If you are ever interested in purchasing some let me know and I can hook you up!

Hopefully the week is a great one and your Fourth of July weekend is enjoyable.

Larry