Hello from Pitchfork & Crow ~

We’re harvesting for the Salem Saturday Market!  Here’s a selection of what we’ll be bringing to market:

• Cauliflower (hard to believe, but this is the last of our overwintered cauli)
• Prize Choy
• Radishes (Lots and lots of Cherry Belles, Pink Beauty, and French Breakfast bunches this week!)
• Salad Mix
• Spinach
• Sunchokes (aka Jerusalem Artichokes)

We haven’t had much downtime since we saw you at Market last Saturday.  The beautiful weather has found us pushing hard to get through our spring plantings.  The past few days have been allium planting mania but we’re happy to say that our bunching onions, sweet onions, storage onions, shallots, and leeks have all officially made it into the field and are even being well-watered!  After last year’s total onion failure we think we’ve learned our lesson and are looking forward to a wealth of oniony goodness this season.

It’s been one of those busy, busy weeks when we wonder if we’re not a little crazy to take on so much.  The to-do list kept growing longer as we tried to avert our eyes from the various projects popping up around the farm while staying focused on the planting that needed to get done.  In the midst of it we had a tiller breakdown that sent Jeff to the tractor junkyard in town in search of parts.  Luckily if we’ve learned nothing else from farming, we have learned to deal with new and unexpected problems.  With the tiller repaired and the tractor back in action we pushed through to the end and the happier for it.  Now on to the potatoes!  Our sweet potato slips arrived yesterday and our seed potatoes are ready for planting too.

This week we’re bringing an abundance of mild radishes from our field houses.  Jeff did a big sowing a few weeks back and they’re ready for Market now.  We’ll have red Cherry Belles, pink Pink beauties, and red/white French Breakfast bunches for you to enjoy.  We’ve heard some fantastic recipes from customers in recent weeks, but one of our favorites it Radish Butter!  What could be better than fresh butter and spring radishes?

We hope to see you Saturday sometime between 9am and 3pm.  You can find us at the Salem Saturday Market near the intersection of Winter and Union streets in downtown Salem.

Thanks!
Carri Heisler and Jeff Bramlett