March Madness: Parsnip Harvest & Greenhouse Update

Violas

We've had a week of 70 degree temps so not only are we taking advantage of the warm weather to get out in the fields, but it's looking like the green growing things are liking it too!  The greenhouses are filling up and the plants are thriving.

Cabbage pushing through

Trays and seedlings continue to graduate from the Nursery greenhouse into the Big greenhouse, and we're preparing the Cold Frame greenhouse too!

We actually hope to get the first fields prepped for planting next week with the first salad mix, spring spinach, arugula, sauté greens, cilantro, dill, bok choi, mustards, and radishes!

Celeriac

 

 

We're also out in the field digging our overwintered items:  planted last year and having spent the winter in the ground, you end up with a frost sweetened delight!  Here's the overwintered parsnip harvest, plus we'll soon have fresh sunchokes, crosnes, and soon enough delicate & delicious overwintered spinach!

Parsnip Harvest: lift, extract, put in buckets

Put full buckets into big bins to be refrigerated and washed only when needed

We're up to 22 bins of parsnips so far this week!


In the office, the CSA sign ups are coming in nice and steady - seems everybody waited until the last minute to get in on the March 15 early bird discount deadline!

We still have lots of shares though, in the Twin Cities, Madison and our local area (LaCrosse, Onalaska, Viroqua).

Gerardo seems awfully happy about the weather & the work!

We're also waiting to hear back from the government (DOJ, Labor, Homeland Security) about our H2A visa approval and then interview appointments.  We'd like to have our crew back soon - we miss them and with this early spring, we need them!

I have a feeling things are going to come together quite nicely this season.  Must be all this sunshine in my eyes.