Spring bounty!

We did it!

We have spent the last few months researching, reading, talking, dreaming, sorting, organizing and planning for a new off-grid solar powered irrigation system and this last week, WE FINALLY DID IT!  I never knew it could be so thrilling to water our crops until I did it this week and realized that the water that was cooling them down and feeding their thirsty roots was coming from the little creek that flowed right behind me.  Crazy, crazy cool.  Lots of props to Aron and his trouble shooting and reworking things again and again.  Andrew, Lauren and Graysen all helped a lot too.  If you’re ever in need of some off-grid solar powered irrigation, or just want to geek out on how people are getting water to places where they need it, look up the folx at 7th Generation Design, they were so helpful and key to our success.  Yay!

Onto the things that the water has helped us grow this week.  We’re pretty stoaked on this week’s share.  It’s as close to spring perfection as we may ever have been able to grow.  The weather has been up and down with temps all over the place, rain and no rain, not ideal for helping ease our minds on things growing well in the fields.  Much to our surprise, things this week are just tops and practically begging us to get out of the field and onto your tables.  We’ve got such an abundance and we can’t wait for you to see it, smell it, and eat it!

A quick note to let everyone know, all folx at Amos Acre are fully vaccinated at this point and we’ve done this in an effort to keep our community and ourselves safe as we harvest, wash, pack and deliver your food.  We’ll always deliver with masks to be extra safe though.  Let us know your comfort level and we’re happy to adhere to that.

We’ll have 5 extra shares to get to folx who want them this week.  Shares will be $35 with an additional delivery fee, if you would like delivery.  Please let us know ASAP if you’d like one.  Shares will be ready for pick up after 12pm on Monday, June 7th and out for delivery between 12pm and 4pm.  If you are a first time customer please reply to this email with your best delivery address and phone number to reach you as well.  We appreciate payments via Venmo (@elizabeth-craw-1) or cash but can take a check or arrange a credit card if you would like.  There is a fee for credit card purchases so please let us know if you would like to pay that way.

Lots of extra goodies on offer this week as well, so please let us know if you’d like any additional things for your share and we’re happy to harvest some extra to get for you.  Eggs are available as extras as well, $6 dozen.  

Here’s our line-up for the week!

-Caraflex cabbage heads.  As you can see from this photo, these are not your average cabbage heads.  They’re conical, tight little crisp heads that are ideal for cole slaws or turning into your favorite kraut.  Aron also recommends them as a simple, thinly sliced salad to top a fish sandwich.  Growing nice cabbages is no small feat and we feel pretty proud to be able to offer these to you.  Please enjoy them! -Fennel bulbs and fronds.  What to do with fennel, is that what you’re asking yourself!?  We can hear you and we found this lovely blog to help guide you through and to fennel delights of all kinds.  All parts of the plant can be eaten and how you cut it really depends on how it will cook up and taste.  We tend to caramelize it and put it on top of pizza, and add the fronds to salads with bright lemon/vinegar dressings.  Let us know what you do with your fennel, we always love to hear how things are being eaten out there. -Nabechan, spring onion bunches!  Speaking of feedback on what to do with things, one of our favorite farm people (Ms. Jessye, happy birthday darlin!) shared a recipe for scallion pancakes with us awhile back and we’ve been waiting to share it with you until their debut this year.  This is the moment!  She says her family asks her daily to prepare these and we see why.  May we recommend a little cabbage salad on the side!?  Yum. -Rouxai lettuce heads.  Seriously beautiful deep cherry red leaves with a stunning bright green interior make for a great addition to salads or sandwiches.  The lettuce leaves taste the way lettuce is supposed to taste.  We hope you’ll agree.   -Greens mix.  Arugula forward with lots of spice and some lovely contrasting frilly red and deep green lettuces to round out the mix.  We love adding shungiku to our mix as well.  Have you found it and tasted it?  Eating flower greens makes you a better person.  ; ) -Peas!  Lovely, lovely, crunchy, snappy Oregon Giant snow pea pods.  A wonderful, large variety that was bred right here in Oregon at OSU.  We’re so damn happy to have peas this year.  As many of you will remember, the deer (and the slugs!) ate them all last year.  Cheers to more peas! -Parsley bunches.  Oh lordy, lord.  Y’all, this is some stunning parsley.  As farmer/chef Aron would call it, these bunches are looking, “prime time”.  They are a large leaf, Italian variety and would be wonderful added to pert near anything we’ve mentioned so far.  They can also be hung upside down and dried if you would like, or place them in a small glass of water on your kitchen windowsill and enjoy their greenery with your eyes too until they make it to your stomaches.   EXTRAS: We’re doing our best to make sure we’re getting you spring things, but we have a bunch of extras right now and would love to get things out at their peak freshness, which is now! -Hakurei turnip bunches, $4 So, so, so sweet and juicy.  We’ve been eating these in all salads, all days, all ways.  -Bacchus radish bunches, $4 Spicy and crunchy the perfect dipping companion.  Also a salad star. -Dill bunches, $4 If you would like to get some and hang it to dry for later use, this is a great time.  Also if you want to make a green goddess dressing, this would be a perfect addition to the parsley as well as… -Cilantro bunches, $4 It goes without saying that this herb smells and tastes refreshing and cool.  Sorry again to those who taste the soap… -Bok Choi heads, $4 These are also, “prime time”, big and juicy.  Stir fry them, toss them on a grill lightly coated with some oil, or if you’re new to it, check this out for some ideas on how to approach this delightful green.   -Mixed sprouting broccoli bunches, $4 A lovely mix of purple and green sprouting broccoli that is lovely raw or cooked.  We love it roasted with potatoes and mushrooms with some fish or sauteed and added to scrambled eggs.  Eat well friends. 😉 -Eggs!  $6 dozen.  These are magical eggs and we’ve had such great feedback on folx who have gotten them thus far.  We get them from our friends up the road at Heart Rock Farm and they do a loving job of getting them for us and making sure customers are satisfied.  If you don’t eat farm fresh eggs, you’re really missing out.  The packaging is something to behold too.   Whew!  That’s a lot of food info.  Hope you’re getting hungry for some things.  Please let us know ASAP if you’d like a share and even if we are sold out of regular shares we’ll do our best to put some extra things together for you to fill your belly.  Local folx feel free to request a little of this and that in the extras if you like.   Have a great weekend out there and stay safe.  We’ll look forward to seeing y’all very soon.   Lots of love from Scappoose, Beth and Aron Amos Acre Farm