I just read that there are around 2 million sweat glands in the human body!! I believe that and I had every one of mine on overtime yesterday!!!! Wow we asked for warmer sunnier weather and now we have it!! It got up to 88 degrees yesterday on my thermometer and today about the same! We planted out all our peppers and eggplants yesterday and I think we all got sunburned! I then went to an outdoor wedding that evening on the river! I am going through all the box fans and seeing what ones work so we can get them put up in the chicken houses and in our bedroom window!!!!!

Today I started thinning peach trees! YUCK! It's a job no one likes to do. I've got two rows done and four more to do! The peach trees aren't looking to good this year, we may loose several. We think it's been too wet for to long and they are showing the effects of it this year.

For those of you who got leeks this week in your boxes, here is a recipe for Tomato Leek Tarts!

1 pkg. (15 oz.) refrigerated pie pastry
4 oz. provolone cheese, shredded
1 pound leeks (white portion only), sliced
6 medium plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 cup (8 oz.) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Place both pastry sheets on greased baking sheets. Sprinkle each with provolone cheese, leaving 1" around edges. Arrange leeks & tomato slices over provolone cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese, garlic powder & pepper. Top with mozzarella cheese. Fold edges over filling. Bake at 425 degrees for 18-22 minutes or until crusts are lightly browned. Cut into wedges. Serve warm. (The picture in the magazine just shows the crust folded up around the edge about an inch. In other words the crust doesn't cover the whole top of tart, it's open!)
This recipe came from Taste of Home Cooking School magazine, Spring 2010 issue.

Rain, rain go away come again another day... As Greg said today, I think it's even to wet to for rice paddies!!! Some day I'm sure we'll be moaning about the lack of rain and wishing for some of this. The kids are home from college and raring to go to work! Ha! Megan starts her new job at Sutherland's tomorrow and works all day for the next five days. Lucas will be helping us. We did get the tomatoes first row of stringing done in the hoop house yesterday afternoon. Some of them are already blooming and we even saw one little tomato!!! We also got some kale and more cabbage plants set out and put row cover over them to keep out the bunnies. The Nappa cabbage and radicchio we set out earlier sure are looking good! The field tomatoes, peppers, okra and eggplant need to be set out. Don't know when it'll be dry enough to do that. They are getting almost too big to use our new transplanter, may just have to do it all by hand in the mud! YUCK!!!

STRAWBERRIES GALORE!!!!!!!

I think we are finally finished picking for market tomorrow...or lets put it this way, "I'm not doing any more!" We picked over 200 quarts of strawberries, lettuce, swiss chard, onions, leeks and herbs. And it's very muddy out there!!!!! Hopefully the rain will stay away tomorrow for market. Those of you picking up your CSA shares at Columbia tomorrow will be getting dozen eggs, 2 quarts strawberries, bag of lettuce, bag of swiss chard, onions, leeks and bag of fresh herbs for the full shares. The half shares will be getting 1/2 dozen eggs, bag of lettuce, 1 quart strawberries, onions and bag of fresh herbs! Now I've got to get today's eggs cleaned and put in the refrigerator before I can go rest my aching back! Oh and the bag of herbs has basil, cilantro, chives, oregano, rosemary, lemon balm and mint!

We've got 15 raised beds with drip tape and plastic mulch made and ready to plant. That is where we will plant our peppers, okra, eggplant and tomatoes. We also finished planting out the rest of the kohlrabi, broccoli and cabbage. I planted my cilantro in between them, maybe that will help keep the bunnies out?!!!!! We really need to loose some of those pesky creatures. The other night one of our cats, Fuzzbucket, came running in the door with a little bunny in his mouth! He was so proud of himself! But then he sat it on the floor at my feet, and I realized it was not dead!! It took a hop and the cat caught it again, so we quickly put them both back out side! A little while later I was working at the computer and Greg was watching T.V. when I heard this high pitched squeal. I said was that the T.V.? Greg said no it was outside....One down, many, many more to go...

Okay! The first CSA pickup is tomorrow for the Columbia people. The full shares are getting 1 quart of strawberries, bag of mixed lettuce, bag of swiss chard, dz. radishes, bunch of green onions, bag of dried tomatoes, large applesauce bread and a dozen eggs. The half shares will be getting 1 quart strawberries, bag of mixed lettuce, 1/2 dozen eggs, bunch of onions and a bag of dried tomatoes. Hope everyone enjoys! The Fulton people will pick up their boxes on Tuesday 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

CSA DELIVERY STARTS!

Looks like we will be starting the CSA box deliveries this next week. Columbia pickup people will get theirs this Saturday at market and the Fulton people will pick up next Tuesday. At the moment it looks like there will be strawberries!!!! There will also be lettuce, onions, eggs, bread, maybe some other types of greens also. Will keep everyone posted!

Today we weeded the greens in one of the hoop houses, and the candy onions out back. I need to weed on the green onions and the potatoes, but we'll see how and when I get to that! Greg has tilled up the old radish, arugala, mizuna and tot soi beds in the little hoop house and we are going to replant some more greens and broccoli, kohlrabi, cabbage and radishes in there.

Saturday the Fulton Farmers' Market started up. Since our daughter was home we sent her there with eggs, some baked goods, jams & a few bags of lettuce. Greg & I went to the Columbia Farmers' Market. We are hoping to start the CSA deliveries next week. The Columbia deliveries would start this Saturday and the Fulton deliveries next Tuesday. That is the plan, but we will let everyone know for sure a little later in the week. We are hoping the onions will be ready by then, so grow onions, grow!!!!!!

We worked this weekend on the tomatoes in the hoop house. The wind had blown the plastic off one whole row of tomatoes, so had to work at getting the tomatoes back through their holes in the plastic and the plastic anchored back down and more cottonseed hulls placed around the holes. We also got the tomato stakes up. Now to get the first row of stringing done! The potatoes are popping through and the lettuce and radishes we planted out in the front garden are starting to come up. Greg tilled up most of one of the little hoop houses that had the arugala and mizuna and radishes in it. We will replant it again here in a couple of days with more greens, etc.