crops, and crop varities

this being our first year farming on our own without the guidance of more weathered farmers, we gotta admit, we're pretty stoked.  like chickens with their heads cut off, we've been running around for the past few months with various garden errands (weeding, bug hunting, etc.), and our next big ideas for our little plots. on top of chasing our stunning little one yr old around the gardens, we've been very satisfied livin' this life.

but lets get down to brass tacks. we've got two 20 X 40ft beds, and a quarter acre outback. 

here's our spring crop list:

beans:
edamame (envy, tohya brands - we're a big fan of tohya. more flavorful, less crunchy)
soybeans (black jet)
bush beans (provider, jade, xera, fresh pick - we do not prefer the former)
tongue of fire
turtle black beans

mesculn popping up.

pinto 
great northern
jacob's cattle
garbanzo 
and soldier beans.  ...whew, lots of beans!


corn (mystique and sugar buns - we prefer mystique, but both are yummy!)

squashes:
delicata (our favorite)

bolting mesculn, medicinal herb garden

butternut



tomatoes:
mariana (for canning)
striped german
sungolds
big boy
heirloom

potatoes:
red gold
gold rush



french charentais melons
fennel 
broccoli (gypsy)
red cabbage
turnips
shallots
carrots 
parsnips
wild asparagus

broccoli, homemade cold frames, kale (in back), cabbage

onions
chard

kale (starbor and tuscano)

snap peas (yum!)

sunflowers and wildflowers abound

and a medicinal herb garden including:

rosemary

creeping thyme and tall thyme

oregano

cilantro

echinacea

marigolds

hyssop

nasturtiums

failed:

cukes (almost totally failed, no clue why)

spinach (too much heat)

lettuce (mr. bunny got it all)

leeks (most didn't germinate. we direct sowed them)

mesclun (bolted rather quickly)

dill

  farmer's almanac

     i think that's it for the spring crops.  so far, it's gone very well, except for all the failed crops of course. but that's to be expected.  best-laid schemes o' mice an' men, and whatnot. we've been keeping a detailed farm journal daily, intended to help us out with future gardens.  a key component of which is recording the weather.  

     we've had some record-breaking heat waves this year, which destroyed some of our crops during their extra-sensitive germination period.  we also had an early spring, and were a little late getting started.  together these forces of nature have slightly deformed (in appearance and taste) our green beans, shrunk our corn, over-heated our spinach, dill, mesclun, and cucumbers (we guess). 

  but our edamame tastes wonderful, the sungolds are plentiful, the broccoli and kale are in constant blossoms, and the snap peas were delicious and sweet. 

  today we tried out this roasted sungold recipe from our brother and sisters in farms, in dreamy maine.