Spruce up your salads with some herbs! There are some lovely spices to add new flavor and flowers for color. Try freezing edible flowers (or petals) in your ice cubes for a little party pizzazz! We use the wash water from cooling your veg to hand water these beauties in. They soak in up in appreciation and are willing to share their flavorful talents. (PYO flower garden to open soon, update coming next week.)

One of our fab crew, Becca, also works for the Androscoggin Health Services. She teaches healthy eating classes in schools and coordinates volunteers to come to farms and glean extra produce. The produce is then taken to shelters, food banks and other locations that cook food to feed those in need. This Monday, they braved the heat and harvested some of our kale and chard. Her Prius was too small to take as much as I had to give, but they will be back. It helps me out by keeping the plants fresh for harvest when I cannot keep up and helps out so many residents of Androscoggin County. It’s not always easy to manage when and how much produce will be ready, and this programs helps keep tons (literally) of fresh produce from going to waste — thank you, Becca!

The reality is that we are now in a drought. Not as severe as our friends out West, but moving in that direction. We are watering as much as we can and it adds a lot more labor and stress as we do not have an abundance of ground water. The pigs need watering holes to keep themselves cool as they do not sweat. Three times a day, we hose them down, which also takes time, but their antics make us laugh so it is a happy task. We have transplanted the majority of our major crops, but soon I need to start seeding winter storage crops. I keep waiting to do it before a rain…. Know that your support of local farms is SO IMPORTANT. We put our hearts into growing and your weekly purchases keep the farm alive. Eating seasonally is a wonderful way to appreciate your local economy and fill your belly with the freshest food possible. THANK YOU for loving Little Ridge Farm — we love you!

This Week’s Bounty: lettuce mix, purplette onions, kohl rabi. broccoli, kale, garlic scapes, dill