True colors at the farm

Discovered this welcome sight at the farm just this week!

This strawberry is a beautiful burst of color at the farm.  

beds a few weeks ago

This luscious strawberry, harbinger of summer, reminds us 
that soon the palette of the farm beds will be awash 

in other colors–certainly lush greens and then rainbows of yellow, orange, red, purples. 
Yes, it is a very encouraging time at the farm.
A few weeks ago, Matt from Local Landscapers inspected
the raspberry bushes which were beginning to flourish.

The "sticks" are the raspberry canes

See the small cane in the midst of the leaves.
We could take that cutting, dip in a rooting gel (with root hormone)
and transplant to create a brand new raspberry bush.

Did you know, you can use honey as a "rooting gel?"

It's natural for suckers to pop up near the bushes,
and this is how raspberry bushes spread. Not a problem, if that's what you want
but needs controlling if you don't. Here are some tips on pruning raspberries.

Watch this for tips on planting, growing and caring for raspberries.

Now, a few weeks later, our raspberry bushes are full and lush green bushes.

And hopefully, soon, this is where they will be, dotted with these red gems!

Besides how colorful and abundant the farm will look 

as our plants are thriving, it's also a good idea for your plate 

to reflect a varied color wheel of vegetables and fruits. 

Did you know that "different colors indicate different nutrient profiles?" 

Here's a good breakdown of how to think about vegetable color groupings 

Check out this video about benefits of different colored fruits and vegetables. 

 Your home garden can be colorful as well.
No matter how small the space, it's possible to

grow some of your own vegetables and herbs.

Here are some good resources for you:

How much to plant for a family of four

Sunset Magazine steps to create an edible garden
One of our favorite sources for great ideas, Smart Gardener
can help you create a vertical garden!

And for those of you want to be more self-sufficient and
produce more of your own food, even in a small space:

 Here are some great tips for making the most of your own.farm.

While we encourage you to grow your food, create a garden, 

we still hope you will treat yourself to a visit to the girl & the fig or the fig café
 to enjoy some of the bounty from our farm. 

This week's star for Plats du Jour at "the fig:"

risotto, house-made smoked ham, garden peas, st. jorge cheese, charred pea tendrils