Turtle Times

_____________________________________________________________________

Vol. 13 No. 1, April 04, ‘08    7260 NW 58th  St., Johnston 50131  278-4522 (577-9208)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Thirteenth Season of Turtle Farm . . .

. . . so much beauty passes through your hands—of form, and color, and texture.  And energy too . . . Each grain of rice, each leaf of kale, charged with life and the power to nourish.  It’s heady, feeling yourself a kind of conduit for the life force! (from The New Laurel’s Kitchen by Laurel Robertson)

Get ready for this thirteenth season at Turtle Farm.  I know the earth is getting ready to burst forth with its bounty again, though the pessimists out there are gloomy this spring.  Not much is happening at the farm, but the greenhouse and cold frames are bursting with plants.  A new tractor and tiller await their initiation into the dark earth.   I sit here with clean nails, waxing poetic, and wondering what this season will bring. It’s always an adventure.  I still hope to begin the season mid-May, but you will be contacted by e-mail, phone or postcard when the time gets nearer.   In the meantime there may be some early asparagus deliveries. Nettles will soon be available free to anyone interested in coming out to pick them.  Call me to check on their readiness. (Important tip—bring gloves.)

A reminder of the basics of Turtle Farm:

Pick up your box.  You will be notified of your location and time.

Read your newsletter.

Return your empty box the next week when you pick up your next box.

Eat your veggies. 

Orientation Meeting for New Members

 This year’s orientation meeting is April 29 at 7 pm at the UCC Church in Urbandale 3530 70^th St.  We will cover the nuts and bolts of how Turtle Farm works, answer your questions, and show you how to keep your boxes and food in good shape.  There will be food samples to eat and tips for veggies that you may not have cooked with before. I will have some Asparagus to Zucchini cookbooks for sale.  Maybe there will be asparagus, too.  Please RSVP so that we can plan for numbers, but if you forget, don’t let that keep you from coming (email atedesco@worldnet.att.net or call 278-4522).

Farm Stand Vegetable Transplants

Turtle Farm will have some transplants available again for purchase this season.  The farm stand will be open informally Saturday April 29, and Saturdays in May, 9-12 a.m. or other times by appointment for these sales.  I’m including a list of the herbs, vegetables, flowers, and fruit available, which will include strawberry baskets that could make a nice Mother’s Day gift.  The strawberries offered are day-neutral strawberries that will produce in this season.

Turtle Farm Transplants

Herbs ($1 each)

Sage                            Chervil                                    Basil Large Leaf

Parsley                         Lemon Grass                           Lemon basil

Thyme                         Marjoram                                 Lime basil  

Oregano                      Lemon balm                            Spicy Bush basil     

Garlic chives               Stevia                                      Thai basil

Summer savory           Catnip                                     Chervil

Lovage                        Sweet Annie

Flowers ($.50 ea., except nasturtium, $1 ea.)              

Nigella                         Yarrow-Colorado                    Globe Amaranth Qis Purple               

Ageratum                    Black-eyed Susan                   Globe Amaranth Qis Carmine  

Verbena                       Marigold CottageRd               Globe Amar. Straw Fields              

Snapdragons               Marigold solan                        Blanket Flower Sundance        

Butterfly weed            Salvia Marble Arch                 Plumed Celosia Pampas Plume Calendula (edible flowers)                                            

Nasturtium (edible flowers)

Pansies (edible flowers)

Vegetables ($.50 ea., onions $0.25)

Shallots—Saffron                               Cabbage—Early Jersey Wake                           

Shallots—Ambition                            Cabbage—Hermes                              

Onions—Mars (red)                            Broccoli—Green King             

Onions—Superstar (white sweet)       Chard—5 color Silverbeet                   

Peppers ($1 ea.)          

Ace (first 5 in list sweet red)              Sweet Chocolate (brown)                          

King of North                                     Calif. Wonder (yellow)

Red Knight                                         Tiburon ancho 

Lipstick                                               Jalapeno                     

Tollis Sweet                                        Habanero     

Tomatoes ($1 ea.)

Celebrity                     Sungold (cherry)                      Brandywine                             

Jet Star                        Sweet Million (cherry)            Ky Beefsteak  

Big Beef                      Matt’s Wild Cherry (cherry    Rutgers        

Ark. Traveler               Black Cherry (cherry)             Black from Tula                       

NE Wedding               Yellow Plum     (cherry)          Mortgage Lifter                           

Pineapple                     San Marzano (roma)                Cherokee Purple                     

Green Zebra                Garden Peach                          Martian Giant                          

Amish Paste                Evergreen    

Juliet  (saladette)         Persimmon          

Eggplant ($ 1 ea.)

Pingtung Long            Rosa Bianca                Black Beauty

Fruit    Individual strawberry plants* ($3)     Strawberry hanging baskets* ($12)

*Not certified organic