Week of May 25th - Memorial Day Wkend

Restaurant sales have competed strongly for limited farm production of mesclun because of the 3 day weekend and Brown University commencement. Baby Greens sold 56# to subscriptions (140 families) and 41# to restaurants for a total of 97#, just below our sales goal of 100#/wk. More mesclun sales than this would place stress on quality control and labor demands. In past years, the farm produced over 150# at this time of year at a frantic pace. Something had to be done to ease the strain and that something was the sale of more micro greens to restaurants. Micro greens are those sprout-like garnishes on hauteur cuisine plates. they are less labor intensive than mesclun and command a far higher price of $30/#. We sold 32# of micros this week working smarter and not harder.

Two beds hoop lettuce seeded Apr. 14th will probably start producing next week after 6-7 weeks from seeding- a bit slow. Lettuce seeding May 17th in Garden#2 is coming up well and will most likely catch up with hoop lettuce in 2-3 weeks. Just goes to show how important soil temp. is to germination and growth even though the hoop lettuce had plastic over until last week.

Lucy's chicks are doing well. Ended up with six. Brought them and Lucy to the house garden to forage and scratch in the soil and sun for the first time.

Week of May 20th

Lucy's brooding trance has brought forth to the farm five new chicks with more eggs waiting to hatch over the next day or so. Paternity is loose with our little flock of two roosters and five hens, each hen making a contribution to a clutch of a dozen eggs which Lucy commandeered twenty one days ago. It's likely big, magnificent ,handsome Tipsy a Buff Brahma -Black Cochin cross is the insoucient father. Greyjack, his feisty bantam lesser rival who seems to know his place in the pecking order was probably rebuffed and sidelined by the ladies. His spirit though remains strong as he continues to crow his second string rooster head off perched atop the greenhouse. Other possible genetic mothers in the flock include Pearl the white Leghorn, Minute past Midnight the black Araucana, Sunset the R.I. Red, and Freckles the Buff Rock. Any kids out there with a knack for naming, please send in your offerings as the chicks develop in the next few months and we take more pictures of each of them.

Welcome babygreens friends and patrons. I hope this blog will serve you as a means to better communications with you important information and seasonal events going on at Baby Greens and between you and the subscriber community. Please think of it as a virtual farm journal I will update weekly. Feel free to share your insights and comments as your participation is crucial to our mission statement of "Locally Grown, Locally Delicious".



Week of May 12-18. Happy Mothers Day. After a wet 1st half of the weekend, weather continues to be seasonally cool with salad greens transitioning to a warm weather mix. More lettuce varieties,beet/chard greens,mixed mustards, sorrel, arugula,and chrysanthemum greens begin to dominate. Production becomes tricky as we shift to outdoor gardens from out of the winter green house. Intend to take plastic off early spring lettuce hoop house late this wk. and turn the chickens out onto Garden#1 rye grass. Lucy our buff orphington hen is in her 3rd wk. of brooding and we might have 6-10 chicks by next wk. Need to work on soaker hose irrigation for Garden #2 early summer lettuce.



Important Events this and following week. 1) Send out subscription renewal notice for 2nd 10 wk billing cycle starting Wk of May 20- July 22nd. 2) Invite subscribers to Jun.15th open house @ Innisfree Body Works, Broad St. ,Pawtuxet Village 11- 1:00. New locally produced goodies including cheese from Narragansett Creamery, and breads by Olgas Cup and Saucer will accompany light alfresco Baby Greens and refreshments. 3) Copntimue looking for 5 acre farm site with or without house in West Bay area. All leads appreciated. 4) Continue dialog with Rocky Hill School for possible Center for Sustainability. 5) Start micro greens delivery to Trio Restaurant, Narragansett.



Stay tuned, Jeffery

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