Too much of a good thing

We hope that all of your basements are dry. We are more concerned with too much water, too fast, in our gardens. We know that some rows of seedlings are buried by soil that got hammered by the heavy rains. Some plants look pretty beat up, and we will not be able to do more seeding or planting or weeding for a while. It looks like the middle of next week we will see more consistent sunshine. No sun, no growth, is what we are looking at for now. April was dark, May has been wet, and we hope for better conditions in June. We will keep you informed about what we can put together for the next several weeks. Look to our Facebook page for more pictures, soon, as well.

Our first group of chickens is ready to be processed. We have an appointment for Thursday, May 30, but we have a concern about our processor being open. The federal inspection service of the USDA is giving them a more difficult time this year getting permission to reopen for business. We have written our senators and congressmen to help them. We have been happy with their service over the years. Many small processors have been closed in recent years across Iowa. To us it seems to be more about the number processed in a day than about food safety. Many chicken and turkey growers for many parts of Iowa, South Dakota, and Minnesota are concerned.

Thanks to those who have sent in some of their favorite recipes to share; we received one this week that we’ll hold onto until there’s arugula in your box again.

— John Wesselius