I was away for a few days, and it's shocking how much there is to catch up on, after a little break this time of year. I'm still digging out, but it was worth it. I have a lot of news you need to know this week so we'll get right to it. 

That garlic scape pesto I made last week? It has made its way into everything at my house this week from salad dressing to a delicious batch of chickpeas. The bright green color paired with serious garlic flavor makes me very happy. We do eat with our eyes after all.

Join us for a farm tour — everyone is welcome! Come walk the fields, meet the animals, and get a behind-the-scenes look at how your food is grown.

It is hot as the fourth of July out there, isn't it? I don't want to go anywhere near the stove so I'm leaning into the big salads until the heat dome passes. Do not miss the romaine hearts - they are so crisp and cool and delicious.

I have much to report so I'll get right to it. But first, another calf photo, this one from Joanie. That baby was born yesterday to another of the older Jersey cows, Clementine. Clem came in at milking yesterday looking like she'd been in labor a long time. A prolonged labor in an older cow can sometimes be because the calf is dead and/or in a bad position, but this little one was exactly where she was supposed to be, two feet and a nose pointed out. She was just stuck fast at the shoulders. Joanie and I gave a good pull, and this lovely little heifer was born alive and well. The bloody nose was from the tight squeeze! She's doing great today, and so is Clementine. Joanie named the heifer Cantaloupe. Cantaloupe, may you live long and give lots of milk, and bring honor to your fruity line.

I can't stop with the Anne Brown calf photos. This week, I give you Barbara, our oldest dairy cow (born in 2014) and her new baby Jersey heifer, Babs, who will join the milking string in about two years if all goes according to plan.

Another week, another cute cow photo from Anne Brown. This little guy got lost when the herd moved to a new pasture far away, and spent what must have been a scary couple of nights alone in the big bad world. Their joyful reunion was a bright spot in the week.

The accelerator is pressed to the floorboards here as we approach the month of June. This is true every year, but especially on a spring like this, which started off slowly, and has seen plenty of rain. June is the everything bagel of the year on a diversified farm like ours.

So, what’s a whole-diet CSA, you ask? Join us at Essex Farm for an Open Farm & Tour Day and find out! Saturday May 16th, 11AM - 1PM.

We’re hosting picnic dinners at our respective farms to showcase the amazing food that we grow in our little corner of the world.

Strawberries are starting to boom, my friends. So far, you've been picking exactly as fast as they have been ripening.

My favorite meal this week was this delicious-spiced lamb dish with chickpeas, roasted carrots and herbs, slathered in a simple garlic yogurt sauce, on a fresh flatbread.

Mark is moving Snack Shack to the farmhouse kitchen this afternoon. Please come over to the house, have a bite to eat, and debrief your week of cooking with us. I can hear him chopping away down there, whistling along to his music (today it's Billy Joel).

This is the sort of dish that feels nourishing and healthy enough to eat for breakfast without guilt, but also delicious enough to serve at the end of a dinner alongside some extra maple syrup and whipped cream.

This recipe from Mark was a reboot of a thick curried squash soup from the day before, and a great example of how you can cook a large amount of something, and work it into different dishes all week without getting bored.

June! The leaves and flowers hinge and arc to track the sun. We orient ourselves to the sun in June too, zipping from field to field and task to task, capturing as much energy as we can during these golden weeks of long days.

Welcome welcome to this new year. The low last night – ten degrees – felt like actual winter instead of the creepy faux-cold we’ve had thus far.

We hosted fifty middle schoolers from the Lake Champlain Waldorf School in Vermont last Thursday. They hiked from the ferry to the farm via the Essex Gateway CATs trail in the humid heat.