Yum.  Thanks, Damien!

Thanks, Paul, for sharing your incredible talents!  We love our new look:

Blueberries in the cooler at the Madison County Extension Office, all ready for distribution.

 And…just because I (Morgan) love the way it sounds, I have to share a quick lesson from Linda: this past weekend was beautiful and warm – it really made for a perfect Easter.  All of the sudden, in the past few days much cooler temperatures have set in, causing it to feel like we’re headed back toward winter.  Yesterday, Linda matter-of-factly announced that we’d entered “Blackberry Winter.”  Ha!  How about that?!?  Of course, I totally agree that blackberries, in their delicious, juicy wonder, totally deserve their own season – I’d just never heard the phrase.  My vote is for a children’s book, or a cookbook, or really any book with ”Blackberry Winter” as the title.  It would just beg for a read…

I wonder what little tidbit Linda will share next.  Maybe there’s an “Elephant Garlic Fall.”  Somehow it just wouldn’t have the same ring…

For all the details on the competition, including a full list of the finalist restaurants, visit www.bestdishnc.com.  First, second, and third-place winners won’t be announced until November, so that gives you plenty of chances to visit Cafe Azalea (or any of the other fine establishments on the nominee list) and make your own decision about who has the best dish in NC!

The past week has been full of sowing and setting:  garlic, raspberries, tomatoes, squash, Fraser Fir Christmas trees, radishes, carrots, beets,  onions, and potatoes.  We hope to see the fruits of our labor in the coming days and weeks!

How do you grow a potato? Plant a potato! - or a potato part...

We’ll be at the Mars Hill Market tomorrow.  Come visit!  We’ll have watercress, baby greens salad mix, day lillies, sage and mint plants, chives and more.  We’ll also have a booth at the WNC Farmer’s Market’s Dig Into Local event.  If you’re in the Asheville area, swing by and check it out!

You'll know you're at our booth when you see this sign...

Our good friend Ruth Gonzalez just gave the Mars Hill market a great writeup on her outstanding blog, Tailgate Market Fan Club.  Give it a read, and subscribe to her blog – we sure have!

We’re excited to see familiar (and new!) faces at the market tomorrow! Stop by our booth and say hello.

At this early point in the year our watercress is mild, tangy and only lightly peppery; for these first cuttings we focus on the tallest new growth.  From now through late June, we’ll harvest several times a week, and each plant will give us multiple cuttings.  Throughout the spring and into early summer, the flavor will grow progressively stronger and more peppery.  Watercress isn’t fond of summer heat, but it makes a nice encore in the early fall, when we harvest several more cuttings until first frost.  We package watercress in bunches, in 4 oz. clamshells (perfectly sized for individual and family use), and in 3 lb. bulk cases for restaurants and buying clubs (and some individuals who just really, really like it!).

We’ve had some press coverage of our watercress in the past.  The magazine “Vegetarian Times” did a ‘Peak Season’ feature on watercress for their March 2009 issue, and interviewed Linda for it!  You can view the article here.

And for much, much more on the history, use, and health benefits of this truly auspicious little plant, visit the British Watercress Alliance’s superb website.  The site is absolutely brimming with recipes, facts about the plant, and fascinating historical details.  We think they say it best on their history page: “The vital ingredient for growing watercress is, of course, water – pure, mineral-rich spring water, from which this peppery little super-food derives its power house of nutrients.”