Robbing the Crop

Despite relentless potato beetle attacks all spring, our first plantings of potatoes are thriving, and some of them just started flowering this weekend. The purple and yellow blossoms are a welcome sign: they tell us that little baby spring potatoes are waiting just below the soil. Farmers can harvest the crop at flowering for "new" potatoes; otherwise, we wait for the plant tops to wither, and harvest full size, mature potatoes later in the season.

Although I want to wait for the potatoes to get at least a little bit bigger before we harvest them, I couldn't resist taking a few home for lunch. While ominous clouds gathered overhead, and Christian worked to finish some weeding, I reached my hands under the lush potato plants and dug my fingers into the cool soil, searching out the little pink orbs. I "robbed" just a few from several plants, allowing them to continue living so the potatoes I left behind will reach full size later this summer.

As big raindrops, thunderclaps and lightening moved in, Christian and I quickly gathered some broccoli and spring onions and put everything away.

Our potatoes, onions, Beetlebung Farm's carrots and rosemary are now roasting together in the oven, and in a few minutes, we'll lightly cook some broccoli and sugar snap peas to complete the meal. We'll invite our Mom to join us and together the three of us will enjoy a rainy day, summertime treat.