Dear Friends and Family,

Ah, the sweet taste of Kentucky peaches. On Saturday Jackson's Orchard showed up at our Bounty of the Barrens market with the first of this season's peaches. They sold out after an hour. There were also lovely pale green June apples, so good in pie. I resisted the apples in favor of peaches. Been enjoying them with breakfast oatmeal and with my own version of fried (actually sauteed) rice and broccoli in the evening. Actually when I got home on Saturday I had to have a large bowl of the sweet juicy peaches with cookies and cream ice cream.

Another vendor brought the first sweet corn. He had to go back and harvest more by 9 o'clock. Luckily he had a couple of helpers with him. Even so, the corn was gone by 11. I felt badly for the people who showed up later in the morning. We had to keep telling them the corn, the peaches, the few first tomatoes were gone. At least we could assure them there would be more next week.

So the growing season is underway. I think the unusually warm temperatures have somehow compensated for the wet, cool spring. The rain continued through this month creating the most magnificent crop of weeds I have seen since I've been here. Paul and crew have had their hands full trying to harvest greens in muddy fields without damaging other crops. Cultivation has to be done by hand for the same reason. The ground is so saturated that even after several days of hot sunshine the fields in the lower areas stay wet. Paul was embarassed to have got a cultivator stuck in one of our lower fields. It was there for over a week. He had run it through several rows and thought to finish just one more. Halfway down the row the tractor could not pull it out. He was glad the field is not too visible from the road. I told him it reminded me of springtime in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where I grew up. Every year some neighboring farmer would try to get out on the fields just a little too early and, usually, in about the middle of a field he would find the wet spot. The plow would sink too deep. In the process of trying to free it the big tractor tires would get stuck, sometimes almost to the hub. Then it would be great sport for neighbors to come and help pull it out.

I have not been able to keep up with mowing my yard. I was so grateful when Robin came to the rescue with the ride-on mower. She accomplished in 20 minutes or so what it usually takes me several hours to do. Of course the larger mower cannot trim the way I do, so I got out and did some of that. Part of the problem for me is timing. Because I sometimes have commitments off the farm, I miss the dry "window" for mowing. Last week we had several days of high temperatures/high humidity which made working outside very difficult. I even turned on my window A/C. Usually I don't need that until later in July and August. But the ceiling fans plus floor fans just weren't cooling enough. I suppose part of the problem is conditioning. The extreme heat and humidity came right on top of the cool spring.

Our apprentices Jenny and Laura along with Sasha have taken over the milking of both cows. Recently they have been working in a shelter in the treeline between here and the A-frame house. I can look out around 6 in the evening (or in the morning) and see Blue Bell with her head in the hand-made stanchion munching on some special treat with Jenny sitting on the stool at her udder. Sasha holds her tail to keep Jenny from being lashed along with the flies. Then they change places. Sasha has become quite a competent milker. Laura alternates milking times with Jenny.

Addie, Blue Bell's daughter, has always been skittish. Jenny and Laura and Sasha have spent hours patiently working with her so that now she, too, is willing to come into the stanchion and be milked. The two calves have fun just hanging out with the milkers and the moms.

I've got a new routine for Thursday afternoons. A helper and I deliver our Edmonton farm shares on my way to Glasgow. We meet our Glasgow shareholders at a little farmer's market on the grounds of T J Sampson Hospital. It runs from 2- 5 in the afternoon. First couple of weeks it was fine, just light rain, but not really difficult. First week Sasha came with me. One of the other vendors, Bobby, was going back to his farm to harvest squash. His wife stayed with the stand. Sasha went with him. When they got back Bobby said he was impressed by how hard Sasha had worked. As we were leaving he gave him $5. On the way home Sasha saw some fishing rods at a yard sale. He bought himself a new rod with the $5 plus a $10 loan from Grandma.

I get a different helper each week. I look forward to the opportunity to get to know our apprentices better. Three weeks ago we loaded the shares in pouring rain. Laura and I both had on our Wellies and raingear. By the time we got to the market the sun came out full blast. We were totally unprepared, thinking we would spend the afternoon trying to keep dry. Now we have a large green umbrella that we can set up to shade our stand and the coolers. We also bring drinking water and a spritzer to cool the vegetables on display.

We are impressed that this market was started at the initiative of the catering service at the hosptial, Unidine (a Massachusetts based company). Apparantly what makes them unique is a commitment to using local produce in their menus. They understand how fresher produce makes tastier and more nutritious meals. The Glasgow chef has developed wonderful working relationships with the vendors at this market.

I flew to Atlanta mid-month for a party given by Denise' parents. John and Denise drove back here with me. It was so good to have them here for a few days. Madeline and Sasha think Denise is the bees' knees. I had such a wonderful time with her family in Atlanta that I can't wait to see them all again in October at the wedding. Love, Louise