Sunday, April 20, 2008

Arugula


Arugula seedlings


Arugula (also called "Rocket" and "Rucola" among other names) is a peppery green rich in vitamins. This year's arugula, leaf lettuce, beets and radishes have sprouted and it won't be long before we have these veggies ready to sell at One Love Farm!

When we were in Italy several years ago, we saw local women gathering wild arugula in the folds of their aprons and dresses on the roadside. If you have ever had arugula and enjoyed its strong flavor, wild arugula is even more intense.

We have been growing it at One Love Farm for years and it is very popular at Farmer's Markets. It is so popular, in fact, that we often sell out early.

Arugula loves cold weather, so we plant it in early spring (early to mid April). Arugula will bolt (flower) in hot weather and become stringy and bitter so it is important to plant arugula in the spring to get a good harvest before the hot months of summer. Because arugula is cold weather loving, it is often one of the first crops availble in the New England.

Other spring crops grown at One Love Farm include several varieties of leaf lettuce, radish and beets. This year we are experimenting with new varieties of beets and radishes that we hope will offer new flavors for our customers.

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