Nutella scones!

Oh yeah!

More dahlias!

Even more dahlias this week!

New baking items!

After a week off from the market, we are excited to be back!  We brought two new recipes with us this week :  parmesan-sage scones and curried mango hand pies.   We hope people enjoy these savory treats,  we sure do. 

We are also excited to have our first crops of eggplant and dahlias.   Both these crops did very well for us last year,  and we are really excited to see how the do this year.   We planted five different eggplant varieties,  and over a dozen dahlia types.

Gluten free Flowers!

Our first big crop of summer flowers is accompanying our first try at a gluten free scone: raspberry!

Rudbeckia

Today we had enough rudbeckia to bring several bunches to the market.  We are excited to gave them since we've been a little short on flowers lately.  We had a fun surprise while cutting them last night, one of our double-yellow plants grew a single flat, wide stem (like a celosia atem)!  Some flowers just have a mind of their own.

First produce!

This time of year at the market is full of so many firsts (flowers, herbs, etc.) Today, we have our first batch of mini-head lettuce.  I love this stuff!  Fresh, sweet, and crisp, it is super tasty.  On top of that, it looks great (especially the red romaine).

We also have a new biscotti flavor: citrus-cornmeal, which we baked at the suggestion of a customer.  It turned out to be one of THE BEST lemon/citrus biscotti we have ever tried, and may become a regular in our lineup.

Lawrence farmers market Grand Opening!

Light on flowers but heavy on herbs, Cook's Market is excited for the official Grand Opening of the Downtown Lawrence Farmers Market!

First market of the year.

First flower delivery of the year!

Spring started very early on the farm this year.  Warm temps and lots of rain have flowers blooming and new growth on all our perennials.  Market season also started early for us too.  While the Lawrence market is still a few weeks from opening weekend, we delivered our first batches of wholesale flowers today!  We decided that in addition to growing the area we farm and variety of plants we grow, we also wanted to expand our customer base.  Florists we've spoken with have said that their customers have been asking about locally grown flowers, so we are excited to help them meet this demand.  Working with other retailers is a partnership, we have to work together, grow what they need, and ultimately deliver a product that pleases their customers.  We are looking forward to learning and growing this part of our business.

Here are some pictures of our first two orders, and a sample of the beautiful French tulips we have been harvesting this week.  Enjoy!

More Tulips

We also have French tulips just starting to bloom.  they have either a pink-apricot or yellow coloration.  Long 18 to 24" stems with big 2+ inch blooms.

We also have some great purple tulips that this picture just doesn't do justice to.  They have 12-18 inch stems with 2 inch heads.  Rich purple color.

Cretaceous Tulips (Double yellow/orange)

our Cretaceous tulips have come up as well.  They are a tall double tulip (twice the petals).  That vary from yellow to a rich tangerine, both colors darkening as they open (the yellow approaches a light orange).  Stems are 15 to 18 inches, with 1.5 inch heads that spread to about a 4 inch diameter when open.

This last picture shows the variation in color across this variety!

Big Eartha Tulips

We started harvesting tulips last week, and it's been so much fun!  Here are some pictures of our first type up: "Big Eartha," a beautiful pink tulip with 20" long stems.  Heads grow from 2.5 inches towards 4 inches as the mature!

 

New Year, new plants!

Well, it's only February, and we've already started seeds for some of our early spring crops.  It's a fun time on the farm, lots of planning and dreaming.  All our fields are full of potential, and we can't wait to get started outside!