Big Ten

So, I should have posted last week, at the start of what we are calling our "BIG TEN".  This is our 4th year as a Farmers Market vendors, and we realized we had never gone to market for more than 6 consecutive weekends, and never more than 2 weekends of double markets.  With our big push on flowers this year, we finally have enough product to support 2 markets consistently.  So, we ambitiously sets goal of doing double markets for 10 weekends in a row.  Our "BIG TEN"! 

This is the second week, and we are already makings changes to how we prepare for market.  With just 1 market, we can usually start lining things up on Thursday morning. With 2 markets, we need to start on Wednesday.  When those two markets come back-to-back, week after week, we have to start planning almost as soon as we get home from market on Saturday.  It's going to be tough, but we are confident that we will end, 8 weeks from now with a lean, efficient system. 

Hopefully, we will still find time to update the blog.  It should be interesting!

Tulip time!

This year our tulips were almost perfectly timed.  Last week, our red, pink, and apricot impressions started blooming Monday and were finished by Friday, just in time for Easter weekend! This is our first season growing impression tulips, and they have been a huge hit.  Long stems, great vase-life, and beautiful colors have made them a popular with both our market and florist customers.

Our banja luka tulips tried to spoil the party by blooming on Sunday and Monday, but a few hectic days of picking got them all harvested.  Finally, our single-late tulips started blooming mid-week, filling up our cooler for today's market.

We love raising tulips, they're the first flowers we being to market, and are always popular.  This time of year, we don't have anything else to harvest, so we have lots of energy for picking and packaging them.  If they came in September, at the end of our season, I'm not sure we would have the time and energy to keep up with them. But, in the spring, after a long winter, we always find the energy for our favorite bulbs

Saturday morning baked goods!

Mini-head lettuce!

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!

Holiday Greenery Part III

Here are some of our Swags that we took to Manhattan recently.  If you see something you like, or something you would like in a different color or with a different bow, please contact us at cooksmarket@gmail.com, and we'll do our best to create the perfect wreath for you!

Our swags can be build to hang on doors, over mailboxes, on fireplace mantels, or used as centerpieces.  If you want one for something specific, we can make adjustments and construct one the right shape for your needs.

White Christmas (Large Swag)
(Large Swag, Horizontally built, with silver/gold ribbon and silver/gold ornaments.  Great for mailboxes, mantels, over doors, or as a centerpiece)
 

 Natural Swag (regular)
(Vertical swag with pine cones, frosting, and a plaid ribbon.  Great for front doors)

 

Greensleeves Swag (regular)
(Vertical swag with a lime ribbon and red bulbs)

Holiday Greenery Part II

Below are some of the 24" wreaths we recently took to the Buttons and Bows holiday market in Manhattan Kansas.  If yous see one that would look great in your home, let us know and we can build one just for you.  If you see something that's close but want different colors, sizes, ornaments, or add-ins, let us know.  We have a large selection of bow styles and colors, ornaments, and picks.  


If you're interested in ordering a wreath, but can't make it to a show we're attending, feel free to contact us via email ( cooksmarket@gmail.com ).  We'd love to try and help you find or design the perfect wreath:

Autumn Harvest (24")
(24" wreath with lights; a green and gold bow; and brown, green, and metallic picks)

 

Limeade (24")
(24" wreath with lights; lime green and red bow; and red, green, and gold picks)

 

Merry and Bright (24")
(24" wreath with lights, a gold/red dotted bow, and red and gold bulbs)

 

Red Poinsettia (24")
(24" wreath with a white/red ribbon, and red bulbs and picks)
 

Wrapped in Red (24")
(24" wreath with lights, a red-plaid deluxe ribbon, and gold picks)
 

Silver Moonlight (24")
(24" wreath with lights, a grey/silver ribbon, and silver ornaments) 

Fresh Holiday Greenery

We've been hard at work turning tree trimmings, ribbon, and ornaments into gorgeous holiday wreaths and swags.  Cook's Market will be selling these lovely creations at holiday craft fairs around Kansas in November and December.  If you see our booth, stop in and say "Hello!"

If you're interested in ordering a wreath, but can't make it to a show we're attending, feel free to contact us via email ( cooksmarket@gmail.com ).  We'd love to try and help you find or design the perfect wreath.

Below are some of the 18" wreaths we recently took to the Buttons and Bows holiday market in Manhattan Kansas.  If yous see one that would look great in your home, let us know and we can build one just for you.  If you see something that's close but want different colors, sizes, ornaments, or add-ins, let us know.  We have a large selection of bow styles and colors, ornaments, and picks:

Blue Christmas (18")
(18" wreath with lights, bow, and a triple set of blue, gold, and silver bulbs)

Purple Pride (18")
(18" wreath with lights, purple and silver bulbs, silver picks, and a plaid purple ribbon)

Violet Bloom (18")
(18" wreath with lights, a purple ribbon, and purple orchid picks)