We are thrilled to announce we delivered freshly harvested Microgreens and a few NEW ITEMS to Polks Folly Market in Cedar Crest. Polks Folly Market is located at 12128 Highway 14N Cedar Crest, NM 87008. They are open Wednesday - Sunday from 10am - 5pm.  Scroll down for pictures & descriptions of the new items.

New items included: Freshly harvested lettuce (green heads in clamshells), a Purple Heart Houseplant in ceramic pot (would make a beautiful gift), a lovely Aloe Vera Chinensis in ceramic pot (also a sweet gift idea), and a few Rose Scented Geranium plants (Pelargonium graveolens).
NOTE: We have NO Living Lettuce Garden Bowls this week. We need the space for starting more veggie & flower plants for the upcoming growing season. We should have more Living Lettuce Garden Bowls in a month or so

Lettuce is growing so nicely in our high tunnel.

This week we harvested several of the green heads of lettuce. Red lettuce should become available in the next week or two.

Living Lettuce Garden Bowls are the way to go if you love lettuce & fresh greens, you enjoy growing your own food & especially if you have very little to no outdoor growing space. Or it happens to be the middle of Winter. OR it happens to be the super hot heat of the summer and you have a nice, bright but cool sunroom.

Beginning the 2nd week in March 2023, limited quantities of Living Lettuce Garden Bowls will be delivered to Polks Folly Market in Cedar Crest, NM each Wednesday morning. Polks Folly Market is located at 12128 NM-14 in Cedar Crest, NM. They are open Wed-Sunday 10am-5pm.

The Garden Bowls (limited quantities) will also be available directly from our SowThankful Farm booth at the Cedar Crest Farmers Market when it opens in Mid-May 2023.  The Cedar Crest Farmers' Market operates on Wednesdays from 3pm-6pm in Mid-May to Mid-October. The Farmers' Market is located in the open lot just north of the Triangle Grocery at 12183 NM-14, Cedar Crest, NM

What could be fresher than eating lettuce immediately after you harvest & wash it?!
What's even better is that with proper care, the lettuce will grow back, giving you up to 3 months or more of fresh harvests. Re-growth time after cutting varies depending upon many factors such as how deeply the leaf was cut, bowl location, temperature & humidity, and soil moisture & fertilization; but new growth is usually seen within 3 days or so with leaves ready to harvest in 2 - 4 weeks or so after that.  Once it's done, you can empty, clean and clean the garden bowl then refill & seed again with either lettuce, small herbs or small greens of your choice.

TEMPERATURE: Most lettuces and many greens can take some cold and even light frost conditions, but we recommend keeping your Living Lettuce Garden Bowl in a temperature range of 50 degrees – 70 degrees for best production.
LOCATION: Please, NOT in the refrigerator.
An ideal winter location would be a cool sun room that is bright; but do not place the bowl very close to a window that receives direct sunlight. You want bright light but not close proximity to glass receiving direct sunlight as this may burn your lettuce or cause it to bolt (go to seed). Indirect light is fine. Grow lights are fine. Another great winter location could be a bright, unheated porch. With enough light (we recommend a minimum of 6 hours) and proper care, you can continue to harvest for at least a few months and possibly much longer.
In warmer spring and summer months, choose an area with bright morning sun that offers some shade in the heat of the day. This helps prevent some of the greens from bolting (going to seed).
WATER: It’s important to NOT let the soil completely dry out. Keep the soil slightly moist but not soggy/wet. It is not necessary to water every day, but we recommend checking the moisture level each day with your finger. If the top inch or so of the soil is dry–It’s time to water.
FERTILIZER: Salad/Lettuce/Greens require food that is rich in nitrogen. We recommend feeding an appropriate compost tea, the (discarded) water you used to boil vegetables, or a weak dilution of organic fish emulsion approximately every 7-14 day.
HARVEST: Twist off--or cut--the largest individual leaves from the outer sides of the plant(s) as well as any leaves that begin to overlap each other but be careful not to over-pick so plants maintain enough leaf surface for adequate photosynthesis required for regrowth and new leaves. When harvesting, don’t cut leaves too short, you want to leave approximately 1 -2 inches of growth above the soil line. 
NOTE: Always wash/rinse produce thoroughly before serving.
After you’re finished growing lettuce, you can empty & clean the garden bowl, refill with fresh potting mix and replant with your choice of lettuce, herbs or other small greens.

It's not much longer until the first day of Spring and we are SO looking forward to a fantastic 2023 growing season. But. I would be lying if I said I'm not thankful for winter and the season of rest. We accomplished a lot last year and that's something to celebrate!

We also have accomplished some big goals already for 2023! Jeff started the Microgreens project in January and by the end of January we had our Microgreens in the cooler case at Polks Folly Market in Cedar Crest, NM.  Polks Folly Market is located at 12128 NM-14 in Cedar Crest, NM. They are open Wed-Sunday 10am-5pm. We make freshly harvested deliveries to them every Wednesday morning.  Our offerings included: Sunflower, Pea, Broccoli, Rambo Radish and the very popular East Mountain Mix.

In early March, we added NEW Microgreens products to our offerings: Wasabi Mustard, Arugula, a beautiful purple Kohlrabi, and the extremely popular Sandia Spicy Mix.

Microgreens are nutritional powerhouse veggies with early research indicating, "...that microgreens contain up to 40% more phytochemicals (beneficial nutrients and components) than their full-grown counterparts." Source: WebMD article, "What to Know about Microgreens" (click here to view article a new window).

The same article referenced above--and several other articles easily found via internet search--states that Microgreens MAY also:

• help fight cancer
• help lower cholesterol
• help support gut health
• help lower blood pressure

How to use Microgreens: Add them to soups, salads, sandwiches or snack on them plain. Since they are small, it's not necessary or recommended to cook Microgreens but you should be sure to wash them (and any produce or veggie) before serving them.

If you've never tried Microgreens before, you really should! They are so delicious and so extra good for you. If you love spicy things, be sure to grab some Sandia Spicy Mix (and an extra container of Wasabi Mustard, it's my favorite!).