Welcome to 2016! Hope your holiday celebrations were wonderful.

We are now resuming our regular Saturday delivery / pickup schedule and happy to continue to deliver a wonderful range of healthy foods to help you to eat well in the new year. Although the temperatures are plummeting this week, our produce made unprecedented growth late in 2015. This resulted in an abundance of produce for January, even as temperatures begin to feel more seasonal.

We protect many of our crops using row covers and by growing them in high tunnels, so we know the hardiest of our produce will be fine, even after nights with lows around 20 degrees.

The one notable exception might be Chesapeake’s nice lettuces. Lettuce is much less hardy than brassicas such as kale or cabbage, or members of the onion family such as leeks and scallions. The lettuce might not survive the cold snap we are expecting this week, but we remain hopeful. Please order the lettuce you would like, and we will let you know if it becomes unavailable. We are keeping our fingers crossed.

If all goes well, not only will the lettuce be delicious, but all the produce will have outstanding flavor. There is nothing like cold weather to bring out the sweetness and flavor of hardy vegetables. Cooling and cold weather enhances the flavor of many fall and winter crops. Plant metabolisms change and sugars accumulate in plant tissues as temperatures fall and vegetables become sweeter flavored. The sugar triggers a hormone response preparing the plant to withstand the cold weather.

Remember the deadline for ordering is Wednesday at noon. Unfortunately, we won’t normally be able to take late requests, as we must place vendor orders quickly. You will receive an updated reminder on Tuesday, but please order early to be sure you get everything you would like. Supplies are sometimes limited.

Yours in the garden throughout the winter,