Today we sold 10 pounds of lettuce to Old Soul Organics a local grocery distributor.  An hour later, I was reading Oliver a story on the couch.  The local NPR station was playing classical music in the background.  Then I heard the familiar sound of the trivia quiz question music.  Usually I only play the quiz of fridays during “Film score friday” because they give out two movie passes.  But today I heard P.J. Robowski (the quirky KUAF announcer) say something about Old Soul Organics.  Today they were giving away a 35 pound box of organic produce.  This is a first for this radio station.  Usually they give away crappy things during the week like a $10 gift certificate to one of the most expensive restaurants in town, or a $10 gift card to the university bookstore.  I knew I had to have this.  The question:  What year was the peace sign invented?  1958, 1962, or 1966?  Now, being the regular NPR All things considered listener that I am, I knew the answer.  Maybe 3 weeks ago, possibly more, they did a story about how the peace sign was having its 50 year anniversary.  So I call (ring ring) I answer, and when the music on the radio stops playing and they announce a winner they say:  The winner is Amanda Wounderlich…..WOOOOOOOO!!!!  Close enough!  How about that!  It’s the first time I’ve ever won anything on the radio.  I’m so excited, so please be excited for me!

Happy late Cinco de May everyone!  We decided to have a little gathering on the 4th, because no one wants to party on a Monday.  To everyone who came (if you read this), thanks for making it a fun time on the farm.  Enough of the fun stuff, now onto the meat.  Lately we have been knee deep in lettuce.  Our lettuce is growing off the hook, so much so that we can’t sell it fast enough.  I’ve been cutting and rinsing and drying lettuce for a few days now, and let me tell you it’s no picnic.  One of the farmers we have talked to lately said he never wasted his time growing lettuce, because it was too labor intensive.  I now know what he means.  Lettuce is a weird crop.  It’s hard to grow the right amount in your backyard.  You always wind up with more than your neighborhood needs.  With our intentions to sell to restaurants, we started 8 rows of lettuce.  But, we are growing more lettuce than the restaurants need all at one time.  So I called on our friends down at the grocery distributors, and told him about all of the lettuce we have.  He said they would start taking some of it off our hands at a fair price.  The only problem is that they only need 10 pounds this week.  That’s nothing.  We have gobs more.  We need to expedite it.  I’m trying to compile a list of other businesses to hit up, or I’ll be out at the end of the driveway with 1 pound sacks trying to give it away.  So as I type this, Paul is toiling away inside rinsing and drying the 10 pounds.  It’s a lot of work.  I don’t regret planting the lettuce, we just need to re-think this for next year maybe.  Who knows though, hopefully by then we will have developed a reputation for superior spring mix, and will be know throughout the county for our crisp leaves….tee hee, only time will tell.