The big news on the farm is that we have had over 6 inches of rain in the last week! That’s a lot of rain! It’s a little more than we needed but we’re generally thankful that we didn’t get even more than that with so many storms going through the area. We heard about hail, tornados and high waters in other regions nearby so we feel lucky it wasn’t worse here!
The crew worked in very wet and muddy conditions this week. We had to catch up on weeding even though it’s not fun to weed in the mud. We weeded the onions, fall parsnips, sweet potatoes and began weeding the peppers. We also started harvesting broccoli this week which is a fun new addition to the CSA boxes. We removed the row cover from the zucchini and summer squash plants which are beginning to set fruit. We will likely begin harvesting zucchini and summer squash for next weeks CSA boxes.
While working in the fields the people who come together to work here enjoy many hours for socializing. The farm is a highly social place. We talk about our lives, tell our stories and build lasting relationships with our fellow community members. We talk about books we’ve read, books we’re reading, and trips we’re taking. Sometimes we even talk religion and politics and get a little ‘out there’ trying to figure out how the pyramids were built. It gets a little spicy sometimes even with so many different people and so many different perspectives. What I especially love though is how we are held accountable to one another though our friendships. We speak to one another respectfully. And because we are all equals on our hands and knees weeding the onions, we listen to one another.
Listening and conversational skills are learned. It takes practice and patience to listen. It takes humility and empathy to listen. We listen because the person talking is our neighbor. The problems in the world are not our neighbors. Our relationships are held to the highest honor, because without our neighbors and friends, we are lonely. I love that how in a world that can feel so divided, we are united somehow on a local, small scale organic vegetable farm finding common ground over food and a prevalent interest in clean water, healthy soils and small family farms. We are forced to temporarily set aside our egos to get the harvest done, the vegetables washed and the boxes packed. While we attempt to solve the world’s problems one kohlrabi at a time, we trust that we’re making a small difference somehow.
So don’t worry guys! While we’re out here washing lettuce and bunching kale, we’re also solving the world’s problems. We’re actually more like superhero vegetable farmers than regular vegetable farmers. We’ve got our coordinating bright orange slickers for protection and strength. We’ve got our harvest knives and hand hoes as armor. Our sun hats and muddy boots for camouflage. We’re digging in deep out here.
What’s in the Box?
Lettuce x 2- Two heads of lettuce per member. We tried to give everyone a red and a green head of lettuce but many folks got two green leaf heads. The lettuce is still very tender from so much moisture! Because of so much rain and heat, some of the heads were beginning to rot a little from the underside while the top side still looked so nice. We cleaned them up the best we could for you this week.
Lacinato Kale- Also called dinosaur kale, tuscano kale, and I’ve even heard it called ‘Black Kale’. This is possibly the most trendy variety of kale and makes a very nice addition to soups, egg bakes and even Pasta dishes.
Green Onions- One bunch green onions per member. We should have green onions for a few more weeks still. Edible from the base of the onion to the tip of the greens.
Garlic Scapes- These curly green ‘scapes’ are actually the garlic plants effort at making a seed head. Each plant produces one scape. When they have grown where there is enough edible quality on the scape, we snap them off and bunch them and give them to you. Scapes can be used much like regular garlic but they have a milder flavor. I usually cook with from the blunt end to the nodule on the scape, but the whole thing is edible!
Hakurai Salad Turnips- Likely the final giving of spring turnips. These are so lovely cut into coins and used in place of chips with your favorite dip!
Broccoli x 2- Broccoli is beginning! Broccoli prefers to be kept very cold. We recommend putting your broccoli in a plastic bag and get it into the fridge as quickly as possible.
Kohlrabi x 2- You may have received either a purple or a green kohlrabi.
Snap Peas- A very tiny amount of peas. The peas did not germinate well this year and then they didn’t get weeded. So we went in and did a quick harvest to clean out what was there, but it didn’t amount to much! A nice addition to one of your salads! The entire thing is edible.
Next Week’s Best Guess: broccoli, lettuce, bunching onions, basil, kohlrabi x 2, Garlic Scapes,
Recipes-
French Lentil Salad with Kale and Feta
Pan Seared Turnips with Ginger Miso Glaze
