Week 10 marks the half-way point of our Summer Share deliveries. It’s hard to believe that it is half way over already! But the fun is just beginning, if you ask me! I feel a little guilty confessing that farmer Adam brought the first ripe watermelon down from the fields this weekend to cut into to see if the melons are ready. We enjoyed a sweet, crisp and just slightly under-ripe melon that the kids inhaled. Sweet corn, tomatoes, cucumbers and so much more! The sweet flavors of summer are upon us!
The first tomato harvest of the season happened this Monday. Just one bin of blushing tomatoes and a few pints of Sun Gold cherry tomatoes to share with those who did not get broccoli in this week’s box. The first Sweet Corn harvest was modest, but these ears needed to be picked. We’re exited to start sharing sweet corn in the next few boxes! We also planted A LOT of melons this year, so we’re really excited to start sharing melons as soon as we feel they’re ready for the first big harvest.
The smell of corn pollen, flowering dill, the lightening shows and the cicadas are all emblematic of summertime on the farm. The tan on my skin, the ache in my back and fatigue in my legs from cucumber harvest tells my body that it is summertime on the farm. Quick dinners of steamed green beans, cucumber salad and hamburgers on the grill tell my tummy that it is summertime. The crickets chirping, the law mower humming and the tractor put-putting along up and down the road tell my ears that it is summertime.
We have seeded Fall radishes, Fall spinach and Fall lettuce. It is getting late in the year to still be planting crops, but a CSA farm like our is still thinking months ahead. We’re already closing in on the final plantings for the year so we can spend less time working ground, and more time cultivating and harvesting. I have even noticed a slight difference in the day length finally. We’re still struggling to get the kids to bed at a ‘decent’ hour, but somehow we are getting the rest we need to get up and do it all over again each bright and sunny morning.
Your farmers are feeling thankful for this very nice stretch of dry weather. We are working on finishing up garlic harvest and in the middle of onion harvest. Garlic and onions both love dry weather for ‘curing’ in the greenhouse. This dry weather should be very helpful in making sure the garlic and onions dry down quick and that they will store well. The projected storms that were supposed to hit us on Monday night passed us by to the South. Just a little sprinkling was enough to water our recent seedings and soften the soil for some germinating beets from last week.
Red Cabbage- A heavy and dense head of red cabbage for all. Will keep nicely in the fridge for a bit until you get to using it up!
Green Top Beets- We call them “green top” because they still have their greens on top of them;) Cut the stems and leaves off of the beets and store the beets in a plastic bag in the fridge. Store the greens in a seperate bag in the fridge to preserve moisture until you get to using those up. Some people love beet grees just as much as chard or spinach, don’t forget to use those!
Green Curly Kale- Because keeping you stocked up on your greens is so important!
Zucchini and Summer Squash- Three squash per member this week. The plants are starting to slow down now.
Sweet Corn- Just three ears per member this week. We’re hoping for a larger harvest next week and for a few weeks still after that. Sweet corn is best eaten as soon as possible once it has been harvested, we recommned eating it as soon as possible. If you don’t plan to eat it right away, store it in the fridge to keep those sugars from turning into starches. You might think sweet corn is just fine at room temp since you see it at roadside stands. But it will quickly go bad if left out at room temp. Eat it up!
Green Beans- .73 lbs of green beans for everyone this week. A summer staple. Steam them, toss them with a little butter and salt, and you’ve got a dinner side!
Cucumbers- Holy Cucumbers! 8-9 cucumbers per member this week! Woah! Summer offers these in abundance this time of year when it’s time for is all to chill out with a cucumber!
Flowering Dill- If you don’t think you can use all of this dill fresh, lay it out on dehydrator trys and dry it quickly. If it dries down quickly in a dehydrator or on a sheet pan in your oven, it will stay very green and still have a lot of it’s flavor in teh winter. Once it is dried down, store it in a mason jar with an air tight lid. It is wonderful fresh tossed with your beans, cucumbers, salads or however you like!
White Onion- For everyday use!
Garlic- Freshly harvested garlic! When fresh like this, the little membrane around each garlic clove inside the bulb that is normally paper thin, is a thicker membrane. Remember you peel your cloves, but know that that membrane that you will be peeling off will be a couple millimeters thick. Fresh garlic does not need to be stored in the refrigerator. Savor the texture and flavor of freshly pulled garlic like this that only comes but once a year!
Eggplant- Either a standard eggplant or 1-3 asian eggplants. Eggplant is similar to cucumbers and summer squashes in that it prefers storage temps around 50 degrees again. The fridge is a little too cold and the counter is a little too warm. This would be a good one to use up sooner rather than later for this reason! Enjoy this rare-ish seasonal treat in your favorite fashion! We love eggplant parmesan, battered and fried eggplant,
Celery- Some of the celery was cut and buched again this week. The cut bunched were bagged and the whole heads were not. We do recommend storing your celery in a plastic bag in the fridge. Local celery is much different than California celery. Local celery is usually much darker green, has a stronger celery flavor and is not as watery and juicy as California celery. We find that it is still wonerful in your egg salads, potato salads, soups and just about everywhere else. Celery greens are also edible! Celery greens can be used in soups, salads or however you might like to sneak them in! Celery is maybe one of the most healthy and nutritious plants we grow being very high in vitamins A, B1, B2, B6 and C. It is also high in potassium, is known to lower blood pressure and also is detoxifying.
Broccoli or Cherry Tomatoes or Regular Slicing Tomatoes- There was just a little broccoli and the first picking of tomatoes to share, so we dividied up the harvest amongst boxes. More tomatoes coming in future weeks now!
Next Week’s Best Guess- Summer squash, zucchini, cucumbers, onion, sweet corn, melon?, eggplant?, green beans, carrots, lettuce, celery, tomatoes.
Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole with Guyere featuring Carrots and Celery
Cucumber Salad with Chili and Roasted Peanuts
