Harvest season is in full force on the farm. It feels like we are spending almost every day harvesting something which is leaving very little time left over for weeding or for harvesting and cleaning storage crops. We’re almost non stop picking cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes and cherry tomatoes every-other-day. We’re harvesting green beans on our Thursday and Friday slots, potatoes and cabbages on the weekends and somehow finding time to get everything else picked on our usual Monday and Tuesday harvest and packing days. The harvesting has been a little intense, but the boxes are really looking great! We’re doing our best to keep up the hard work!
We said “Good Bye” to Sam this week as he head off back to finish school and welcomed Joe Orso to the crew this week. We’re going to miss Sam’s relaxed attitude and hard work but are really enjoying Joe’s fresh enthusiasm and humor. Adrianne is still rock-solid, showing up for work every morning, ready for more.
Adrianne holds Ayla in the Farm truck on our way out to the field every morning
Youkon Gold Potatoes- We were very pleased with the yields on our Yukons this summer. They sized up nicer than we are used to seeing with this variety. It was a little muddy on Sunday from the rain when we dug them out so there is a little more mud than usual.
Carrots- Many of the carrots are a little on the large side. We experimented with spacing our carrots out a little more this year and it seemed to work quite well for us. We are wishing that we could have harvested these before they got quite this big, but they’re still great for cooking! Plenty more carrot successions coming up!
White Onion- A white onion for your everyday cooking.
Garlic- Asian tempest garlic. Will keep great on your coutnertop for at least a couple more monthes.
Hungarian Hot Wax Peppers- The Hungarian Hot wax peppers turn orange and then red when they are ripe. We picked as many colored ones as we could and then picked the yellow-er ones next. They little peppers have a surprising kick to them!
Jalapeno Peppers- These peppers also turn red when ripe. We picked as many as we could that were red and then picked green ones next.
Sweet Red, Orange or Yellow Bell Peppers- So many different varieties of peppers coming into maturity! It is so fun to see all of the beaitufl colors. We do not actually grow green peppers, but sometimes pick red or yellow or orange peppers before they are fully turned in color. We are noticing that we’re having an unknown insect making a tiny hole on some of the peppers. There is no evidence of what is making the hole. The peppers look perfect on the outside but sometimes are rotten on the inside. We appologize if you got a pepper that was bad-we had no way of knowing!
Sam and Adrianne spending hours upon hours picking beans.
Tomatoes- Huge bags of tomatoes this week! It felt like we were picking tomatoes all week long on the farm. Remember to leave your tomatoes out on your counter to ripen. Some tomatoes will ripen red or purple or pink or orange or yellow. To know if your tomato is fully ripe, just give it a very gentle squeeze. Some healed cracking is normal in the heirloom tomatoes up around their shoulders.
Sun Gold Cherry Tomatoes- These sweet babies are orange when fully ripe. They’re a fun treat for the ride home from picking up your CSA box. We were able to give everyone a pint again this week! Many hours spent picking cherry tomatoes so far this summer! It’s a labor of love!
Eggplant- Almost everyone was able to get an eggplant this week. We came up a little short but tried to be more generous with other items for those folks.
Cucumbers- I’m not sure what to say about cucubers any more. They are still producing quite well this late in the summer.
Zucchini, Summer Squash and Patty Pans- Remember that you can grate and freeze or chop, blanche and then freeze.
Green Beans- A mixture of green, yellow and the purple dragon tongue beans.
Collards- A very small bunch of collards or swiss chard this week. We aimed to clean up the plants of the damaged leaves so they could put more energy into the fresh new growth.
Joe and Adrianne getting lost in Cherry Tomato Land
Italian Flat Leaf Parsley- Beautiful, dark green flat leaf parsley. Wonderful for potato salads, soups, or for drying and using this winter.
Celery- The celery heads are still producing quite nicely with no signs of rot. In past years we always had a difficult times growing celery because we did not have a way to irrigate it and the centers would rot out. This year things are looking great. It is no comparison to California celery, we know, but it has a character all of it’s own. Local celery has a stronger celery flavor, more leafy greens and it a little less of the thick-crunchy stalks we are used to seeing from California celery. Use the greens of this celery in your stocks, soups or for drying and seasoning with. The stalks are still wonderful in salads, soups or whatever you’re making with celery!
Chilled Smoky Eggplant with Yogurt and Cilantro
