Week 14 is here, with only 8 more weeks of the summer CSA left. If you'd like to keep receiving the bounty until the snow flies in December, we still have a few Fall shares available. Don't wait, sign up now before they fill up!
The days are getting shorter, which means shorter work days, which can be both a good and bad thing on the farm. Good in that we can't do too much work after the sun goes down, but bad because there's so much work to be done! We've started working on lifting potatoes, and will have some beautiful spuds for members soon. One of the biggest challenges we have is food storage. While we lease cooler space, we will have a lot of storage crops that will need a home to hold into the colder months, and our present situation of shared space only allows us so much space and can only keep things cold, and can't keep them warm when the temps drop too low. There are grants (which we find out about all too late) for food storage, and loans as well, but we are thinking of starting a go fund me project to get some of the barn repairs done, and build a walk-in cooler of our own here at the farm. These things were in the budget this spring but we ended up using much of the funds earmarked for that project for much needed irrigation supplies. We'll let everyone know when it's up and running, so if you'd like to contribute something you can.
Celery is in shares this week again. Some is regrowing some nice dense hearts, and we have a ALOT. If you're interested in bulk celery for making stock, juicing, etc, please shoot us an email and we'll get it to you with your CSA share. We pulled the remaining cucumber plants out of the ground to make space for more fall plantings of swiss chard, kale, escarole, lettuce, bok choi and broccoli. Our Amish Paste tomatoes made their way into regular shares this week, and if you'd like more we have plenty for canning and will be adding them to online store until they are done. They are a meatier tomato with less juice than some of the other heirlooms which make for great sauce that cooks down quicker with a higher retention rate. Also mixed hot peppers will be available by the pound for preserving. The cilantro is finally catching up to speed and we'll have some for salsas within the next two weeks after having to reseed 4 times.
It has been tradition to have an annual open house ever since our days at Grindstone. Neither farm organized one this year, partly because of the time it takes, and partly due to lack of participation. We all love to make time to show customers around the farm, and many other local farms have now created weekly or monthly events, which makes me feel like we're missing the bus or horrible slackers. We are currently scheming up a harvest dinner at the end close of the CSA when things slow down some. While it may not be the best time to tour the fields, it will still give everyone the opportunity to get out to the farm, enjoy some great food, and meet their farmers. We will keep you posted as we solidify this event.
We took a break from the eggplant and peppers this week to give them time get bigger and ripen up. While peppers were on crop we had more than members really wanted last season, this year is a different story. The hot peppers are loaded but the sweet are not. Each season different crops fare differently, but they both have a lot more blossoms and fruit starting after getting some good rains.
This week's shares are as follows:
Small: Basil, fennel, celery, broccoli florets, lettuce, heirloom tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, onions, & summer squash.
Regular: Basil, fennel, celery, brocolini, lettuce, heirloom tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, onions, summer squash, carrots and winter squash (delicata or spaghetti)
We've been happy to hear some of the feedback from members as to how much they've been enjoying the fennel, because it is certainly one of the crops we are the most proud of this season, especially after seeing what other farms have on their market tables. Fennel is a traditional staple of the Mediterranean region, and is snacked on raw in parts of Italy. It has medicinal uses as a stomach calmative as well. One CSA member shared a recipe for using the fronds as a base for a pesto. You can also roast the fennel, which brings out it's sweetness and mellows out the anise flavor a bit. We had thought that the summer squash would be done by now, as it usually is, but it still keeps fruiting, and has stayed healthy. We will keep picking as long as they keep growing. Try freezing some to use later in soups or to make some chocolate zucchini muffins, or squash tots. (all summer squash is interchangeable in recipes, so even if you don't have dark green zucchini, the yellow squash and light green koosa squash can be used to make breads and muffins too.) Brocolini or the broccoli are also interchangeable in recipes, and there is a lot of nutrients and flavor in the stems and leaves as well, which is why we leave the stems long and most of the leaves on. They can also be easily blanched and frozen for later use in stir-fries and soups. Winter squash holds very well just sitting at room temperature, and while we know it still is too warm to think about firing up the oven to cook the squash, they can be microwaved, and delicata squash can be sauteed with the tender skin left on.
Enjoy your shares this week, and keep in mind that this is truly the season of harvest. While fall crops come in summer crops are still producing, so you can expect to see much more bounty in your shares through the next few weeks.
The days are getting shorter, which means shorter work days, which can be both a good and bad thing on the farm. Good in that we can't do too much work after the sun goes down, but bad because there's so much work to be done! We've started working on lifting potatoes, and will have some beautiful spuds for members soon. One of the biggest challenges we have is food storage. While we lease cooler space, we will have a lot of storage crops that will need a home to hold into the colder months, and our present situation of shared space only allows us so much space and can only keep things cold, and can't keep them warm when the temps drop too low. There are grants (which we find out about all too late) for food storage, and loans as well, but we are thinking of starting a go fund me project to get some of the barn repairs done, and build a walk-in cooler of our own here at the farm. These things were in the budget this spring but we ended up using much of the funds earmarked for that project for much needed irrigation supplies. We'll let everyone know when it's up and running, so if you'd like to contribute something you can.
Celery is in shares this week again. Some is regrowing some nice dense hearts, and we have a ALOT. If you're interested in bulk celery for making stock, juicing, etc, please shoot us an email and we'll get it to you with your CSA share. We pulled the remaining cucumber plants out of the ground to make space for more fall plantings of swiss chard, kale, escarole, lettuce, bok choi and broccoli. Our Amish Paste tomatoes made their way into regular shares this week, and if you'd like more we have plenty for canning and will be adding them to online store until they are done. They are a meatier tomato with less juice than some of the other heirlooms which make for great sauce that cooks down quicker with a higher retention rate. Also mixed hot peppers will be available by the pound for preserving. The cilantro is finally catching up to speed and we'll have some for salsas within the next two weeks after having to reseed 4 times.
It has been tradition to have an annual open house ever since our days at Grindstone. Neither farm organized one this year, partly because of the time it takes, and partly due to lack of participation. We all love to make time to show customers around the farm, and many other local farms have now created weekly or monthly events, which makes me feel like we're missing the bus or horrible slackers. We are currently scheming up a harvest dinner at the end close of the CSA when things slow down some. While it may not be the best time to tour the fields, it will still give everyone the opportunity to get out to the farm, enjoy some great food, and meet their farmers. We will keep you posted as we solidify this event.
We took a break from the eggplant and peppers this week to give them time get bigger and ripen up. While peppers were on crop we had more than members really wanted last season, this year is a different story. The hot peppers are loaded but the sweet are not. Each season different crops fare differently, but they both have a lot more blossoms and fruit starting after getting some good rains.
This week's shares are as follows:
Small: Basil, fennel, celery, broccoli florets, lettuce, heirloom tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, onions, & summer squash.
Regular: Basil, fennel, celery, brocolini, lettuce, heirloom tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, onions, summer squash, carrots and winter squash (delicata or spaghetti)
We've been happy to hear some of the feedback from members as to how much they've been enjoying the fennel, because it is certainly one of the crops we are the most proud of this season, especially after seeing what other farms have on their market tables. Fennel is a traditional staple of the Mediterranean region, and is snacked on raw in parts of Italy. It has medicinal uses as a stomach calmative as well. One CSA member shared a recipe for using the fronds as a base for a pesto. You can also roast the fennel, which brings out it's sweetness and mellows out the anise flavor a bit. We had thought that the summer squash would be done by now, as it usually is, but it still keeps fruiting, and has stayed healthy. We will keep picking as long as they keep growing. Try freezing some to use later in soups or to make some chocolate zucchini muffins, or squash tots. (all summer squash is interchangeable in recipes, so even if you don't have dark green zucchini, the yellow squash and light green koosa squash can be used to make breads and muffins too.) Brocolini or the broccoli are also interchangeable in recipes, and there is a lot of nutrients and flavor in the stems and leaves as well, which is why we leave the stems long and most of the leaves on. They can also be easily blanched and frozen for later use in stir-fries and soups. Winter squash holds very well just sitting at room temperature, and while we know it still is too warm to think about firing up the oven to cook the squash, they can be microwaved, and delicata squash can be sauteed with the tender skin left on.
Enjoy your shares this week, and keep in mind that this is truly the season of harvest. While fall crops come in summer crops are still producing, so you can expect to see much more bounty in your shares through the next few weeks.
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