3rd Week of August

Notes from Your Farm

Rain and sun, rain and sun and lots of work to be done. We are keeping warm this week and thrilled with a fabulous bean harvest. The tomatoes plants have done much better than seems possible under the heavy yoke of late blight. Farm morale is high even with the high heat and humidity. Thank you farm crew: Elizabeth, Bradley and all the trainees.

So what's in store for the fall harvest? Look for cool weather-sweetened collards and kale, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower, radishes, bok choi, napa cabbage, daikon, dill, cilantro, carrots, and even parsnips and rutabagas for the adventure of it. We would've been planting these crops early if the temperatures had been lower, but the extreme heat is unkind to both germination and growth of cool-weather crops, so we are waiting for a cooler window of opportunity.

BEANANZA! Unlimited "Pick Your Own" this week! The beans are loaded!

Cookbooks:

We have some excellent cookbooks here for sale that are a great match for seasonal and local eating.

• Simply in Season Cookbook: has recipes in order for Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter crops.
• Farmer John Cookbook: from the quirky Farmer John of the "Real dirt on Farmer John" movie fame. His Angelic Organics CSA is one of the best known in the country.
• Simply in Season Children's Cookbook: Fun, easy, and quick to prepare recipes to do with children.

Pick Your Own Field Highlights:

• Ground Cherries: check out these tasty little paper-husked treat that have a hint of pineapple. Pick when paper turns golden brown or fruit is on the ground.
• Pole beans: including Red Noodle and Roma types, down at the low end of the PYO fieldCut flowers: zinnias, snapdragons, celosia .
• Basil: is ready: pinch off the tips just above where they branch--not sure, ask Bradley.
• Tromboncino Squash Tower: Check out this rapidly growing vine and the bamboo tower that Bradley made for it.
• Summer Savory: this herb located beyond the grapes in the PYO field. Very strong by itself, it is excellent with tomatoes.
• Edible flowers: Nasturtiums, and Calendula and Borage are edible and are located also toward the end of the PYO field.
• Sungold cherry tomatoes: yes, they have the late blight too--but there are some tomatoes there.
• Heirloom tomatoes: various types located in the first row.

VOLUNTEERS FOR HOMEFIELDS WANTED:

Homefields, our nonprofit host and landlord, is looking for a few volunteers to help out with the United Way "Day of Sharing" at Homefields. This is an event that allows Millersville University students to become involved in a community service project. We are looking for volunteers to either select plants to beautify the Homefields residential property and/ or volunteers to help direct the MU students on the morning of Sat, Sept 12 as they do various jobs around the Homefields property. Please contact Joyce Smedley at jwsmed@verizon.net if you are interested in volunteering or would like more information.

Homefields is also beginning monthly meetings called "Sharing Homefields" to expand the mission, property and resources of Homefields. Please see the flyer on the distribution table for more information.

About Some of the Characters:

• Asian and Italian type eggplants: the slender Japanese type eggplants are usually sweeter and milder than the classic Italian types. Their color is fabulous too.
  Coating slices with oil and soy sauce and grilling them is quick and delicious.
• Carrots: munch on them like a marauding rabbit or see Maple carrot recipe below
• Mars: these red onions can be used now or kept for storage
• Zucchini: see recipe below.

Lucy's Zucchini Burgers

Advance prep: Grate some zucchini. Grate some onion. Combine in a bowl with bread crumbs, a little cooked rice, one beaten egg, and whatever spices you like. Form into patties, place on a paper towel on a plate and put into fridge: either overnight, or at least an hour or two. (This will release some of the moisture.)

Final prep: Coat with flour. Lightly sauté in frying pan in olive oil and butter. Serve on any bread you like. Really good with goat cheese and tomato, tziki, or mustard.

--shared by Elizabeth Swope, Asst. Farm Manager