The rain continues

Hello from the farm,

We are continuing to sing the same song: "a day without rain would not be a pain" as we work around and in the rain.  It is a great challenge to stay ahead of the weeds which keep biting at our heels. 

This week we began the garlic harvest and there will be fresh garlic in the share this week.  Garlic is the last crop that we plant in the farm season, and is planted in mid October to mid November for a harvest nine months later. 

Farmer Elizabeth is taking some well-deserved time off this week and everyone anticipates her return tomorrow--thank you Elizabeth for making the harvest happen each week and helping the trainees to work safely and well. 

twin summer squash make their debut

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pretty golden beets

Serving Suggestions for the Harvest:
Eggplants and Tomatoes: just starting to mature.  Look to see them make a strong showing about a couple of weeks from now.
Cucumber: wow, farm fresh cucumbers are excellent!  dice with tomatoes, onions and olive oil for a cool and refreshing summer salad.
Blueberries--eat them like superior candy--nuff said :-) we expect maybe two more weeks of berry season at least.  You may now pick an additional 1 pint per half share 2 pints per full share over the remaining blueberry weeks.
Cabbage: cut into wedges and serve with a sprinkle of salt, make sauerkraut or family-pleasing
Summer squash/Zucchini: stir fry, grate and use for zucchini bread or freeze for later.
Broccoli: an awesome broccoli crop this year--soon to wind down
Beets: great roasted with olive oil, grilled with oil and balsamic vinegar, or grated in salads.
Chard: remove the lower portion of the stalk as it is usually tough. Sautee leaves in butter, olive or coconut oil, add salt, and red pepper, top with Paresan cheese.
Senposai/Kale/Collards: we like to fry these in a skillet with butter or coconut oil until crisp, add some onions and sautee them as well--a superb topping for rice, fried eggs or stand alone too.
Bok choi and Napa: these have run their course and we will see them again in October and November--a great time to make kimchee with the cool weather. 
Garlic scapes: these are the would-be flowering stems of garlic--soft, tender, easy to use for stir fries, diced for salad, really anywhere a mild garlic flavor is desired. We like to use it for pesto here at the farm.
Cilantro: we anticipate the arrival of the next round.
Turnips:  bye bye until fall, when turnips are sweeter and crisper.


Field Forecast:
Well, surely the rain can't continue forever, we are likely to have a dry spell here somewhere.  We tranplanted butternut and acorn squash this week as well as our favorite Long Island Cheese squash. We also planted Big Max pumpkins that have the potential for great size by early fall.  The mid summer crops are on the verge of great harvets--tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cantaloupes and watermelons.  Also be on the lookout for potatoes, I think we will have an incredible potato harvest this year if things continue their course.

Thank youThank you for everyone who pitched in with enthusiasm and willingness this week to get the job done!


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