We're heading into Week #6 and it looks like it's going to be a HOT one. The tremendous amount of rain over the past few weeks has given our team the opportunity for crash courses in reading radar and storm tracking. A lot of our members have asked if the rain is good for the crops and the answer is, yes, in general. Luckily we have sandy soil that drains pretty well but the record setting amount of rain does increase the risk of plant diseases which will require extra diligence to ward off such as the dreaded Late Blight.
Thanks to our parents, we got to sleep in an extra half hour this morning but prolific crops such as cucumbers, zucchini and summer squash needs to be harvested daily. As in every single morning or the vegetables will grow too large. So we rubbed the sleep from our eyes, grabbed enormous slices of zucchini bread and headed out to the fields with our harvest baskets in tow. Would someone please tell the plants that it's Sunday?
The pending heat wave means the team will need to get an earlier start each day to harvest before the crops absorb too much heat. A heavy rain followed by a heat wave often means increased yields so harvest baskets may be fuller than they were last week. We are a little short-handed this week due to vacation schedules. Harvest Helpers Wanted: Contact us if you are interested in contributing a couple hours of your time on TUESDAY or WEDNESDAY. Volunteers enjoy being part of the crescendo of effort that leads up to each share distribution. Not to mention they often get to go home with extras.
The combination of rain and heat also means the weeds will be looking to gain the upper hand in the coming days. The list of weedy invaders is long and includes gypsum weed, crab grass and purslane which just so happens to be not only eatable but nutritious. I can't vouch for how it tastes as I've yet to try it but perhaps a unique addition to our salad this week. If any member wants to head out to the field in search of their own to try during their pick-up time, just let me know. Speaking of weeds, Weeders Wanted! Please contact us if you are willing to hand weed one morning this week or hoe a row. No experience necessary.
Recipes
Pickles: Yes we still have pickling cucumbers! You don't need any fancy canning equipment, you don't even need glass mason jars if you don't have them on hand. We made pickles Friday night using this recipe for Easy Refrigerator Pickles. Unable to wait the full 4 days to eat them, we enjoyed them with burgers tonight.
Someone passed me this recipe for Swiss Chard Pesto that I think sounds delicious. If anyone wants extra chard, just ask. Also, another local farmer posted a recipe for Grated Kohlrabi Salad that sound like a worthy use for any leftover kohlrabi you may have in your fridge.
Our member, Helene has been busy putting her CSA share to good use and was kind enough to share the following recipes:
pasta with pancetta and zucchini (she said she deglazed the pan with a bit of white wine and used less parmesan than called for.)
sauteed collard greens
zucchini gratin (she used mix of zucchini and yellow squash, skim milk, mixed some of the cheese in with the squash, panko crumbs on top.)
smitten kitchen cole slaw
Mark Bittman's blog in the nytimes is always interesting. Helene recommended Bittman's "how to cook everything" app for ipad/iphone. "It's great because you can put in an ingredient and it will give tons of recipes for that ingredient, including variations. For instance a search for kohlrabi and came up with all sorts of root vegetable ideas." I plan to check it out!
Thank yous. Thank you to our member and friend Tiffany who showed up on a recent pick-up day to help harvest unasked. Thank you also to the Nielsen Family and Jeremy P. for volunteering on a recent Saturday. Thank you to everyone who has brought us simple gifts lately - Ronda for the lovely hydrangeas from her garden, Dave for the clam chowder and Sharon and Jeff for the banana bread. Your kindness is appreciated!
Above all, we want to thank our small but dedicated team who pull together each week to accomplish an unimaginable amount of work. We thank you for working in the heat and the rain for the better part of many of your days despite the mosquitoes and weather. We especially appreciate our Apprentice Martine's efforts and general Joie de vivre. We don't know what we'd do without your help!
Sometimes I wonder if any little farm has accomplished so much with such a small team. Hope everyone is enjoying the bounty!
Thanks to our parents, we got to sleep in an extra half hour this morning but prolific crops such as cucumbers, zucchini and summer squash needs to be harvested daily. As in every single morning or the vegetables will grow too large. So we rubbed the sleep from our eyes, grabbed enormous slices of zucchini bread and headed out to the fields with our harvest baskets in tow. Would someone please tell the plants that it's Sunday?
The pending heat wave means the team will need to get an earlier start each day to harvest before the crops absorb too much heat. A heavy rain followed by a heat wave often means increased yields so harvest baskets may be fuller than they were last week. We are a little short-handed this week due to vacation schedules. Harvest Helpers Wanted: Contact us if you are interested in contributing a couple hours of your time on TUESDAY or WEDNESDAY. Volunteers enjoy being part of the crescendo of effort that leads up to each share distribution. Not to mention they often get to go home with extras.
The combination of rain and heat also means the weeds will be looking to gain the upper hand in the coming days. The list of weedy invaders is long and includes gypsum weed, crab grass and purslane which just so happens to be not only eatable but nutritious. I can't vouch for how it tastes as I've yet to try it but perhaps a unique addition to our salad this week. If any member wants to head out to the field in search of their own to try during their pick-up time, just let me know. Speaking of weeds, Weeders Wanted! Please contact us if you are willing to hand weed one morning this week or hoe a row. No experience necessary.
Recipes
Pickles: Yes we still have pickling cucumbers! You don't need any fancy canning equipment, you don't even need glass mason jars if you don't have them on hand. We made pickles Friday night using this recipe for Easy Refrigerator Pickles. Unable to wait the full 4 days to eat them, we enjoyed them with burgers tonight.
Someone passed me this recipe for Swiss Chard Pesto that I think sounds delicious. If anyone wants extra chard, just ask. Also, another local farmer posted a recipe for Grated Kohlrabi Salad that sound like a worthy use for any leftover kohlrabi you may have in your fridge.
Our member, Helene has been busy putting her CSA share to good use and was kind enough to share the following recipes:
pasta with pancetta and zucchini (she said she deglazed the pan with a bit of white wine and used less parmesan than called for.)
sauteed collard greens
zucchini gratin (she used mix of zucchini and yellow squash, skim milk, mixed some of the cheese in with the squash, panko crumbs on top.)
smitten kitchen cole slaw
Mark Bittman's blog in the nytimes is always interesting. Helene recommended Bittman's "how to cook everything" app for ipad/iphone. "It's great because you can put in an ingredient and it will give tons of recipes for that ingredient, including variations. For instance a search for kohlrabi and came up with all sorts of root vegetable ideas." I plan to check it out!
Thank yous. Thank you to our member and friend Tiffany who showed up on a recent pick-up day to help harvest unasked. Thank you also to the Nielsen Family and Jeremy P. for volunteering on a recent Saturday. Thank you to everyone who has brought us simple gifts lately - Ronda for the lovely hydrangeas from her garden, Dave for the clam chowder and Sharon and Jeff for the banana bread. Your kindness is appreciated!
Above all, we want to thank our small but dedicated team who pull together each week to accomplish an unimaginable amount of work. We thank you for working in the heat and the rain for the better part of many of your days despite the mosquitoes and weather. We especially appreciate our Apprentice Martine's efforts and general Joie de vivre. We don't know what we'd do without your help!
Sometimes I wonder if any little farm has accomplished so much with such a small team. Hope everyone is enjoying the bounty!
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