In the share - Week 8

first picking of the eggplant

CUCUMBERS (F/P) It is peak week for our first round of cukes and everyone is getting a good amount. We will also have available a crate of “take what you want” ones that the cucumber beetles munched. Look for the crate at the end of the line marked “Cucumber 2nds”.

SUMMER SQUASH (F) Our first planting of the summer squash is winding down, but we have another round of pattypans coming in soon.

NEW POTATOES (F/P) The first of the fresh potatoes – eat soon or store in the fridge. Their skins are not developed enough yet to keep very long, but boy there's nothing like a new potato.

TOMATOES (F/P) We have a new record for earliest harvest with over 100 lbs today. There’s a nice selection of hybrids and heirlooms. We grow many colors of tomatoes including green, yellow, orange, pink, striped, black (dark red really), and of course, red.  All of the tomatoes that we are giving you this week are ripe or 1-2 days away from being ripe. Not sure if your tomato is ripe? Give it a gentle squeeze – it should feel soft not hard.

 This photo shows only heirloom varieties although this week we have quite a few standard red ones too.  Some of the varieties above are Black Krim, Amana Orange, Aunt Ruby's German Green and Marianna's Peace.

GARLIC (F/P) The first offering from the garlic bulb harvest is Musik, a hardneck variety. Hardneck garlic has large cloves that surround a central stalk.   The garlic is cured and should keep on your countertop for a month or more although they are at their prime right  now while they are fresh and juicy.

BASIL (F/P) We are sending in pesto-size bunches this week to go along with the garlic.

PEPPERS AND/OR EGGPLANT (F) The first picking with what looks to be many more to come.

CABBAGE (F) More heads have grown since our last picking, especially the pointy-headed ones.

CHERRY TOMATOES (F) We are hoping to have enough pints for the full shares this week, next week we'll have some for the partial shares.

WALLA WALLA ONIONS (P) These are sweet onions, perfect for every summer salad. Not cured, so refrigerate.

ALSO THIS WEEK: Parker Farms CSA shares

NEXT WEEK: More tomatoes, cucumbers and summer squash. Carrots return. Onions for the full shares.  Salsa packs make their debut.

FARM REPORT

While I made a quick run to Fayette, Missouri for the biennial Rains family reunion on Sunday, Farmer Tom stayed home and got our new storage room ready for the tomato harvest. Just in time too, with our nice harvest today and hot weather in the forecast.  Using a window air-conditioning unit, a gadget called a CoolBot and a lot of insulation we now have a room to keep crops that prefer a cool but not cold storage temperature. It is built in the lowest corner in our barn against two underground walls. We call it the Cave.

Cave was also the last name of my grandmother, Allene. It was her parents, Louie and Cleve, who bought the land that Tom and I now farm. Grandpa Cave had cattle on pasture and grew hay in the field where we currently have carrots, squash and cucumbers growing.