In the Share: Week 8

TOMATOES Loads of beautiful fruits are coming out of the patch right now. We grow a lot of different varieties of heirloom and hybrid tomatoes. My favorites include the Cherokee Purple and Orange Marmalade.

CARROTS The last of the Spring carrot harvest is wrapping up this week.  If you haven't got your farm shift in yet, we could use some more hands to bring in the crop this coming Saturday morning. They will keep well in cold storage for the CSA for the rest of the season.

CUCUMBERS The first planting is giving us one last hurrah of a harvest. The second planting is looking good and should start soon.

SQUASH A combination of zucchini and yellow squash.

EGGPLANT Happy plants are giving us some nice fruit this week. We grow a purple Italian type and an Asian slender and one. Be sure to cook it to the same tenderness as a cooked mushroom. Yumm!

SALSA PACK The tomatillos are doing well, so time to salsa! If you forgot how, check out these salsa pack recipes, fresh and roasted.

GARLIC They are completely cured now, but still juicy.

BASIL OR SUMMER SAVORY The basil plants are as happy as ever this year. Plenty in your share to make a good batch of pesto. The savory is especially good on eggplant, squash or potatoes. And speaking of basil, here is a recipe that was posted on our closed group Facebook page for White Bean and Basil Dip. So join the group if you are not already a member and check out the page for more recipe ideas from your fellow members, like a little ratatouille!

FARM REPORT: Wow! What gorgeous weather we have! After a brutal 95+ degree week, the low at 60 degrees this morning felt amazing! Two inches of rain accompanied the cold front, which gave us a nice break from the daily task of playing with filters and hydrants of our irrigation system. You can almost watch the plants growing before your eyes in response to the moisture and optimum temperatures. This is part of the patch of Solanaceae crops which include peppers, eggplant, tomatoes and tomatillos.

On the left side is the same insectary we showed in May. The summer flowers have really taken over along with the dill.

The cover crops of sorghum Sudan grass and sunhemp are thriving especially since they have to wait for rain to get watered.

The Summer harvest is proceeding nicely. We pick cucumbers every other day and all of this was just yesterday’s harvest.

Needless to say we have been making a storm of pickles, but also they’ll be a nice selection of slicers and picklers for the CSA this week.

In the Share: Week 7

SUMMER SQUASH: The Zephyr squash attracts a focused bumble bee as we pick the patch. They’re just after their breakfast, and don’t mind us. If you have not made zoodles before we recommend you learn, as it is a great way to cook them

LETTUCE: Last lettuce until fall! A bit of the crunchy crisp and romaine types that are great in a Caesar or chef’s salad.

CUCUMBERS: To keep them crisp be sure to sprinkle a little salt on them when you cut them up.

NEW POTATOES: It is the one time of year that we dig new potatoes. Eat them soon, as new potatoes are a treat when fresh. We chunk and salt them, steam until tender, and toss with butter, pepper and fresh herbs. A garnish of yogurt and sauerkraut is a favorite too.

ONIONS: Fresh and still growing, these Walla Walla’s are sweet and crunchy.

HERBS: You will have a choice of a large bunch of basil or a mix of summer savory, thyme and parsley.

TOMATO: First week with a tomato. You may get one that needs to ripen a bit. Place it on a plate or bowl and leave on your counter until it is brightly colored and slightly soft. Our tomatoes come in a rainbow of colors, so don’t wait for it to turn red necessarily.

EARLY PICKINGS CHOICE: We are beginning to pick peppers, eggplant and tomatillos. Each site may not get the same thing this first round.

FARM REPORT: Summer is here in all her blazing glory! Her fruits are quickly replacing the lettuces and greens of the Spring. The squash and cucumber plantings are looking good. There is a new planting of both under the cover.

If I could put a finger on our busiest time of year, it might be right now. In July, we straddle all three growing seasons at once. The spring planted carrots and potatoes, beets and onions are ready to dig and be rescued from the heat. The summer fruiting crops need watering, weeding, trellising, along with the every-other-day harvest. The fall crops are delicate seedlings requiring twice-a-day watering and soon transplanting to the field. It is a lot to juggle!

Add to that the daily need to keep buildings clean, produce washed and equipment running. This week our 15+year old spader that we use to incorporate plant material into the soil needed some maintenance.

There’s nothing like getting covered in oil and grease to make your organic farmers an unhappy lot. Fossil fuel derived products are right now a necessary evil of our “green” business. On the flipside, we make compost, plant cover crops and insectaries, use solar and wind power, build organic matter and yes, even sequester carbon.

But are we doing enough? What more could we be doing? These are the questions that plague us and probably we are not alone in the worrying over whether any of us is doing enough to reverse a climate in crisis and the extinction of species. When it seems like too heavy a load on your shoulders, it is a good time to visit the chickens in the strawberry patch and look for a rainbow.