In the Share: Week 8

In the Share 

EGGPLANT  These purple beauties are in abundance right now. We think the wind storm the KC area had several weeks ago rustled the flowers at just the right time and set a lot of fruit! If you are cooking out you can marinate them in oil/vinegar and grill them until browned and tender. Toss with some fresh onion slices, garlic and crushed nuts to make a tasty pasta topping.

TOMATOES A good amount this week as the patch is coming in nicely. We have had some cracking on the thin-skinned heirlooms. We plant many different varieties: heirlooms of all colors and plus red, yellow and pink hybrid varieties. Sometimes the shares may have tomatoes that are not yet ripe. Leave tomatoes that are still hard and green on your counter and wait for them to ripen.

CARROTS A one pound bunch of freshly dug carrots with a nice crunch and sweetness.

CUCUMBERS/SUMMER SQUASH Our first planting of these cucurbits are fading, but a second planting should be coming on later this week. Depending on your pickup day, it may be a choice or you might get some of each.

GARLIC These hardneck heads have been curing for a month and are at their peak. Enjoy some raw, chopped up in a fresh tomato salad.

SALSA PACK Chop the ingredients along with a medium tomato and you have a pint of fresh salsa to snack on before dinner, or add to your morning eggs.

GREEN BEANS The bean patch has produced quite well the last several weeks. Enjoy these hand-picked fruits for the last time this season. We like to sauté them in oil with garlic, and then turn down the heat to let them simmer and caramelize.

HERBS Summer savory, parsley, basil and fennel flowers are all ready for picking this week. Expect a mixed bunch with a selection from what is abundant. Tom says fennel flowers are the perfect remedy for “mask breath”.

Farm report

The summer went from the beginnings of a drought to flood warnings since we last wrote. Almost ten inches has fallen less than one week’s time. We were gladdened by the needed moisture. It appears the fields drank all of that rain in. Here’s one of our spots we’ve been preparing for fall at 11 am yesterday.

 Here’s the same field at 3pm, just four hours later.

Hooray!!! That’s what I call, a well-drained soil! Before the rains came we had been rushing around the fields planting for fall and then laying lots of irrigation tape.

We also managed to haul in the last of the spring onion crop, which is now drying well in the upper barn.

We continue to hope for a time when we can welcome the community back to the farm. Who knows when that will be, but in the meantime the fields continue to thrive with your support. Thank you for allowing your farmers to share air space with more bees than people for now.

In the Share: Week 7

In the Share 

RED POTATOES: “New”potatoes are dug fresh and the skins have not yet cured. They aren’t for keeping, but man are they tasty.

ONIONS: These Desert Sunrise red onions are well cured and ready for all your allium needs. An overwintered onion, it can be strong.

CUCUMBERS: You might see a variety of cucumber types in your share, regular slicers and picklers.
SUMMER SQUASH: Tonight our vegetable side dish is zucchini and onion with garlic and tomato sauce garnished with basil. It is a yummy addition to any meal.

BASIL BUNCH: This year we bought several basil varieties that are resistant to a mildew that has plagued our basil the last several years. This year’s crop is healthy and green. Some varieties are small leafed and others are large. All have a great basil flavor.

SALSA PACKS, GREEN BEANS OR OKRA: Most all of the summer crops are beginning to kick in this week at various stages of harvest.

GREEN PEPPERS: A green and a purple pepper to start the harvest. Grilling them with some onions and garlic creates a great side dish, omelet stuffing, meat topping or burrito addition.

TOMATO: These fruits of summer are just starting too. We grow a wide variety of hybrid and heirloom in a rainbow of colors.  Enjoy!

Farm report

It is the busiest time of year for us as we juggle all three seasons of crops in the field. The potato harvest today was a beautiful thing. The old timey plow opened the hills like a zipper. The soil was loose, dare near crumbly. This is remarkable given that all too often the potato harvest on our upland soils end up breaking plows in the hard dry ground. Instead, it was like buttah…

Nothing lifts a farmers spirits more than a good harvest.   A second planting of cucumbers and squash should be coming in as the first one is tapering out.

The plants are producing well, but the pest pressure is getting to be too much. Hopefully it will take them awhile to find the new crop on the other side of the farm.

So far we have been keeping on track during this strange season. The month of July is long days filled with the summer harvests and plantings for fall. It is a lot to juggle in a normal year. Our strategy remains to stay focused on our work, keep social distancing and stay healthy and as sane as possible. Progress continues on the preparations for fall. First step, back in March, plant a cover crop. Several steps later, we have incorporated the cover crop, spread compost and minerals, shaped the beds and subsoiled.  Now we are ready to begin planting.

With a little sweat and toil, this area and several others around the farm will be transformed into roots and greens for the fall harvest.