Boy, what a difference a week makes. Now that we aren’t picking peas for hours and hours on end, we were able to tackle some troublesome weed situations. We rescued the tomatoes and a few carrot plantings. Jim did a bunch of mowing and tilling in of expired crops so it looking a lot more tidy around here. There is still plenty more to weed, but at least we’ve moved from 1 step forward, 2 steps back to 3 steps forward, 1 step back. The roller coaster of farming….

Once again, I am astounded by how fast certain crops grow. We pick zucchini 3 days a week and cut everything that is 4 inches or longer, yet still, with every harvest there are so many large ones! It would be interesting to place a time lapse camera in a plant and watch them grow. Pickling cucumbers are the same. Speaking of…. we have several crops available for canning or freezing. If you wish to purchase extras to be delivered with your CSA share, send me an email. Right now we have pickling cucumbers and green beans. Follow the links for sizing and pricing. Let me know 2 days in advance, if you want to order something.

WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
Carrots
Lettuce
Sweet onions
Zucchini
green beans
kohlrabi
beets or chard
dill or cilantro
Yellow Finn or Russian Banana potatoes
Rosemary

LET’S DISCUSS:
We have a few new items this week. First up is Kohlrabi (see pic below). It is in the broccoli family. It is crunchy like an apple, kinda sweet, with a slight broccoli flavor. They are delicious and you will be hooked. To “prepare”, cut off the top and tail, cut in half, and cut the 2 halves into half-moon slices. Use a pairing knife to peel away the outer rind. And then start snacking. We prefer them raw, but you can cook them if you want. Use as you would a turnip. We usually have one with dinner as a palate cleanser, or something to munch on when the conversation is good and you don’t want to leave the table, but you need to stop eating the main dish because it was fabulous (of course). We do this with carrots, too.
Sweet onion: It is a variety called Zoey and can be eaten raw or cooked. Might be time to try the beet sandwich for dinner.
Rosemary: If you don’t use it right away, leave it out on your counter and it will dry and store for future use.

VEGGIE ID: We don’t grow too many obscure items, but if ever you get something in your box you don’t recognize, check out the Veggie ID photo gallery.

HOUSEKEEPING:
Thank you for returning your boxes so faithfully. I will ask, though, that you carefully flatten and stack your box neatly at the pick up site. Please respect their space by keeping it tidy. And if you show up and see utter chaos and have an extra minute, pay it forward by tidying up.

That’s all for this week. Get out (safely) and enjoy the actual summer we are having. I was doubtful for awhile, wondering if summer would ever come.

Jen

CSA Newsletter - Week 6 - 2020