CSA Newsletter - Summer - Week 13

Week 13

This is a long overdue newsletter. My apologies for not sending notes more often. Each week it is my intention to FINALLY write a newsletter, but then there is always a more pressing fire and then it’s 10:00 pm and then it’s the next busy day, and the next….

I hope you have been able to properly identify all the veggies you’ve gotten since I last wrote. I’m sure a few of you have been scratching your heads about lemon cucumbers and wondering if those orange peppers are sweet or hot. (In case you have been afraid to try, they are sweet.)

Let’s get right to the nuts and bolts of today’s box, and then I’ll give ya’ll a glimpse of what we have been doing for the past month and what the future looks like.

WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
carrots
beets or chard
corn
kohlrabi
sweet onion
garlic
potatoes-Russian banana
rosemary
slicing cukes (large shares only)
lemon cukes
summer squash
lettuce
tomatoes
sungolds (half of you)
sweet orange pepper

ELABORATIONS:
Kohlrabi-It’s been a while since we handed this out. Late summer and fall kohlrabi is super sweet and crunchy. Be sure to peel the tough outer skin. You can eat it raw (my preference) or cook it like a turnip.
Russian Banana potatoes- These have a pleasing waxy flesh and make a great oven roasted potato. They would work well in a potato salad or a chowder.
Lemon cukes: You’ve probably figured those out by now, but I’ll just say that you don’t need to peel them. Eat them like an apple or slice ‘em up.
Corn: We hope you have been enjoying the corn. I know I have! Be sure to eat it within a day or two of getting your box as corn loses its sweetness after it is picked.

HOW MUCH LONGER IS THE CSA?
I’ve been getting this question a lot lately. This is week 13 so we have 5 more weeks to go AFTER this one.

FALL AND STORAGE SHARES:
The fall share will start the weekend of October 29th. We are pushing it back a week since the summer share started late. We can only take a limited number of fall shares due to the unpredictability of fall weather and having a smaller fall crew. Fall shares are sold out at this time.
Storage shares will be handed out the last week of the summer CSA (so in 5 weeks). They will be delivered with your normal share. We still have a few of those available.

CROP REPORT:
I often muse that we could plant the exact same amounts of the exact same varieties on the exact same days and get vastly different results each season. Weather is the biggest factor while weed pressure, disease, pests, and available labor all play a roll. This year the weather has been all over the place. The cold wet spring had its challenges. We missed a few carrot plantings and lost a few plantings of kohlrabi to slugs. Once we shifted into proper summer, most crops have been cruising along nicely. The tomato yield has been surprisingly low this year. The plants suffered a little in the cold and then set a gazillion fruits when the weather turned. I think the plants have too many fruits and not quite enough time and energy to ripen them all. And we have not had even a spare second to pluck of green ones. The peppers have done a similar thing where they are all totally loaded, but the fruits are taking forever to ripen. It’s very odd. We have significantly less broccoli and cabbage thanks to several plantings getting fried under the row cover during the first big heat wave. We use row cover to protect them from flea beetles which can decimate the plants in a matter of days. THIS is why we diversify. Even if a few crops bomb, there are many others that thrive. The corn has been steady and plentiful and has so far escaped the notice of red wing blackbirds who love to eat the tips. (shhh!) The carrots and beets have been stellar with nary a rust fly spot. So far, so good anyway.

FUTURE CROPS:
Summer is definitely on the way out. We hope to have a few more weeks of tomatoes, cukes, and lettuce, but soon you will be seeing leeks, winter squash, purple carrots, and maybe parsnips. Over the next 5 weeks, we will be handing out various winter squashes. You should wait to eat them. They are best when allowed to cure off the plant for several weeks. I will do my best to let you know what types you are getting and their best use.

WHAT ARE WE DOING IN THE FIELDS THESE DAYS?
We are still weeding, harvesting and tucking in a few more rounds of transplants. We have hauled all of the storage onions and shallots into the empty greenhouses to cure and Cylas spent a few hours this morning discing in old, expired beds. We hope to start cover cropping soon and plant next year’s garlic. We still have a few BIG harvest projects: winter squash and potatoes and are hoping to get to all of the above before the rains return. (It’s so hard to even imagine rain at this point).

Well, that’s it for now. I better get this sent out before I am called away to some other pressing matter.

Until next time…Jen