Week 10

Full Share

Medium share

Small share

Hello friends and members!

Welcome to another week of lovely summer produce!

The weather has been nearly picture perfect this past week, with the exception of the wet! We really didn’t need those 2 inches of rain in one day, though. The melon plants are very nearly drowned out, and we’re afraid we might not get a real harvest out of them. Melons are tough enough to grow up north, but if they even sense that they’re getting waterlogged they grow poorly. It’s sad, but the one thing we can’t do is control the weather. Now that we have been farming our new place for half a season, we DO better know the different microcosms of our fields and will plant the melons next year in a spot that seems to be drier than the rest.

We have been loving the cooler nights, although the farmer in us knows that once the weather is good for sleeping again, and once the light starts to come in more golden and the crickets sing all afternoon, that cool weather, frosts, and snow aren’t far behind! But, let’s enjoy this little slice of paradise as long as we can!

 

A very tangible slice of paradise

A sweet little girl in a moment of contemplation

 

Sweet little trio of kitties! We are so in love with our second generation of barn cats! Any name suggestions?

What’s in the box?

Sweet Corn-4 for small shares, 8 for medium, 12 for full!

Tomatoes or cherry tomatoes-1# for small shares, 1 1/2# for medium, 2# for full shares

Peppers-1 each for small and medium shares, 2 each for full shares

Basil-1 bunch for all shares

Broccoli-1# for small shares, 1 1/2# for medium and full shares

Garlic-1 head for medium and full shares

Zucchini-2 each for full shares

Cucumbers-1 each for medium shares

Cilantro-1 bunch for full shares

Recipes

Tomatoes-Everyone should start getting tomatoes now that they are ripening and we’re having such nice weather. Remember to keep them on the counter, NEVER in the fridge, and to store them stem side down. A lot of the tomatoes we grow are heirlooms. They come in all sorts of interesting shapes and colors. You may end up with a “white” (pale yellow) or green colored tomato. Most tomatoes are ripe or a day or two away from ripe when you get them. If you’re unfamiliar with the color, go by touch. It should be soft to the touch, like a firm flesh (don’t press too hard, you’ll bruise it!)  There is no harm in leaving it on the counter for a day or two to see if the color becomes deeper and bolder.

I thought this no-cook tomato sauce from the Kitchn looked especially inviting. Of course, I’ll keep eating caprese salad. Here’s the one we made at home with the Truffled Buffalo Mozzarella from our Surdyk’s care package:

 

And don’t worry, if you got cherry tomatoes in your box, just make this:

 

It’s called bocconcini salad-and it’s just like caprese, but with different shapes. Cut the tomatoes in half (but only if you want to!), toss them in a bowl with little bocconcini mozzarella, slice up some basil, toss it all with salt, pepper, and the best olive oil you have, and that’s it! If you really want to get posh you can arrange them on skewers to enjoy with a glass of sangiovese, a nice white wine from Campagne, or a yummy rosé. Voila! Instant party!

Sweet Corn-There’s a lot of it! Enjoy some just plain with butter and salt, maybe put some up in the freezer for a snowy day, or make up a batch of fresh salsa. This one from Jamie Oliver looks lovely. This corn and zucchini salad has been pretty popular, too.

Basil-Don’t hesitate to turn this week’s basil into pesto. We made a batch and put it all in the freezer. Won’t we be cheery when we have it for a pasta salad this winter, or stirred into a thick white bean soup?

Sneak peek for next week:

Tomatoes

Corn

Peppers

Eggplant

Mustard Greens

Broccoli

 

 

Have a fabulous week!

All the best from all of us,

Heather, Brandon, Maybelle, Frank and the crew