Week 9

Hello to all of our members!  We have had a great past week on the farm.  We're starting our days earlier with work beginning at 7am.  It feels good to have a nice long morning of work before the heat comes on around 1-2.  We feel like were almost caught up after all of that rain we had late May and early June.  The fields are all bush-hogged (that's farmer talk for 'mowed'), all of our spring plantings have been cleared out and now we're waiting on some rain so we can till and then plant cover crops.  Our plants are weeded, the peppers, eggplant and tomatoes are all staked and tied, most of our late summer crops have been planted and we've begun seeding crops for the fall.  Isn't it amazing that it is now time to start fall brassicas----cauliflower, broccoli, kale, collards for harvest in Sept, Oct. and Nov?  It's also time to start some of the flowers that are overwintered like delphinium and foxglove.  It's so fascinating to have to stay ahead of yourself by so many months at a time.  So much of what we do revolves around planning....never let anyone tell you that farming doesn't require much mental work.  Obviously that person has never had to create a planting schedule!  
This picture to the left is of a parasitized hornworm.  We LOVE seeing these on the farm as it means that natural biological controls are working against pests.  One of these hornworms can destroy a tomato plant in a matter of a few hours.  They are about three to four inches long and probably two pencils thick in diameter.  Telltale signs they've been on your tomato plant are that most of the foliage is missing and stems have been eaten down to a nub on the plant.  This worm here has had a wasp lay its eggs inside of it, and the larvae works its way from inside out by creating the little cacoons for themselves.  They feed on the worm throughout the process, so  eventually the worm looks shriveled up and brown.  It's really gross if you think about it---the worm is definitely still alive in this picture, but how cool???  The parasitized hornworm means that our tomatoes are safe and that you will get them in your boxes soon!
In your box this week

half share

2 pints of cherry tomatoes

onions (last week for this staple!)

cucumbers

green beans 

2 lbs freshly dug taters

full share
extra potatoes

extra onions

pint of padrons

extra cucumbers

It's looking like heirloom tomatoes the next week or two.  We've been eating the few we've picked and WOW.  It's so heavenly to have a tomato sandwich.  So definitely get yourself excited for these.  Also, padrons will be back for the half shares soon.  Our second planting is starting to produce, so maybe next week they make a reappearance.  We're glad to have some people requesting them again; we love to find a new item we can grow that our CSA likes!

RECIPES

Serbian Salad

1 or two pints of cherry tomatoes, tomatoes quartered

3-4 regular sized cucumbers, finely diced/chopped

2-3 small onions, very finely diced/chopped

1-2 teaspoons salt

1 tsp sugar

Mix ingredients together and let sit overnight.  This is a surprisingly simple recipe and yet the results are so flavorful.  We made this on Sunday afternoon and have been eating it all week.  It might need more salt, just season to taste.  

Roasted Green Beans (and cherry tomatoes?)

We have really taken a liking to roasted green beans.  roasting them brings out their flavor and gives them a great chewy texture that just isn't there when you steam them or saute them.  We don't even de-stem them, but use that little bit of stem to hold onto when eating, and then we discard that little bit at the end.

1 lb green beans (what's in your box this week)

1-2 tbsp olive oil

coarse salt

Preheat oven to 415.

Wash beans in colander, then put in mixing bowl and coat with oil and sprinkle coarse salt over them, then mix.

Lay flat on a baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until beans shrivel and brown a little.  Halfway through, mix beans on tray so that they bake evenly  

Serve hot or cold, both ways are delicious. 

FLOWER SHARES--This week as promised we will have oriental lilies.  We have some in a vase here at home and they are stunning.  

DISCLAIMER!----Lilies are poisonous to cats.  Please keep them in a separate room or give them away as a gift if you have cats that like to eat flowers.  

Thanks everyone and HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!  Eat some great food on the 4th!