Week 10
Tomatoes
Sungold cherry tomatoes
Celery
Leeks
Sweet onions
Salad mix
Cucumbers
Summer squash and/or zucchini
Potatoes
Basil
Fairy tale eggplant OR haricot verts OR tomatillos
Food notes
We recommend that you store all of these tomatoes you are getting on your kitchen counter. Refrigerating tomatoes compromises the flavor and they should still have a long shelf life if left out. All other vegetables should be stored in the fridge in plastic bags. They won’t last as long if left uncovered. Basil is a confusing one as sometimes it lasts awhile and other times it only lasts a day. We are not sure what exactly can be done to increase storage, so we just recommend you use this week’s basil soon. Our eggplant and tomatillo planting are not producing as vigorously as we had hoped so we will have to rotate what pick up sites they go to. This is also the case with okra, whose production is really low and has only been to one pick up site so far. We will try to get all these summer crops to you soon!
Farm notes
While we are in the thick of summer with bucket-loads of sunflowers harvested everyday and hundreds of pounds of tomatoes coming through the barn, these days we have fall on our minds. We have been busy taking down the pea fences, pulling out old drip tape, and mowing in finished crops. The birds are having a blast in the old fields. Mowed down sunflower heads that never got cut are now providing food a plenty. We have never noticed so many Goldfinches before. Next up for these finished beds is seeding a cover crop, which will build the soil by adding nutrients and preventing erosion.
Also on the agenda for this week is direct seeding several fall crops including arugula, turnips, cilantro, and radishes. We used to direct seed beets but, because of weed pressure, are trying something new this year. We started the seed in flats in the greenhouse, several seeds per cell, and then transplanted out a few weeks later. The first planting we did this way is almost ready. The greens look amazing and the beets are just starting to size up. We are so pleased with the way the first planning looks that we just transplanted out Swiss chard the same way this week. Eventhough we are in our seventh season farming, we are always learning new ways to do things and trying out different techniques. It keeps the job interesting! And keeps us striving to be the best we can be!
Best cucumber recipes (according to Food and Wine magazine)
Char-baked tomato, eggplant and zucchini (can also use summer squash)