THIS WEEK’S HARVEST
Farao Green Cabbage, Spring Onions, Romance Carrots, Persian & Lemon Cucumbers, Olympian Slicing Cucumbers, Summer Squash and Zucchini, Bel Fiore Chicories, Salad Mix (with Mustards, Lettuce & Frisee), Mixed Little Gems, Red Butter Lettuce, Lorz Softneck Garlic, New Asterix Potatoes
U-PICK
Please remember to check the u-pick board for updated weekly limits before going out to pick
Pickling Cucumbers | 2 gallon season limit (see Week 6’s Newsletter for harvest and pickling tips)
🌟Amethyst Green Beans (See below for notes)
Shishito & Padron Frying Peppers (See Week 4’s Newsletter for harvest and cooking tips)
Jalapeño Peppers
Herbs: Dill, Thyme, Oregano, Marjoram, Italian Parsley, Tarragon, Onion Chives, Garlic Chives, Vietnamese Coriander, Culinary Lavender, Culinary Sage, French Sorrel, Lemon Verbena, Cilantro, Tulsi, Various Mints, Catnip, Chamomile, Purple Basil, Genovese Basil, Thai Basil
Flowers!
HARVEST NOTES
Amethyst Green Beans: Amethyst Green Beans are a beautiful purple type green bean. Like green beans, they are delicious eaten raw as a snack or cooked as a side. (These ones magically turn green when cooked!)
Bel Fiore Chicories: Chicories (which include Frisee, Radicchio, Dandelions and Escarole) are closely related to lettuces, but heartier and with a bitter edge. People are sometimes intimidated by their bitterness — but fear not, properly prepared, chicories contain a world of deliciousness. Chicories pair best with rich fats, and sweet or salt. For a raw chicory salad try pairing this week’s Bel Fiore Chicory with plums or pears and pecans with a honey-lemon dressing, or, for a more savory twist, a rich mustardy or Caesar dressing. Our personal favorite way to eat chicories is to roast them: We quarter them, coat them completely with olive oil, rub on some garlic, and then broil them until the outer leaves are slightly crisped and blackened the leaves are melted. We then top with salt and grated parmesan and eat as a side.
New Asterix Potatoes: Because we love you! “New” potatoes are potatoes that are harvested fresh, uncured, straight out of the ground. They are delightfully flaky and delicate compared to cured potatoes. You can prepare them in any way you would a normal potato. Try making home-fries or potato salad to show off their special freshness and delicate texture.
DRYING FLOWERS!
Over the next few weeks, in addition to your usual bouquet, consider picking yourself drying flowers for later! The garden is currently bursting with them.
Drying Flower Tips: It’s best to dry drying flowers in a cool dark place, hanging upside down by the stems until they dry out and set. You can dry them like this singly, or in mixed or single variety bouquets. Try picking a mixed bouquet of some of the varieties listed below, tie it tight with a twist tie, and hang it upside down somewhere in your home to dry and set. You can use drying flowers for long lasting displays and bouquets all year round!
Pictured above from left to right.
Top row: 5 colors of Statice, Echinacea, Fama Scabiosa seedhead, Pincushion Scabiosa seedhead, Flamingo Feather Celosia, Temple Bells Celosia, Pampas Plume Celosia.
Middle row: 9 colors of Strawflower, 5 colors of Yarrow, Nigella seed pods, Veronica seeds, 2 colors of Xeranthemum (Immortelle), Marigolds.
Bottom row: 6 colors of Gomphrena, Monarda seedhead, Baby’s Breath, Verbena, Godetia pods, and Amaranth.
DEMISE OF THE SHELLING PEAS
Why is mildew invited to every party? Because he is a fun-gi! We disagree. Our precious English Shelling Pea patch has a really bad case of powdery mildew and the plants will need to be removed ASAP. You are welcome to pick them this weekend, powdery mildew isn’t harmful to humans in small quantities as far as we knew, but we’ll need to remove the patch first thing next week to protect other crops. The cause of this outbreak is under investigation by our farm’s Special Investigations Unit. We are sorry for the short shelling pea season!
FARMER’S LOG
SUMMER FULLNESS
At this time of year it is hard to find the muse to pen a thoughtful Farmer’s Log — the steady rhythm of the bulky harvests drowns the muse out. The sun blares down. To sneak in planting and seeding and other tasks in the margins, your only thoughts are farm thoughts, your only feelings are farm feelings. You must remain disciplined, focused… you can’t miss a beat.
This week, while the harvest share gets more summery, we turned the fields another turn towards Fall. Kayta seeded our 5,600 ft of Fall storage carrots. We transplanted our Fall Brussels sprouts and cauliflower. And we cultivated winter squash pathways, celery root, and leeks.
A mile of carrots!
It’s a strange feeling. Our internal lives — our emotions, dreams, and whimsies — feel far away at this time or year, shoved aside by harvest and urgent needs in the field — but at the same time we never feel more full.
There is a strange fullness in being so busy as to be empty.
Then, the swelling corn stalks can lift us up to the eaves. The heat is our sorrow. The flowering potatoes are our whimsical thoughts. And the simple things — a good sip of coffee, a crew mate’s joke, a good harvest — can fill us up to the brim.
See you in the fields,
David and Kayta
