CSA - Week 7

Summer harvest season is in full swing now!  While there is always plenty of weeding to do, the bulk of our hours this week are being spent on picking, washing, cooling, and packing. Our newest batch of chicks arrived yesterday afternoon and have settled right in to their new homes.  You can check out a short video of the chicks that Kate posted on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/kate.decker.3726/videos/1901243843434188/

This week's share contents:

• Lettuce Mix
• Cucumber
• Red Kale
• Arugula
• Jalapeno Pepper
• Zucchini/Summer Squash
• Red Potatoes
• Sweet Corn
• Tomato
• Beans
• Blackberries
• Basil
• Dill

If you haven't enjoyed Red Kale or Arugula before, check out the recipe page for some ideas. Arugula is one of my favorite greens and I was starting to think we were not going to have any this year.  The first two plantings got washed out by the June rains and the 3rd planting (in this week's share) is a bit "holy" thanks to flea beetles.  It has a very distinctive peppery aroma and flavor.  It's a nice addition to a salad or in Arugula Pasta 

CSA - Week 6

We started digging potatoes this week! Of all of the different fruit and vegetables we harvest, potatoes are one of my all time favorites. It's like a treasure hunt at each plant you unearth :) Last season's harvest had been disappointing at less than a pound per row foot, however this year has been much better, with increased size and number per plant with yields averaging just over 2 lbs per foot!

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The recent heat wave has been fantastic, although I did catch myself reminiscing about an air conditioned office while I was unloading a trailer load of horse manure yesterday afternoon....

This week's shares include:

• Lettuce mix - we'll be harvesting a combination of green romaine, speckled trout back romaine (green with cool reddish splotches) and some leaf lettuce
• Radishes
• Cucumber
• Jalapeno Pepper
• Zucchini/summer squash
• Red potatoes
• Chives
• Swiss chard

Enjoy!

CSA - Week 5

This week's shares include:

• Broccoli
• Zucchini / Summer Squash
• Snap Peas
• Basil
• Cilantro

We have a couple of fresh herbs included this week - Basil and Cilantro. Both are delicious when used fresh but they can also be dried and saved for use later.  The simplest approach is to hang the herbs in a warm place out of direct sunlight to dry for for a couple of weeks or until they crumble easily.  If you hang them inside a paper bag with slits cut for ventilation the bag will catch any leaves that break or drop off as they dry.  Once they are dried store in an airtight container.

Check out the recipes tab for several good ways to use those zucchini and summer squash.  The zucchini bread is my favorite but they are all delicious.  The pasta recipe also utilizes fresh basil!

http://dfo-recipes.weebly.com/zucchini.html

You can also freeze any extra zucchini to use in recipes later this winter.  Just shred it and measure it into freezer bags, don't forgot to write the quantity on the bag.  (I usually do 3 cup bags, perfect for zucchini bread)

Pictures of broccoli, zucchini, and one of of this year's fawns (hopefully he continues to stay on the outside of the fence)

CSA - Week 4

Half way through July already, awfully cliche, but summer is flying by!

We are finally starting to see some good progress in the fields, broccoli is beginning to head up, zucchini and summer squash are blossoming and setting fruit, and some of our herbs which were in standing water a couple weeks ago are starting to look much better!  We harvested garlic this week, it was a bit earlier than I had wanted, but didn't want to risk the heads starting to rot in the wet ground.  It can be used now or for longer storage life it should "cure" for a couple of weeks in a warm, well ventilated area out of direct sunlight.  A garage or storage shed works great.

Recent apple orchard activity - we hung sticky traps, which are large yellow cards coated with nasty smelly sticky gunk that attracts flies, including apple maggot flies which are our major pest concern between now and harvest.  The cards catch some of the flies and allows us to monitor levels and know when it becomes necessary to spray.  The Prima apples are sizing up nice and the McIntosh are not far behind!

This weeks share is still on the light side, but expect some more heft starting next week.  Week 4 contents:

• Garlic
• Collard Greens
• Radishes
• Snap Peas - They are loving the cool wet weather!

Have a good rest of the week.

-Wade