Hello!
Well it feels like summer has finally arrived, and the eggplants, peppers, and tomatoes agree – they are growing leaps and bounds. Now let’s just hope it keeps up so we can see some actual ripe from fruit from those plants in the not-too-distant future. The tomatoes are getting nicely trellised into various shapes and are looking decent, given the cool and wet season we’ve had. We are busy planting out our fall crops these days – chicories, lettuces, cabbages, cauliflower, broccoli, collards. We’re already looking into October. Our last seeding in trays for transplants this year was this week and included Siskiyou Sweet overwintering onions (like Walla Wallas) – to be planted out in October and not harvested until probably June next year. Now that’s thinking ahead. Yes being a farmer means being a planner. Though I’m not naturally the “planning type,” getting into farming has made me one, which I now appreciate in other aspects of my life as well.
Thanks to volunteers Ryan and Nori for their help harvesting today!
Today’s share is a smorgasbord for sure:
– 1 head lettuce – “oscarde”
– ~0.5 lbs cut mixed lettuce
– ~2.5 lbs new potatoes – “Bintje” – these are my personal favorite – very delicious
– 1 head of savoy cabbage – “Famosa”
– 1 bunch of carrots – this is a new variety from what you’ve got so far – it’s called “danvers” (developed in 1871 in Danvers, Mass) and is a good home garden variety as well. Let us know how you like it.
– ~1 lb of beet roots – these were the leftovers from our very first beet planting, many of which bolted, so there’s a wide variety of sizes, some very small, but tasty.
– 1 bunch of parsley – our parsley is bolting (starting to go to flower), so we’re trying to use it up as much as we can before it’s not really good anymore. That’s why you’ve been getting a lot of it. Many people suggested making pesto out of it!
– ~0.1 lb basil
– 2 heads of garlic (either “kettle river” or “inchilium red”)
– 1 bunch of green onions (variety is “flagpole” bred by Frank Morton of Wild Garden Seeds near Corvallis)
– 1 bunch of swiss chard
– 1 bouquet of flowers – again our apologies to those who didn’t get flowers — please help us remember to have you get them out of the bucket each week as you pickup.
– ~3 zuchini squash – (have you tried them just plain sauteed with a little garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and then a dash of lemon juice at the end?….mmmmm)
– cucumbers
FLOWERS NEXT WEEK: We’re going to try something new for flowers next week. We’ll still have a bucket for you with some flowers already picked, but if you want more, you can cut some yourself. We’ll show you where and how and we’ll have clippers on hand.
Thanks to those who’ve brought bags, twist ties, or rubber bands.
Got a good recipe? Recipe Share!
Here’s something you could do with the potatoes and garlic:
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/10/braised-potatoes-with-garlic-recipe.html
Cheers! -Matt
Cully Neighborhood Farm 