CSA Summer Harvest Week Thirteen

We are still without power in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, so this post is short. Hope to see you tomorrow, the first day of September.

In this week's share:

1) three pounds heirloom tomatoes

2) one eggplant (assorted varieties - Black Beauty, Falcon, Rosa Bianca, Listada di Gandia) OR one summer squash

3) one bell pepper OR one cucumber

4) half dozen eggs (swap out if you don't want these)

5) one head garlic (choose from Purple Glazer, Music or German Extra Hardy)

6 item(s) of your choice at farm stand totalling approximately $7.00

Thanks to all for kind words and offers of help.

Ilsa & Joe

Peach season

CSA Summer Harvest Week Twelve

Coming days look good to stay inside cooking and eating great food as the weather outside rages. Enjoy!

In this week's share:

1) one bag haricots verts: thin french green beans

2) one bunch leeks: a thin summer ripening variety called Varna

3) four peaches: the wonderful ones from Woodland Farms in Glastonbury, CT. Sustainable growing practices, not organic.

4) two pounds heirloom tomatoes: Check out recipe ideas here and here. Quantities are limited; please no extras.

5) one pound prairie blush potatoes

6) your choice of item(s) from farm stand totaling approximately $6: Possibilities include eggplant, sweet peppers, yellow watermelon, cantaloupe, basil, sweet corn, potatoes, onions, garlic, nectarines, donut peaches, free range eggs, Red Jacket juice, goat cheese, Arethusa milk and yogurt, pac choi, tuscan kale, apples, cucumbers, summer squash. Delivery folks will receive one eggplant, one pepper, one cucumber and one large summer squash unless they request otherwise by Thur 10am.

See you tomorrow! Delivery customers: please have your clean bags out/ready for return.

Heirloom tomatoes

Italian Blue Plums

CSA Summer Harvest Week Eleven

Keep it simple.

Especially with these beautiful tomatoes.

It's hard these days to escape the cooking shows, the cook books, and the $35 entrees that conspire to make cooking seem so complicated.

It's summer. I've been waiting 10 and half months for these heirloom tomatoes. Nothing anywhere on this green earth tastes as good as a thick slab of home grown tomato on lightly toasted good bread with a touch of mayonnaise and some salt.

I eat 2 a day for lunch. Every day. I'd have them for supper, too, but Ilsa would revolt. I'll eat them for lunch, every day, until the frost takes the last of the tomatoes.

And then I'll dream of them for 10 and a half more months.



In this week's share:

1) two pounds heirloom tomatoes: our crop is finally coming in. A varied assortment of deep reds, pinks, blacks and yellows with great names like Mortgage Lifter, Kellogg's Breakfast, Black Cherry, Black Trifele, and Jersey Devil.
2) one bunch fresh basil OR parsley
3) one box Italian blue plums: Castleton is a European variety with a cling-free pit and yellow flesh, It's flavor is mild and sweet. Decidedly less juicy than the Medleys we've given out previously. These were grown by Red Jacket Orchards in Geneva, NY. The european plums are excellent for baking and drying because they hold there shape well.
4) one box onions: choose from red, white or yellow varieties
5) CHOICE: item(s) of your choice totaling approximately eight dollars from farm stand (possibilities include haricots verts french green beans, cucumbers, summer squash, eggs, Red Jacket juices, goat cheese, milk, yogurt, honey, eggplant, peppers, cantaloupe, watermelon, sweet corn, arugula, kale, apricots, peaches, apples). If you are a delivery customer, feel free to make requests by Thur 8am; if we don't hear from you, we will select something a yummy fruit or veggie for you.

Cheers!

P.S. Harlan says don't forget to check out this week's raffle!!!! Get your ticket!

Sugar Baby!

Pepper Patch

CSA Summer Harvest Week Ten

Several good rains in the past week have freed us up from irrigation duties. We're taking time to walk fields and really assess what's happening with crops and soils, consider ideas for next season and for five years from now.

We've been working to enact some innovative soil stewardship techniques, with the hope of increasing the nutritional content of our crops. (I'll write a separate post soon about how we test the nutrient density and some of our crop results.) We're thinking about weed families and what they may reveal about our soils, explanations for the poor potato crop this season, ways to prolong the bush bean harvest.

Yesterday we started harvesting peppers and eggplants. Tasted a Pinot Noir pepper (purple skinned), which was excellent; sadly, the variety is not producing heavily. Several others are laden with fruit including the habaneros (extremely spicy!). Habanero lovers, announce yourselves so we can provide special hot pepper service. Beans, cucumbers and summer squash are peaking.

On the horizon: heirloom tomatoes, bok choy, red cabbage, leeks, apples


in this week's share:

1) one bag red russian kale
2) one bag haricots verts (french green beans): so tender you can eat them raw
3) one Sugar Baby watermelon: grown by Lou D'Allsandro (JD Farms) in Danbury, CT. He also grew the sweet corn we've been giving out. He seems to have a real talent for growing melons. We've tried and it's not easy to end up with good quality, good tasting fruit. His crops are not organic. Swap out if this poses a problem for your family.
4) three probiotic yogurt chug drinks: These are amazing! Great for a quick lunch or breakfast or after a trip to the gym. from Butterfield Farm in Granby, CT. Vegans, anti-dairy folks can swap out.
5) option: your choice of farm stand item(s) totalling approximately $3.00. Choices include peaches, apples, juices, mizuna, potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes. Delivery folks will recieve 2 peaches and 1 cucumber unless they request otherwise by Thur 8am.

Enjoy!

Hardneck Garlic and Prairie Blush Taters

CSA Summer Harvest Week Nine

In this week's share:

1) three pounds potatoes: Cranberry Red is a red-skinned, red-fleshed type with fine, moist texture ideally suited for boiling or sauteing. Prairie Blush is a new white variety with blushed skin and old-fashioned potato flavor exceptional roasted, fried or boiled. Mix varieties or take just one.
2) five heads hardneck hardy German garlic: cured and ready to store or eat. Garlic should be stored in a cool, dark place with good air circulation.
3) blueberries: again, from Red Jacket Orchards in Geneva, NY. Grown sustainably, not certified organic.
4) six ears sweet corn: like last week's, grown by Louis D'Allsandro (JD Farms). This week's is another bicolor, but with heavier, sweeter ears. Corn is low spray, non GMO seed, hand harvested, NOT certified organic.
5) Six dollars (or thereabouts) in items of your choice from farm stand: possibilities include cucumbers, summer squash, apricots, haricots verts, purple french beans, gold french beans, gold nugget cherry tomatoes, Red Jacket juice, goat cheese, milk, new zealand spinach, arugula or more potatoes, blueberries, garlic.

Delivery customers: send an email with any preferences by 8am Thursday. Otherwise, we will make a nice selection for you.

See you tomorrow!