Bill and Eli picking green beans (you probably can’t tell, but Eli is fully attired in what he considers his “farm work” uniform: Carhartt pants, t-shirt with HCF logo, knife sheath, and rubber boots, since he prefers having hot feet to dirty feet…).

As I write this letter on Saturday afternoon, through the window I can hear Bill hammering away in the barn.  He’s fixing the floor of the barn for our new cows that will arrive later this month.  We realized that a little rehab work was necessary when we were ‘babysitting’ a cow named Sugar a few months back.  The first time we brought her into the barn, first one hoof and then another hoof went through the floor.  So now that we’re buying Sugar and bringing her home for good, a fix is needed.  If we can shore up the floor for a couple of years, it will give us time to figure out how to tackle the larger issues that face our ancient timberframe barn.

Emma, Hanni and Katie communing with the new piglets

In addition to Sugar, an incredibly sweet Jersey cow, we’re also buying a Dexter calf who we hope to start milking in about 2-1/2 years.  Dexters are a small, rugged, dual-purpose breed.  We hope that the mature and motherly Sugar will keep our baby Dexter good company.  We’ll have to name our new calf, though, so let us know if you come up with an inspired cow name.  Maybe we’ll even have a CSA-wide vote… winning name provider gets an extra bag of the vegetable of their choice!

We hope you’re all enjoying these peak summer veggies.  Regarding the tomato bounty this week:  remember not to store your tomatoes in the fridge, since the cold makes them mealy.

Take care, and eat well!

Reba and the HCF crew

Week 9 veggies:  Cucumbers, Zucchini and/or Zephyr Squash, Tomatoes , Basil,  Red Potatoes, Garlic,  Baby Beets, Carrots, Green Beans, Fresh Onions

This week’s recipes:  Summer Bread Salad with Tomatoes and Feta, Traditional Basil Pesto, Green Beans with Caramelized Onions, Roasted New Potatoes