This recent heat was especially good for one segment of our farm:  the tomatoes!  I don’t know that we’ve ever had tomatoes this early for the CSA.  We’re pretty excited.  We know that tomatoes are one thing that most members want more of, so this year we planted two greenhouses full of them, and then filled an outside field with hundreds more plants, covering approximately sixteen different varieties of fruit.  Late blight, the disease that all but wiped out the tomato crop in Maine two years ago, has popped up in the region, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed.  We have (supposedly) late blight resistant tomatoes alongside heirloom tomatoes alongside standard but still scrumptious red tomatoes.  When you make your choices from the tomato crate at pickup, you’ll likely be selecting a different variety every week, so over the course of the season you’ll likely get to sample them all.  We can’t always keep them straight, but we know they’re all good!

We were able to add an additional delivery day of organic blueberries from Red House Farm, so there are now extra 10# boxes available for those who want more than just one.  Monday 8/6, Thursday 8/9 and Monday 8/13 all still have berries available, so let me know if you would like to pick up more berries on any of those days (at the farm in Warren between 4:30 and 6:30pm).  Email me your requests, and hopefully we’ll be able to fill them all!

We have a new addition to the barnyard this week:  a big, beautiful Dutch Belted milk cow and a Jersey calf.  Cecilia has named her ShinyPretty (though tonight she started angling to change her name to Butterfly Beautiful Woman Cow).  She looks just like a Belted Galloway, and so far our regular milk customers are raving about her milk.  It’s supposed to be as creamy as Jersey milk, but the breed’s milk is naturally semi-”homogenized” so the cream doesn’t separate out as much.

If you’re reading this on Saturday afternoon, I hope we get to see you Saturday evening (the 21st) at the Midcoast Recreation Center on Route 90 in Rockport.  The Rock Coast Rollers (Mid-coast’s roller derby league) will be bouting at 6pm (doors open at 5pm) and it’s a wonderful, family-friendly event.  I’m a skater (along with a number of CSA members), Bill will be the announcer, and our apprentice Faith will be a “Non-Skating Official”, so it’s a full-on farm crew event!

Have a wonderful week, and enjoy your veggie-filled meals!

Reba and the HCF crew

Veggies Week 6 of 18:  Tomatoes (slicing or cherry), Mesclun Mix, Garlic, Basil, Cucumber, Zucchini and/or Zephyr Squash, New Potatoes

This week’s recipes:  Roasted Potatoes with Lime and Basil, Summer Squash Pizza and Herbed Ricotta Pizza, Eli’s Favorite Zucchini and Apple Muffins

Eli with a handful of the first Sungold cherry tomatoes. He may not be a tomato lover, but he knows how precious they are to the rest of us!