Summer is really here!  It’s not just the heat.  It’s the cukes!  If you were a member last year, you’ll remember that our cucumber plants really struggled, and I think that we were only able to give cukes a handful of times (and never more than one or two in a week).  We feared the same would happen this year, but this week the plants finally took off!  Mixed in with the traditional slicing cukes are some of my favorites — the thin-skinned ‘English’ cukes.  They look a little odd, and Bill doesn’t like them because he thinks they lack real cuke flavor, but I love them!  I think they’re tender and sweet and they don’t make my lips tingle (does that happen to anyone else?!).  Bill thinks they’re not worthy of our field space, but I’m rooting for them, so let me know what you think!

When a new crop comes in, I often have a dilemma in its first week:  to include in the share, or not.  Quantities of a new crop are usually pretty minimal while the plant is still maturing (remember Week Four when you got one little summer squash or zucchini?  That was why.).  The question is, is it worth receiving an item in it’s first week, even if it’s only for a taste?  I know some people might think ‘what am I going to do with this one little squash?’  But I hope that this pretty well represents the harvest cycle:  first a little is ripe and ready, then a lot, then it slows down to a trickle again.  So this week, even though you might only get a tiny handful of cherry tomatoes, I still wanted to share them with you.  We harvested every tomato that we have, and every bite is precious.  My hope is that even if you finish them in the car on the way home, you still got to experience your first real tomato of 2013.  I hope that’s worth it, and that it just whets your appetite for the weeks to come.

Have a great week, and always remember to get in touch if you have any questions/comments/concerns!

Reba and the HCF crew

Week 6 of 18:  Mesclun or Lettuce Mix, fresh Garlic, Cucumbers, Summer Squash,  Basil, Cilantro, Green Beans, a couple Cherry Tomatoes!!

This is a beef, pork, chicken and egg week

This week’s cheese notes from Appleton Creamery

This week’s recipes:  Sesame-Glazed Green Beans, Chilled Zucchini (or Summer Squash) Soup with Lemon-Cumin Shrimp and Cilantro Cream

Eli feeding his new calf, Moose (he plans on training Moose as an ox). As you can see, CJ and cousin Leo are overcome with the cuteness of it all (though Mica is utterly unimpressed).