Sometimes I think we have the nosiest cows in the world. As I sit here trying to type this newsletter, I can barely hear myself think because Cookie is bellowing so loudly in the field outside my window. She loves the branches from the tomato plants that apprentices feed her after a pruning session, and now any time she sees someone walk by with a bucket she goes bezerk. It often sounds more like we’re raising deranged dinosaurs than cows at HCF. Click here for a picture of apprentice Bliz harvesting with the cows nearby.
The heat was sure something this week. Our nephew Noah was also volunteering for the week, and he and the apprentices nearly cooked in the fields on Friday. A broken tractor topped things off for a hot, sweaty and cranky afternoon. But by the end of the harvest on Saturday as we all got ready to head off to swim, it felt to me like we had an important week behind us. Working in the heat like that can make it hard to go on, and everyone did. One thing that does love the heat, though, are the tomatoes, eggplant and peppers! We’ve never had them so early, and it’s because they’re all in irrigated hoophouses, so they got regular water even when the field crops were parched. We’re pretty excited to begin to have them available to you all.
I sent out an email this week with info about blueberries and honey. The seven extra honey shares sold out almost immediately, but at the time of this writing there are still a few 10-lb boxes of wild blueberries available (click here to sign up). Even if the amazing Red House Farm berries are all sold out you can put your name on the wait list and I’ll try to arrange another delivery of organic berries from Ewing Fruit Co.
For those of you who were members in 2015, you may remember our Nepali apprentice Sayni Chaudhury. When Sayni returned home last August, many of us made a commitment to help support the work that she does in her community in southwest Nepal. Sayni is a force to be reckoned with and she has continued to develop and expand her orphanage and women’s education center, Sisterhome. She continues to provide an education for both girls and boys in the community, to work to get girls out of servitude, to put an end to the social “death” of widowed women, to teach women a trade to provide some level of financial independence, and much more. Those of you who made an annual pledge for five years should have received an email reminding you of your contribution this week. If not, please let me know! And if you couldn’t contribute in the past but would like to this year, please also let me know. It feels incredible to have this link to a corner of the world that doesn’t get many breaks. The work Sayni does is so important but also grueling, and I feel truly lucky that we’re able to help to support her in this small way.
All hands on deck, it’s the garlic harvest! The big farm garlic harvest day is scheduled for Wednesday, July 27th. We’ll start the harvest at 8am and probably will go until 5pm, so feel free to come by at any point. Even if you just stop by for an hour, you’ll have an important impact on the harvest. You can sort garlic bulbs, pull garlic in the field, tie garlic in bundles, hoist garlic to Bill in the third floor of the barn… so many satisfying and important jobs! It’s always a great community day, and everyone who helps out gets to go home with their pockets full of garlic. I’ll have my cell phone with me all day (712-7382) so call or text if you have any questions. All are welcome. Bring a hat, a water bottle, and gloves if you want to pull garlic in the field. We hope to see you there!
Have a wonderful week, enjoy the start of your mid-summer veggies, and please get in touch with any questions!
Reba and the HCF crew
p.s. This week’s kale is the first harvest from the new mid-summer planting and is so tender and crunchy! If you usually cook it, try it fresh in a salad this week. It’s so good!
Summer CSA Week 7 of 16: New Garlic, Cucumbers, Cilantro, New Kale, Tomatoes (big and/or cherry), Lettuce Mix, [Green Peppers, Eggplant, Summer Squash]
This week’s recipes: Lemon-Garlic Kale Salad, Pasta with Eggplant, Tomato and Bread Crumbs
HATCHET COVE FARM 