It certainly was a scorcher of a week, but despite the heat and humidity we had a very successful garlic harvest on Wednesday. CSA members from toddlers on up came to the farm and helped pull, sort and bunch garlic. We then hauled the bunches up to the third floor of our barn to hang and cure. Now, no matter where you are on the farm, you can hear the deep whir of the massive fan that keeps air circulating through the bulbs. And, in addition, the closer you get to the third floor of the barn the stronger the delicious – and occasionally overwhelming – smell of garlic. We harvested around 10,000 heads, so we should have ample quantity for at least a bulb or two a week for each CSA member through the end of the summer and fall CSAs. Click here to see a picture of the garlic sorting action!
It feels like the summer crops are finally really kicking in. Cucumbers galore! Buckets and buckets of tomatoes! Summer squash that are so plentiful they’re finally not all getting devoured by the deer! A number of years ago we learned about how the gene that gives tomatoes green shoulders is also the gene that gives them incredible flavor. Read the story here. The summary is is that green shoulders means that the plant is converting more sunlight to sugar – hence, more flavorful tomatoes. So don’t shy away from some of the funnier looking tomatoes available at pick-up. They’re inevitably the most delicious.
Speaking of tomatoes, tomatoes should never be stored in the fridge if you can avoid it. It’ll make a delicious tomato mealy faster than you can say bruschetta. It always bothered me that we had to put the tomatoes into the bagged shares that go into the walk-in on the farm, because we didn’t have any better way to get them to members who pick up there. But now, with our new set-up in the pick-up shed, we can leave the tomatoes out! So if you come to get your CSA share out of the walk-in on the farm, look at the low table right next to the door. There will be a crate there with a sign of what to take (e.g. two big tomatoes, twenty cherry tomatoes). Pick up your pre-packed bag out of the walk-in and then add your tomatoes from the table. You can always give me a call if you have any questions (712-7382). Sorry to say that those of you who pick up out of the PBMC cafeteria after 5:15 will still have a refrigerated pre-packed bag that includes your tomatoes, because we complicate the cafeteria staff’s lives enough without asking them to babysit our tomatoes. But it’s one more motivation to make it to the pick-up!
I hope you all get a chance to enjoy my favorite cucumbers this week — the little white/yellow “salt and pepper” cukes. They’re so addictively crispy that I can’t stop crunching on them!
Have a great week,
Reba, Bill and the HCF crew
Summer CSA Week 8 of 16: Salad Mix, Slicing Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Zucchini/Zephyr/Patty Pan Summer Squash, Basil, Parsley, Cilantro, Swiss Chard, Salt & Pepper/Traditional Cucumbers, [Eggplant]
This week’s recipes: Summer Bread Salad with Tomatoes and Feta Cheese, Takeout-style Sesame Noodles with Cucumbers, Swiss Chard Pie
Summer Week Eight Add-ons: Flowers, Mushrooms, Cheese, Milk, Fiore, Bread, Tofu
HATCHET COVE FARM 