This newsletter is getting out a little later than usual due to a night with the family at the Union Fair. An evening full of fried dough and blooming onions makes this week’s veggies sound even better to me than usual. Thank goodness for the delicious iced coffee at the fair from The Maine Coffee Bar (co-owned and operated by a CSA member) — it’s fueling my newsletter writing tonight!
In 2015 our husk cherries sized up late and then were promptly done in by the first frost, so this year we worked hard to get them ready early. They’ve matured enough for us to start giving you a taste this week, and we hope to get more to you every week until frost arrives. If you’ve never had husk cherries (also known as ground cherries) before, you’re in for a sweet treat. They’re definitely the candy of the CSA share. Pop them out of their little husks (don’t eat the papery husk!) and enjoy! The greener the fruit the more tart it’ll be.
We’re excited to have the first of the potatoes for you this week. Even with the lack of rain the first variety we harvested seems to have sized up pretty well. Like every other vegetable on the farm, potatoes are planted, harvested (or dug up, in this case) and washed by hand. So in some ways we feel like we know each of these little tubers as they go out in your share. If you’re picking up your CSA share out of the walk-in at the farm, your potatoes will be alongside the tomatoes on the table outside the walk-in. Potatoes also don’t like to be kept in the cold.
I’ll probably send out an email at some point this week, opening up the basil patch for Pick-Your-Own basil. For members who like to freeze pesto for the winter, this is a great opportunity to harvest enough to really stock up. I’ll send out details when we start to have PYO availability.
If you forgot to get your honey share last week, I’ll be bringing the leftover honey shares to the pick-ups this week. And thank you to all of you who said such thoughtful things about our dog, Rye. We have some potential leads for a new home, and we’ve also been continuing to train him here, so who knows what the future will bring.
Have a wonderful week and enjoy your veggies (click here to see Bill showing off his ridiculously huge bunches of leafy greens)!
Reba and the HCF crew
Summer CSA Week 11 of 16: Potatoes, Zukes/Zephyr/Pattypan Squash, Big Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Garlic, Tomatillos, Swiss Chard, Bell Peppers, [Husk Cherries, Eggplant, Cucumbers]
Summer Week Eleven Add-ons: Grain, Eggs, Flowers, Mushrooms, Cheese, Milk, Fiore, Bread, Tofu
This week’s recipes: Swiss Chard with Tahini and Buttered Pine Nuts, Herbed Summer Squash (Patty Pan, Zucchini or Zephyr Squash) and Potato Torte
HATCHET COVE FARM 