If you had been at the farm early on Wednesday you would have seen the unusual sight of a silver and black tarp-draped figure awkwardly staggering across the field towards the sweet corn. The previous day we had seen that someone, or something, had been eating the sweet corn. We can usually tell that the corn is almost ready for harvest when the stalks start getting knocked down and stripped of their ears. A raccoon is usually the culprit, and so Bill set the Havaheart trap out on Tuesday evening. But on Wednesday morning when he went to see who had paid a visit the night before, he was surprised to find that an angry skunk had taken up residence, instead. After a few quick searches on the internet, it seemed clear that there was no foolproof way to deal with the situation. Changing into clothes that can go into the trash and finding a large tarp to use as a shield for the inevitable spray was the only advice that made any sense. And so, with me hollering relatively useless directives from a safe distance, Bill, ensconced entirely in a large and unwieldy tarp, eventually reached the Havaheart trap and flung his body over the top of it, covering the cage with the tarp just as the skunk let loose. Scooping up the whole kit and caboodle – trap, skunk, and rank massive tarp – Bill wrangled it all into the back of the pickup truck and took off for a remote location. He found an old apple tree far from any human activity to let the skunk out at, and now the farm just has a light eau du skunk remaining.
Even before the great skunk corn theft of 2017, the lack of rain meant that the corn harvest is definitely lighter than usual. In addition, the slow spring meant that the corn earworms had a chance to get established before the harvest. We try to cut the tips off every ear that has a worm in it, but we’ll undoubtedly miss some; if you get corn this week, please forgive the truncated look of many of the ears, and use your own knife on any unwelcome intruders that remain. Just try to remember the sign we once saw on an organic corn stand: “10,000 corn earworms can’t be wrong.” I’ll definitely be savoring every delicious kernel we rescue from skunk, worm, or raccoon!
You should have received an email letting you know about the heritage pork and apple offerings for the late summer and fall. If you want to sign up for those add-on options, or for any other fall CSA options, simply go into your account to sign up or reply to this email and let me know what you would like to add (pork, apples, milk, bread, cheese, oil & vinegar, mushrooms, yogurt, eggs, or tofu – all detailed on our website). Remember that you must be signed up for fall vegetables in order to be able to add on any of the extras. If you replied yes to the straw poll about the apple share, please confirm so that I can sign you up.
One other local offering: Rooster Ridge Farm, who supplies our CSA chickens, is now taking orders for Thanksgiving Turkeys. Contact Michelle Eugley directly at roosterridgefarm2007@yahoo.com to place your order.
Have a great week, and remember that not all pickup days will get husk cherries, tomatillos or sweet corn this week, but then that day will get them next week — we know that these are items that are hotly anticipated!
Reba
Summer CSA Week 11 of 16: Cherry and/or Big Tomatoes, Red & White Onions, Salad Mix, Garlic, Cilantro or Dill or Basil, Kale,[Purple Tomatillos, Baby Beets, Sweet Corn, Husk Cherries, Zucchini or Zephyr Squash]
Summer Week Eleven Add-ons: Yogurt, Eggs, Milk, Bread, Tofu, Cheese, Mushrooms, Oil & Vinegar
This week’s recipes: Tomatillo Salsa, Layered “Ratatouille”
HATCHET COVE FARM 