Full Share: Sweet Corn, Tomatoes, Basil, Garlic, Summer squash, Green Beans, Spinach, Salad Mix, Cauliflower, Sweet Onions, Peter Wilcox Potatoes, Carrots and Cucumbers.
Partial Share: Sweet Corn, Tomatoes, Basil, Garlic, Summer Squash, Spinach, Sweet Onion, Peter Wilcox Potatoes, Carrots, and Cucumbers.
Hello CSA members!
Sweet Corn!!!! Yep, it’s that time of summer. I love sweet corn, but not for the reason you may think. No doubt, this bi-color corn is fresh and delicious. In fact, this variety is so tender that you can literally shuck it and eat it raw…no need to cook (other than to provide the heat to melt the butter). But taste aside, for me sweet corn in August is an indicator that it’s been a good growing season, as it can often not ripen until September in these parts. Also, sweet corn is a sign that the season is going to start winding down soon. And as much as we love farming and summer, it sure feels nice when the days get cooler and shorter, as hopes of regaining some balance in our lives always starts to look good this time of year. It’s funny how animals always know when a crop is ready a few days before even the farmer knows. We noticed that something was getting into our sweet corn at night, which is a clear indicator it was about ready. I set out some traps and remote cameras with night vision to try to catch the perpetrator in action. And this is what I found:
Caught in the act!
Just kidding. It actually turned out to be a skunk. My father is an expert at dispatching skunks, so it’s too bad he doesn’t live closer (that’s just an inside joke, since my Mom reads the newsletter).
Anyway, it sure is a nice looking summer share this week. All the favorites in one place. You have all the main summer crops like Corn, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Basil, and Green Beans, plus some fall crops like sweet onions, garlic and purple potatoes, as well as a few spring crops like spinach and salad mix.
This variety of potato, which is purple skinned and yellow flesh, we find to be the best for hash browns and oven fries. If you weren’t aware, potatoes can be up to 70% water, so a little trick for hash browns is to grate the potatoes and them grab a handful and squeeze the water out into the sink. You’ll be surprised how much comes out. Then throw them in a preheated pan with some olive oil, and you’ll find they cook up a bit crispier than their non-squeezed brethren. There’s also lots of salad fixings…whether you go for a standard salad mix with grated carrots, thinly sliced onions, sungold tomatoes, and toasted sunflower seeds with a balsamic vinaigrette, or a traditional summer salad of sliced cucumber, tomatoes, and sweet onion….it’s hard to go wrong here. Or maybe a potato and green bean salad?
While the weather seems to be cooling down a bit, the CSA share is peak summer, so enjoy! We’ll see you at distribution!
Todd and the Two Bear Farm Crew
