Full Share: Eggplant, peppers, salad mix, yukon gold potatoes, carrots, purple peacock broccolini, cucumbers, summer squash, and red cabbage
Partial Share: Graffiti or white cauliflower, eggplant, cucumbers, salad mix, carrots, and summer squash
Hello CSA members!
All together now….No frost, no frost, no frost, no frost. It’s hard to believe that after the hottest spring and early summer on record, July has actually turned out to be cool. We haven’t received much rain at the farm, but the cooler temps have made it easier on the crew. What’s more shocking is that we’ve already had one frost scare this month on the 16th (35 degrees), and now we’re slated for another one on tonight and Wednesday morning as this cold front clears out. July is supposed to be the one sacred month for farmers where frost is not a risk. The big issue with frost now as opposed to other months is that the frost sensitive crops like sweet corn and potatoes haven’t been harvested yet but they are too big to cover now, and there is really no way to protect them. Given the corn is only about two weeks from being ready, this weather is a bit stress inducing. If we get through the next couple of days, we’ll be in the clear….but that’s a big “if”. And that’s why farmers have lots of gray hair.
That said, many other crops are tucked away nicely in their hoop houses and high tunnels, and overall the frost does not pose a big risk (unless you really like sweet corn). This week we are starting to see some of those summer crops enter the shares. Eggplant, peppers, tomatoes will start to be phased in to join summer squash in the mix. And do to peer pressure, we have harvested some carrots. I have learned a huge lesson on human psychology and perception with our carrot experiment this year. For the record, last year the first carrots of the year were harvested on August 5th, which is a typical timeframe. This year however, we grew a batch of carrots in a high tunnel that were ready by June, just to see if it would work and to add an early treat to the shares. The unintended result of that experiment is that everyone in the valley now wants carrots every week starting in June….I think we’ve created a monster. After about a month of disappointed and tearful children leaving the CSA pickup with no carrots, we caved. So, the carrots may still be on the small side, but we did it for the kids.
It’s hard to believe it’s almost August. The annual process of harvesting garlic is always a milestone for us because it marks about the half way point in our farm season. And the garlic obviously enjoyed the hot spring…overall the garlic looks large and great.
Eggplant is popular in many different regional cuisines, but my favorite is Italian (of course). How about some home-made focaccia topped with eggplant? Don’t want to make dough? Pick up some fresh artisan bread at your local farmer’s market and try this recipe. Now that is a delicious looking dinner.
Well, let’s hope for lots of nighttime cloud cover, and we’ll see you at CSA distribution!
Two Bear Farm crew
