Full Shares:  Carrots, Salad Mix, Broccoli, Graffiti Cauliflower, Cherry Red Potatoes, Zucchini, Summer Squash, Cucumber, Sungold Tomatoes, Shishito Peppers, Basil and Garlic

Partial Shares:  Carrots, Broccoli, Graffiti Cauliflower, Summer Squash, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and Garlic.

As I shut down the barrel washer, toting the last of the bright red potatoes for CSA tomorrow, I cracked a Scepter IPA and began to reflect on things.  Today is Rebecca and my 7th year wedding anniversary, and our 10th season farming together.  After a full day of harvest and some garlic cleaning, we sat on the front steps and streamed a Tom Catmull song on Rebecca’s phone, reminiscing about our wedding day in our neighbor’s yard in Eureka  when we hired Tom (and the Clerics) to come up from Missoula to play.  Excellent choice.  We also reflected on  how each growing season has shared so many similarities, yet each one also uniquely different. While the  relentless heat and dryness this summer is impressive, I realize it isn’t the first and it won’t be the last hot dry summer.    Ten years ago, I apprenticed on a farm in the Flathead Valley, and I remember that every day in July had a high above 90, with 8 days reaching triple digits.  That was 2007, and it was the year of the Good Creek Fire west of town.  I thought about what a crazy and rewarding  journey it’s all been.  Even this year, with the late, wet start, has now turned the corner and is really turning out to be a great growing season.   The farm is certainly at peak bounty right now, and it’s the rare case where there is so much food that we struggle to figure out what exactly to put into the shares.  It was fun to indulge in some memories, as we are not typically the sentimental, nostalgic types, but rather the full speed ahead sort.

Upon reading my Week #10 post about my tractor-centric upbringing, my mother sent me some photos.  I thought I’d just throw one in of young farmer Todd at Empire Farm Days with his favorite Case Agri King tractor next to the real thing, and 8 year old Todd on the bulldozer helping my father pull stumps so we could build a new barn.

Yep kids, those were the days before digital cameras.  And that’s circa 1980, in case you couldn’t tell by the shorts.

But lets’ get back to the present.  Your share this week is a wide spread of both spring and summer crops.  The broccoli is winding down, the cauliflower is in peak season, and the tomatoes and peppers are coming on strong.  And the first of the potatoes are ready to go!  We even threw in some of this seasons garlic as a sampler….not sure it i’s fully cured yet, but give it a shot.  The shishito peppers in the full shares are a mild, almost seedless variety that is terrific simply seared in a hot pan.  We sampled a few this evening in our wok, and they were delicious…just a touch of olive oil and sea salt.

We also have the fourth annual CRYJ Farm Dinner coming up on August 18th, if anyone is interested.  You get an evening out at the farm for a great cause, so if you’re at all interested follow the link on the poster: