Another warm week. It was nice to get a little bit of overcast skies and a sprinkle yesterday afternoon! What a summer. New things coming on all the time on the farm. I just ate my first ripe cherry tomato this morning! Usually the first one is a bit of a one off, so it may be a few weeks until we get enough ripe fruit to put in the shares...but they will be earlier than usual, that's for sure. I'm usually happy to see the first ripe tomato before the end of July, so we are a full month earlier than usual. The eggplants look like they will probably be on two months earlier than usual.
With the fourth of July we are getting ready for a busy week at the farmer's market and the farm stand. It's going to be a crowded island this weekend. Here's the share:
Zucchini (or Summer squash)- These plants just started producing last week, and now they are already cranking out the fruit. The plants are huge, with some leaves over 2 feet across. We grow green and striped zucchini (cocozelle), plus patty pans (the yellow saucer shaped ones), crookneck, and straightneck squash. This recipe will use up your basil and some of your garlic (I always use more garlic than the recipe calls for, too):
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/zucchini-with-olive-oil-garlic-and-basil.html
Basil- The basil is really growing fast. Hopefully we'll be able to give you all a nice big bunch in the share this week.
Carrots- Back in the share after a week's absence. We are into a new planting now of the same delicious variety...I discovered these "Hilmar" carrots a few years ago and now it's the only orange Summer carrot I grow. They are so delicious...and they are "open pollinated" which means not a hybrid variety. It is rare for an "OP" variety to be able to outcompete hybrid vigor, but Hilmar is the rare exception.
Lettuce mix- It's been a while since we put our baby greens in the share, and with the deer continuing to occasionally munch on our head lettuce, the timing is right. In the mix this week is lots of nice baby lettuce, plus young arugula, mizuna, mustards, kales, spinach, and more.
Broccoli- Probably just a small head of broccoli in the share this week....I think it must be the heat, but our latest planting has come on a bit early with the plants still smaller, so the heads are not quite as large, but still very nice and tasty.
Cabbage- A small head of baby green or purple cabbage. How about a nice coleslaw for a fourth of July picnic? You can use your scallions and carrots in this recipe....http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/creamy-cole-slaw-recipe.html
Garlic- We just finished bringing in the last of our garlic, and later today I'll till in the weeds now that the beds are empty. The garlic now is hanging to dry before we'll cut it down from the stalks, after which time it'll look more like the familiar garlic heads at the grocery store. Right now it's halfway between cured and fresh, so I've been finding I need to peel it....however, it peels very easily and the flavor is still a bit fresh like the Spring garlic. Really good.
Scallion- I am hoping we have enough of the purple scallions left to put in your share one more time. A few people may receive the fresh walla walla onions if we run a bit short.
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