We are starting to clear up some space on the farm- we've mowed or tilled in our older strawberry beds, most of the Spring peas and brassicas, and a lot of the beds of greens we were harvesting from earlier in the year. We are also now beginning the big late Summer project of clearing and bringing in storage crops like potatoes and onions. It makes our lives easier! Fewer beds to water and weed! More open space, where I hope to soon be planting cover crop which will grow through the Fall and Winter and add nutrients and organic matter to the soil for next year.
I was really hoping we would have corn for the farm shares this week! I ate my first ear of corn just a few days ago, and it is ripening quickly....but isn't quite there yet. Hopefully by this weekend we will have some in the farm stand, and then it should definitely be in the farm share next week.
Tomatoes- Some of our larger heirloom tomatoes will be in the share this week...great for putting in a salad or a sandwich, or just eating by themselves with a little salt and pepper. These tomato varieties are sometimes a little funny looking with odd shapes and colors, but their flavor is way better than the tomatoes in the grocery store! Don't put them in the fridge, just leave them out at room temperature until you're ready to use them as you would other fruit.
Gypsy peppers- Eventually, our gypsy peppers turn a beautiful coral orange color and are very sweet, but these ones were picked a bit early to thin the fruit set and let the plants ripen other fruits...while they aren't as sweet, they're great to use like you would a green pepper and have a nice bit of tartness.
Basil- We are overwhelmed with so much basil this year! I planted extra because last year most of our basil died mysteriously and suddenly, and I wanted to make sure we had plenty this year. Boy, do we ever. I like this article on how to make a small batch of pesto:
http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2014/08/06/bite-of-minnesota-small-batch-basil-pesto/
Torpedo Red Bottle Onion- More of our torpedo onions....they are beginning to dry down now for harvest and storage, so the tops are no longer as nice as they were a month ago. We will probably chop the tops off for you and give them out as loose onions.
Summer squash- I hope you're not tired of zucchini yet! Remember, we only have it for two or three months of the year, so enjoy it while you can...our squash harvest has actually gone really well this year, and we have so far not been overwhelmed with buckets of extra squash. I am trying to get a little better every year to plant the perfect amount of things, so that we have enough but are not buried in extra or fretting about waste. Every year there is a week or two of Summer where we just have so much food....right now! But generally, we're dialing it in over time.
http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/recipe-collections-favorites/popular-ingredients/zucchini-recipes/orzo-salad-zucchini-feta-0
Yellow wax beans- Fresh bean season is even shorter than zucchini season, but great while it's here. Martha Stewart has been noticeably absent from the blog, but she's back with some bean recipes:
http://www.marthastewart.com/275532/green-bean-recipes
...
Cauliflower- We have some beautiful cauliflower coming out of the field right now, plenty to go in the large shares. In the past I haven't grown much broccoli and cauliflower in August because we have so many other crops to pick, but it's doing great and it's nice to have it.
Strawberries- So many strawberries to pick, so little time. With our new beds on, we have been very busy trying to stay on top of it.
Spinach- After several beds of spinach that weren't very productive (I think the spot was a little less fertile, plus the long days of June tend to make spinach flower early) we have a beautiful new bed on, perfect for bunching! Here's a funny recipe that will use up your basil, too....and some tomatoes if you use them instead or in addition to the sundried tomatoes it calls for:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/feta-spinach-and-basil-omelette-muffins
No comments:
Post a Comment