What’s in the Box:
carrots, celery, green beans, sweet onions with tops, summer squash or zucchini, english cucumbers, kale, basil, and pea shoots.
What’s going on at the farm:
Summer solstice and independence day have passed and the first tomatoes are starting to come in. Still not quite enough for shares but very soon we will have enough for all! We have a lot of crops that are coming in that are borderline as far as enough quantities for shares like cherry tomatoes and cauliflower which likely won’t make the box this week but are coming in in larger amounts very soon so there may be a last minute change to boxes this week. Personally I am loving the carrots this year, they are so crunchy and sweet. The first green beans should be ready for boxes this week too. They are crunchy and juicy from all the heat and rain we’ve had. Working in the heating humidity has been draining for all so we try to start earlier now and finish up before the peak hrs of 3-6 hit. Working smarter and not necessarily harder is our goal but that is hard to accomplish this time of year. As carrots come out and other crops are finishing up including, peas, cabbage, beets, and lettuce, we will have a lot of dirty clean up work to get done this week. Its a rather small window to accomplish it in because our garlic is nearly ready for harvest and that will be a big job coming the following week. Here is a rundown of the crops this week.
Carrots: This variety is called yaya and that’s about what they make you say after trying these crunchy sweet roots. Great for roasting, salads, or any other recipes they can lend their flavor and texture too.
Green beans: Provider beans are just about the only bean i’ll grow anymore, they stay juicy and crunchy on the plant longer then most beans and the flavor is exceptional. This crop is way earlier then our first bean crop last year. Good enough to eat raw but great cooked too.
English cucumbers: We will have the small and large slicers again this week. These seedless thin skinned varieties don’t need to be peeled and are usually seedless. I’m really liking the new long english type we’ve worked hard to trellis in the greenhouse. It’s the first time we’ve had them in that style and the seeds are over a dollar each off the bat but they’ve been well worth it so far. The field cucumbers have been really producing well too.
Sweet onions: You may receive red or yellow sweet onions this week, the red is a new variety which i’m really liking. The sugar levels are very high on them and I didn’t plant very much of them this year but next year i’ll be sure to plant more of them. The yellow variety is more like a valdalia. Both will be harvested with tops for now and the tops could be chopped up to use like green onion if you wish too.
Basil: our basil is really bushing out in the greenhouse so we will be topping it again for shares. I really like it for stir fry or homemade pizza with any of the veggies.
Summer squash or zucchini: We have been picking them baby all year so you will likely get small squash with blossoms but could also get a few larger squash or zucchini based on what day we harvest them this week. Leaving this one open for flexibility of harvest. the blossoms and stem can be eaten on the baby ones too.
Kale: I’m not sure if we will do green curly, red curly, or lacinato kale this week but all three are looking great and of course kale is packed with nutrition. One thing is for sure, it won’t kale ya 🙂
Pea shoots: Our pea shoots are great for sautéing quickly or using as a salad green in the summer. Sandwiches, tacos, wraps, or anywhere you would use lettuce are great places to use your pea shoots.
Celery: Our celery was grown in the hoop house under the tomatoes and its not the biggest heads but very tender and delicious! I’m really excited about the flavor on these and the earliness from the heat of the greenhouse.
I hope everyone enjoys the veggies and had a great holiday week! -Kyle
