Hello CSA members,
Week five is on the way and hopefully some rain with it to go with these above average temps we’ve been getting roasted with in Southeastern Wisconsin. The heat drove our strawberry crop to come in fast this year and they have all ready pittered out. If by some miracle we can get enough pints to get to bi-weekly shares we will do so but I spent some good time scavenging today and its not looking promising. Some of the blossoms had been damaged by the late frost too and we picked those off so not sure if that added to the quick season but as fast as they started they are all finished for the year. We will have to maintain the health of these plants and trim all the runners off the rest of this year to prepare for more fruit next year. This week we harvested all the kohlrabi and spring lettuce and made room to plant more. The areas that were occupied by those crops were planted into more lettuce heads, and also some cabbages, kohlrabi, and cauliflower for later this summer. This week we have some new greens for you and the last of some spring favorites. Here is the crop list for week five.
Swiss Chard: Our bright lights mix has a range of colors and the stems are edible along with the greens. Swiss chard is related to beets and is a great substitute for spinach and goes well with eggs, pasta, or as a side.
Beets: The last of our beet crop is going out this week. I can’t believe these are almost gone all ready. This week we are pulling all remaining crop and have white, golden, and red beets and you will receive one of these types from a random selection.
Lettuce head: Romaine, red leaf, or butter crunch lettuce will be in the share this week. larger shares will receive larger heads but the heat really pushed all the spring lettuce to finish fast so we pulled it all in and shares will receive at least one of three types. If there is enough to go around large shares will get two heads.
Fennel: This is a early summer delicacy I always look forward to. The bulb is the best part and is crisp and sweet with an anise flavor. the stalk and frond can also be eaten and I like to use the whole plant however possible. Think about the fronds as an herb like dill and the stalks can be chopped up and cooked with other veggies. The bulb is great in coleslaw with cabbage or kohlrabi also or can be roasted with beets, and other veggies.
Zucchini and summer squash: Zucchini and squash likes the heat and is coming in faster with it…. we will distribute green and yellow types out and we had a good haul of these today!
Kohlrabi: Kohlrabi will be gone after this week also so enjoy these cabbage apples while you can. I like them raw or cooked but they can also be used for a veggie slaw.
sugar snap peas (possibly bi-weekly only): bi weekly members will be the first to get peas since they missed berries last week. These sugar snap pods are just starting to come in and are always a June favorite. If we have enough coming in this may be expanded to include peas for all csa members this week. I spent a good portion of the day today on fathers day getting a head start on picking and we got about 50 lbs so far so there is a good chance we can get enough to go around before Tuesday.
Sunflower shoots: Our micro green this week is sunflower shoots. These tasty shoots are nutty and crisp and good as a green or garnish. They don’t hold up to cooking well but you can expect them to be full of vitamins and nourishment just like all micro greens pack a load of nutrition.
This week after clearing out the rest of the beets we will clean up the beet beds and the broccoli area and get the field ready to plant into more crops for late summer. We’ve been pruning the tomato plants every week in all three greenhouses and we are getting excitingly close to having the first cherry and slicing tomatoes soon. They will be pruned again this week but I would guess we are 2-3 weeks away from some solid tomato yields. Cucumbers have been starting to come in but not very many yet so hopefully those will make the list next week also. I am expecting the first carrots, and green onions to be ready next week too! Thanks everyone and hope you enjoy the veggies! -Kyle