We are bracing ourselves for the heatwave this week and trying to dust ourselves off after a crushing defeat in our eggplant at the hands of the Colorado Potato Beetle (CPB). We devoted a significant amount of time over the past 2 months to hand picking, burning and vacuuming (a new technique we tried out this year!), as organic pesticides are no longer effective against these bugs. We do think our potatoes managed to size up a little better than they have in recent years as a result of our efforts, but the CPB were relentless and the last potato plant holdouts succumbed over a week ago. Eggplant are a close second favorite meal for CPB and they were already doing significant damage in the eggplant before the beetles that had been feasting on our potato plants began migrating to the eggplant as well. We see a lot of damage to the eggplant every year, but they usually bounce back. This year we are missing large swaths of plants due to CPB pressure. They have been so pervasive that we have even been seeing significant damage in our field tomatoes as well!
It’s discouraging to see a crop fail in spite of our best efforts, but when you grow about 50 different types of crops, you’re guaranteed to have at least one fail every year (and you’ll usually have multiple fail!). We just have to keep reminding ourselves that it’s been an exceptionally good year in spite of a serious drought, and some key equipment failures. To keep ourselves going, we start to make plans for how next year will be different. So we are planning to rotate our potatoes across the street again next year, because the further away you can get from the previous year’s spot, the better. We are also strongly considering taking a a year off from growing eggplant ourselves to try to break the cycle of the ever multiplying CPB population. Trying to control the beetles drains energy from other essential projects that would probably have a bigger payoff! It’s no fun to admit something you worked really hard on didn’t go well, but one of the great things about farming is that you get to learn and try new strategies the next year!
In the CSA this week:
High tunnel tomatoes! We are very excited to have enough tomatoes this early for every membership to have one this week!
Peppers - we’ll have the first green and purple peppers in the CSA this week. They’ll be limited, but expect more soon!
Escarole - We tried out a new heat-tolerant variety, as this is the time of year when it is tough to grow leafy greens. Escarole has a bitter flavor and is usually cooked. This may not be the week most people were hoping to turn on their stoves, but see below for a recipe idea that involves minimal cooking time!
Potatoes - more Dark Red Norlands this week!
Fresh onions - We’ll continue to have a mix of Red Long of Tropea and Ailsa Craig fresh onions.
Carrots
Summer squash
Zucchini
Cucumbers
Lettuce - For the first time this season we will have to limit lettuce heads. We had a section of lettuce that we had to plant outside of our regular lettuce field, which made it tricky to get irrigation set up on it. That lettuce was due to be harvested this week, but it has struggled in this drought. Future plantings are looking really good though!
Mini Cabbage
Kale
CSA Pick-Your-Own:
Cherry Tomatoes - Just a taste this week, but it’s only the beginning so expect much more to come! Varieties that are currently ripening include Sungold (orange), Citrine (orange), Cherry Bomb (red), Red Pearl (red grape), Valentine (red grape), Apple Yellow (new variety for us this year, and aptly named as it is an apple shaped yellow tomato!) and Midnight Pear (smoky purple pear shaped cherry).
Snap beans - green beans as well as purple snap beans.
Herbs - choice of basil, dill, parsley, dill flowers, sage or thyme.
In the farm store:
In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will also have salanova (early in the week only) and mixed flower bouquets. We will also have mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm and eggs from Codman Farm and likely Verrill Farm corn by the end of the week.
We accept credit card, cash, check and EBT in the farm store. The farm store is open Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm and Saturday 9am - 3pm. We also continue to take online pre-orders for Wednesday, Friday and Saturday pick-up. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering opens at 6pm the day before pick-up.
Pick-Your-Own Flower CSA:
The PYO Flower garden is now open to both Flower CSA members and to the general public. Varieties available include snapdragons, zinnias, marigolds, gomphrena, strawflower, celosia, statice, ammi, ageratum, rudbeckia, scabiosa, cosmos and amaranth. Please pick flowers above branching points so that we can enjoy the plants for the next 2 months. Picking hours are during any farm store hours: Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. We recommend bringing your own pruners or scissors as well as water for transporting your flowers home.
Sautéed Escarole
from SimplyRecipes.com
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 small pinch red pepper flakes, optional
1 head escarole, well rinsed (and still a little wet), leaves removed from core, torn or chopped into 3 to 4 inch pieces
1 generous pinch sea salt or kosher salt
Method
Sauté the garlic: Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the sliced garlic and red pepper flakes (if using).
Add the escarole leaves, turn with tongs: Once the garlic starts to cook and is fragrant, add the escarole leaves to the pan. The leaves should still be a little wet from rinsing. They'll sizzle as they hit the pan, but if you add them all at once, the oil shouldn't splatter. Use tongs to turn the escarole over in the pan as it cooks. Sprinkle with a little salt.
Wilt the escarole: When the escarole starts to wilt and is barely cooked through, remove from the heat. Remove from the pan immediately to serve.
Zucchini Salad
from LoveAndLemons.com
Ingredients
Lemon Vinaigrette, plus 1/4 cup minced shallot mixed in
3 small-medium zucchini
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1 tablespoon chopped chives
Handful of basil
Shaved Parmesan, optional
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Use a vegetable peeler to peel the zucchini into thin strips. Place the zucchini in a large bowl, toss with drizzles of the dressing, then transfer the zucchini to a platter.
Top with the pine nuts, chives, basil, and a few shavings of Parmesan, if using. Drizzle with more dressing and season with salt and pepper, to taste.