While we are happy to have another short reprieve from the heat on Wednesday and Thursday, we have been watching the chance of rain in the forecast slowly evaporate (pun intended!). Melissa and Maddie and Catherine have been working tirelessly to get irrigation on as many fields as possible, but it has been so dry and hot, and our fields are so sandy that it takes constant water to keep our plants happy. Also, as you might imagine, there are many pressing planting, seeding, weeding, trellising, mowing and pest control tasks pulling us in many different directions, so we still haven’t been able to reach every area with irrigation yet. Hopefully some rain materializes to buy us a little time to tackle the remaining irrigation set-up!
In spite of the dry conditions, a lot of crops are coming along nicely. Our high tunnel tomatoes and peppers are lush, the onions and carrots out in the field are thriving, and the winter squash look promising. The PYO flower field is getting close to ready for picking too - PYO Flower CSA members should get an email in the next week or so with an update about opening!
In the CSA this week:
Fresh onions - We grow a white variety (Ailsa Craig) and a red variety (Red Long of Tropea). These fresh onions are sweeter and milder than cured onions, and they should be kept in the fridge.
Celery - Our celery tends to have a more concentrated flavor than what you find in the grocery store (especially true this year with the lack of rain!).
Zucchini
Summer squash
Cucumbers - We have been battling aphids in our high tunnel cukes, so we are eagerly waiting for field cucumber production to pick up. In the meantime, cukes will remain limited, but you should see some of the thin skinned varieties mixed in to the bin!
Carrots - If you’re wondering what to do with those carrot tops, see the recipe for carrot top pesto below!
Garlic Scapes - Last week for these!
Cabbage - Savoy, Caraflex (conical shape), and Green
Lettuce
Kale
Salanova lettuce mix
Arugula
CSA Pick-Your-Own:
Green beans - These are in a section of field that we haven’t yet reached with irrigation, so the plants and beans are little stunted. We are hoping to set up some irrigation on them today to boost production, though it may be a little late to get them to size up better.
Herbs: Members will have a choice of parsley, dill, dill flowers, cilantro, sage, chives, thyme and basil (Genovese and Thai).
Some herb harvesting information:
Parsley and cilantro: Pick only outer stems and leave the center stalks to continue to grow.
Basil: please pinch off leaves from the tops of the plants.
Dill, Sage and Thyme: harvest stems at branching points
Chives: cut stems high enough that a 3-4 inches of plant remain at the base, and do not cut all of the stems on a plant.
Please do not clear cut herb plants or harvest from beds that are not yet open.
In the farm store:
Farm store hours are Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will have:
Fennel
Beets
Chard
Flowers - Snapdragons and some mixed mini bouquets
Mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm - Certified organic
Double B Honey - From hives on the property! Not certified organic
Applesauce from Long Run Produce in Boxborough, MA. Certified Organic.
Baer’s Best Beans: 1 pound bags. Grown in South Berwick, Maine. Certified Organic varieties available include: Cannellini, Black Turtle, Italian Cranberry and Light Red Kidney. NEW: Additional varieties now available, all grown by Charley Baer but these are not organic: bumblebee, marfax, and flageolet.
In addition, at the end of the week we may have a few tomatoes!
Roasted Zucchini
By Lidey Heuck from NY Times Cooking
Ingredients
1½ pounds zucchini, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 2 medium zucchini)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon dried oregano, thyme or rosemary or 1 teaspoon fresh
Kosher salt and black pepper
Chopped fresh basil, parsley or mint, for serving (optional)
Zest and juice of half a lemon, for serving (optional)
Preparation
Heat oven to 450 degrees, placing a sheet pan on the middle rack to preheat for at least 10 minutes.
Place the zucchini in a large bowl. Add the oil, oregano, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper; toss well. Dump the zucchini onto the preheated sheet pan, and, working quickly, spread into an even layer.
Roast for 15 minutes, tossing once halfway through, until the zucchini are browned and tender.
Garnish with fresh herbs and lemon zest and juice if desired. Season with more salt and pepper and serve hot or warm.
Carrot Top Pesto
by Elise Bauer from Simply Recipes
Thanks to field crew member Adrienne for sharing!
Ingredients
1 cup packed carrot top greens (about 40g), tough stems removed
1 cup packed baby spinach (about 40g)
1 large clove garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 cup (63g) roasted unsalted cashews
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup (118ml) extra virgin olive oil
Preparation:
Rinse the carrot top greens to dislodge any dirt. Pick out and discard any dry, yellowed, or otherwise unappetizing looking leaves. Discard tough stems.
While the food processor is running, slowly pour in the olive oil in a steady stream. Scrape the sides down with a rubber spatula. Pulse until smooth.