10.13.2010

today's share

Full Shares:
weigh-your-own potatoes — 3lb. *
bunch carrots **
bunch turnip ***
bunch leeks +
some garlic
4-6 tomatoes
bunch hot peppers ++
4 oz lettuce mix
6 oz mesclun +++
bunch kale
cutting garden

Half Shares:
weigh-your-own potatoes —3lb. *
bunch beets **
bunch onions
some garlic
4-6 sweet peppers
bunch hot peppers ++
bunch kale
cutting garden

* Full and half shares each weigh 3 lbs of potatoes. The scale, bags, and potatoes are to your left as you enter the barn. We will leave the lights on until about 7:30 or so. We're finding some witch-grass and wire-worm holes in the potatoes. The damage is usually cosmetic and easily cut out, but if you find a potato that has rotted inside, take some extra next week.

** You'll sometimes get beets and carrots that are quite small. This is because we thin the rows as we harvest, to make room for the roots left behind to grow bigger. The smaller roots are just as delicious. The beet greens are edible.

*** Some of you will be getting Gilfeather turnips. These were grown from heirloom seed given to us from the RAFT program. They're sometimes a bit bigger than our salad turnips, and personally, I prefer the Gilfeather greens to the purple top.

+ The leeks are smaller than we'd like them to be, but just as tasty. We planted them late this year — one or two crops get planted late every year, and this year it was the leeks and rutabaga.

++ The hot peppers are in a crate inside the cooler. Please take a handful.

+++ The mesclun gets spicier as the weather cools. I prefer to saute it when it is thus emboldened! Though it is still good raw if you prefer. You'll also notice that the kale gets sweeter as the weather cools!

CUTTING GARDEN: We've had a few frosts now and the bulk of the flowers are dead. The basil is also done. But there are lots of other herbs that are still in excellent shape, including cilantro. Please take what you will!

10.11.2010

harvest postponed

This week's harvest is postponed until wednesday the 13th, after 3pm, due to a death in the family.

10.05.2010

today's share

Full Shares:
bunch carrots
bunch beets
2-3 winter squash
6 oz mesclun
sweet peppers*
tomatoes**
1-3 heads cabbage***
rod of brussels sprouts+
handfull hot peppers++
weigh-your-own-potatoes+++
cutting garden

Half Shares:
bunch carrots
bunch celery
sweet peppers*
1-2 winter squash
bunch turnips
tomatoes**
handfull hot peppers++
cutting garden

* The sweet peppers were harvested due to a frost threat, so some are a bit small. But they're still very tasty and versatile!

** The tomatoes were also harvested due to a frost threat. We picked a lot of green one's and have been ripening them up. We've included both red and green tomatoes in your shares. To continue ripening them at home, just place them in a paper bag on your kitchen counter. Placing an apple or another ripe tomato in the bag can help speed the ripening, but check daily for signs of rot!

*** Some of the cabbage heads are quite small. This is because they are the second growth on a stalk that had already been harvested. These 'personal-size' cabbages can be quite handy! And of course, they are delicious.

+ The brussels sprouts should be cut from the stalk before cooking! There are some good recipes on our website.

++ The hot peppers this week are in a crate in the cooler. Please take a handful.

+++ Full shares are weighing their own potatoes this week. There is a scale and bags on the left of the barn. The area will be lit until around 7:30 and we will have signs up. Choose the ones you want, and take three pounds.

There are some eggplants and other random veggies in the cooler that you can help yourselves to.

Also there are mums outside the barn door for the taking.

CUTTING GARDEN: You'll still find a few flowers and lots of herbs. There is some cilantro down there now. It's growth was patchy (just not a good cilantro year for us) but there's enough to cut!

9.28.2010

today's share

Full Shares:
pint cherry tomatoes
2-3 slicing tomatoes
2-3 cucumbers or summer squash
4-5 sweet peppers
bunch raab
6 oz. lettuce mix
2 heads lettuce
bunch turnips**
bunch green beans
1-2 heads celery*
cutting garden

Half Shares:
2-3 slicing tomatoes
3-5 sweet peppers
2-3 eggplant
bunch broccoli
bunch raab
6 oz. lettuce mix
bunch green beans
cutting garden

* Our celery is little but tasty. This is our second attempt at celery, and though we babied it more this year than last, it is still little. It is probably best suited for soups and stews.

** We left the greens on the turnips. They are edible (recipes on our website). But if you're not going to use them soon, we'd suggest cutting the greens off the turnips so the roots store better.

POTATOES: It was too wet to harvest potatoes, but we had a few crates left in the cooler. If you need potatoes for your pot-luck dish on Sunday, go ahead and take some.

CUTTING GARDEN:
The flowers are more and more scarce, so get a small bouquet while you can! There are still lots of herbs, so please cut big bunches!

WHERE WE'RE AT IN THE SEASON: Warm weather crops are slowing down. This is likely the last week you'll be seeing summer squash or cucumbers. We'll still be getting tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers in smaller quantities for at least another week or two. There are three more pick-ups after this one, which will be abundant with cooler weather crops. And it looks like we'll be offering a more informal, week-to-week-pay-as-you-go CSA, beyond week twenty, into November and possibly December. We'll keep you informed.

9.21.2010

today's harvest

Full Shares:
bunch green beans
head cabbage
bunch raab
bunch carrots*
6 oz arugula
bunch onions
bunch collards or kale
2-4 sweet peppers or eggplant
2-3 slicing tomatoes
6 oz mesclun
cutting garden

Half Shares:
bunch broccoli
bunch raab
bunch carrots
4 oz arugula
bunch radish
2-3 cucumbers or summer squash
bunch green beans
cutting garden

CUTTING GARDEN:
The flowers are slowing down, but there are still plenty for small bouquets. There are still lots of herbs to be had, especially basil.

9.14.2010

today's harvest

Full Shares:
2 lb. keuka gold potatoes
6 oz. mesclun
bunch garlic
2-4 cucumbers or summer squash
3-4 slicing tomatoes
4 oz. lettuce mix
bunch green beans
bunch kale
husk cherries or sweet peppers
cutting garden

Half Shares:
2 lb. keuka gold potatoes
bunch radish
bunch raab
6 oz. mesclun
bunch garlic
2-3 eggplant
2-3 slicing tomatoes or pint cherry tomatoes
4 oz. lettuce mix
cutting garden

CUTTING GARDEN:
There are still plenty of flowers and herbs in the cutting garden. There is still lots of basil for big batches of pesto!

9.07.2010

today's harvest

Full Shares:
2 lbs. potatoes
bunch hot peppers
3-4 cucumbers
4-5 sweet peppers*
bunch raab greens
6 oz. arugula
bunch radish
5-8 slicing tomatoes**
maybe a melon***
cutting garden

Half Shares:
1 lb. potatoes
bunch beets
2-3 summer squash
4 oz. arugula
3-4 sweet peppers*
bunch hot peppers
3-5 slicing tomatoes**
cutting garden

* Some of you will be getting Jimmy Nardello sweet peppers which are long and thin, range in color from green to red, and look like a hot pepper.

** If you get any tomatoes that aren't quite ripe, just let them sit (not in the fridge) in a bag for a day or two and they will ripen right up.

*** Our melons are ripening very erratically this year, so some of you will be getting melons this week, and the rest of you over the next several. Your cantaloupe may need to sit for a few days to ripen. If it does, you'll be able to tell it's ready when it is fragrant and the end of the melon gives a little when you apply pressure it. If your water melon is not ripe, it will not ripen — let us know and we'll get you a replacement next week.

CUTTING GARDEN: Please visit the cutting garden and take a large bouquet of flowers and several bunches of herbs. There is plenty of basil for you to make a large batch of pesto to freeze — it is well worth the effort to harvest and freeze pesto for later in the year!!