TOMATOES Loads of beautiful fruits are coming out of the patch right now. We grow a lot of different varieties of heirloom and hybrid tomatoes. My favorites include the Cherokee Purple and Orange Marmalade.

CARROTS The last of the Spring carrot harvest is wrapping up this week.  If you haven’t got your farm shift in yet, we could use some more hands to bring in the crop this coming Saturday morning. They will keep well in cold storage for the CSA for the rest of the season.

CUCUMBERS The first planting is giving us one last hurrah of a harvest. The second planting is looking good and should start soon.

SQUASH A combination of zucchini and yellow squash.

EGGPLANT Happy plants are giving us some nice fruit this week. We grow a purple Italian type and an Asian slender and one. Be sure to cook it to the same tenderness as a cooked mushroom. Yumm!

SALSA PACK The tomatillos are doing well, so time to salsa! If you forgot how, check out these salsa pack recipes, fresh and roasted.

GARLIC They are completely cured now, but still juicy.

BASIL OR SUMMER SAVORY The basil plants are as happy as ever this year. Plenty in your share to make a good batch of pesto. The savory is especially good on eggplant, squash or potatoes. And speaking of basil, here is a recipe that was posted on our closed group Facebook page for White Bean and Basil Dip. So join the group if you are not already a member and check out the page for more recipe ideas from your fellow members, like a little ratatouille!

FARM REPORT: Wow! What gorgeous weather we have! After a brutal 95+ degree week, the low at 60 degrees this morning felt amazing! Two inches of rain accompanied the cold front, which gave us a nice break from the daily task of playing with filters and hydrants of our irrigation system. You can almost watch the plants growing before your eyes in response to the moisture and optimum temperatures. This is part of the patch of Solanaceae crops which include peppers, eggplant, tomatoes and tomatillos.

On the left side is the same insectary we showed in May. The summer flowers have really taken over along with the dill.

The cover crops of sorghum Sudan grass and sunhemp are thriving especially since they have to wait for rain to get watered.

The Summer harvest is proceeding nicely. We pick cucumbers every other day and all of this was just yesterday’s harvest.

Needless to say we have been making a storm of pickles, but also they’ll be a nice selection of slicers and picklers for the CSA this week.