In the Share: Week 12
TOMATOES (F/P) Loads of them this week – our best season yet.
ROMA TOMATOES (F) nothing like homemade sauce made with these beauties
CHERRY TOMATOES OR SALSA PACK (P) Maybe some for the full shares too if we have enough tomorrow.
CARROTS (F/P) Lots left in the fields, if it would only dry up enough to harvest.
EGGPLANT OR SUMMER SQUASH (F/P) the eggplant is producing poorly, probably not any more for awhile. Full shares get a choice, partials get squash and are next in line for the eggplant.
GARLIC (F/P)
CUCUMBERS: (F/P) A few for everyone. The last planting is about ready to produce and it looks great.
SWISS CHARD OR BEETS: (F)
HERB CHOICE (F/P) Basil, summer savory or a dried herb.

Also this week: Bread of Life bread share delivery

Next Week: More tomatoes, summer squash and cucumbers. More onions and perhaps (finally!) some cantaloupe. The potatoes are on the list just as soon as it dries out enough to dig them. Meat and egg share delivery.

Farm report
The tomato onslaught continues on the farm. Another day spent harvesting and sorting; another night spent coring and cooking. It’s enough to make us question how many tomato plants do we really need?! One less bed of tomatoes to plant, transplant, weed, mulch, irrigate and trellis could mean fewer weeds in the potatoes or another bed of cucumbers instead. But before I get too far down this line of thinking, I am reminded of the other times that I’ve had a similar revelations during the peak of harvest of one crop or another only to change my mind when the peak passes and we start wishing we had planted more.

With all the rain we’ve been getting, we have lots of cracked heirloom tomatoes. Heirlooms are prized for their thin skins and silky texture, but this leads to the skins to crack when more water is pumped into the fruit when it’s maturing. Rather than send even more tomatoes to the compost than we already are, we are sending in some ‘seconds’ this week for you all to take if you wish. If you haven’t already done so, now is the time to stock up for winter.

What we really need is feedback from the CSA on what crops we should grow more of and what crops we should grow less of. We are in luck, as your FSF CSA Inreach Coordinator, Kent Gillespie, has kindly prepared an excellent survey designed to find out from you how we can improve the CSA for all. Should we grow more summer squash and less cucumber, or the other way around? What is your favorite heirloom tomato that we should always make sure to grow? Or do you favor the standard red globes and wish we would stop with all this day-glo vegetable hippie nonsense? The FSF CSA core group wants to know your thoughts. They would also like your feedback regarding distribution, communication, farm shifts and more. Please consider taking a few moments to fill out and return the survey. It should be in your inbox attached to the email I am sending to the membership tonight. Thanks so much for your thoughtful suggestions and comments.