Category Archives: carrots

In the Share – Week 11

carrots, cherry tomatoes, dry, hot, tomatoes
the harvest:  carrots, beets and onions

TOMATOES x2 (F/P) Last week CSA members on average received about 10 lbs. of tomatoes and this week it is looking to be about the same. Please don’t get too used to this excess. It is a freak of nature and it will only last a while longer. Last week we literally harvested over a ton.

CHERRY TOMATOES (F/P) That ton also included these beauties. We think we’ll have another round of quarts for everyone this week.

CARROTS (F/P) We dug these a while back and stored them in the cooler. We think they taste even better after a stint in the cold slammer.

WALLA WALLA ONIONS (F/P) The onions are a bit smaller than other years, but we have almost no culls thanks to the dry weather. Soon we’ll move on the red onions after the sweet Wallas are gone.

BEETS, SUMMER SQUASH OR SALSA PACK (F) This will most likely be the last of the beets until fall. We should have some for the partial shares next week.

PEPPERS: SWEET AND HOT (F) Another small taste of peppers. We are letting most of them stay on the plants to ripen.

EGGPLANT (F/P) The “plant” is rocking right now and will be for the next few weeks. It is so good simply broiled until it is brown and marinated in olive oil and spices. Partial shares get a choice of beets or eggplant.

HERB CHOICE (F/P) Basil, summer savory or a dried herb.

FARM REPORT




As CSA farmers we advertise membership in our farm as relationship based on shared risk but also shared bounties. Well, right now we are looking at extremes of both. We’ve got a ridiculously huge bumper crop of tomatoes and a drought of epic proportions. The tomato harvest threatens to consume all of our hours of all of our days.

 The farm crew of four: Tom, me, and our awesome farm apprentices Dani Hurst and Ryan Stubby do little else but harvest, sort, count and weigh tomatoes. Add 2 one-day-a-week volunteers (Thank you, M for Monday crew!!) and we still struggle to find time to plant for fall, tinker with the irrigation system and weed the sweet potatoes.  The CSA members bi-weekly visits keep our heads above water by assisting in the retrieval of the other crops from the field.

Saturday carrot harvest

And then there’s the heat and drought … Tom and I are increasingly concerned about the long-term effect on the crops. So far most everything is staying alive BUT we expect a lull in the harvest a few weeks from now.  Stay tuned for more on that as experience what may be the hottest, driest year on record.  Meanwhile, enjoy the bumper crop and think about putting up a little summer sunshine for later.



What to Do With Your Share—Week 7

carrots, csa, sustainable agricuture, walla walla onions, zucchini fritters

Summer will be officially upon us during Wednesday distribution this week, and the crops in the field are backing that up. The first cucumbers, more summer squash and a few cherry tomatoes all say that the Spring of 2012 is over.

With this hot, dry weather the zukes have grown large between pickings. So we are sorry that this week’s squash is big, but offer a recipe for zucchini fritters as a tasty suggestion for using them. The aroma alone is worth cooking these, so enjoy some fried food this week.

The carrots and Walla Walla onions make their debut for this season too. We love our carrots here at the farm and hope to have them in the share every other week for most of the rest of the season. This first selection is a variety called Bolero. They grow well in our soil, and have a nice shape, texture and taste. We recommend eating them fresh and raw right now. One important note however is to cut the green tops off if you are going to store them in the fridge, and be sure to keep them in a plastic bag, as they will dry out otherwise.

Find the cucumbers in the picture.

The Walla Walla’s are a sweet onion, so don’t be afraid to eat them raw too. They are a great addition to a fresh summer salad. Cukes, onions, herbs, salt, pepper, olive oil and balsamic makes a never fail simple, crisp and bright salad.

The dog days of Summer aren’t supposed to be until August, but this year they have arrived 2 months early. We are hoping that the temperatures do not continue to rise, as all living things on the farm are already feeling the effects of the abnormally hot Spring of 2012.  Rocky tries to keep cool in his polar bear coat of fur by laying on the cool concrete in the barn or on the gravel in the packing area.

Our boy Rocky staying cool.