Category Archives: cucumbers

In the Share: Week 16

chickens, chicks, cucumbers

CUCUMBERS F/P  The second planting is coming in now and contains the same varieties as the last round, including the picklers shown above that make great pickles but are also great to eat any way you like.

TOMATOES F/P  Just one or two this week mostly from our hybrid reds.

SWEET PEPPERS F  The cool weather has slowed their ripening.  Partial shares will get them next week.

FINGERLING POTATOES F/P  Austrian Crescent fingerlings are waxy and delicious roasted with some…

GARLIC F/P  artichoke softneck variety.

SUMMER SQUASH F/P  Zucchini or yellow squash

RED ONIONS F

BASIL, HOT PEPPERS OR CUTTING CELERY F/P

NEXT WEEK:  Peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, carrots and onions.

FARM REPORT:

On Thursday, 60 freshly-hatched chicks arrived.   We immediately got them to food and water and warmth in the brooder.

If all goes well, these little fluff balls will be laying eggs by February.  Half of the flock are Golden Comets, that are supposed to lay lots of brown eggs. The other half are our favorite breed, what the hatchery calls ‘Easter Eggers’, since they lay colorful eggs (blue, green and kind of a buff color).  We tend to call them Ameraucanas.  Either term describes chickens that are descended from the blue egg laying chickens from the Araucana region of South America.

The first few weeks are critical times for these newborns.  We check on them regularly to make sure they are happy.  They are just about a week old now and already seem to have doubled in size.

Meanwhile we moved the older flock to fresh grass just in time for their first birthday.  We’ve seen an uptick in their egg production since the weather has turned so nice.

In the Share – Week 11

cucumbers, seed saving

CUCUMBERS F/P  In the photo are our pickling cucumbers which are varieties that are self-polinating and can be kept undercover to protect them from the dreaded cucumber beetles and squash bugs.  You can pickle them, but they are good fresh too!

TOMATOES F/P  Last week I made a typo and said you were all getting around a pound of tomatoes.  Tom and I had contemplated switching to the metric system on the farm and so had changed the scale to kilograms.  Wednesday shares received around 2 pounds and by Monday’s delivery we were over 3.  The switch to metric is now postponed for now.

CARROTS F/P  We are going to pull these little orange ones out of the field just as fast as we can.  The heat is threatening to cook them in the ground!  To store any roots with tops, separate the two immediately and either compost or one of our members says she loves carrot top pesto.  I keep meaning to try it, I bet it’s good.

BEETS OR TURNIPS F  Out of the coolers, just the roots.

GREEN BEANS P 

HERB CHOICE F/P  Basil, thyme, cutting celery

EGGPLANT F  See Tom’s post on ways to enjoy one of our favorite vegetables.

WALLA WALLA ONIONS F/P   Trimming these is a nice shady job for the membership on mornings when they come to help.

CABBAGE F  Out of the coolers and perfect for a summer slaw.  Tom has a nice slaw recipe this week with cabbage and beets.

SUMMER SQUASH P  The first planting is on its way out, the second growing well but won’t have fruit for a few weeks.

SALSA PACK P  I heard it is America’s most popular condiment.  It is a favorite in our kitchen.

NEXT WEEK:  Tomatoes, eggplant, garlic, salsa packs, peppers and potatoes.

FARM REPORT:
Oh my what a summer we are having.  It is starting to feel like those climates where whoever can stay in the shade during the day, does.  Last year up in Iowa I was commended by CSA farmers who said they couldn’t imagine a 24 week season and our brutal summers.

It’s all relative, as I have tried to visit CSA farms in Texas and Louisiana, and they are few and far between.  Today we were dazed in the field contemplating full moon farming. We may have to try it.

But how would we have the fun of heirloom tomato seed-saving if we didn’t sweat it out in the tomato patch?  We grow around 20 varieties and save the best couple fruit for seed for next year.  Here’s a link on how to:  https://www.mastergardeners.org/pdf/import/SGM/files/Saving_Tomato_Seeds.pdf 

In the Share – Week 11

cucumbers, potatoes, wash area

POTATOES F/P  Purple Viking potatoes are a new variety for us.  The one we ordered didn’t come and these were the replacements.  We think we’ll grow them again next year. 

GARLIC F/P  More hardneck varieties that have been drying in the barn.

TOMATOES F/P  Along with the red tomatoes, there are heirloom yellows, oranges, pinks and greens.  We put them in the shares less than fully ripe so that they will last you all week. Wait for them to be brightly-colored and give to a gentle squeeze.

CHERRY TOMATOES F 

CUCUMBERS F/P  I am looking forward to trying the cold cucumber soup recipe that Merri posted on the FB group page. 

WALLA WALLA ONIONS F  Sweet onions aren’t the best keepers so enjoy them while they are here.

EGGPLANT F

PURPLE AND YELLOW PEPPERS F 

SUMMER SQUASH P 

SALSA PACK F/P

NEXT WEEK:  More tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, eggplant, peppers and salsa packs.  Carrots and red onions return.

FARM REPORT: 
Most of our days are spent hauling in the heavy harvest. 

eggplant, pepper and tomato plants
 
We are fortunate to have a great crew of farmers, farm apprentices, part-timers and volunteers getting things done.  
 
Olivia, John and Dustin
 
We also had help from my mom, Sharon, this week while she was visiting from central Missouri.  She took the train back tonight and is undoubtedly already working in her own garden of flowering plants, fruits and vegetables. 
 
 


In the Share – Week 10

basil, cucumbers

CUCUMBERS F/P These plants continue to pump out the fruits.  Usually the first of our plantings has petered out by now, instead we have double the crop. 

CARROTS F/P  Orange only this time.  For the remainder of the summer they will be topped and bagged. 

SWEET ONIONS F/P  The upper barn is an allium wonderland of drying garlic and these beautiful and big Walla Wallas. 

TOMATOES F/P  So far the crop looks good, although the plants are battling the damp.  Tomatoes don’t thrive in cool, wet summers but we planted a lot of plants so we should have a steady harvest for awhile.

SALSA PACK F  Comprised mainly of tomatillos, with a jalapeno, a bit of garlic and a small onion.  Add a tomato from your share if you wish, either way you’ve got salsa or chile verde at the ready.

SUMMER SQUASH F/P  yellow squash and zucchini in several stripes, shapes and colors.

SWEET PEPPERS F  The last of the green peppers for awhile.  The rest we will leave to ripen. 

EGGPLANT OR BEETS F/P  It would be a tough choice for me, but for some we realize these two can be unfamiliar.  Check out Tom’s blog for simple ways to use eggplant.

HERB CHOICE F  Summer savory, garlic chives, or dried herbs.

HOT PEPPERS F  A few of your choice:  Jalapeno, Anaheim, Hot Wax or Pepperoncini.

NEXT WEEK:  More tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, salsa packs, and eggplant.  Potatoes and garlic.

FARM REPORT:
The summer harvest is in full swing now and we have time for little else.  We are made very happy by the sweet onions, garlic, carrots and potatoes that we have been bringing into the barn for storage.  Twice a week we spend the day picking bucket upon bucket of cucumbers, along with crates of squash, tomatoes, eggplant and peppers. 

While most of our fields are thriving, we had to mow down the basil plants this week.  The wet weather we have been having are the perfect environment for downy mildew.  We chopped off the top growth and sprayed with a pro-biotic treatment.  We hope that the basil will put out new leaves without mildew.  Until then, we will be relying on our other summer herb plants:  summer savory, parsley and the dried herbs we have in storage.

mildew-infected basil before chopping it down

In the Share – Week 7

cucumbers, shade structure, sweet potatoes

CUCUMBERS F/P Holy cukes!  We harvested over 600 cucumbers this morning.  That means everyone should receive 4 or 5 this week.  The plants are healthy and should continue the onslaught for a while. Cucumber salad is a great replacement for the spring salads of lettuce.  Summer is here!

ZUCCHINI F/P  It is either feast or famine with the squash family of crops and it looks like we are going to have a feast this year.  See Tom’s post for ideas on using these beauties. 

SWEET ONIONS F  More of the same type we pulled last week. So sweet!

CABBAGE F  Tendersweet is a flat-head type and lives up to its name.

PEAS P  A few peas, but this is the last of them.

CARROTS P  Yellow and orange types.

BEETS OR TURNIPS F  Topped roots

BASIL F/P  The first of the basil will be small bunches.

GARLIC F  We are pulling the first of the garlic tomorrow.  What we don’t pack for the shares will be hung to dry in the upper barn.  We are cutting them with a long stem so that they will dry well for you or use them fresh.  To dry hang it where it is relatively warm and dry.

NEXT WEEK:  More cabbage, zucchini, carrots, cucumbers, beets and onions.  Yellow squash and perhaps new potatoes.

FARM REPORT:
The rainy weather let up just long enough to get the sweet potatoes planted and the summer crops weeded and mulched.  The transplanter was pulled out last Wednesday afternoon and the crew made quick work of the sweet potatoes while I did the delivery to the Bad Seed. 

The tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and tomatillos received needed attention.  The weeds had almost overtaken the crops and we were finally able to hoe the area and mulch.  Saturday’s CSA members pitched in and the plants are in good shape now. 

The seeding of the fall transplants is a good rainy day job.  So far we have cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and bulb fennel seeded in their soil blocks in the shade structure.  We put up the shade structure temporarily just for the fall crops.  It keeps the seeds cooler and they sprout better than in the heat of the greenhouse. 

In the Share – Week Eight

cucumbers, eggplant

pickling cucumbers

COLORFUL CARROTS (F/P) While the orange carrots are the sweetest, we like to grow some other colors to keep life interesting.

TOMATOES (F/P) This hot weather is good for ripening tomatoes, so expect a bit more in the shares this week. We grow the traditional reds as well as heirlooms in every color and flavor. 

SWEET ONIONS (F/P) More of the Walla Walla variety, perfect for your fresh summer salads.

SUMMER SQUASH (F/P) If we can keep the squash bugs and cucumber beetles from taking over, we should have squash for most of the summer. Fingers crossed!

CUCUMBERS (F/P) Ditto on the cucumbers. We always seem to have better luck with the pickling cucumber varieties than the standard slicers (see above). They taste great un-pickled and you may see some in your share this week.

EGGPLANT (F) We harvested some beautiful eggplant this morning and can’t wait to eat them!

 SWEET PEPPERS (F) We are leaving the green ones to ripen, but we will be picking the purple ones for many weeks to come.

LETTUCE (F) The summer lettuces can handle some heat, but this is a bit much for them. We are picking them small this week to catch them while they are still sweet.

HERBS (F/P) Basil, summer savory, dried herbs or hot peppers

NEXT WEEK: More tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, summer squash and cucumbers. New potatoes and green beans arrive.

eggplant harvest

FARM REPORT:
Mid-July is always a hectic time of year for the farm. The fields are full of crops and we are running around like crazy, heat stroke victims to keep up with watering, weeding, mulching, trellising and harvesting them. In addition, we have new plantings of cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli to plant for harvest in the fall which leads to more watering, weeding and mulching. The plants appear to appreciate the care that the farm crew lavishes on them at their own expense and at the end of the day the farmer can rest easy knowing that the crops are getting a good drink whether it rains tonight or not.

Or the farmer can give up their evening of rest and instead do some canning. Just the other day the conversation turned to the question of what are the can-able vegetables, or was it cannibal vegetables. Almost any vegetable can be canned and now is the time to grab those pickling cucumbers and bulk beets and get canning … before they start eating each other… crazy cannibal vegetables … okay, obviously your farmer is suffering from heat exhaustion and needs to stop typing before she makes any more bad puns. Happy eating and good night!

In the Share – Week 9

cucumbers, strawberries

cucumber harvest

TOMATOES (F/P) One for each of you or a partial pint of cherry tomatoes
NEW POTATOES (F/P) Not cured, so keep these in the fridge.
CHOICE: BROCCOLI, KOHLRABI OR SALSA PACK (F) Grill the kohlrabi with your summer squash for a real treat. Salsa packs make their debut: chop up contents, add a little vinegar and tomato and you’ve got America’s favorite condiment.
SUMMER LETTUCE (F/P) Small crispheads that can stand the summer heat
WALLA WALLA ONIONS (F/P) They’re the sweet ones.
CABBAGE (F) Time for some coleslaw.
CUCUMBERS (F/P) We’re proud of the crop this week – long and lean.
SUMMER SQUASH (F/P) Can’t believe it took us 8 years of farming to make the Grilled Pasta Primavera in Tom’s blog. Thanks, Farmer Tom for our new favorite.
HERB CHOICE (F/P) Basil, Parsley, Summer Savory or a dried herb
ALSO THIS WEEK: Bread of Life Bakery shares

NEXT WEEK: More tomatoes, cucumbers and squash. Carrots and garlic.

What a beautiful week it has been on the farm. The weather has been lovely for the work, not too hot, low humidity. 1.3 inches of rain fell over the last 2 days, a nice slow soaking rain that was just what was needed. We finally got a break from irrigating which had been continuous for the past 2 weeks.

Summer is really here, you can almost watch the crops grow. The cucumbers are coming on strong and the beans are growing their first fruits. The tomatoes are a bit slow to ripen which is in keeping with the 1 week setback that has occured amongst those crops that were in the field during the cold, wet weeks in early May. We should have more tomatoes by next week with the peak of the harvest usually occuring at the end of July into early August.
The strawberry patch received it’s annual post-harvest haircut thanks to farm apprentice, Emily Lecuyer.
Mowing down the patch appears extreme but is recommended by the horticultural experts for reducing disease and pests. The second stage of what they call “renovation” includes tilling up the paths to make room for harvest and feeding the plants with organic fertilizer. With a little rain and sunshine the patch will grow back better than ever by fall.

Finally, an administrative reminder. July is here and the end of the month deadline for CSA payments is approaching. Contact me (farmer rebecca) if you need help remembering how much you owe. Thank you all for your suppport.