Melons
While I think everyone knows how to enjoy a good melon, a few notes on what you are getting from us. The watermelons were picked ripe in the field, with ripeness being a difficult thing to figure without cutting them all open. We expect that most all are ripe, however if you get one that is not, let us know and we will try to get you another sometime during the season. With the canteloupe, they are ripe when the stem end is fragrent and the green is gone from the skin.

Paste Tomatoes
Best for cooking, they are the meatiest of them all. Many of what you are getting are hybrid varieties that grow in a bush and produce a large bounty over a short time. The hybrids also hang well, and don’t ripen too quick. So you may get a tomato that still needs a little time to redden and soften up. Just let them set out in a bright part of your kitchen (out of direct sunlight), and they will continue to ripen.

These tomates will be great in last week’s recipe of Pasta Estate. They are also good for canned sauce, peeled and canned or frozen as whole tomatoes, or cut in half and dehydrated .

Pickling Cucumbers

Better late than never, this year’s pickling cucumbers have arrived. The first planting did not do well and ended up in our larder as cornichon, dill, and lime pickles. This ones coming on now should be available for the next 2 to 3 weeks. They are for sale on a first come/first serve basis, based on their size. A pickle pack consists of 4 quarts of cucumbers and whatever aromatics you want for your pickles (thyme & tarragon, dill or garlic; onion, hot pepper)

Bulk Order Week of 8/10/09
Pickling pack* (small cukes) $17.00
Pickling pack* (med. cukes) $13.00
Pickling pack* (large cukes) $11.00
Green beans $2.50/lb
Summer squash/cucumbers-lg $1.25 ea
Summer sq/cucumbers-med $0.75 ea
Summer sq-small $3.25/qt
Paste tomatoes (firsts) – $3.00/lb; $2.50/lb over 10 lbs
Tomato seconds (heirloom and hybrids) – $2.50/lb; $2.00/lb over 10 lbs
Kale – $3.00/bunch
Swiss chard – $3.00 per bunch
Carrots – $3.00 bunch
Carrot seconds $2.00/lb
Onions $3.00/quart
Oregano, basil, mint, dill flowers $2.oo/bunch
Dried herbs $2.00/tin (thyme, marjoram, dried hot peppers, lovage, lavendar flowers, coriander, oregano, rosemary)

* Pickling pack aromatics choices are garlic, dill, or cornichon