Farm news, Sept 16/2019

We’ll have the following veggies this week:

lettuce, spinach, chard, kale, carrots, potatoes, beets, onions, broccoli, leeks, peppers, eggplant, tomatos, cucumber, squash, basil, dill, cilantro, parsley and hot peppers.

On the farm this week:

We made it past a couple cold cloudy weeks and close calls with frost and now it’s way too hot – I want the cold back!  We seem to be going back and forth between winter jackets and toques to t shirts from one day to the next.  My body is getting really confused.  It’s normally cooler this week so we’ve got some soup ingredients this week like leeks and broccoli and squash.  Maybe you if turn your ac on high you can pretend it’s winter and enjoy a warm soup this week.

Here’s Shenggang harvesting our first leeks.   We always have one crop it seems like we spend 90% of our time harvesting.  First it’s peas, then it’s beans, and this week it’s leeks.  First we dig them up, then trim all the roots of along with the 3 lbs of soil attached to them, then trim the leaves peel off the outer skin and wash them.

We’re also bringing out the squashes starting this week.  In case you’re not familiar with all the squashes we have here they are:  From left to right there is buttnernut, pie pumpkin, sweet dumpling, orange hubbard, blue hubbard, spaghetti, acorn, kobocha, delicata and (not pictured here) is buttercup.   And one of these things is not like the other.  If you know what other vegetable that’s not a squash is lined up here you win a free lb of carrots!

Also, here’s some info to help you out with the less familiar squash:

Blue hubbard – Sweet flesh  bright orange fiberless flesh.  Skin is tender compared to other hubbards making it easier to cut.  It’s good for soups and pies.

Orange hubbard –  An oragne hubbard squash.  It’s teardrop shape will help distinguish it from the  red kobacha which is flat and round.   It’s good for pies and purees bc it’s specks of skin will not show.

Red Kobacha:  Tender flesh is smooth, sweet and bright orange for baking, mashing and pies.  They’re flat and round

Buttercup:  Have deep orange fiberless flesh with a rich sweet flavor.

Delicata:  very sweet and good for stuffing and baking.

Sweet dumpling:  Same colors as delicata, but in a round flat topped shape.  Very sweet, tender orange flesh and good for stuffing.

It’s been a week of heavy liftings.  Everyones biceps have grown at least 2″ in the last week.  First we harvested the squash and then we finished cleaning the winter CSA onions and got them all moved into the cooler on Friday.  It was a workout!

We’re also on the home stretch for weeding.   This was our final cultivation between the rows and now we just have to take care of the rest of the weeds in the rows and we’ll be free!


Also, for some of you it your last week (15 weeks).  I’ll be sending an email sometime this week reminding everyone how many weeks they signed up for but it will also be in the book beside your name.  If it’s your last week then thank you! I hope you enjoyed your veggies summer and I’ll see you this week at the market.

Thanks again,

Jonathan, Sarah, Irina, Shenggang, Kelsey, Karyl and Danielle