EverGreen Farm

CSA Newsletter, Week 18

Week 18

In your share this week:

• Squash - very small and now they are finally done, last of the season
• Golden Beets
• Carrots
• Fillet Beans - last of the season
• Leeks
• Cucumbers
• Tomatoes - just staring, going to some CSA members this week, gradually to everyone
• Yukon Gold Potatoes
• Mint - a new crop for us, plants are still very small so this could be out only cutting of the season
• Collard Greens
• Swiss Card
• Dill - it was starting to bolt, filled a large bag for everyone, last of the season
• "Dove" Melon *

Hope Melons

*Dove Melons - Shain has ALWAYS wanted to grow melons!  He's tried several times but they don't usually work out with our short seasons.  He saw this specialty variety in a seed catalog last winter and wanted to give them a try.  And they grew.  And they RIPENED, despite some VERY cold nights lately (I had 2 row covers on them!).  And the miracle is that there were enough that ripened all at once that we could pick one for every CSA share!  A few were picked just shy of being fully ripe, so here's the test I would follow before cutting your melon open -  it is slightly unripe when the skin beneath the textured 'web' is green, ripe when golden.  A fully ripe melon should have a slightly softened blossom end that smells fragrantly of a ripe melon.  If your melon doesn't meet all of this criteria, set in on your counter top for a few days (near a bunch of bananas) and it will finish ripening quite quickly.  These Hope melons are similar to a cantaloupe in appearance, smell and flavor.  In my opinion, the flavor is a slightly more mild and tastes a little like a very ripe pear.

Tomatoes are just starting to turn red.  There were only about 9 pounds worth today, enough for the smallest pick up sites to get a 1 pound bag per share.  There will be more!  You know my routine by now, I'll rotate them to everyone each week and I'll be as fair as possible.

I apologize for the dirty potatoes.  They were dug in the mud!  We did spend quite a bit of time getting them as cleaned up as they are, but that's all time allows.  Everyone gets to do a little washing at home.  Two rows of potatoes were dug last weekend and we hope to dig the rest this weekend.  And, the ground is still muddy.  That's just the way it goes this year.

Last of the dill.  It's probably a lot of dill to get at once, but it was bolting so we took it all.  Time to do some dehydrating.  Even if you just spread it out on a cookie sheet to dry, that will work and you'll be happy to have some dried dill this winter.

What a week!  A few inches of snow on Monday.  A hard freeze on Tuesday.  And pulling it all together to make something AMAZING on Wednesday.  A short newsletter usually means I spent my writing time outside harvesting.  And that's the case this week for sure.

Have a great week and ENJOY your veggies!

Tara

 

 

 

 

CSA Newsletter, Week 17

Week 17

In your share this week:

• Zucchini - last of the season
• Squash - there are a few remaining plants that haven't died yet, it will be interesting to see how long they last.
• Cucumbers
• Dill
• Italian Parsley
• Tuscan Kale
• Bronze Fennel Fronds
• Broccoli *
• French Fillet Beans - could be the last, depending on weather
• Carrots
• Cilantro
• Spinach
• Sweet Walla Walla Onion
• Basil

*This is the story on the broccoli.  For the past few years we've dealt with serious bug issues for the broccoli and cauliflower.  A lot of greenhouse space, time, energy, and money has been spent trying to grow these crops organically.  When I say it was bad, it was really bad.  I'm not exaggerating to say there were sometimes 20 caterpillars on one head.  We would clean them, clean them, and clean again.  But still caterpillars.  So this year we pulled way back and just planted one row of broccoli to experiment with bug control.  Good news is we now know that a single light row cover over the plants from the very beginning makes a big difference, but there are trade offs.  Very few bugs, but the heads bolted (separated) much earlier than expected, most at only half their normal size.  Or bolting could be from the sudden change in temperatures?  It's hard to know for sure.  So, end result is you are getting this one share of broccoli and that could be it.  I've left the plants in hope the little side shoots will grow, let's hope so.

And with this cold weather, I continue to make tea.  This is Shain's favorite - fennel with mint a a bit of dried licorice root.  I put most of our fennel into the dehydrator for winter, but making it fresh is the easiest.  Just toss everything in a jar, cover with water, wait a while, and enjoy warm or cold. 

We've been surviving the cold nights all week.  Thankfully temperatures have been rather mild, nothing extreme quite yet.  Instead, we are getting very wet, soggy, and muddy.  Tuesday, September 19th was our first snow, about an inch.  Snow on a harvest day makes for an interesting time, but we manage.  In the next dry spell we need to get our potatoes out of the ground and then plant the garlic soon after.  Lot's of work to do on the farm in the fall.  Potatoes and garlic are some big projects that we could use some extra help with, so I'll send out invitations when the time gets closer. 

Muddy Carrots - Before & After

A VERY BIG THANKS to our Workshares who come help each week regardless of the crazy weather.  This week we worked through hot sunshine, rains, snow, mud, wind, and shocking cold - all in our three consecutive harvest mornings.  I am so very grateful for the help of these great people who help these amazing shares come together each week.  I'm honestly in awe!

Have a great week and ENJOY your veggies!

Tara

 

 

 

CSA Newsletter, Week 16

Week 16

In your share this week:

• 1 pound bag of Garlic
• Salad Mix - last of the season
• Swiss Chard
• Collard Greens
• Cucumbers
• Zucchini -
• Squash -
• French Fillet Beans
• Camomile
• Basil
• Golden Beets
• Carrots

The weather forecast predicts we are about to get our first serious freeze of the summer.  *Update:  On my last check, it now looks like we have one more favorable evening and then up to 10 nights in a row with temperatures dropping to 32 or below!  Whew!  It's going to be a doozy!*  We have spent the last two evenings pulling out all the row covers in preparation.   The heaters will also be brought out for greenhouses 5 & 6.  We'll spend an hour or so on those cold nights, followed by an hour or so the following mornings pulling covers on & off, and greenhouses open & closed.  It's hard to complain when we have been blessed with such great night time temperatures all summer.  Last year we were covering frequently throughout the entire season.  Last year our zucchini and squash plants froze early in the season and we had a pitiful harvest.  This year - I (almost) look forward to them dieing.  (Don't hate me for saying that, but I really do think I've harvested well over 1,000 each of those little gems this summer!)  Our strategy is simple.  We have a certain number of re-usable covers already cut and designated to each greenhouse.  In each area, I assess what plants are the priority and we assign covers to those precious plants.  Many crops get multiple covers on the coldest nights.  If we've already been fed well from certain crops, they may get "sacrificed" and be left uncovered in hopes that the covering something else is a better use of each row cover.  Experience tells me what we should do for the best results, but it can also be a guessing game.  Whatever happens, you can be assured, we are stepping up to the plate with all our resources.

Have a great week and ENJOY your veggies and herbs!

Tara

CSA Newsletter, Week 15

Week 15's bounty!

In  your share this week:

• Zucchini
• Squash
• Cucumbers
• Kale
• Salad Mix
• Cilantro/Coriander Flowers
• Bronze Fennel Fronds
• Butter Bib Head Lettuce - last of the season
• Garlic
• Italian Parsley
• French Fillet Beans
• Carrots
• Dill

Salad Mix is a nice treat this time of year.  It was some work to cut and wash up nice (weeds and bugs), but I thought it was worth our time and effort this week while the weather is cooperative. 

One thing I really enjoyed about having a fine chef working on our farm for these two previous seasons is how he taught me to look past the obvious.  For example, our first planting of cilantro (in greenhouse 2) is in full bloom.  A few years ago, this chef became as giddy as a child when he walked by such a site and asked if he could cut some for his restaurant.  Of course I obliged, but I asked lots of questions too.  WHAT do you do with cilantro flowers?  What do they taste like?  I know they will eventually turn into coriander seeds, but I had no idea the delicate flowers would be of such value.  Rene said the flowers would mostly be used as garnish, but the bunch (leaves, stems, and flowers) can also be cut or chopped fine and added to any meal that would be nice with the subtle hint of cilantro - salads, Mexican dishes, etc.  It can be stirred into something like a cream sauce or dressing and also steeped in oil, or added to oil in a pan that you are heating to saute other foods.  This is likely a one time treat, so be adventurous and enjoy something a little different.

I've been making some of the most lovely teas.  Here's another reminder of my process.  I do the same process with the fennel, only Shain likes it with mint. 

This week's carrots are from a new "outside" row.  Just big enough and so very tasty.

Our crop of French fillet beans is doing VERY well this year, better than I can remember in years.  One of my favorite ways to eat these tender beans is with a bit of pesto, either as a dip for raw beans or warmed and served over cooked beans.  Fillet beans can be enjoyed so many ways, just remember they are intended to be picked small and cooked quickly (don't let them get mushy).  For freezing, break off the tips, emerge in boiling water until they change color (1 or 2 minutes) and then plunge immediately into cold water.  Pack tight in freezer bags and it's that easy.  They taste amazingly fresh vs. old fashioned canning methods.

Guess I'll just come right out and say this now - As I've mentioned, many crops are doing very well this year, and there are some that have done very poorly.  We will have a very small harvest of leeks and onions this year.  They haven't grown much at all.  Some of the transplants we put in the ground months ago are barely bigger than what they started from.  Other crops growing just a foot or two away are doing quite well, so we are guessing something was wrong with the original transplants.  That happens sometimes.

Have a great week and ENJOY your veggies!

Tara