This is the start of my absolute favorite time of year…when summer meets fall. It’s a love story indeed – I LOVE all this deliciousness coming out of the garden. And the cool nights. And wearing a sweatshirt for the first couple hours out in the garden. And not getting heatstroke (though it doesn’t see we’re out of the woods yet…neighbor just told me 95 degrees on Tuesday). And that I don’t feel pressured to start working at 5 anymore (it’s still dark). And sometimes getting away without wearing sunscreen. But mostly it’s all about the food.Typically we’re just swimming in variety right now, but this has not been my year. We still have tons of goodies, but there are some key items missing. Like radishes. And arugula. And beans. And we’re very light on lettuce. Some of the easiest things to grow! These are all items I expect to have every week and if they are one of your favorite, my apologies. I will do better with consistency next year! The good news is that we should have all those things, other than beans, for most of the rest of the season. I’ve been busy seeding in preparation for a bountiful fall. Now if only the high tunnel wasn’t a 2,880 square foot puddle, that bounty could extend right into January!
Don’t worry, I’m not holding out on you – our family has been salad deprived too. Although not having lettuce for a few weeks this season makes me feel like a failure, the silver-lining is that our newest planting of kale is crazy tender right now. I’m a big fan of cooked kale, so much so that I own a kale shirt. But kale salads don’t usually do it for me. Craving something green, I tried a kale salad for lunch today and it was simply incredible. Simple too…just an apple, feta cheese, balsamic vinegar, kale and I threw in some baby turnip and beet greens for funsies. Often you need to massage raw kale to tenderize it. No need. Rinse, tear, dress and eat! If you want to get a little fancier, friend Tori who does recipes for the CSA posted a kale beet salad recipe back in July.
Can you believe next week’s pickup will be Labor Day? I can. It’s been a loooong season for this farmer. I’ll have to check with my crew to confirm but for now plan on a pickup next week. It’ll probably be an early one so we can all get to our respective barbecues!
Veggie Ordering and Pickup Procedures:
Put your veggie orders in online before 6am Monday. We’ll have your order available for you to pick-up from 4-7pm Monday on the farm at 64 Potter Hill Rd in Grafton. Pickups are in the long white garage on the left across from the big red barn at the crest of the hill.