Week 18

Last week when I was putting yokatta na down on the list I googled it to see if I could find something more to say about it than "similar to bok choy" or to recommend you stir-fry it.  What came up was mostly other CSA newsletters.  It is interesting to see what other farms write about and it reminded me of Kelly's friend who gave us a lecture(really it was just a conversation but it felt a bit like a lecture) about cultivating an image on social media.  I found the whole conversation rather irritating but truthfully we are all cultivating an image, me included, every time we write something about ourselves that other people read.  I try to present the farm and farming as I think it really is - a mix of pure joy and horrific disappointment!  I want you all to realize what goes into growing the food you eat but I want to stop short of anyone feeling sorry for us.  After all, we are incredibly lucky that we get to choose to do something we enjoy so much even if some days are a little less enjoyable.

I have written about this time of year before.  It is a relief to have the majority of work behind us for the season but it also leaves us feeling a little sad that all the work is behind us.  Planting something, tending to it and then harvesting it is a little more satisfying than rolling up drip tape and organizing irrigation parts into different boxes.  There are still some fun projects to be done including digging fall carrots and planting garlic.  Yesterday, Kelly spent the day on the tractor.  Most of our summer fields got mowed and disked.  The fields look a lot better without a bunch dead plants and weeds about to go to seed.  Some of the fields were mowed, disked and cover cropped before the last rains and that cover crop is just beginning to establish itself.

The boxes look good today.  Hope you enjoy them.

Rainbow Carrots
Beets
Potatoes
Silver Bell - This is one of the new squashes we grew this year.  We have only eaten one of them and hopefully it was typical of what to expect.  It has a golden orange flesh that is smooth and sweet.  It is a selection from blue banana squash from the 1950s that Ferry Morse Seed Company introduced.  It turns pink in storage.
Leeks - Some of you will have a variety called Bulgarian Giant.  The long shank means that they should be very clean.  If it seems like you have some dirt in the leek I find the best way to clean them is to cut them in half all the to the base but leave the base in tact.  Then you can swish them around in a bowl of water without them falling apart.
Lettuce
Purple Top Turnips - traditional fall/winter variety
Collards - Large Only
Broccoli - Large Only