Week 7

Many of the crops that like heat get covered with floating row cover when we transplant them.  Floating row cover is a very light weight spun poly that adds a little warmth and protection but still allows light and water to pass through it.  For things in the cucurbit family like zucchinis, cucumbers, melons and winter squash it also protects them from the cucumber beetle.  We like to leave the cover on as long as possible, not taking it off until we see the plant starting to flower.  This past week we uncovered the melons and this coming week we will remove it from the winter squash.   Typically the winter squash are attempting to spring loose by the time they flower.  Yesterday Kelly took the tractor over and rototilled the paths while the squash is still contained.  Hopefully we will get a chance to uncover it tomorrow.  Before we had cucumber beetles, we still used row cover for heat, but we would be little more casual about it.  If we were reusing row cover and it was just a little short we would leave a dozen or so plants uncovered with the idea that we would cover them later (ya, right).  One thing that proved to us was that it really makes a difference.  Plants that get covered get off to a much quicker start and seem more productive.  Looking out at a field of white is less pastoral but the advantages of using it more than make up for the looks and cost of it.

I thought last week's box was lovely as I was packing it.  This weeks box isn't as bountiful ,but it will contain some of our first cherry tomatoes.  Ahh, summer.  We gorged ourselves on apricots, blueberries and peaches this week.  Tomatoes and stone fruit are a couple of the things I look forward to most this time of year.  I bought some delicious peaches at market the same day I was given a small depression glass mixing bowl by someone who knows I love old dishes of all sorts.  The peaches and blueberries looked so beautiful in the blue glass and it gave me a reason to use some adorable pink depression glass custard cups I picked up at a yard sale last winter.  I will admit that most of the time I enjoy choosing what plate I want to use for a particular dish as much as I do making and eating the food.  As tiring as July can be, it is also a wonderful time of year- good food, nice weather.  We ate outside most nights last week.  One night as dusk set in we were treated to watching three barred owls fly around.  They were making short trips from tree to tree in our orchard sometimes landing on the ground and calling to each other the whole time.   They were so close, it was an amazing thing to see.

Hope you all have some nice meals this week!  So far the only thing in my meal plan is to make some peach ice cream.

Carrots - I know some of you are keeping up with the carrots because you are buying extra at market.  For those of you who need some inspiration we love the carrot salad from the Portland restaurant Kachka.  Admittedly, I have never eaten there, but a customer turned me on to the cookbook of the same name.  We served it this winter along with a few other root vegetable salads and some pierogis at a dinner party and everyone loved it.  The link is a little strange, but it was the only place I could find it.  If you look towards the top of the page when you open the link you will see that it is showing on 1 of 5 pages in the cookbook where the salad is mentioned. You will have to click next to see the actual recipe.   Russian Korean Carrot Salad 
Cucumbers
Cherry Tomatoes
Herb Choice - Mostly basil or parsley.
Green or Purple Bell Pepper
Scallions - I think in most years we are giving you bunched onions at this point in the season.  They are a bit behind this year.  I am still confident they will size up, but for now we are sticking with scallions
Green Beans - Large Only
Collard Greens - Large Only