CSA Week 6: July 6th
Hello CSA friends!
Sorry for the delay getting this week's information out to you! Life just got in the way, but here it is:
Week 6
Ahhh heat waves. Endlessly watering, waking up early or working late to stay out of the heat, and eating lots of ice cream....oh I mean lettuce! It's tiring and takes a toll on some of the crops, but I personally love it. Here's the crops that are also soaking up the heat:
Half Share:
Lettuce Mix
Kale
Chard
Beets
Radishes
Scallions
Carrots
Kohlrabi
Fennel
Basil
Full Share (everything in the half share plus):
Celery
Eggplant
Cucumbers
Baby Leeks
A few notes for this week:
Beet the heat!
There are so many beet puns to choose from, how'd I do? These beets have been a long time coming. The first time we planted was a little too early so they did not survive all of the frosts that followed. The second time there was not great germination. But now this third attempt has produced beautiful roots. There are four varieties growing: a classic red, a bright golden beet, chioggas (aka candy stripe), and one called badger flame that is supposed to have a more mild flavor and orange-yellow color. Slice them thin for a salad, roast them for some sweet beets, and even eat the greens!
Recipe time!
I chose this recipe for a beet, kale, goat cheese, bourbon cherry, and coco nibs salad. The coco nibs are optional, which for this hot weather seems like a fine thing to leave out to me! But bourbon cherries just as it begins to be cherry season in Michigan, and a salad that will hold its shape in hot weather, sounds like a crowd pleaser to me. I must admit I have not actually made this salad (I usually like to share recipes I've made and liked), so let me know how it goes! What did you add/leave out?
Field Notes
Last week's message was a bit of a bummer, but definitely the reality of the turn in seasons at the farm. That means the bounty of spring is dipping while we wait for the boom of summer to come on. It means there's an awkward time of less salad greens and the tomatoes and cucumbers are not quite ready yet either. Usually this is a time I despair and feel like we are doing something wrong, but this year I'm using it as an opportunity to observe. What is thriving right now? What is struggling? How can this teach us about how to design our crop plan next year to either keep a better inventory of products, or intentionally have a slight lull in our production? We were able to remove what was no longer working for us and make way for future crops, providing a huge peace of mind for us.
This week also was sweeter because we had a few "farmer fame" moments. Andy was interviewed for the "Thriving Farmer" podcast, possibly one of the most popular farming podcasts available! So in a few weeks you can listen to Andy talk about the ins and outs of the farm, but be warned, it's definitely some farm nerd stuff. Earlier today we also had a call with one of our farming heroes, Jean-Martin Fortier. We read his book, The Market Garden, while on a camping trip in our first year of farming and really became committed and inspired to make our farming dreams a reality. JM Fortier was interviewing us for a magazine project about farmers, so it's pretty incredible to see our dreams come full circle.
Stay cool, safe, and happy over the holiday weekend!
Ahhh heat waves. Endlessly watering, waking up early or working late to stay out of the heat, and eating lots of ice cream....oh I mean lettuce! It's tiring and takes a toll on some of the crops, but I personally love it. Here's the crops that are also soaking up the heat:
Half Share:
Lettuce Mix
Kale
Chard
Beets
Radishes
Scallions
Carrots
Kohlrabi
Fennel
Basil
Full Share (everything in the half share plus):
Celery
Eggplant
Cucumbers
Baby Leeks
A few notes for this week:
- We are not able to do add-ons for this week. There is just enough of each crop for the shares, and we want to have the ease of mind to not over promise. Note that if you are a half share member but really want eggplant or cucumbers, they will be in all shares soon!
- Mia and Marina are doing their bake sale once again! Proceeds will go to a TBD foundation. Last week raised nearly $250, so let's see if we can raise even more this week. Rumor has it that there will be vegan options!
Beet the heat!
There are so many beet puns to choose from, how'd I do? These beets have been a long time coming. The first time we planted was a little too early so they did not survive all of the frosts that followed. The second time there was not great germination. But now this third attempt has produced beautiful roots. There are four varieties growing: a classic red, a bright golden beet, chioggas (aka candy stripe), and one called badger flame that is supposed to have a more mild flavor and orange-yellow color. Slice them thin for a salad, roast them for some sweet beets, and even eat the greens!
Recipe time!
I chose this recipe for a beet, kale, goat cheese, bourbon cherry, and coco nibs salad. The coco nibs are optional, which for this hot weather seems like a fine thing to leave out to me! But bourbon cherries just as it begins to be cherry season in Michigan, and a salad that will hold its shape in hot weather, sounds like a crowd pleaser to me. I must admit I have not actually made this salad (I usually like to share recipes I've made and liked), so let me know how it goes! What did you add/leave out?
Field Notes
Last week's message was a bit of a bummer, but definitely the reality of the turn in seasons at the farm. That means the bounty of spring is dipping while we wait for the boom of summer to come on. It means there's an awkward time of less salad greens and the tomatoes and cucumbers are not quite ready yet either. Usually this is a time I despair and feel like we are doing something wrong, but this year I'm using it as an opportunity to observe. What is thriving right now? What is struggling? How can this teach us about how to design our crop plan next year to either keep a better inventory of products, or intentionally have a slight lull in our production? We were able to remove what was no longer working for us and make way for future crops, providing a huge peace of mind for us.
This week also was sweeter because we had a few "farmer fame" moments. Andy was interviewed for the "Thriving Farmer" podcast, possibly one of the most popular farming podcasts available! So in a few weeks you can listen to Andy talk about the ins and outs of the farm, but be warned, it's definitely some farm nerd stuff. Earlier today we also had a call with one of our farming heroes, Jean-Martin Fortier. We read his book, The Market Garden, while on a camping trip in our first year of farming and really became committed and inspired to make our farming dreams a reality. JM Fortier was interviewing us for a magazine project about farmers, so it's pretty incredible to see our dreams come full circle.
Stay cool, safe, and happy over the holiday weekend!