This week marks the 9th CSA delivery of the 2021 summer season - can you believe it?! Our efforts here at Great Oak Farm have turned mostly into cultivating/weeding and harvesting now that the crops are all well established. On the whole, the heat this week has been welcomed by the crops, and while we need some rain, they are growing and maturing well despite the drought.
Hopefully we get the rain that is predicted for later this Friday evening. It's only supposed to be .3" of rain (remember, our crops want an inch of rain per week on average) but we'll take what we can get. We did get .1" of rain on Weds night, but it was all evaporated by noon on Thursday.
Until we get some real rain, our garden hose sprinkler has been running 24-7 to put down as much water as we are able to on our field crops. We move it every 12 hours to make sure the water actually soaks the soil. Any less time and the water would just evaporate away in a day or two. This week, we've been focusing the irrigation on the green beans which are setting flowers and making fruits (beans) now. Here's to the first good harvest of fresh green beans!
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By the time you read this newsletter, we will have officially signed off with the Farm Services Agency on our irrigation loan. We hope to place the order for the materials early next week, and expect the irrigation system to be fully functional sometime in August. This droughty spring/summer has shown us the importance of being ready for dry spells, and we're really excited to get this piece of the infrastructure puzzle squared away here at the farm.
The dry weather is starting to make some impact this week - broccoli heads are smaller on average, and the corn is a little shorter than we are used to - but the field crops still look healthy and productive. As soon as the system is set up and we're able to "make it rain," I assure you, you'll hear about it here. Probably with pictures of us farmers running through the sprinklers like little kids! In the mean time, we harvest.
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And if you'd like to stock up on broccoli, we'll have 15# cases of broccoli available for you to start filling the freezer with this week! If you are not sure about putting up broccoli, it's a really easy crop to freeze. Cut the florets apart, and submerge in boiling water for 2 minutes (set the timer - no longer than 2 minutes!) The broccoli will still be a little stiff, but have turned bright green. Immediately remove the broccoli and dunk in cold water to remove the heat. Once it is cool, drain the water, bag into 1 quart freezer bags, and stick it in the freezer. When you use the broccoli from the freezer, you'll boil or steam it for another few minutes to finish cooking it, but don't over do the cooking to keep your broccoli from getting mushy.
Hoophouse crops like cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and slicer tomatoes are thriving in this heat. With regular drip irrigation to fuel growth, they are growing leaps and bounds. We'll have more 5# bulk bags of cucumbers this week again for making refrigerator pickles, or just enjoying fresh daily.
The slicer tomatoes are already well over head height now, ripening quickly, and ready for another pruning soon. We should have enough slicer tomatoes now for everyone to get their fill each week! BLTs, fresh salsa, tomato salad... it seems like there are endless ways to enjoy those precious fruits.
To celebrate the great tomato season, we're having a *SALE!* on tomatoes, with lower prices for both slicer tomatoes and cherry tomatoes, as well as offering up 10# bulk boxes of slicer tomatoes. They're great for making salsa, canning, or juicing!
To complement all the tomatoes, this week we'll have loads of basil, basil microgreens (also on sale this week!), and cilantro micros are back in production, too! We'll also have plenty more fresh garlic available as well. Remember, the garlic is not yet fully cured down to be able to store on the shelf at room temp, so be sure to keep it in your fridge like other fresh veggies.
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The cherry tomatoes are out of this world sweet now (we've been keeping them a little drier now to concentrate sugars in the fruits) and are ripening as fast as we can pick them. Farmers Ryan and Alex even dehydrated some cherry tomatoes this past week, and what a treat that was! They are so good that we're working to find someone with a proper certified kitchen to dehydrate all the extra tomatoes we can muster up for your winter shares.
If you'd like to order an extra pint or two to dry your own down, we have had the best luck with cutting them in half and dehydrating them at 130 degrees for about 30 hours. I am already imaging adding them to winter salads like dried cherries or craisins for a fun texture and bright, citrus-y flavor. "Fresh" tomatoes in the winter time are always better looking than they taste.
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That's it for this week. I hope you are enjoying the incredible variety of local foods available in your CSA boxes, and thanks so much for making us YOUR farmers!
In community,
Farmer Chris
Great Oak Farm
