Hello Members! (Please click on Continue Reading to see our whole newsletter)-
On the farm this week school starts and the fall crops are really starting to show themselves. It is that time of year where summer meets the autumn and we are in full swing and really look forward to the less hectic time of fall. Tomatoes are peaking and you I am sure have noticed that you are getting at least a few pounds of tomatoes in each box. This week will be the same. This time of year, the boxes are packed with so much value, and that is one thing about CSA that cannot be matched by grocery stores. We also will continue to have tomatoes in the hoophouses even after the field ones peter out. The peppers will continue to turn color and show up in your box each week until the last box (Sept. 26th). Next week will be our last week for corn, so 2 more boxes with them! It's turned out to be a good corn year. If you have seen some corn borers or worms in your corn, just cut that part out. That is a very common pest in organic corn, but does not ruin the whole ear.
You may have noticed the we have had a dirth of lettuce greens and some herbs this season. We tried our new Salanova salad mix trial and although we love the ease of harvesting whole heads of lettuce for loose leaf mix, we have suffered from rot in a lot of our successions as well as slowness to grow. You will be seeing at least one more week of salad mix in your box. As for some of herbs like parsley, dill and cilantro, we have been overcome by weeds in some of our 5 row succesional crops this year. It is very frustrating and we would love to have offered you more herbs. It is hard to manage over 60 crops well, and sometimes some crops don't pan out due to long rain spells, high weed pressure and low wash out or low germination. That also goes for potatoes, which are having a hard year for us. We again this week can not offer you potatoes due to waiting on a fix of our mower, but once we start putting potatoes in the boxes we will have them in each week until the end of CSA .
Our Berkshire pigs are having a great time out in their paddocks this year and are growing nicely. We want to remind you that we always have pork package shares for you that we home deliver frozen. Please find more information on our animals and how to sign up here http://blackbrookfarmstead.com/animals/
This week again, we are offering bulk tomatoes as an add-on. These will be for canning/freezing. A lot of them will be firsts, but some will be seconds as well. They will be a mix of red and/ or heirloom. 10 lbs for $25 and 20 lbs for $45.
Please mark your calendars for our Annual Harvest Party and Pig Roast Saturday, October 5th
3 pm- late
Potluck, bonfire, pig roast, wagon rides, pumpkin picking, self-guided tours of animals and fields, apple cider pressing and more!
We hope you and your family can make it out!
As always, here are a few things for you to remember about the CSA and the boxes:
If you ordered meat, PLEASE RETURN YOUR FOIL PACKS TO US!
PLEASE RETURN YOUR BOXES ASAP! WE ARE RUNNING OUT, WHICH MEANS FOLKS AREN'T RETURNING THEIR BOXES!
ALWAYS take the box with your name on it that is from BLACKBROOK FARM! If someone is picking your box up for you, please tell them to take the box with your name on it from BLACKBROOK FARM! This is very important.
IF you can't pick your box up on THURSDAY, please communicate with me about this so I can arrange for it to be kept at the dropsite instead of donated or used.
Please return your box either the same week (bring a bag to empty your veggies into) or the following time you pick up your box. Please collapse your box and neatly stack it or put it where the other boxes are.
If you are half share, your box is delivery every other week ( unless you have rearranged your schedule with Harvie). Please remember to check if this is your week or not. Full shares are delivery every week. When your box is delivered on Thursday, a delivery email is sent out. EVERY one at that dropsite gets that email, even if you do not get a box that week. So it is important for you to know which weeks you pick up. Please email me with questions. Here is information on how to access when and where to pick up your box
We also have 100% pastured Pork extras for SALE! If you order pork from us in your share we put it in a foil pack very frozen and deliver it to you in your box. It will either be partially frozen or very very cold when you receive it. We also have Pastured Pork Packages for sale that we home deliver to your door. This is a great way to load up on all the cuts of a hog and get your good healthy fats! You can find our sign up share for that on our website or our Harvie site under shares. Let us know if you have any questions! Raising animals is a large part of what we do at Blackbrook Farm! You can also buy Pork Shares from us and we do free home delivery! This is a one-time share that you can sign up for anytime, and the price a little reduced depending on the size of the share you choose.
This is what may be in your box this week:
Touchstone Gold Beets- These are georgous! We let them get pretty big so that they will last awhile. These are a sweet beet that does not turn everything pink when cooked!
Peppers, bell- We are not only picking colored bell peppers and sweet italian Carmen peppers (long red skinny). These should all be somewhat sweet expecially the red CArmens- my kids favorite snack!
Hot peppers- Use these with the tomatillos and onions to make a quick tomatillo salsa! keeps well in fridge.
Eggplant- For those who want them they keep coming little by little!
Tomatillos- These keep well in a plastic bag in the frisdge or on the counter. Think if them as kind of a green tomato. Husk them and wash them and then you can roaste them, chop them up in a salad, cook them or make them into a salsa! Try Homemade Salsa Verde!
You can also make a Fresh Tomatillo Salad
White onions- These are an excellent fresh eating onion that is perfect for any salsa that you make with your tomatoes, corn, peppers and tomatillos! Keeps well in the fridge as they are not cured. Happy eating!
Sweet Corn- The ears this week are a little smaller with the cooler weather. You may also notice more corn borer worm damage. This will not ruin the whole ear, just chop off the end that is affected. organic farming!!!
Grilled Corn with Tomatillos Salad
Tomatoes, red and heirloom- The tomatoes peaked this week for sure and went gang busters! You will be getting quite the load this week and then you will probably see them slowly taper off over the month. A mix of red slicers and all sorts of heirlooms, too! Most of them should be ready to eat, if they are hard and on the greener side, put them on the counter and wait for them to ripen. There are a few green hierlooms in there that are just green but they are ready to eat! They have a yellow-green look to them and are ripe!
heirloom Tomato and Cucumber Salad
Cherry Tomatoes- These are really pumping out tomatoes this week! Keep on counter or eat now!
Arugula, loose leaf bag- The arugula this week looks really nice! No more flea beetles to contend with and it is tender and crisp. 1/3 lb for ya.
BLTs 6 ways including Arugula!
Broccoli - not much but everyone should get some side shoots or a head. Waiting on the next succession
Summer Squash (last week)- last week! 1 or 2 per member
Cucumber (last week)- 1 per member
Melon (s)- 1 or 2 per member depending on size. This might be the last week for melons. Short but oh so sweet! Cantaloupe and honey dew and watermelons. The watermelons are ready to eat and so should be the cantaloupe and honeydew. If you can't smell the ripeness of yours and you think it needs a couple days just let it sit on your counter.
On the Pick List for next week:
Potatoes
Onions
Corn
Tomatoes
cherry tomatoes
Thelma Sanders winter squash
kale
Radishes
Peppers
Have a great week!
I spy something on that tomato! ( A chrysalis!)
Ronia's first day of kindergarten today!
have a great week!
