Hello to all and welcome to week 9-
We hope this week has found you well. It's August already! We are hoping August brings us rain!
August is also the month of Sweet Corn, melons, tomatoes, and peppers- all of which are coming along albiet more slowly due to lack of rain (we do irrigate, its just not the same! in our sandy soils!). We harvested garlic this week, which is always a nice sign up summer ramping up (for fall).
The chickens went to the butcher this week so I will be adding more to our inventory. They came back smaller than last fall butcher so we will have a lot of 3lb chickens for sale.
Here is what you may have in your box this week:
parsley- Nice bug bunches for all your tabbouleh needs! pre-washed. Keep in a bag for freshness in the fridge.
https://cookieandkate.com/best-tabbouleh-recipe/
garlic- 1 or 2 bulbs. We are trying to weed out small bulbs this year hard core to focus on growing out nice big bulbs for the future with new stock. We have struggled in the past with a disease that wiped out a lot of garlic growers about 10 years ago. It has seemed to plague us through the years. So you will be getting smaller bulbs because of that. These are not cured so the inner lining is harder to get off. You can keep on the counter.
Cilantro- Is back! A great time for a quick Pico de Gallo recipe! Aldo excellent in a tahini dressing for salads or drizzled on fresh grilled veggies like squash, broccoli or onions
https://cookieandkate.com/classic-pico-de-gallo-recipe/
Cucumbers-Our hoophouse cucumbers keep doing well. Add to tabbouleh, make a qquick cucumber salad. Slice onto Sandwiches!
https://www.feastingathome.com/asian-cucumber-salad/#tasty-recipes-44685-jump-target
Summer Squash/Zucchini-https://www.marthastewart.com/1154408/grilled-zucchini-and-summer-squash
Onion Bunch-Fresh onions are great on a BLT or sliced thin for a salad, chunked for kebobs or sliced thickly for the grill. So many options!!!
Beets (golden and red) bunched or bagged- The greens will leave you wanting, but the tubers are great!
https://bellyfull.net/refrigerator-pickled-beets/#wprm-recipe-container-30453
Tomatoes (cherries or large tomatoes)- We are getting more and mre each week. Trying to rotate the cherry tomatoes around do everyone gets them. Hopefully next week we can gie everyone both! Do no refrigerate.
eggplant (some)- Starting to kick more in action after beetle attack. Super awesome marinated and grilled.
Fennel (some)- for this recipe try the curly kale! https://www.abeautifulplate.com/pasta-fennel-kale-and-lemon/
Head lettuce (some)- We lost most of this succession due to the heat a few weeks back so that is why not everyone gets it.
curly kale or collard greens- Collards are pair incredibly well with ham or bacon, slow cooked iwth broth and onions and garlic. You can do it on the stovetop and lid or in a dutch oven in oven. low and slow. Or fast saute them too! They just aren't as creamy and delicious.
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Chicken Catchers
More chicken catching
This is the unfortunate reality. We mowed our potatoes and all the Colorado Potato Beetles (CPB) that had decimated them into sticks migrated to our hoophouse tomatoes and eggplant. We must pick daily to keep it from getting this bad on all of our tomatoes and eggplant. yikes!
what to look out for next week:
sweet corn?
peppers
cabbage, purple
celery
salad mix
beans?
