The farm is in full swing now -- the fields are all fully planted. (It's so beautiful! Please try to visit and see the abundant fields full of colors!) All market channels are rolling -- Farm Share, grocery stores, the main market season. We even started picking Tomatoes last week! (The first fruits come from our one heated greenhouse. These delights will become more and more plentiful each week through the end of July - so long as the plants stay healthy.) I, Janet, harvested 100 pounds of Summer Squash last night! See photo below.
We also have BULK CUCUMBERS now available! If you want to make Salt Brine Pickles or vinegar based Fridge Pickles (SO quick and easy) or Canned Pickles or even just want to eat mad quantities of Cucumbers fresh, now is your moment. These are our larger, slicing Cucumbers, which we find make fantastic pickles. Unfortunately, our small/snack size cucumber plants totally bit the dust last week. Those plants were not very resilient! But our Slicing Cucumber plants are doing great, and make great pickles!
(Once Tomatoes are at peak harvest, we'll make those available in bulk quantities at a discount, as well.)
Our heads of Lettuce are incredible right now! Our enormous Romaine lettuce is pictured above. They'll only be around the next couple of weeks. Other Green heads and Red heads are also super delicious.
Bread Share members: You'll get a SEPARATE email to customize your bread share in just a few moments.
To Customize Your Share:
Each time you are scheduled to have a share, you'll receive an email from us 2 days prior. It should have subject line "Time to Customize Your Share." The software will create a default share for you (based on your indicated preferences and what we have available to harvest) and list those default contents in the email. The email also contains a link saying "Want to make changes to your share or add extras?" Click on that link to customize your share! Customization ends between 6 and 7 am on the day before your pick up day (depending on the time of year and thus how early we start harvesting). The cut off time is always specified in the email.
For Pick Up:
- Same for cooler(s) at pick up locations with any cold items that aren't vegetables (eggs, fermented vegetables, etc...See below for more info.)
- Preparation ideas and recipe suggestions are in your email. Also check out our Pinterest Page for lots of recipe ideas, organized by vegetable.
Self-serve Pick Up looks something like these (with seasonal variation!):
Additionally, we send an e-newsletter a couple of times per season to let folks know what's growing and happening on the farm, what recipes we're digging, and any special events. We've added your email address to our list of recipients.
Other vegetable notes:
- Our Cucumbers are best NOT peeled! Enjoy those peels! (and the tiny seeds)
- Our Turnips are really tasty prepared as a saute in a pan on the stove top. Slice the roots into rounds and saute in a pan with butter/avocado oil/fat of your choice until the edges caramelize/brown. They get so sweet and tasty this way! Salt them AFTER cooking so as to prevent them from sweating and then steaming instead of caramelizing in the pan. ALSO - they are the bomb prepared as Turnips au Gratin! See photo below (huge crowd pleaser at a recent family birthday dinner) and the recipe here.
- Slice up those Radishes and serve them on top of salads, or with butter and toast. Or pickle them with rice vinegar and honey/sugar and serve them on top of Korean Tacos. See this Quick Radish Pickle recipe.
- KALE: Eat it as raw salad, or put it in Portugese Kale Soup (there are LOTS of versions of this recipe online), or dry it and powder it for use as a supplement, or freeze it for use in smoothies all summer long. SEASONAL NOTE: We will have Kale each week between now and July 1. Then we won't have any Kale until maybe late September. If you want to use Kale in July, August, and/or the first few weeks in September, you need to preserve it! Freezing is best.
- Arugula makes fantastic pesto. That's also a great way to preserve Arugula to enjoy when it's not in season. See Arugula Pesto recipe here. We usually sub sunflower seeds for nuts called for in Pesto.
- Preparation ideas and recipe suggestions will be below your share contents in your confirmation email sent the morning of pick up day. Also check out our Pinterest Page for lots of recipe ideas, organized by vegetable.
We so deeply appreciate the opportunity to farm for you. Thank you for being the most important part of our farm! We love you!
With blessings on your meals ~
Janet, Dan, and the whole Broadfork crew (Julie, Tait, Alisa, Erica, Leah, Siera, Jen, Nicolette, and the farm kids)
