We are going into our second month of Summer CSA, and I feel like we're getting a handle on the customized boxes. We still have occasional missed items since we don't have big bucks to pay someone to double-check the contents of each box at the end of the packing line. If you are missing something in your share, please email me and we will issue a credit or send the item with your next delivery.
This week we are transitioning into more summer produce with lots of zucchini and cucumbers. Of course the greens are still abundant because our talented farmers adapt their growing methods to the weather, but you are seeing more variety in your boxes. We are picking our first tomatoes from our greenhouse already, but not enough to share yet.
Yesterday Derek from Glacial Till Farm was super-geeked because his new power harrower arrived. He has been rototilling his beds between plantings, but repeated deep tilling is not good for the soil. There are insects and microbes that live in different strata of soil, forming layers. When we till them all together, they get all mixed up and have to move back to their strata before they can do their work again. Repeated tilling also creates hardpan below the section that is tilled. Derek's power harrower attaches to his BCS, and it gently "tills" only the top layer of soil with horizontal tines to prepare beds for the next planting. Derek spent all day yesterday preparing beds for new plantings.
Egg cartons
You may have noticed that some of our eggs this week were in reused cartons. Our principal egg farmer is having trouble finding egg cartons. All of his suppliers are either out of stock or drastically limiting supplies. Some of our farmers have experienced out-of-stock of some seeds, so they have had to either wait on them or switch to a different variety.
Webstore
Be sure to check out our Webstore at www.nwpagrowers.com/login if you haven't already. Over there we have lots of meats, cheeses, milk, breads, maple products, honey, and even more veggies. These are delivered with your CSA Share next week. If you order over there, choose "CSA Member" at checkout to avoid an additional delivery fee.
Do you own an Instant Pot? I use mine all the time, and especially like it for cooking a whole chicken. When it's really hot outside, I move the IP to the garage to keep all the heat out of the house, even though it gives off a lot less heat then the oven or a crock pot. Anyway, here's a recent post from one of my favorite bloggers about how to cook chicken in an Instant Pot, along with lots of recipe ideas for using that chicken and broth.
I'm soooo happy it's zucchini season! Even though zucchini has been available in the grocery store, we eat seasonally as much as we can. Last night's dinner at my house was Baked Parmesan Zucchini (with manchego sheep cheese and a few gluten-free bread crumbs added) along with sauteed beets from my garden and a fresh salad with Glacial Till's salad greens. Delicious!
Your farmers wish you and your families a happy and safe Independence Day this weekend! Most of us will be enjoying time with our families and doing a little lighter duty on our farms this weekend.
On behalf of your NWPA Growers farmers,
Amy Philson
