As promised in last week's newsletter, tomatoes are showing up big time this week! We are so pleased to offer an abundant amount of very tasty beefsteak slicers in the midst of summer when tomatoes are usually very hard to grow in the VI. I credit the success to our amazing farm crew members, who have been diligently trimming and training the tomatoes in our greenhouse. The attentive work they have been performing has defied the odds and will provide for several weeks to come if all continues well.
There are 28 different crops available this week in one our most abundant summers ever. Spicy arugula are going strong, okra are coming in nicely, kale is perfect, lettuces are bulky, bock choy are crispy and ready for the sauté pan, mangoes are raging, and the lemon basil is flourishing. Check out our lemon basil toasted coconut pesto at the farm tienda on Saturday!
We are also excited to be introducing several new crops this week, such as fresh dill, mustard greens, and some of the first avocados of the season. There will be mucho avocadoes soon! We have so much to offer that we actually had to hold back certain crops this week that you will see in future weeks to come. So we hope that you use the crop swap feature to get your most desirable box this week at your pleasure and enjoyment. Please remember to tell your friends to join the Farm Share program as we have more than twice the crops needed and would love to spread the love across the island!
We also have an exciting announcement that we were awarded a grant from the World Central Kitchen to buy a refrigerated produce transport vehicle to better serve you -our farm share members- as well as the Farm to School program! This means that your weekly produce will receive even more love all the way through from harvest to delivery at the correct temperatures to keep everything at optimal condition. This is especially importnant for the farm to school program, so we can spend the time to source crops from our fellow farmers and get them into the school feeding programs going on even despite the pandemic.
Please visit us this week at the Farm Tienda for many crop extras as well as ready to prepare meals from Misfit Island Munchies. We are sure to be overloaded with many types of mangoes and extra tomatoes for all your kitchen needs. Thank you and to our pick-up hosts Leatherback Brewing Co. for all your support of our efforts to provide fresh foods on St. Croix and beyond.
In good food,
Nate & the Farm Crew
