Dry and windy have been the words lately! We've been fortunate to still get nightly rain the past few nights. As the crops respond and some go away, we are starting to have new fields enter the shares. Radishes, turnips, turnip greens, bok choy, mustard greens, arugula and lettuce are launching a comeback. Farm apprentice Kelsey will tell you about the cucumbers below:)
In addition to the crops there are some additional swappable items this week: Our neighbor VI Honey Man is sharing a limited amount of 8 ounce jars of rainforest honey from just over the hill. There is also delicious Carrot Ginger Dressing and Carrot Top Pesto from the farm, thanks to Jenny!
This is the last week of goat cheese for the winter season. Don't worry they will be back later in the year. Fiddlewood farm allows the goats time off every year to not be milked after new kids are born. Make sure to add one on as an extra! -Nate
Here's Kelsey from the greenhouse in bay 2:
"There are more cucumbers coming in this week. It is a relief for this farm apprentice after I snipped off a few too many leaves in previous weeks. I spent many worried days looking at the fruits (you read that right… it is actually a fruit!) hoping they would grow into food for your boxes, then one day as I walked by the greenhouse I peeked in and saw many large cucumbers hiding on the upper levels of the vines! I had been so focused on the smaller fruits that I missed the new ones coming in all over the place.'
After many joyful moments celebrating cucumbers I thought about the farm and how much it has grown in the years since hurricanes Irma and Maria. Farmer Nate recently made a slideshow for the crew to show us what the farm looked like before, during, and after the storms… it was breathtaking. After 200 mile per hour winds there were no leaves to speak of, much like those cucumbers I’ve been tending since I arrived at the beginning of the year. Patience, care, and the determination of a wide range of crew have helped the farm bounce back from the storms, and we are working hard to keep the momentum going in 2021...most recently with the bounceback of the cucumbers!'
The cucumbers in your box are delicious and nutritious, full of carbs, protein, fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, magnesium, potassium, and manganese. Cucumbers are 96% water, so you will be well hydrated, plus they are full of antioxidants to aid your overall health. Eat them raw as a snack (I’ve certainly eaten a few that have fallen off the vines early in the greenhouse…), mix them up in a salad, pickle them, infuse them in water with strawberry/lime/mint, make a cucumber mint sorbet, or even a cucumber goat cheese grilled sandwich with the lovely goat cheese offered in the boxes. However you decide to prepare your food, I hope you enjoy every bite as much as I have enjoyed working the land and learning new skills during my work exchange." -Kelsey
Thank you for your support and enjoy your farm share!
