Hi Folks!
You may be wondering whether or not we've had rain...we haven't, not in any quantity worth reporting, so we continue to irrigate our crops and as you can see, they continue to grow. This does mean that we are a still a bit behind on our no-till bed creation, and our weeds have had less attention than we'd like (good for the weeds, bad for us). We have a few new staff joining our team this week to help us in this regard, so our team has grown from five full-time and three part-time to a total of 10 altogether. We are grateful each day for the many hands that do the work on our farm.
Making the most of Harvie
We have found that overall the deliveries, pickups and communications have gone really well. There have been a few hiccups and we are very grateful for your patience with us as we adjust to full throttle on the farm! In order to improve your experience, we are providing a couple links for help documents on various Harvie-related topics, such as how to reschedule a share when you are away, or how to change your pickup location. Click here for when you are not on your member page and here for when you are signed into your Harvie account.
Produce storage
We have had a few questions regarding storing the produce that finds its way to your kitchens. This is great, because there are many ideas about how to store various things, but over the years we have found some tried and true rules of thumb that we can share with you. It is by no means a comprehensive list, but its a start and we hope that it helps you to get the most out of your farm box!
1) if it is leafy and green (lettuce, chard, celery, kale, spinach and we'll include fennel), it will store best in a loosely sealed plastic bag or covered glass container in your fridge. Except basil, which prefers the moderate temperature of your counter, though it will need to remain in a sealed container as well.
2) we find that potatoes store best refrigerated for the most part, especially if they are new potatoes. Old-timer wisdom says to store potatoes in the dark in one's pantry, but this was when pantries were cellars and were not at the ambient temperature of the rest of the house. That said, potatoes don't need to be in the coldest part of your fridge either; they will develop sweetness if stored very cold.
3) hardy herbs like oregano, sage, rosemary, savoury and thyme can be hung to dry if you don't use the whole bunch. Once they are dry, you can simply crumble the amount that you need before adding to your dish. I always leave mine whole to preserve the delicate essential oils.
4) roots (beets, carrots, celeriac, rutabaga and parsnips and we'll include kohlrabi here) and some fruits (cucumbers and zucchini) take less time to dehydrate and wilt than leafy greens, but we find that their freshness is preserved best when loosely sealed and refrigerated as well.
5) tomatoes always need to stay at room temperature.
6) winter squash can be kept in a warm, dry location to further ripen and cure.
7) onions and garlic will first come to you fresh, and can be stored in the fridge or on your counter, but after they are cured (when their outer skins have dried to contain the juicer inner flesh) they can be stored in your pantry or on your counter.
Recipe of the week
One of our members share a recipe with us that sounds too good not to pass on! If you are wondering what to do with the beautiful fennel fronds, then this one is for you! Fennel Frond Pesto!
Farm Tour Reminder
Just in case you missed it, we are letting you know that we sent out an email last week with information on our upcoming farm tour happening this coming Sunday, July 25, starting at 10:30. Check your inbox for details!
Thanks to each and every one of you for taking part in our farm this summer!
We are so glad you've joined us for this season,
Jenny and James
