We finally have enough tomatoes to share with our members, not to mention cucumbers, things are getting really good, folks! In the coming weeks, you will see tomatoes more often, sometimes in all shares, and sometimes as an option to swap, so keep your eye out-- but we like to wait until we have enough to give everyone a taste the first time!
On our farm, we put a lot of (physical and propane) energy into extending tomato season in Central Oregon. We start tomatoes the last week of January, in our house. They then move into pots and to a heated greenhouse about 5 weeks later, we plant them mid-March, and then we prune, trellis and repeat to get our first tomatoes in early June. We also grow tomatoes in our unheated greenhouses, so we will have more later in the summer (as long as they produce well, and we can keep these early ones happy which is a challenge in the heat. In the early season, since we have to charge a high price to make it worth all of the inputs, we often offer tomatoes as an option rather than a standard box item. This week we have a small taste- half pints of cherries available for all boxes (members only!), but feel free to swap them out if you'd like to economize and wait. Our price will drop once we hit regular season tomatoes and we'll keep filling your boxes with them as often as we can!
If you do get tomatoes, though, here's a great pasta recipe that also uses the first, tender, fennel of the season. Or maybe a cucumber, fennel and tomato salad is in your future? I know it's in mine!
Happy munching,
Ashley
P.S. Don't forget your garlic scapes, this may be the last week we have them available! (Spring Turnips are coming to a close as well)
