I am so happy to see production increase in our summer crops this week. It certainly feels like summer outside, and we've been tricking you that summer food is here with our early tomato greenhouse, but summer crops are really just starting in our region. With all our wild weather (cold nights in the spring, that we've now forgotten about), even in hoophouses it takes until mid July to really enter summer harvest season. It is for this reason that we put so much effort into early tomatoes, to extend their season which otherwise feels all too short.
On our farm, we succession plant cucumbers and beans so that we (somewhat) even out their production, as they all have an ebb and flow of fruit production. Finally, we're harvesting from 3 beds of cucumbers and 2 beds of green beans, meaning we have enough supply for all our members. Our outdoor zucchini planting has also reached full production after late frosts, so this week is cucurbit week, which what we call the Cucurbitaceae family for short, which includes cucumbers, squash and melons. Cucurbits will take over too much of my life by August, as they grow so fast we usually have to pick them four times a week to maintain consistent size, but for now we're relishing in their bounty.
We've also got Romano Beans for you this week, which is a newer variety for us that is not very well known but has won us over. These big beans are amazingly tender and great any way you like to prepare beans. You can read more about them here. I'm all about simplicity in the summer, so I love to sauté them with garlic and lemon and enjoy. Even better, consider grilling them to avoid heating up your house, you'll find a great simple recipe here!
We're also adding shishitos back to the list this week in case you didn't get some last week (or you ate yours already and want some more!), as well as a great variety of greens, herbs and roots to round out your meals this week. We hope you enjoy!
Your farmers,
Ashley, Caleb and the Sungrounded Crew
