CSA Week Twelve

News from the field:

Watermelon this week! Enjoy!!

All this rain is actually not so great for us right now. As the season starts to wind down, many different crops start to show disease problems, mostly on their leaves. This is because they have put out their fruit and their system doesn’t need the green, growing leaves anymore. The rain and wetness often accelerates these disease problems. It is not a huge deal, but it may rob us a week or two of the field sun golds, unless it starts to dry out in a hurry.

We are also starting to clear out the greenhouse and the hoophouses so we can keep mesclun growing in there after frost. Other fall tasks are already underway, such as drying onions, trimming more garlic, curing winter squash, and cleaning up the fields.

Speaking of changing seasons, the process of putting together the basket for us has also now shifted. In the first part of the season, we think, what do we have new this week to tickle the palate of our CSAers. Now, the balance shifts, at least a bit. We start to think more and more, what do we have this week that we will not have in the weeks ahead so should put in the baskets now. Watermelon, obviously, but also even a staple like cucumbers won’t be around for all that much longer.

In the Basket:

Baby carrots - Very munchable and sweet. We’ll have carrots much of the fall, but not always as baby.

Cucumbers - It’s hard not to take these for granted after so many good and crunchy weeks, but they’re getting ready to be done, so we’re including these now.

Garlic - Informal surveys revealed that most CSAers had used up their supply, so here’s a bit to restock.

Mesclun - Mesclun’s great in a salad, and for a weeknight meal I love to toss it with hot pasta, garlic, tamari and olive oil. I sometimes add baked tofu for a complete meal, and I bet chicken would work just as well.

Sun golds, slicing tomatoes, and watermelon - The goodness of late summer is still here to enjoy!!