CSA Week Five

News from the field:

Maryellen and I joked about how we should complain about the wetness this week, because we complained about the dryness last week. But it is hard to complain because we need the rain.

The real news is that they are here!! The tomatoes have arrived, and I suspect we are still on the upswing in terms of our production for the year. So enjoy! And the new potatoes too! And the last of the snap peas for the year! Summer is here!

Update on Old Shaw Farm hiring: We were really floored by all the people who responded to come weed at our farm, or who had ideas for other people to approach. We ended up with a UVM ecological agriculture major who happened to have a free week and a love of weeding in hot humid weather. So I think we are in the process of catching up. Thank you everyone!

GreenNEKS The Green Northeast Kingdon Society is a local grassroots group promoting sustainable living. At least two CSAers are active in the group, and I thought some other CSAers might be interested as well, so Sharon made up beautiful flyers for everyone. Thanks Sharon!!

In the Basket:

Tomatoes – Big red slicers for summer fun, and plenty of them too!

New potatoes – A big sack for potato salad or boiling with butter on top. These potatoes are so tender that their new skins get scoffed up in the harvest process.

Snap Peas - Back to the snap peas this week after the shell peas last week – just pull the string and pop the whole thing in your mouth. Enjoy these because these will be the last of these spring treats until next year.

Lettuce and radishes for your salad or sandwiches.

Fresh garlic – This garlic is pulled straight from the ground and hasn’t been dried yet, so it needs to be refrigerated instead of living in the cupboard. But if you peel back the layers on the bulb, you will find some of the freshest, best tasting garlic you have ever had. The variety we grow is a “hardneck” -- the tough stem in the middle of the bulb is not for eating.

Eggplant – These early eggplant are an Asian variety that are long and skinny, with very few seeds and no hint of bitterness.

Zucchini - More baby and small zucchini for grilling, steaming, sauteing.