Weeks 11 and 12 of the CSA season coincide with the kids’ last weeks of summer vacation and also with my annual (re-)realization that time flies by much too quickly. It is usually at this point in the year that I put the farm on the back burner for a couple of weeks, doing just enough to keep it running smoothly and spending most of my time with the boys. If I have done my job well up to this point, this usually works. All of the planning and planting and tending before now allows the family a little bit of a break. The kids – especially Simon – have been absolutely instrumental in helping me get the CSA up and running this year, and so we are going to take some time off to enjoy just being on the farm and being with each other.
What’s in My Box this Week?
Cherry Tomatoes (Standard Shares who haven’t received them yet) – This week’s variety of cherry tomato is still Sungold. Cherry tomatoes can over-ripen pretty quickly, so it can be a good idea to store them in the fridge if you’re not going to eat them right away.
Eggplant – Everyone will get either a handful of Asian (Pingtung) eggplants this or an Italian eggplant (fat and dark purple) this week. Eggplant is very perishable, so use it quickly or at least within the week. To store in the fridge, wrap it unwashed in a paper towel (not plastic) and keep in your crisper. You can also store it unrefrigerated at a cool room temperature. (Photo from High Mowing Seeds)
English Cucumbers – This will be our last week for cucumbers. Place in a sealed plastic bag in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator for up to a week.
Garlic – The garlic you’re getting this week is still fresh, so place it in a plastic bag in the fridge and use within two weeks.
Heirloom Tomatoes – This week you will likely get one or two Pink Berkeley Tie Dye tomatoes. (Obviously developed by some hippy farmers!) These tomatoes have a very sweet, rich, dark tomato flavor. There still aren’t many ready yet, so you’ll probably only get one or two this week. Store at room temperature for up to a week. Do not refrigerate.
Parsley – Store in the fridge in a small glass with about an inch of water, stem side down (like flowers in a vase) for best storage.
Poblano Peppers (Standard Shares Only; Large Shares, too, if there are enough) – Refrigerate peppers unwashed in a sealed plastic bag in the crisper drawer for one to two weeks. You can also dehydrate peppers for long-term. See Week 9 newsletter for more information about poblanos and recipes.
Potatoes – The variety this week is again Yukon Gold. These yellow potatoes have a dense, buttery texture ideal for baking, boiling, soups and frying. The potatoes you’re getting this week are “new potatoes”, meaning they are freshly harvested and have not been cured. Their skin is really delicate; thus, I’m not going to wash them before giving them to you.
Purple Top Turnips – I’m going to try and include as many turnip greens as I can since you can cook with these, too. Once you get your box, remove the turnip greens right away and wrap them in a barely damp paper towel and put them in a plastic bag in the fridge for best life. Store roots loose in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. You can also store them in an open plastic bag to best retain moisture. Greens will last a few days. Turnips will last weeks. (Photo from High Mowing Seeds)
Rainbow Chard – Wash the chard only right before using. To store, place in a plastic bag with most of the air removed and put in the fridge. It is best used within a few days.
Red Peppers (Large Shares Only – MAYBE!) – There aren’t a lot of ripening peppers out in the field quite yet, but some are starting to get there. If we have some ready on Wednesday, we’ll include one or two in your share. Same storage instructions as with the poblanos.
Scallions – Store in the veggie drawer of your refrigerator and try to use within a week. If you use these after a week, you can peel off any dry and/or “slimy” outer layers of the onion.
Slicing Tomatoes – Store at room temperature for up to a week. Do not refrigerate.
Thyme (Large Shares Only) – Roll sprigs in a damp paper towel and place them in a resealable plastic bag. Alternatively, you can stand the sprigs up like a bouquet of flowers in a drinking glass or jar with about an inch of water inside.
Watermelon (Some Standard Shares) – I think I should have another couple of watermelons ready this week. Watermelons don’t ripen all at once, so everyone will get one, but it will probably be over the course of a few weeks. To store, refrigerate right away as watermelons don’t continue to ripen once picked. Cut melon should be covered in plastic wrap, and chunks or slices should be kept in an airtight container. Eat melons within a week.
Notes from the Field
Lately, it has been pretty quiet down in the field. I awoke one morning last week to this view of the farm. Sitting down in one of the red Adirondack chairs that overlook the field, before the rest of the family woke up and our day got going, I took a few moments to admire the scenery. Is it me, or does Minnesota have some truly wonderful cloud formations?
We weren’t the only ones to slow down a bit last week. It seems that Mother Nature also decided to take a break; the cloudy days and cool weather slowed down some growth and fruit ripening, but our plants have been working so hard for so long, I think they deserve a rest as well.
The only crops that I am starting to feel anxious about are the cherry and heirloom tomatoes. I feel like we should have had more of those by now, and I’m just not sure they will catch up as much as I want them to. I think part of the issue has to do with the septoria leaf spot disease I talked about earlier in the year. Heirloom tomatoes aren’t as tough as all of the hybrid tomatoes that are out there. Hybrids have been bred to resist cracking, be uniform in shape and color, and resist many diseases. Heirlooms are more unpredictable: you never know what size tomato you’ll get, even off of the same plant. Many easily crack and they are more susceptible to disease. We grow them though because they are more delicious. Also, they are open-pollinated which means you can save their seeds and pass them down throughout the generations with no need to buy seed in the future. (If you do this, you also end up coming up with a tomato which has evolved over time to better fit the microclimate of your farm.)
Long story short: when I look at the plants, it’s clear that the heirlooms are taking more of a beating from the disease than the hybrids. I know that heirlooms are the most anticipated of the tomatoes, so I’m not giving up hope yet, but I do want you to know that 2022 might be a less-than-ideal year for them.
This upcoming week we will take down the garlic that has been curing over the last three weeks and prepare it for sale via the Sustainable Farming Association’s Garlic Growers Directory. (If you know of anyone who wants to buy some garlic, please point them our way!) We will also water some new seedlings with diluted fish emulsion to give them a small boost of nitrogen and other micronutrients to help them get going. This is, by far, the stinkiest job on the farm and one we all try to pawn off on each other. I think I will be nice and do it on my own this time…
Here are some of Simon’s “Pollinators of the Week” photos:
Recipes
Asian Eggplant Stir Fry // Uses Asian Eggplant, Garlic, (Green Peppers and White Onions if you have some from last week) // Vegetarian
Braised Beef with Onion, Carrots, and Turnips // Uses Garlic, Parsley, Turnips, (Carrots and Onions if you have some from last week)
Grilled Turnips with Garlic // Uses Garlic, Parsley, Turnips // Vegetarian
Mapo Eggplant // Uses Asian Eggplant (can sub Italian), Garlic, Scallions
Miso Honey-Glazed Turnips // Uses Turnips
Roasted Poblano and Heirloom Tomato Salsa // Uses Garlic, Heirloom Tomatoes, Poblano Peppers, (White Onions if you have some from last week) // Vegetarian
Salt-Roasted Turnips with Goat Cheese and Greens // Uses Turnip, Can probably use Rainbow Chard, too // Vegetarian
Smoky Sautéed Asian Eggplant // Uses Asian Eggplant, Garlic, Tomatoes, Sub Scallions for Onion // Vegetarian
Middle Fork Farm 