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Looking good going into August!
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What's happening on the farm right now:
2023 potatoes are dug and in the barn, 2023 onions are up and curing in the barn, fall greens and brassicas are in and carrots and beets are sown.
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It's August already and the season is going by fast. August tends be a challenging month. It's hot. The weeds grow like crazy after every rain because the soil is so warm. All the crops are coming in and there's lots of heavy harvesting to do. You have to keep sowing seeds and planting plants if you want to have a productive fall. And everyone is tired from already having worked for 5-6 months.
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Still, things out here seem pretty under control for now and the crew in good spirits (See the pictures above and below) True, there is another field not shown that will be trouble in a couple of weeks if we can't get out there with hoes soon. For now though, I'm going to practice staying here and enjoying the relative tidy of the farm.
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We are crossing are fingers for a bonanza winter squash harvest
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What's available in the store and at market this week?
Tomatoes! The red slicers are at their peak right now, juicy, delicious and abundant. In terms of quantity, it is downhill from here, so make sure to get the tomatoes for your sauces, relishes and canning soon. Heirloom, cherry and cocktail tomatoes. We have a good amount of cucumbers and summer squash still. The eggplant is gorgeous. We have head lettuces and lettuce mix. Rainbow Swiss chard. Basil and cilantro. Red, yellow and sweet onions. Red, yellow, blue, pinto and, finally, white potatoes. We are still waiting on the sweet peppers to turn red but have our first shishitos and jalapenos. Beets to make John's recipe this week but no more carrots until the ones sown last week grow.
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Cafe au lait and lots of other dahlias, sunflowers, mixed bouquets.
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North Asheville Tailgate Market hours are
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Saturdays 8am-12pm on the campus of UNC Asheville.
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River Arts District Farmers Market hours are
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Wednesdays 3-6pm at the Smoky Park Supper Club, 350 Riverside Drive.
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John's Recipe of the Week
| John Loyd is our dear friend, neighbor, CSA worker member and a gourmet Southern cook. His delightful observations on gardening and cooking appear here each week. |
“Barbeque may not be the road to world peace, but it’s a start.” Anthony Bourdain
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We have been getting excellent cheese from the South Slope Cheese Shop, 11 Southside, in the South Slope area of downtown. They have an amazing selection of cheeses, snacks, and other goodies
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This week some ideas from North Carolina’s Vivian Howard.
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TOMATOES AND RICE – In eastern North Carolina dishes with rice are common. This one, Vivian’s mom made once a week. You will want to boil some water, toss in the tomatoes, let them get hot, and then remove their skins. Makes 5 cups.
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1 cup of rice (either white or brown)
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1 quart tomatoes, chopped (canned are ok when fresh ones are out of season)
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Combine rice, water, and 1 teaspoon of salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, making sure rice doesn’t stick, for about 15 minutes or until rice is getting tender. Add the tomatoes, remaining salt, sugar, black pepper. Cover and cook for 3 more minutes. Serve right away as the consistency of the rice might change.
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BEET SALAD – Serve this with a buttermilk blue cheese dressing. Serves 4
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2 cups beets, cooked, peeled and sliced in 1/4 inch rounds or wedges
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1 cup roasted pecans, roasted walnuts are good too
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In a medium bowl, stir together the beets, rosemary, zest, honey, balsamic vinegar, salt, and black pepper. Squeeze a bit of orange juice in the bowl before you divide them.
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Let this marinate for 30 minutes up to two hours at room temperature. Top with the oranges, pecans and drizzle with the finishing oil. Slices of ripe peaches might be nice additions in this salad.
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These little forget me not flowers, so exquisite and still swept to the floor after bouquet making
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Your farmers, Vanessa and Alex
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Love the flowers. Honor the vegetables. Let the weeds go!
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- Cheri Huber and Ashwini Narayanan
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