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Summer cover crop half way to be being mowed down, held up by the rain. This is where are strawberries will be planted in about a month.
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News from the farm...
So what is news from out here?? Well, right now on our minds is the rain and when is it going to stop and what can we do to keep moving forward when all we really want to do is cultivate, hoe, weed, weed, weed and then go kill some more weeds. We're picking drip lines, sowing a few things in the greenhouse and generally getting ahead where we can.
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PLEASE NOTE: Starting the first Saturday in September, the pick up times at Cecilia's Kitchen will be shorten by half an hour. NEW pick times will be from 9am until 11am.
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Below: Wet field, standing water, weeds and an amazingly beautiful stand of kales, cabbages and basil amidst it all.
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What's Available This Week
More kinds of winter squash have made their way to the store. Honeynut mini butternuts are a market favorite. Small, sweet and thin skinned, they all don't require such a big commitment to eating squash as their larger cousins. One meal and you're done. Also sunshine kabocha and a tasty acorn squash, along with delicata and spaghetti varieties. 2lb bags of mixed loose beets, red, chiogga and gold. Tender kales, green, black and red. Collard bunches. Lettuce and lettuce mix is still in short supply due to all the rain. If you miss out on the mix, the kales make delicious salads, especially for the green curly kale. No need to get fancy, just massage with your favorite salad dressing and you are good to go. This is likely the last week for summer squash and cucumbers. Italian eggplant. Heirloom tomatoes, cherry, cocktail and quarts of paste tomatoes for making sauce. Versatile shishitos, colored sweet peppers and poblano hot peppers. Juicy onions, red, sweet vidiali type and yellow. And potatoes, red, yellow, pinto gold and new this week, blue.
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Below: Honeynut butternuts.
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More evidence of the widespread squishiness of the farm right now.
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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 cooking observations and delicious recipes offerings appear here each week.
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“Life is a combination of magic and pasta.” Federico Fellini
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Your heritage tomatoes don’t last very long so keep an eye on them. Keeping an eye is maybe the first rule of cooking. When I cook and my mind goes on vacation, all manner of evil things take place.
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TOMATO SOFT CHEESE AND BASIL SALAD from “The Silver Palate Cookbook” by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins. The Silver Palate, started in the 70’s as a takeout and cook at home shop, was a big hit from the first. The cookbook followed and became a classic that’s still in print. It is one of the best cookbooks ever! Serves 6 to 8
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½ cup, or to taste, chopped basil – see note*
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¼ cup Nicoise or other imported black olives
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1 tablespoon chopped parsley
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¼ cup of your best olive oil
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Salt and pepper, to taste
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6 ounces of Montrachet cheese, or other mild creamy chevre
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Core the tomatoes, cut into thick slices, and then cut slices in half. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
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Peel the onion, slice into thin rings, add to bowl, and turn gently with a spoon.
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Add remaining ingredients except cheese and again turn gently. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
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Just before serving, transfer salad to a serving dish and crumble the cheese over all.
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*Note: You may also process 6 or 7 cups of fresh basil and about the same amount of parsley with 3 or 4 tablespoons of olive oil and use it instead of only the basil, putting on as much as you like. This freezes nicely too.
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A wash out from yesterday's downpour. The water builds up on one side of the bed until the soil can't hold it any more and washes out. Impressive is how the roots of even those small lettuces held the soil around them. There is a metaphor in there somewhere.
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Love the flowers. Honor the vegetables. Let the weeds go!
Your farmers, Vanessa and Alex
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