From the Farmer……..
We are truly entering the abundant season – each time I walk the fields I notice something new ready for harvest – sweet and hot peppers, eggplants, cukes, carrots, and a gorgeous array of summer squash. It is an exciting time to be a creative cook. Last week it was a Thai peanut stir fry of peppers, broccoli, onions, summer squash, beans, carrots and chicken over rice. A sprinkle of peanuts and Thai basil – Yum! It doesn’t feel complicated to be a good cook when the produce is so fresh and abundant and requires so little preparation. And with all the great on-line sites for finding recipes, it is so easy to find new ways to creatively combine the myriad of veggies in your share each week.
It is also the time in the cycle of the farm season when the work load shifts from planting and weeding and taking care of baby animals - and planting and weeding and taking care of baby animals – to planting and weeding and harvesting - to a bit of spot weeding here and there, mowing field rows and harvest, harvest, harvest. The pace slows at least a little and shifts to a larger and larger percentage of our time spent harvesting. The change much appreciated and often feels more rewarding than the seemingly endless early season work.
It is also the time of year when the time and work involved in taking care of the farm’s livestock gets a bit easier as pigs and chicks and lambs and goat kids grow from fragile babies to robust adults. On Monday, all of those sweet baby lambs born back in April that are no longer so adorable will be going to the butcher. Already the dairy goats have been shifted to once a day milking instead of morning and evening, and the baby chicks and pigs no longer need constant attendance. We are not completely baby-less though, as one of our laying hens hatched five baby chicks just last week. Sister Oatmeal is proving to be a wonderful mother, spreading her wings and clucking to gather her brood under her wings. We also just adopted two teenage Muscovy ducks hatched by a neighbor: Palmer and Peregrine will soon have the run of the farm happily eating bugs.
Our next farm festival will be held in October so watch for updates as we move through the season together. We would love to see you and have you visit the farm that grows your food!
Until next week……………. Robin
What’s in your share?
Sweet Peppers: Gypsy(yellow), Islander (Purple)
Hot Peppers: El Jefe (jalapeno), Hot Yellow Banana (yellow long)
Radish: Summer Cross Diakon
Beans: Romano, Eureka
Carrots: Forto
Collards: Georgia
Basil: Genovese, Thai
Marjoram: Zatar
Summer Squash: Sunburst, Elite, Spineless Beauty, Slick Pick, Horn of Plenty
Onions: Walla Walla
