(Mt. Vernon, Iowa)
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Greetings shareholders,
This week, we'll have cabbage, leeks, kale, zucchinis and summer squash, onions, broccoli, potatoes, green beans, very big kohlrabi, chard, maybe beets, maybe a few cucumbers, a tiny snip of basil, and Asian greens. The cabbage continues to be beautiful and never-ending. The leeks are puny; they came that way from the supplier and never really snapped out of it. Broccoli is still mostly worm-free. The Giant Kohlrabi Recipe Challenge will go on for one more week, so send me those recipes. The winner gets a dozen eggs. Check the website to see the entries so far.
You've certainly noticed that it's nearly August, yet we've had few of the summer vegetables like sweet corn, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, chilies, basil, summer squash, cucumbers that we expect this time in the summer. I promise you, they are out in the garden, but they are maturing oh--so--slowly without our normal hot days and warm nights. And the rain hasn't helped. We need about 1" per week to have the perfect conditions for gardening. Last week, we had 3" on Tuesday, then more than 1" on Friday night. It's supposed to rain again Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, plus more rain at the end of the week. It's too much!
Sweet corn looks like it might begin in 10 days to 2 weeks. YIPPEE. It's not going to be as fancy as what we usually have. (Remember the tractor breakdown back in June? That was the week that the sweet corn had to be cultivated in order to assure nice big ears. I missed the opportunity, and you'll see the consequences in the corn.)
It's time to plant for fall, but it sure has been tough. We need about 5 days between rain events to mow down whatever is already there, do the tillage, give the soil a little rest, then plant the next crop of seeds or plants. Last week we did manage to get the brussels sprouts and some green beans in, just in the nick of time Friday afternoon. This week, we're shooting for turnips, more beans, and a hayrack full of cabbage and broccoli plants. The rain also makes it tough to harvest. This is the week the onions must get pulled or they will start to deteriorate, and we need to keep working on the potatoes. You may notice that the potatoes this week seem a bit "scabby". It's not a disease, but a response of mature potatoes that are sitting in damp soil. It won't hurt you, but looks ugly. I'm hoping the more long season potatoes are resisting it a bit, but we won't know until we get them dug, which is tough on the workers when there is mud everywhere.
Some of you have asked about bringing back your garbage for composting. SURE! That would be great. The compost pile is the big messy pile on your right when you are walking from the parking area to the shed. You can put any food waste there, plus yard waste as long as it has no chemicals on it. Either the chickens or the microbes will eat it. Either way, it will end up back in the garden.
No more excuses. Here's a link to 101 summer salad recipes in last week's NY Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/dining/22mlist.html?_r=1&em . Some of them are a little exotic, but I'll bet you can find something in there that you will like. If you'd rather have a cookbook to hold in your hand, I just got more copies of "Asparagus to Zucchini" that I sell for $18. It was put together by CSA members in Madison, so the recipes are friendly and easy, and take advantage of the ingredients you are likely to get each week.
I've still got lots of raffle tickets to support the Southeast Linn Community Center. You can't win if you don't play (same as the Iowa Lotto!). But in this case, the sales support one of our community's really important assets.
Here is the link to a website that our friends at Local Harvest CSA have set up to share recipes and learn about the vegetables. http://www.csaharvestrecipes.com/ You can click on the vegetable name and a photo will come up, plus a little description of the vegetable, and some recipes. Send me any recipes you'd like to contribute and I will zap them to Local Harvest for you.
Our summer open house is next Sunday, August 2, 4:00 until 7:00. Everyone is welcome. I'll talk a little about all the things we do here, including the garden. Then, we'll take a garden/farm tour and end with a light dinner. It's a good chance to look around and find out more about the farm and what kinds of things happen here. I'll talk some about what farmers and homeowners can do to improve water quality and decrease runoff from our properties. We might look at the old fashioned field corn if it's convenient. You can ask lots of questions about anything that interests you about the farm. It's also a great time to visit with friends and neighbors. Please come, and bring a friend.
See you this week,
Laura
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Posted by Laura
@ 11:45 PM CDT
Greetings everybody,
This week, we’ll have cabbage, kale, chard, beets, zucchini, green beans, new potatoes, onions, leeks, kohlrabi, broccoli, and cilantro.
I hope you are liking the cabbage, because we’ve got hundreds of them that are all about ready to cut. Cabbages were planted in 4 different groups, but of course, they are all ready at the same time. Green beans are coming on slowly, but we will have some for the Monday people this week for sure. Leeks are like mild onions and are especially good cooked. Be sure to wash them well; soil can get caught between the layers.
Of course, the big news is the cool weather. We’re enjoying it, but the heat loving crops like summer squash and zucchini, green beans, tomatoes, basil, eggplant, peppers, sweet corn, melons, squash, and cucumbers are all on vacation while they wait for the warm to come back. Most of these crops stop growing if the temperature is below about 65o or 70o, so when the nights are as cold as they have been, and the days are cloudy and cool, the plants don’t develop very quickly. Some crops may not be fully mature by the time of the killing frost if they are delayed too much during July and August. It’s potentially a BIG problem for the field corn because we planted so late in this part of Iowa. So, hope for some of those sticky, hot nights and days between 85o-88o. It’s hard on the people, but it’s good for everything else.
The beets have been fabulous. If you’ve had beets of all different colors, it’s not because you cooked them wrong and they leaked! They come that way. Check out this link to see some of the different kinds of beets that we plant. Who knew they came in so many shapes and colors? http://www.johnnyseeds.com/catalog/subcategory.aspx?category=1&subcategory=9
The potatoes you are getting now are a variety called “Dark Red Norland”, and are the most common variety for “new potatoes” around here. “New” means freshly harvested. The skins are so tender and tasty that you don’t have to peel the potatoes. We’ve been eating them boiled, then browned for a minute with a little butter and salt, or roasted in the oven with oil and salt. I think new potatoes are about the best thing ever. You may notice that they taste quite a bit different than the ”new” potatoes that you get from the grocery store for most of the year. That’s because the “new” potatoes at the grocery store aren’t really new. They’ve been sitting around in storage for up to a year. Really, they are just the potatoes that were too little to go into the regular 5-pound bags, so they are marketed as if they are something special. The real deal – the ones we have now - are what’s really special. Enjoy them.
The kohlrabi this week are HUGE, and maybe even a little bit fun. Take one, and then enter your winning recipe in the “Giant Kohlrabi Recipe Challenge”. Let’s see what you can do with one kohlrabi. Cooked, raw, chopped, creamed, pickled, roasted – do whatever it takes to make it great, then send me your recipe and I’ll share it with the group. Remember that kohlrabi are better if they are peeled, and sometimes big ones are a little woody on the inside. I haven’t tried one yet (too scared of them), so I’m not promising anything. Go for it.
I’m selling tickets for the upcoming raffle to benefit the Southeast Linn Community Center. This is the primary fundraiser for the center, and the profits are used to support its day-to-day operation. Southeast Linn serves people in the Mt. Vernon and Lisbon school districts by providing services for children, families, and seniors, including our food pantry. As you might imagine, more and more people are needing help every month, so it is imperative that we keep Southeast Linn afloat. Please consider buying 5, 10, 20, or 50 raffle tickets. You might win something cool, and you’ll be helping to meet very real needs of people right here in our community. The drawing will be August 8th at Sauerkraut Days in Lisbon.
We’re making up the July movie night this week. Hope it’s warm enough to sit outside! The movie is “Babe”, and according to the library catalog, it is a “swine drama”. Movie night is Wednesday evening, July 22. Garden tours start at 7:30, movie starts about 8:30. The movie is free. Bring the kids, the neighbors, and lawn chairs. We’ll make the popcorn and provide soda, and donate the money to the food pantry.
Do you want to know more about certain vegetables? Are you figuring out how to use everything? Got a great source for recipes? Have your tried something new and want to share it? Zap me a note and let me know your thoughts. I’ll try to address them in an upcoming newsletter.
Hope for some heat.
See you this week,
Laura
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Posted by Laura
@ 11:39 PM CDT
Greetings shareholders,
We'll have zucchini squash, kohlrabi, kale, fantastic cabbage, chard, broccoli, and onions this week. There will also be the last of the Chinese cabbage, at least for the Monday people. We had a few green beans for Thursday of last week, and the next bunch of beans on those plants might be ready by this Thursday (lucky Thursday people), but for sure by next Monday. I think we can have lettuce one more time, at least for Monday. Maybe more beets, maybe cucumbers by the end of the week. We are hoping to dig some new potatoes for you, but it's so muddy that we likely won't have them in time for Monday, and if it rains again like they are predicting, maybe not for Thursday either. But one day soon, like next week, will be the beginning of some really nice potatoes.
The onions and potatoes at the beginning will be fresh, meaning that they are not cured. Fresh potatoes and onions should be kept in the refrigerator. As the summer progresses, we will "cure" the potatoes and onions so you can store them in a dark place at room temperature. I think the first onions we pull will be rather sweet white or yellow ones. Early onions are usually sweeter than the later storage onions. Don't try to store them; they won't keep. Just enjoy them.
There might be some small green worms in the broccoli. We've been treating with an organic insecticide called "Bt" that is only toxic to members of the butterfly and moth families (the green worms are the larvae of the little white butterflies), but the rain keeps washing it off, so it might not be working perfectly yet. To get rid of any worms, you can soak the broccoli in a bowl of salt water for a few minutes and they should climb right out of the head so you can rinse them off.
Eat lots of cabbage. It's absolutely fabulous. Cooked, raw, fried, in slaw, on tacos, in rolls, steamed, pickled, with rice - any way you can think of, I'll bet it will be great.
We had to postpone movie night last week because it was too cold, too windy, and too muddy Wednesday evening. Really weird for the middle of July. We'll show "Babe" instead on Wednesday, July 22. Garden tours start at 7:30, movie begins about 8:30. Please invite your friends. Bring a lawn chair. We'll make the popcorn.
My friend Kathy Walter has lots of blueberries for you to pick on her farm near Cedar Bluff. Call her soon if you want to get some. Her phone is 563-886-1227. She says they are really nice right now.
Here's a link to the Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition. http://www.macsac.org/ If you go to the section called "Find a Farm", you can see what CSA's in southwest Wisconsin are like. It's pretty interesting to see all the different forms and shapes of CSA in a climate zone much like ours.
Life on the farm this last week has been completely shaped by rain. We were in need of rain when we got 1.2" on Tuesday, which was pretty perfect. But the 2.5" Friday and Saturday was too much, and again caused lots of damage. My buddy Schnackenberg is predicting more rain for Tuesday, but then several dry days later in the week. We're looking forward to some dry time to get caught up again on our work, including killing the latest round of weeds, digging potatoes, and planting more summer and fall crops.
See you this week,
Laura
Tags:
Posted by Laura
@ 11:49 PM CDT
Greetings shareholders,
We will have beautiful head lettuce, kohlrabi, very nice cabbage, both green and red kale, pretty swiss chard, cilantro, stir fry greens, and the first beets this week. We'll also be picking the last of the first crop of peas, including snap, snow, and shell peas. You eat the whole thing, including the pod, with snap and snow peas, and just the seeds from the inside of shell peas. There will be different combinations available Monday and Thursday nights, depending on what we find that is in the best condition. We'll have some Chinese cabbage, but perhaps not enough for everyone. We planted plenty, but many of them have literally "dissolved" in the garden as they have been attacked by a fungal disease that started during the hot weather in June. We'll rescue as many as we can, even though they aren't fully mature, and start handing them out on Monday. We will also have a little of the end of the early broccoli and the beginning of the zucchinis.
This will likely be the last week for lettuce until October. We have 100's of heads in the hoophouse, but if you look in there, you'll notice that they are starting to "bolt". Plants bolt when they change from growing leaves to growing flowers and reproductive parts. Lettuce "knows" to begin reproductive growth when the nights are short and the days are warm, so it's starting to stretch out and become pretty unattractive. It still tastes good, but looks funny. Depending on how it holds up, we may still have some next week, but then we'll have to wait for cooler weather. Lettuce in the fall is always marvelous. And much easier to grow.
The heat in June caused lots of changes in the garden, some bad and some good The peas all matured at pretty much the same time, even though they were planted on a schedule that should have stretched out their season at least 1 or 2 more weeks. Plant diseases, especially those caused by fungus, went crazy in the heat. We're having trouble with the potatoes and everything in the cabbage family. And the bugs!!! AGH!!! They LOVE heat and they took full advantage of the opportunity, especially in the squashes and cucumbers. That's all bad. But, the onions and tomatoes are very happy, the summer squash are growing quickly, and the green beans are blooming. All good things that come from heat.
We also will have a few garlic scapes this week. If you remember last year, we had tons of scapes. Scapes are the flower bud from garlic plants. They have a very mild, lovely flavor that is pretty special, and are available only about 2 weeks per year. We raised lots of garlic last summer, but I didn't give you any bulbs because I was saving them to plant so we could have a whopping garlic harvest this year. Well, it was a good idea, but something happened over the winter and about 95% of the garlic we planted was killed. Nobody seems to know what happened, but most of the garlic growers I know had the same trouble. Actually, the only place the garlic lived in my garden was where a giant snowdrift was. I suppose the snow acted as insulation to protect the garlic under it. So, we'll have 2 or 3 scapes per share this week, and try again next year to get bulbs. There's nothing better than fresh garlic.
Next week, it looks like we will have zukes, potatoes, onions, and perhaps cucumbers, the next broccoli crop, and beans.
Remember movie night this Wednesday, July 8, as part of Heritage Days. Garden tours start at 7:30, movie starts about 8:30. This month's movie is "Babe", a good one for the kids. Might as well let them stay up late every night this week! Bring a friend and a lawn chair. The movie is free, and popcorn sales benefit our food pantry.
Want to be a volunteer driver to deliver our excess food to Green Square Meals? We need a few more to add to the pool. I usually know that I'll have something to donate on Tuesday and Friday mornings and can let you know by email. Deliveries must be made between 3:00 and 6:00 pm. If you'd be available to help, please let me know.
We had a little less than .5 inches of rain on Saturday, all of which soaked in. My buddy Schnackenberg says we'll have several chances to get some more this week. Sure hope he's right. We're needing about an inch to get the next round of crops out of the ground.
See you this week,
Laura
Posted by Laura
@ 12:30 AM CDT
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