The Harvest Bee Blog

Good Evening, Friends: Many of you have really shown a sincere level of concern and support for us though the last few weeks of weird weather patterns. This article was found in today's New York Times and really provides a clear and concise explanation of how these recent storms and more specifically, the irregular rain patterns have affected some of our crops: http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/02/02/science/does-a-crack-in-a-carrot-spell-ruin-for-the-root-vegetable.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share&_r=0&referer= As stated last week, flooding, fortunately, has not been an issue and a lot of that can be attributed to the benefits of the mulching we did back during the summer. The mulch really raised the field, as well as built up a lot of organic material within the soil. However, the irregular rains have definitely caused several of our crops to produce heavily cracked fruits, not so much with the carrots, but definitely the bananas, eggplant and tomatoes. That is a major reason why you have yet to see those varieties in your shares so far. We encourage you to read the article. For all intents and purposes, these cracked veggies are not necessarily bad. Unfortunately, conventional food practices have led people to believe in a certain idea of what good produce looks like. In full disclosure, what people seem to be picking up on is that the more "perfect" their veggies actually appear the more likely it has been sprayed with some chemical either during the growth process or before being transported. Often times, it is the chefs we work with who graciously accept the blemished fruits of our labor (pun intended), but the more the general masses can be educated on why sometimes the food farmers produce might not look perfect, yet are none the less delicious and nutritious, the quicker we can really begin to remedy the very severe problem of food waste, both in out country and around the world! People's commitment to becoming more educated about our food pathways really inspires us as farmers and CSA members everywhere, you all included, truly play a special and significant role in changing the paradigm of the human/food relationship. Our plants say "Thank You!" In this week's shares you will find the following: •Arugula or Salad Mix •Meyer Lemons •Baby Bananas (Picked before cracking could really effect them) •Carrots (not cracked) •Cilantro, Dill, or Edible flowers If you receive bananas somewhat on the green side they should ripen w/i a few days in a brown paper bag. Here is a recipe for a delicious carrot, lemon soup from Melissa Clark at NYT. It also uses the cilantro, as well: http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015360-lemony-carrot-and-cauliflower-soup Have a great rest of your week and we will see you at pick-ups! "Onen", The Bees