2017 Harvest 14

2017 Harvest 14 2.jpg

Howdy folks and welcome to week 14 of your CSA! We're truly in peak season here at the farm and the harvest list is going off! August feels like a turning point in the season because we're over the halfway mark with much less to put into the ground. Our planting schedule is slowing down and our days are spent harvesting, weeding, watering, washing, packaging, and prepping sections of the field for winter cover crops. 

As much as we are loving the current harvest we are BEYOND upset that our fall plantings of broccoli and cauliflower got toasted in the extreme heat. We were so hopeful about our fall harvest because the plants were so healthy in the greenhouse and even when we planted out into the field. Unfortunately, even with watering the extreme temperatures scorched hundreds and hundreds of plants. To say we are heartbroken and disappointed is an understatement. We've learned over the years that sometimes Mother Nature has different plans for the farm and as tough as it is, we've accepted it and moved on. 

On a lighter note, the winter squash is beautiful this year. The plants are super healthy and we're getting great size with the fruit. We'll be harvesting at the end of the month and we'll let the squash cure in the barn for a few weeks before we start sending them home with you all.

We've tilled under most of the upper field and while we're sad that we had to till under a lot of crops we're happy to get that area prepped for compost and cover crop. We're nearing the point in the season where we can tuck part of the farm away for a few months. It feels pretty good to walk away from sections!

This weeks harvest is a tasty one and we hope you're hungry! The corn is still sweet and delicious along with the tomatoes and melons. The beets are killer this week and the greens are equally as good! We're taking a break from basil for a week or two as we're in-between plantings. However, we should be swimming in it again soon!

Alrighty, we hope you all have a wonderful week and enjoy the bounty. Also-- a quick reminder that our Rock the Harvest party is this Saturday (the 26th) at 4pm. We hope to see you all there!

Your farmers,
A & T

Harvest 14

  1. Beets (remove the greens)
  2. Fennel (store in the fridge in a plastic bag)
  3. Cherry tomatoes (store at room temperature)
  4. Full size tomatoes (store at room temperature)
  5. Melons (store at room temperature)
  6. Corn (store in the fridge)
  7. Kale (fridge)
  8. Garlic (cool dry place)
  9. Cucumbers (fridge)
  10. Summer Squash/Zucchini (fridge)
  11. Peppers (fridge)

Recipe Suggestions 

2017 Harvest 13

Howdy folks and welcome to week 13 of your CSA share! We hope you've been enjoying the past few days of cooler weather--I know we sure have! Damn that was a long hot spell we had going on there.

This week it's full blown summer in the food department. Your boxes are packed with the summer's finest bounty and we're pumped with what's coming out of the ground these days. First of all, the melons are off the hook!! This week there's enough for everyone (thankfully) so you'll all get a chance to taste the sweetness of Tumbleweed Farm melons. The corn is cranking along with bell peppers, summer squash, zucchini, cucumbers and tomatoes. The basil is continuing to do well too and we hope you aren't sick of it yet. We grow a lot of basil here at the farm because it's one of the herbs we miss the most in the off season. There's a recipe below for a basil vinaigrette that's absolutely delicious and is a nice change of pace from pesto. I hope you all give it a whirl!

We're getting really excited for the Rock the Harvest party on the 26th. We hope you all can make it. There'll be local beer on tap and the amazing Union Wine Company will be donating canned wine (yes that's a thing and it's awesome!) for the occasion. Feel free to bring a picnic dinner, along with a picnic blanket and anything else you'd like to drink. We're asking that everyone please leave their furry friends at home due to crops, livestock and small children running around.

Alrighty folks, we hope you all enjoy this week's share. It's the perfect weather for fire up the grill and cooking outside with family and friends. 

Cheers to the harvest!

Your farmers,
A & T

Harvest 13

  1. Swiss Chard (keep in a plastic bag in the fridge)
  2. Garlic
  3. Basil (keep in a jar of water on the counter)
  4. Sweet Corn (keep in the fridge)
  5. Melons (keep at room temperature)
  6. Cherry Tomatoes (keep at room temperature)
  7. Heirloom Tomatoes (keep at room temperature)
  8. Radishes (remove the greens and keep them separately in plastic bags in the fridge)
  9. Fennel (keep in the fridge)
  10. Zucchini/Summer Squash (fridge)
  11. Cucumbers (fridge)
  12. Leeks (fridge)
  13. Bell Peppers

Recipe Suggestions

2017 Harvest 12

Phewwwww!!! How you folks holding up? It's been HOT this past week. We hope everyone has been healthy and hasn't had to work too hard. This heat has been brutal but we've managed to keep up with chores (though much slower than usual). We started to do a 6am-3pm workday, then sleep from 3-5pm and head back out at 5:30 to finish up anything we didn't complete. It's actually been pretty nice taking a little siesta in the middle of the day and I think we'll try and keep up with this new workday as much as we can.

This week we're beyond stoked to have corn making its seasonal debut in your boxes!!! It's sweeter than ever and tastes best when used right away. However, if you can't get to it tonight keep it in your fridge for up to 5 days (though it will lose some of its sweetness the longer it sits). You're also receiving tomatoes this week. Some of you are receiving cherry tomatoes while others are receiving full size tomatoes. The full size ones are varied in ripeness so if yours aren't quite ripe yet keep them on your counter for a few days to ripen up. Over the next few weeks you'll all be receiving the same tomatoes (both cherry and full size) but as they're just now coming on it's a bit spotty. We're also really happy that the melons are coming on strong!! We don't have quite enough for all members this week so those of you who don't get melons this week will get them next week. They're picked ripe so feel free to dive right in!! They're so damn good!

Alrighty folks, we hope you're enjoying the bounty. As always, below is a list of recipe suggestions to help get you through your CSA haul this week. Cheers to the harvest!

Your farmers,
A & T

Harvest 12

  1. Head Lettuce (store in a plastic bag in the fridge)
  2. Tomatoes (store on the counter not fridge)
  3. Basil (store on the counter in a jar of water)
  4. Corn (store in the fridge--but eat soon!!!)
  5. Melons (store on the counter not fridge)
  6. Summer Squash/Zucchini (store in the fridge)
  7. Leeks (store in the fridge)
  8. Scallions (store in the fridge)
  9. Kohlrabi (store in the fridge)
  10. Turnips (remove greens and store them in separate bags from the roots in the fridge) 
  11. Garlic (keep at room temperature) 
  12. Cucumbers (store in the fridge) 
  13. Sweet Peppers (keep in the fridge)
  14. Melons (for half of you!  The other half will get them next week)

Recipe Suggestions

Chili Lime Melon Salad (AKA the best thing you'll eat all summer!)

Chili Lime Melon Salad (AKA the best thing you'll eat all summer!)