Harvest Newsletter

Asparagus now

Greetings from the Garden!  This week's CSA box has beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, Walla Walla sweet onions, celery, basil, potatoes, beet thins, arugula, cabbage, carrots, radishes, and the last snap peas

Tour from prior year

Field Notes  This coming Sunday the 26th from 2 - 4 is the annual garden tour.  Admission is $5 and includes tour or garden and field and a snack from the garden.  Ken has been spiffing up the place in preparation

We got several bales of hay that another farmer could not feed livestock, but will work just fine for mulch and compost.  Ken moved the bulk of the hay - I went over with him a couple times to load up so it would go faster.  Ken is also excited as he got some llama manure last season and likes to mix a high percentage of plant material like hay, straw or leaves with the manure, and now he has plenty of plant material.

I feel ambivalence when we reach the pea season - I love peas, but it is hot and time to move on to beans that do best in heat.  As my dad would say, it has been a good run - all teh cool nights meant a longer pea season this year.

From the Kitchen  It has been a good cucumber year, and  Ken has been making pickles. He packs a gallon jar and this season used garlic scapes and some dill seed heads.  Then he makes a brine and weighs down the cucumbers so they stay below the liquid.  After a few days they are ready to go in the cooler.

slicers

I have been making cucumber salad.  I run a fork down the cucumber, slice and salt and set aside.  Then after a half hour I drain and then add dressing - either a yogurt, vinegar, honey and chopped onion or an Asian dressing with sesame oil, tamari, mild vinegar and some honey, and top with toasted sesame seeds.

Each year when I cook with Walla Walla sweet onions for the first time, Ken asks if I added sugar to the food.  These juicy sweet onions are a summer treat - not keepers.  I am always glad to see their arrival for raw salads like cucumbers or cole slaw.

Beans!  I steam and top with butter, salt and pepper.  For a change I steam and add a combination of sesame oil and umuboshi vinegar.  Umeboshi is a Japanese pickled plum that combines salty , sweet and sour flavors.

Brushing Oscar while Big Red watches

We are taking a harvest off next week so see you in two weeks.  If you need vegetables, please visit us on the farm.  Hope to see you at the Farm Tour, Judith