They say that farmers always complain about the weather and are never completely satisfied.

Not true!

I am totally satisfied with the 25mm of much needed rain that we received on Sunday morning, and the comfortable temperatures we enjoyed today, and the sunshine that is in the forecast all week … though it would be helpful if the nights were a little bit warmer … and maybe the days too – just a couple of degrees (to help ripen the peppers) … and we could use another 25mm of precipitation (during the night, of course) … but other than that, I’m totally satisfied 🙂

The rain was a soaking-in kind of rain and the crops responded immediately. The entire farm looks refreshed! Our greens including lettuce, spinach, salad mix, arugula… are loving these seasonal temperatures and growing so well. Even the tomato plants have perked up and don’t look quite as weary & stressed.

What’s in the box?

Flowering broccoli, winter squash, shishito peppers, sweet peppers,

 salad greens, green beans, beets, garlic.

• Flowering broccoli or hon tsai tai is a new crop for us. Beautiful green leaves & stems with a hint of purple veining, they are tender, mild & juicy with a hint of broccoli taste. These young shoots are delicious in fresh salads, stir-fries and pasta dishes. Ours have no flowers yet but we don’t want to wait, choosing rather to eat them when they are still so tender. Flowering broccoli has become my snack of choice when I’m out in the field!

• We picked the first of our winter squash today. Turns out that it is a good crop of good-sized squash. This week there are 2 kinds to choose from. There is a mini butternut called Brulee which has a rich, nutty orange flesh with a hint of sweetness and Sweet Dumpling which is a very sweet, small squash with moist, yellow flesh.
• The shishito peppers were a big hit with many of our CSA members – so we’ve included them again this week. The traditional way to prepare shishitos is to char them whole in a cast-iron skillet with a bit of olive oil. Cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally until they begin to blister on all sides. This only takes a few minutes. Sprinkle with salt and maybe a splash of lemon or lime juice and some parmesan cheese, and serve immediately. Eat the whole pepper – except the stem. Remember that 1 in 10 can be slightly hot! While shishitos are from Japan, we have a market customer who grew up in northern Spain where shishitos are grown as well – with a different name of course!
• Also included in your CSA share this week …  Sweet peppers – mostly red shepherds which are delicious & sweet, or coloured bell peppers. Salad greens – probably a salad mix which includes a beautiful mix of various greens, or spinach. Green beans – we’re picking a fresh patch of beans this week.  Beets – the beets are larger than we have had previously and therefore not as tender. Our favourite way to prepare them is to cut into smaller pieces, coat with olive oil, sprinkle with (fresh or dried) herbs such as thyme or rosemary and roast slowly in the oven until they are tender & delicious! Garlic – we finally took the time to sort our garlic & set aside what we need to save for seed for next year’s crop. What’s left is enough for the CSA boxes this week (and maybe next), but the bulbs are getting a lot smaller now. That’s because we plant the biggest ones to ensure we get the best garlic next year!
• Extras – hot peppers

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Around the farm this week …