May I talk about the weather yet again?

Or rather, let the pictures do the talking, and show how much the vegetables have loved the rain and the heat and have responded with abundance – an abundance we have not seen in some years!

Our CSA boxes have been full – even overwhelming to some.

Our tables can hardly contain all that we bring to market.

And we have been able to donate to the food bank.

What’s in the box?

Edamame, kohlrabi, shishitos, blackberries, tomatoes, sweet peppers, salad greens, zucchini

Extras – hot peppers, beets.

• Edamame which are fresh, green soybeans have been around for 2000 years or more, first grown in China and then in Japan. There, it is a traditional bar snack eaten lightly steamed and sprinkled with salt. Edamame are full of protein, fibre and loaded with vitamins & minerals – a very healthy vegetable. And they are easy to prepare! Simply boil the pods in salted water for 3-5 minutes. Remove from the water & drain. Then squeeze the pods to pop out the beans and enjoy as a healthy snack. Delicious! We like them sprinkled with lime juice and salt. Or they can be added to soups, stews, salads, noodle dishes …
• Kohlrabi is back! After losing several plantings (they split & rotted from all the rain) we have some nice ones again. They are large, tender, juicy, and delicious.
• We received many positive comments on the shishito peppers. Enjoy them again this week. Here’s the recap … Shishitos are a small, bright green pepper with a sweet, fruity flavour and thin, tender, wrinkled skin. What makes them exciting is that 1 in 10 peppers will be slightly hot! They are simple to prepare and delicious to eat! While you can use them as you would any other sweet pepper, they are at their best when charred in oil in a heavy pan over medium-high heat. Cook the peppers whole, turning occasionally, until they begin to blister on all sides – just a few minutes. Sprinkle with salt & pepper and a splash of lime juice and some parmesan cheese, and serve immediately. Eat the whole pepper – except the stem.

• Picking blackberries takes up a lot of our time these days. We pick them 3 times each week – and the picks are enormous! What a crop! They have certainly loved all the rain.
• The rest of this week’s box includes the staples – tomatoes, sweet peppers, salad greens and zucchini.
• Beets and hot peppers are available as an extra – for those who want them.

______________________________________________

Around the farm this week …

Looks like zucchini season is coming to an abrupt end.

I mowed down the buckwheat fields today. They were filled with so many bees, insects, birds and even monarch butterflies. So I left some areas uncut for them.

We have harvested all the quality artichokes – leaving the rest to flower. So beautiful!

Hard at work …

… and hardly working! (or not working at all!)