What’s in the box?

Cherry tomatoes, fresh garlic, Swiss chard, zucchini, head lettuce, green onions.

Choice of Chinese cabbage or kohlrabi or Chinese kale or salad turnips or beets or …

Fruit share – apricots & early golden plums.

• The 1st cherry tomatoes are ready! Actually we have been picking a very few these last couple of weeks which we have been taking to market. But this week there is enough for CSA – but just a small taste. They should be increasing in quantity every week now. The larger tomatoes are also starting to colour up so you can expect them in early August. Tomatoes are ripening about 1 week later than last year – not too bad considering how dry it is now.
• Fresh garlic has a wonderful strong, pungent garlic flavour – much stronger than the garlic scapes you received in your box earlier. Because it has just been pulled and is not dry, it should be kept at room temperature, and in a place with good air circulation. You can leave it there and it will slowly cure & dry. Or enjoy it right away in your cooking – but know that once the bulb is broken open, it should be used within a few days.

• Swiss chard is certainly one of the most colourful “green vegetable” we grow. It is beautiful! And tasty too! Chard can be used raw or cooked. It is delicious sauteed, stir fried or added to soups and stews. It can also be substituted for spinach or kale in many recipes. Keep in mind that the leaves & stems should be separated as the thick stalks take longer to cook than the leaves.

• Our next (and probably last) planting of zucchini went into the ground today. Meanwhile the row we are harvesting continues to pump out amazing amounts of fruit.

• Head lettuce & green onions are also in the box this week.
• Choose from Chinese cabbage, kohlrabi, Chinese kale, salad turnips or beets or … to complete your share.

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We could use a good soaking rain right now, please!

But other than a few light showers we have not had any amount of precipitation for several weeks now – and not much in the forecast either. This lack of rain together with the hot temperatures of late (today’s cooler air being a welcome change!) has made for dry & difficult growing conditions.

This is reflected in the CSA box this week.

We have a variety of vegetables but not the quantity we would normally expect. And our salad greens – those that should be maturing this week were the ones we lost at transplanting 2 weeks ago in the heat.

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Around the farm this week …

Preparing the next patch of ground for planting. We keep the land in cover crop until we are ready to use it for vegetables. Then we mow it down and disc or cultivate the soil as necessary – even if it’s dry & dusty.

When it comes to nest building killdeer are minimalists at the best of times. Here, they used scraps of paper from our earlier transplanting to build their nest.

These 2 smarties figured out that a bit of cold air leaks out of the cold storage under the door – so that’s where they hang out!

Rosemary’s favourite new activity …

… and how she does it.