New this week is beets.  Lots of beets.  You will be seeing beets for the next six weeks.  Let’s try to make this “blog” work like a blog.  If you have good, simple ways you fix beets, please comment below in the “leave a reply” box so all our members can see it.

I have heard only good comments about our “point system” this year.  I am going to experiment with a little variation.  I am on an email list of other CSAs and we have been discussion how we do our CSAs – fill boxes for folks, etc.  A couple others let folks choose like we have, but they usually have two to three items that everyone “has” to take.  This would allow me to concentrate one day on something that may be new to most of you, knowing that everyone will get it, so I will take time to share some recipes.  It also will help be sure everyone gets something that I can see is plentiful one week but will be absent or very limited the next week. So, this week, unless you are bona fide allergic to beets, please take beets.  My favorite beet prep is roasted beets:  slice larger beets in about 1/2″ slices, coat with olive oil, and stick in a hot oven (400) a few minutes until fork tender.  You can peel before if you wish (the slices are easier to run a knife around to peel than the whole beet is, or you can cool the cooked beets and the skin comes off easily) or just eat the tender skins.  With smaller beets I wrap a bunch in aluminum foil to bake or put on the grill.  This steam/roasts them.

I think melons will be relatively plentiful tomorrow!! Cukes are limited.  Even the second planting of cukes is looking unhappy.  Some may be dryness, but also foliage disease is getting to them.  Zukes and squash harvests are declining, but I think we will still have plenty this week.

Kale and chard are plentiful.

Broccoli has been plentiful, at least the little side shoots.  These are nice because they don’t need trimming.  I plant varieties that have larger, looser beads than those you get in the store.  They are more tender.  I think some of you are looking at them and thinking they have “gone by”.  Not so. In another couple weeks we should have Napa cabbage again.

I cut back the vines in the organic farming trial to toughen the skins for harvest. We should have potatoes next week or the week after. You will be given a sample and asked to evaluate it.

Onions are plentiful, but they did not cure well because of all the insects and diseases out there this year, so take lots but know that some will need trimming.  If the neck is soft, some of the rings inside” may be mushy.  I just take those rings out and rinse off the nice rings. We are going through garlic by size, and have larger ones this week, which sell for $1.50 each, so a point will be two garlic bulbs.

The drop dead gorgeous red tomatoes will come to a screeching halt in another couple weeks.  I am cutting the vines in the hoophouse now to ripen the remaining tomatoes and dry the vines to get them out of the way so we can plant fall/winter crops.  We should have “field tomatoes” for you, which taste incredibly good because they are in even better soil, but most have cracking, mottled coloring, etc.  Really good, but not drop dead gorgeous perfect looking.

Hot peppers if you like them are an easy “u-pick”.  Those green beans have not been mowed off yet so if you want snap beans, have at them.  All you want to pick.

Large carrots again this week.  Our new carrots are a little larger than my fingers, so they should be wonderful in a couple weeks, if we get some rain.

We’ll see what else we come across for you tomorrow.

Have a good day.

If you got a melon last week, please let others have one this week.  It will probably take several weeks for everyone to get one.  We are getting quite a few, but aren’t picking them until really ripe (a learning experience for us), and they don’t last, so we have to eat them in between Thursdays. When we learn to pick less ripe but still good, we can keep them longer and have more for you. In the meantime, we are enjoying them.

I have been wanting to plant lettuce salad mix for you, but every chance I get (area nicely prepped, not harvesting something else, etc), it is too hot. Lettuce and spinach seed go dormant if planted when it is hot, and stay dormant for months. Folks with a plentiful water source can run sprinklers to keep the soil/seed cool, but we don’t have a plentiful source.  Having a well drill sounds like a simple decision, but I want it in a convenient location to future infrastructure (which I am not sure of ) and to be on a good vein (know a good water witch?).

We have been harvesting little heads of broccoli for you, and zucchini and squash. Broccoli is another that really doesn’t like the heat. There is some browning, but they are usable.  The zucchini and long yellow squashes are decreasing, but the patty pan is coming on strong.  If you haven ‘t tried them, please do.  The tea cup and larger sizes are good cored and stuffed, and the small ones are good on skewers.  They are more dense/less watery than the “regular” yellow squash, with better flavor (I think).

We have harvested all the onions and have them drying. With the heat time crunch, you will probably have to wipe a little soil off them yourselves. Cleaning them will not be a priority. Same with garlic. We started with the smallest garlic bulbs, which were selling for $1/bulb, so you got 3 per point. A non-organic vendor is selling garlic similar in size to what you will get tomorrow for $2/bulb, but I will put them to you at 2 per point.

The tomatoes are coming on strong.  The red ones are still selling well at $3/pound and the other colors at $4/lb, so each “point” you take in tomatoes has a $6 to $8 value. I am noticing that my farmers market customers are less picky about cosmetics than some of you are.  I think they have been gardeners and learned to not fear little cracks and fresh punctures from stems on other tomatoes in the tray.  The little round cracks that circle the tomatoes are because the tomatoes are growing so fast in the heat that the skins can’t keep up.  The cracks going out from the stem are because they aren’t getting water fast enough with the heat.  Unless there is mold (darkening) in the cracks, I don’t consider them a health hazard. The ones with the cracks coming out from the stem don’t keep well, but are good if used within a couple days. The field tomatoes probably have even better flavor (better soil, more sunshine), but are not nearly as cosmetically pristine as the hoophouse tomatoes are. I will begin tearing the hoophouse tomatoes out soon to make way for fall/winter greens. You should still get great tomatoes, but they won’t be as cosmetically perfect.

I will also start pulling basil plants out of the hoophouse to make space, so if you want extra basil to freeze for the winter, let me know.  Last bulk basil price I saw was $10/lb. I try to value your “points” at $3 or more, so around a third of a pound would be a point. I need advance notice to cut extra for you though please.

A fellow vendor at the Lake Placid market sells fruit tarts.  He drives up from south of Albany and gets his fruit from neighboring orchards. Last week I asked him to bring me a bushel of Hudson Valley peaches, which he did today.  I planned to slice and freeze them, but looking at my workload and the tomatoes I need to can and the heat that may have been overly ambitious.  They are good, so I will put them out for you as part of the CSA.  I don’t think they are organic – he makes no claims that his wife’s tarts are organic.  Just really really good.

Well, I have to put stuff away and get some sleep.  As much as I hate room air conditioners, I am very thankful we have one for the bedroom.

See you tomorrow, when it is cooler.

Fennel will be harvested. I have been waiting for the bulbs to plump, but they aren’t and the wonderful foliage is browning at the tips so we’ll take it now. The broccoli and Napa are gorgeous.  The broccoli is a little strong from the hot weather, but that’s summer broccoli for you.

You can have plenty of tomatoes, but please limit yourself to one quart of drop-dead gorgeous cosmetically perfect ones. The tomatoes have been cracking by the stem, and some are actually splitting like cherry tomatoes do.  The ones with cracks should be eaten fairly quickly before mold develops in the scars – within two days I would guess.  I’m not alone in this. The only tomatoes at market today that looked as nice as mine were Northern Orchards’, so I am not feeling guilty about the cosmetic issues.

With the moisture and cooler weather the lettuce is holding beautifully. Cukes, zukes, and squash are plentiful.  We have white, yellow, and red onions this week. White new potatoes.

Melons are ripening. We don’t have enough for everyone yet, so those who get a melon this week probably won’t get one next week. I have one variety that is a definite repeat for next year.

I harvested basil and tomatoes tonight for you, but if you want a “pesto pack” of basil – a larger quantity of more mature (stronger tasting) basil for freezing or making pesto let me know and I’ll make some up for you next week.

I am being blessed with folks who want to work. Word of mouth has gone out among a young adult social group. Transportation is a challenge, and they want part-time work.  They are good workers though who are pulling up weeds that got out of control.  At this point the weeds won’t hurt this year’s crop, but I don’t want to add to the weed seed bank in the soil.  Hopefully tomorrow we can take advantage of the moist soil and transplant fall kale and cabbage seedlings.  I would love to direct seed salad and a bunch of things tomorrow, but it will probably wait until Friday.  It was too wet to do yesterday, and too dry before that.  With decreasing daylight and temperatures every day’s delay may mean a week or two later maturity.

I finally found my cilantro and dill seed. I’ve been looking for them for at least 6 weeks. I finally ordered more yesterday, hit the Send button on the order, turned around in my computer chair and there they were in a basket on the floor behind the chair, with the sunflower seed from the last planting. The sunflowers take 8 to 9 weeks to bloom, and started blooming last week so I’d guess I have been looking for the seed for 7 or 8 weeks. I have most of my seed well organized, but I had that basket(actually a “trug”) in the field the last time I planted and never put the seeds away. I have been craving cilantro for tabouli so will get some planted ASAP – Friday.

See you Thursday afternoon.

PYO snap beans this week.  We will pick some for those of you who can’t get out and harvest your own, but many folks enjoyed picking their beans last year.

The new planting of yellow squash is doing particularly well. Here is a recipe for summer squash/zucchini pancakes! These squash are small diameter, so also make great refrigerator bread and butter pickles.  Remember to cold pack them rather than hot pack though, so they stay crisp.

The sunflowers and zinnias are really taking off. You will have the option of flowers this week. Three sunflowers are a point and 10 zinnias are a point. The sunflowers sell for $2 each or 3 for $5 and the zinnias 10 for $4 at market.

Heirloom and pretty tomatoes are still selling for $4/pound at market, but ones with cracks at the stem are priced at $3/pound.  If I have time I will make up some boxes of less than perfect tomatoes that you can buy at reduced price (or use more points for).  It may not happen this week, but please let me know if you want them next week.

We also have fresh duckling, frozen duck breasts, and fresh chicken this week, and eggs.

Have a good week.

Weeds are still germinating here enough that I am continuing to purchase salad mix for you from Fledging Crow rather than fight weeds in the closely spaced salad mix.  Lettuce is looking good though and I expect to have that again in a week or two.  Newer plantings of squash are coming on nicely so it looks we will not have a shortage there, though also not the overabundance we have had. New cukes have not started bearing so there will be a limit on them. We are bringing onions in to dry.  There are some HUGE onions!

This time of year  I think of things I need to do differently next year, options for next year, and make notes on which varieties do best or which ones you seem to like the most.  One of the questions is can we grow the CSA enough so I can drop a farmers market next eyar, which would give me much more time to keep on top of production? An option would be to open a farmstand, but if we open a farmstand, will you choose to just shop at the farmstand rather than join the CSA?  With the CSA my labor is reduced a couple ways: packaging and staffing a stand. This leads to the question of how good a deal can I give the CSA and have enough income, and what prices should I charge at a farmstand? This relates to my concerns about giving you a decent value.

Pricing is always a question.  Ideally I would figure out my expenses for each crop, including time spent, machinery costs, etc, and figure the price.  Realistically I look at two things: the “going price” and the income per square foot or acre. If a crop does not bring in enough income for the space it takes up, I need to drop it unless it is something that has other benefits such as attracting customers who purchase the more profitable products.

UVM has started compiling prices from direct market (farmers markets and farmstands) in Vermont and eastern New York every couple of weeks.  Here are some prices from the July 19th report:

• new potatoes $5/quart
• squash $3/lb
• broccoli $4/pound
• cherry tomatoes $4 to $5/pint
• greenhouse tomatoes, both sprayed and organic, $5/lb
• heirloom tomatoes $4.50/lb
• onions $3/pound

A quart of tomatoes is 2 1/2 to  3 pounds. A medium sized Costata Romanesco is 2 1/2 pounds. Fledging Crow sells their salad mix for $12 to $13/pound. So, I think we’re catching up from the smaller quantity early distributions.  How are you feeling about the CSA?

Stuffed some with chevre, some with Parmesan, dipped in egg and flour, then sauteed in olive oil. Yummm.  10 p.m., but a light enough supper to easily go to bed after.

This week I think there is enough broccoli for everyone. Salad mix will come from Fledging Crow. They are really concentrating on their salad mix this year and doing a good job.  They are doing enough volume to keep on top of timing and insect control (floating row covers).

Think of all the things you like to do with cucumbers – gazpacho, slices with something on them for snacks, etc.  We have lots.  There is still plenty of summer squash this week, but the first/largest planting is going downhill so the supply will probably wane. By the middle of August peoples’ interest in summer squash tends to want also, so I made the second and third plantings much smaller.  And then the things we have a few of.  The tomatoes are looking good and plentiful.

I walked the field last night and meant to come up and write this while the memory of what is there was fresh, but got distracted looking at tractors online.  See you this afternoon.

And for our Farm Fresh Food Club members – are you getting enough salad mix?  I am hoping it is cooling off enough that I can get the lettuce mix going again. So, do you prefer the lettuce mix or the greens mix, or a little of both?  Think about it – I hope to send you a SurveyMonkey link with those questions and a couple more.

I forgot to write this last night and will keep it short.  So you don’t all have to ask about my bandaged finger: Sliced it across the knuckle Friday. It is healing nicely, but pulls open if I don’t keep it splinted.  The stitches were supposed to stay in 10 days, but came loose after 3 and we decided to not restitch it – just be good about keeping it immobile. Doesn’t hurt, but slows typing down.

As far as what to expect today – lots of squash/zuke/cukes.  I cut way back on my squash planting this year, but they are one thing that is growing exceptionally well this year.  It is already 6:15 so I’ll close this and see you this afternoon. Have a good day.