CSA 2015 – Week 3

Hey folks!

Here’s the summary for the week: mud… mud… Mud… Mud… MUD… MUDDY… MUDDY… MUD – MUD – MUD! In the month of June we have had rain eight of the first 16 days. The crew has been in irrigation boots for a month and a half at this point. Sometimes we think this helps the crops, but in reality there hasn’t been much sun for the crops to grow and the temperatures have been cool. So other than about three days last weeks, things are pretty slow. We are guessing we are 2 – 4 weeks behind!

We have had sweet potato slips sitting in the shed for several weeks now that are now rotten. We’ve tried to order more for the fall, but at this point we are not sure if they will get here soon enough, so there is a possibility we won’t have sweet potatoes this year.

But it’s not all doom and gloom here – we think it might be dry enough to farm today!! Ryan is thinking that it might even be dry enough to use a tractor today. So while we’ve been doing everything by hand to this point, we might be able to mechanize today. We also have a large batch of broccoli and cabbage that are almost ready. And, since we have had rain, we haven’t had to irrigate yet.

It’s hard to believe it, given it’s been a cold wet spring, but we are going to do some fall seeding today. It’s definitely time to start cabbage and broccoli for the fall.

So some of you may ask: what do I do with my turnips and kale? We suggest peeling your turnips with a vegetable peeler first, but this is optional. You can cut raw turnips into sticks for use with dips. Grate turnips and use in salads or coleslaws. Of course you can always roast turnips, like any other root vegetable. Kale is another vegetable that some of you may be unfamiliar with, but this little gem has gotten a lot of attention for the nutritional punch it packs in recent years. Probably the most popular cooking option is to make Kale chips. There should be a balance between crunchiness and chewiness without burnt edges. Rinse the Kale, drizzle lightly with olive oil (1/2 -1 tsp per baking sheet of Kale), rub the olive oil in, season to taste and then spread into a single layer on the baking sheet. Put them in the oven at 300 degrees F for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan and put them back in for another 25 minutes. Enjoy the adventure!!

Just a friendly reminder, please return your bags each week 🙂

Mark your calendar for the farm tour: June 28 from 3-5 pm.

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What’s in this week’s bag?

Cabbage

Turnips

Tomato

Cauliflower*

Kale*

Head Lettuce

Kohlrabi

Cucumber*

*indicates items only in the full bag

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Your Farmers,