Bibb Lettuce
Collard Greens
Verona or Celebrity Tomatoes
Anaheim & Poblano Peppers
Jalapeno or Serrano Peppers
Goldrush Russet Potatoes
Red Candy Onions
Cilantro
extra – Beets
Last Sunday we had our third CSA work share workday of the season. The weather forecast was looking very dismal with a lot of rain; but we needed to move forward and get some cleanup done on the farm. Everyone showed up game to get wet and muddy and then we got amazing weather (albeit very sticky and humid) and it didn’t rain until the last 15minutes when we were picking apples off our ancient old southern variety trees. It was such a productive day. We cleared our outdoor tomato crops to make room for our overwintered low tunnel beds. We will begin transplanting purple sprouting broccoli, purple overwintered cauliflower, and our orchieada and grumolo chicories into these beds next week, a quick turn around. Clearing these beds is a bit of a chore; so having a group of enthusiastic workers makes it so much more pleasant. We also finished sorting the last of our potatoes. They have been curing in our basement for 6 weeks (they only need to cure for 2 weeks) and now are stored away into our walk-in. You will get some of these delicious potatoes in your share this week. We also got some neglected high tunnel beds cleaned up and weeded, so they will be ready to plant when we need it. Lastly we had a real apple harvest. Our Black Twig and Arkansas Black trees are very old and this is the first good harvest we have had in years, meaning the CSA will actually get a few in the coming weeks. A good harvest means a few hundred pounds of ugly, delicious, slightly damaged apples. The flavor and texture of old variety apples is so different than the newer apple styles, that sometimes they are a breath of fresh air, even though they have so many imperfections.
This week’s share has more peppers and all the fixings for delicious fresh or oven-roasted salsa. Pairing russet potatoes, poblano or anaheim peppers, and collards together in the same meal is one of our favorites. Get creative with a collard and potato enchiladas or a breakfast hash. Collards can be cooked low and slow or sautéed real quick. They go well with eggs, peppers, onions, cheese, beans, rice, all of it. Enjoy the share…… Autumn and Brian