Sugar Baby Watermelon
Heirloom Tomatoes
Red Candy Onion
Nicola Potatoes
Cucumber
Jalapeno
Carrots
This past week was a heavy one. After a very mild June, July brought all the summer temperatures with a ton of humidity. It seemed to culminate over the past week, with temperatures in the upper 90’s mixed with heavy, stagnant air that brought the heat index above 105. This past week was also our heavy tomato week (happens every July) in which we harvested 870 lbs of tomatoes, a record for us. We knew with the cool May and June that likely when it got hot, our first two successions of tomatoes would pop off all at once and indeed it happened very quickly. We will continue to have a lot; but hopefully it will slow down a bit. The tomato deluge coincided with beginning to harvest watermelon and okra as well as a big uptick in our early peppers such as poblanos, serranos, and anaheims. So there is a lot out in the fields needing continual harvests. With the cooling temperatures this week, looking like low to mid 80’s, we are going to be able to get some initial seeding and transplanting in the ground, right on time. This is good as our greenhouse is overflowing and the transplants are looking just about ready. Around our farm has been missing the summer showers as of late that most people in this region have been getting and we are in need of some moisture, especially when we plant out tender new seedlings,. Over the past week when a storm has passed through, the amount of rain has been negligible, so we are looking for some windows to plant when it is cooler and perhaps we will get some rain. Although we irrigate all the crops regularly, the rain does a much better job and really cools the soil in a way that our irrigation cannot.
This week’s share has our first watermelon. So far what we have tasted has been delicious. If watermelon seems big and overwhelming to you, we encourage making watermelon juice, as easy thing if you have a blender and a sieve. We remove the rind, put huge chunks, seeds and all, into a blender with some lime juice and blend. Then we strain out the seeds and any thick pulp, add more lime to taste and chill our drink over ice. Fabulous made into ice cubes or added to a cocktail. This is an easy way to use it up fast. This items in this week’s share are all perfect for summer salads. The jalapenos have a wonderful crisp texture with a concentrated flavor and a little heat. Our Nicola potatoes are a floury, creamy golden potato. Delicious boiled and then pan fried or roasted in the oven for a crisp salty potato treat. The carrots, grown through this heat still have some sweetness and are great on their own or as an accent with other veggies. The heirloom tomatoes have hit their stride and they are really delicious this year. Maybe because of the huge temperature swings? Who knows. Check out all the recipes and enjoy the share….Autumn & Brian
Minty Watermelon, Cucumber Salad
Crispy Potato salad with Heirloom Tomatoes
Chez Panisse’s Potatoes and Onions Roasted with Vinegar and Thyme
Japanese Potato Salad with Cucumbers, Carrots, & Red Onion