Weekly Share August 26th – September 1st

Arugula or Nevada Lettuce
Shishito Peppers
Sweet Italian Peppers
Celebrity  & Salad Tomatoes
Crimson Spineless Okra or Romano Beans
Asian Long & Thai Round Eggplant
Crimson Sweet Watermelon
Assorted Hot Chiles
Cucumbers

It’s our last Spring/Summer share of 2019. We hope you all have enjoyed the bounty of vegetables through these 15 weeks. It has been a humid and hot summer; but these last few days have been a vision of what Fall will bring.  Its been absolutely beautiful and with the cooler nights we begin to see the fall crops grow in bigger jumps, as well as see the fruit loaded chile plants begin to ripen much faster and set even more fruit than one would imagine. As with every season, it has had its highs and lows. We have had really good potato, garlic, and onion crops. The tomatoes have been more consistent so far through the season and some of our cucumber successions have yielded more than we thought possible with 3 times the volume we expected.  At the same time, due to some weather effects, we had a very short cut greens season this spring.  Lots of abundance all at once; instead of stretched over a longer season; which is more manageable for us.  Our bean crops have been inundated with pests since late May, making for very sad plants and low yields. Our watermelon was looking like a failure; but we are excited to say, although a little late this year, you will be getting it again as we have had a bit more than expected. Our labor shortage this season has been a dominant aspect, as it effects every part of this farm operation. It has helped us to creatively think about our systems and see if there are ways to streamline things or invest in different equipment to facilitate having less hands on the farm. We have also had a small group of people step up and volunteer or work part-time to help us out in a pinch. These people have saved our backs and really make a difference when your in the summer thick of it. Now don’t think we are slowing down, not even a little. Over the next month as the days get shorter we have more to harvest, large weekly plantings and so much field management. That rain was lovely last week; but oh the grass and weeds coming up now is mildly frightening. The changing weather helps a lot though and being forced to work 10 hours instead of 12 due to limited daylight, helps moral as well.
This week’s share includes watermelon and cucumbers (because they do not stop producing it seems), as well as a lot of peppers. You will get the first of our ripened sweet Italian peppers and more shishitos. We will also include a small assortment of hot chilies such as the yellow Peruvian lemon drops , cayenne like Maules Red Hot, Indian Jyoti, and our proprietary Cuban hat (medium habanero like) and Khmer (thai style). If you don’t use many chiles, you can freeze these in a Ziploc bag and pull out individually later on to spice up a dish.  The Khmer chile pairs really well with garlic and the Asian style eggplants either in a stir-fry or as part of a marinade when broiling or grilling. Check out some of the recipes below and enjoy the share…..Autumn & Brian

Watermelon, Feta and Charred Pepper Salad

Braised Okra With Tomatoes, Peppers and Spices

Lemony Arugula Salad with Couscous, Cucumbers and Feta

Okra Fritters With Sweet Pepper Tomato Saute

Chili-Garlic Grilled Eggplant
Use a thai chili to replace the chili sauce and serve this dish alongside a simple cucumber vinegar salad and seared shishito peppers.

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