Harvesting our Way through August!
It was cold this morning! Not that cold, but after a hot summer, it sure felt cold! Not to be dramatic, but it reminded me of that late frost last May, although the '23 May frost was obviously more disastrous to the region than a few cold farmers in the morning. We had a lot of stuff out in the field that was cold hardy and should have easily handled a late May freeze. But because it had been so warm leading up to that night--there was a day at the end April that got up to the 90's--the plants weren't accustomed to the cold weather and even crops like chard and kale came out of the night with some frost damage on their leaves. That's what it was like this morning. Joe was wearing two sweatshirts, I was shivering in a sweatshirt with a tshirt underneath, and Rachel... was the toughest among us and didn't complain at all. But it was only 47 degrees and really not that cold compared to what we're used to working in, we just need a couple of days to "harden off" like the plants!
August has been chugging along. I joked with another farmer about how I'm gonna be taking August easy this year, and each week at market he asks me how thats going. "It's going," I say. I've talked about it before, but August reminds me of what makes vegetable farming such a uniquely challenging endeavor. It really comes down to perishability. Veggie farmers are dealing with a highly perishable product at multiple points through the process. It makes for intense crunch times. Crops have to be picked at the right time or they'll perish on the plant, and they have to be distributed within a week of picking before they are compost bound. Luckily we have wonderful CSA members and regulars at the farmers markets that help take the produce off of our hands, but the point is that once a crop is ready to be picked, we have very little time to market that crop before it has passed along with all the work that goes into growing it for months leading up to that point.
August brings these challenges to the forefront because everything is ready all at once and we have to pick it all before it goes by. It leaves very little time for the other tasks that need to get done on the farm, so it's best to be prepared for it. When I told my farmer friend I'd be taking it easy this month, what I meant was that we were going to focus on the task at hand in the month of August, and that is harvest. Everything else will get done in time, but harvest doesn't have that luxury this time of year. Luckily we were mostly prepared this year. We got a good handle on the weeds through July, planted the majority of our fall crops on time, and aside from some bed prep that has been delayed waiting for a dry spell to get in the fields, set ourselves up well to tackle to task at hand. More on this weeks harvest below!
Summer Shares Week 11!
Summer Shares Week 11!
More good stuff in shares this week! Cucumbers are taking a little break until the next bed comes to maturity. We'll have a few stragglers from the greenhouse until then, but we should be back in our cucumber groove by next week.
Delivery Baskets
▪Beans
▪Cantaloupe
▪Carrots
▪Celery
▪Cherry Tomatoes
▪Eggplant
▪Flowers
▪Head Lettuce
▪Peppers
▪Tomatoes
▪Green and Gold Zucchini
Market Style Pickup
Members Select 8 Items
▪Beans
▪Cabbage
▪Carrots
▪Cantaloupe
▪Celery
▪Chard
▪Cherry Tomatoes
▪Cucumbers
▪Eggplant
▪Fennel
▪Kale
▪Lettuce Mix
▪Head Lettuce
▪Microgreens
▪Onions
▪Peppers
▪Tomatoes
▪Green and Gold Zucchini *U-pick Flowers (does not count towards one of your items!)
Herbs
9th Item, Members can select one herb to add to their share
▪Basil
▪Parsley
Summer Tomato & Cantaloupe Salad -- CLICK FOR LINK
Ingredients
VEGGIES
▪1/2 cup thinly sliced cucumber
▪1/2 cup cherry tomatoes (thinly sliced)
▪1/4 medium red onion (thinly sliced)
▪1 Tbsp olive or avocado oil
▪2 tsp apple cider vinegar
▪1 healthy pinch each sea salt + black pepper
DRESSING
▪3 Tbsp lime juice
▪1 Tbsp maple syrup
▪1 pinch sea salt
▪1 Tbsp olive or avocado oil
CANTALOUPE
▪3 heaping cups cantaloupe (cubed or scooped with a melon baller // ~1 cantaloupe as original recipe is written)
▪2 Tbsp fresh mint
Instructions
Add cucumber, tomato, and onion to a small mixing bowl and top with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine. Then taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more vinegar for acidity or salt and pepper for flavor balance. Set in the refrigerator to chill.
Next, prepare dressing by adding lime juice, maple syrup, and sea salt to a small mixing bowl and whisking to combine. Then slowly stream in olive oil while whisking to combine. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more lime juice for brightness/acidity, maple syrup for sweetness, or salt for flavor balance. Set aside.
Add cantaloupe to a large serving bowl and top with dressing. Gently toss to combine. Then add the cucumber-tomato-onion salad on top, leaving any excess liquid/dressing behind.
Gently toss to combine and garnish with fresh mint. Serve.
Best when fresh, though leftovers keep in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Leave mint on the side to keep as fresh as possible.
Ginger, Carrot, and Sesame Green Beans -- CLICK FOR LINK
Ingredients
▪1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
▪1 Tbsp. ginger (peeled and grated)
▪1 carrot (medium, peeled and sliced into thin rounds)
▪340 grams haricot vert (or standard green beans, trimmed)
▪1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
▪1 tsp. rice vinegar
▪toasted sesame oil (to drizzle)
▪white sesame seeds (Toasted, to garnish, optional)
▪black sesame seeds (Toasted, to garnish, optional)
Instructions
▪Add cucumber, tomato, and onion to a small mixing bowl and top with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine. Then taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more vinegar for acidity or salt and pepper for flavor balance. Set in the refrigerator to chill.
▪Next, prepare dressing by adding lime juice, maple syrup, and sea salt to a small mixing bowl and whisking to combine. Then slowly stream in olive oil while whisking to combine. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more lime juice for brightness/acidity, maple syrup for sweetness, or salt for flavor balance. Set aside.
▪Add cantaloupe to a large serving bowl and top with dressing. Gently toss to combine. Then add the cucumber-tomato-onion salad on top, leaving any excess liquid/dressing behind.
▪Gently toss to combine and garnish with fresh mint. Serve.
▪Best when fresh, though leftovers keep in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Leave mint on the side to keep as fresh as possible.
Zucchini and Cabbage in Fresh Tomato and Mint Sauce -- CLICK FOR LINK
Ingredients
▪6 ripe tomatoes
▪1 onion
▪3 zucchinis
▪⅓ cabbage
▪A handful of mint
▪A few basil leaves
▪6 garlic cloves
▪Salt based on personal preference
▪Optional: 1 cup chickpeas or cooked pasta*
Instructions
▪Cut the onion to thin rings. Cut the tomatoes to small cubes. Cut the zucchini cabbage and garlic to slices. Separate the mint and basil leaves from the stem.
▪Steam the tomatoes and onion in a cooking pot, with about 1 cm of hot water, with a close lid (try not to open so that the steam will not go out) for about 5-7 minutes.
▪Add the zucchini, cabbage, garlic, basil, 3/4 of the mint leaves, garlic and cook with a closed lid for about 7 more minutes. Add a tiny bit of water if needed.
▪Check the dish – Cook until the zucchini and cabbage are softened but not too soft (el dente).
▪Add salt, based on personal preference.
▪Optional: you can add chickpeas for protein or pasta and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
▪Garnish with the 1/4 left mint leaves.
Check out the Farm Store!
Check out the Farm Store!
Veggies Stocked Fresh Every Friday!
In the store this week:
Flower Bouquets
Kale
Chard
Beans
Tomatoes
Eggplant
Peppers
Carrots
Cantaloupe
Zucchini
Cabbage
Celery
Fresh Herbs
Eggs
Ice Cream
and More!
Find Us at the Market!
All three of our markets are up and running now!
You can find our produce at:
Cheshire Medical Center in the Cafeteria
Thursdays 10am - 2pm
June through November
Jaffrey Farmers Market
Fridays 3pm - 6pm
June through October
Keene Farmers Market
Saturdays 9am - 1pm
April through October
