2021 CSA Farm Update: Week 11

Welcome everyone to week 11 of the Katchkie Farm CSA. It is hard to believe, but we are officially halfway through our CSA season! We have lots of fall crops in the fields getting ready: radishes, kale, cabbage, onions, and delicata and butternut squashes will start to make their way into your bags in the coming weeks.

This past weekend, my family started canning tomato sauce for the year ahead. We do not make anything complicated, just a simple passata leaving a blank canvas for what we will cook in the coming year. Sometimes during the canning process, I remember my mother when we used to preserve summer’s bounty. She had a very particular way of getting all the lids, jars and rings in order before hand as well making sure everything was clean and hot. Once the sauce was ready, she would have all those empty jars lined up on towels on the kitchen table with the lids waiting nearby. Then the near boiling sauce came over to the table, the funnel was placed in one jar and filled with sauce. After that, the lid would be placed and tightened, but not too tight or too loose. This brilliant red jar would be placed on the other side of the table to later go into a steam bath. One by one those lids would pop down and that was it. We had preserved a little snippet of summer to be enjoyed in the colder months ahead. Sometimes, I try to change things when canning: maybe a short cut here or a short cut there, but often times those lids just don’t seal. I go back and remember how my mother used to make it work and sure enough, pop!

Tomato season is till upon us, but very much on the wane. This past weekend’s storm did not bode well for the tomatoes. Enjoy them while they are here!


Until next time,
Farmer Jon