2022 CSA Farm Update: Week 5
The heat loving plants are flourishing like you would not believe. Eggplants and snap beans, will be making their way into the shares in the coming weeks. This week the basil, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini started in earnest. They will also be in your CSA bags.
July is such a complex month on the farm. We have started picking fresh onions, zucchini, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes which were started way back in early spring. We are also seeding the last carrots, beets, cabbage, kale for the season, as well as preparing soil for the next growing season. The notion of being in the present seems to take on a different meaning. If you were to visit the farm, what you would see before you is a narrative of all the steps leading up to it. Upon taking a walk from the front farm gate to the back farm gate is years of work expressing itself. From the different hues of the crops and the weeds that are growing to the smell of the soil are the ways the farm tells its tales.
I had a moment with my one-year-old daughter the other day where she grabbed my cell phone off the table and started to run off with it. The five-year-old in me told me to go and get it, but I subdued the five-year-old in me and viewed this as a moment of teaching. I tried to call her back and ask her for help putting the shoes away (she loves to put shoes on the shoe shelf). She stopped, looked at me, gave smile and continued walking. Then I asked her if she knew where her shoes were. This got her attention! She found them but could not carry them as her hands were occupied. So, she started walking back with a gesture of handing the phone back to Daddy, but she saw through my plan, stopped mid stride, gave me smile and ran off. I would call this a success, as no seeds of antipathy were sown, and we both got a good laugh. This was the perfect picture of being able to live in those moments of what needs doing now and what will it grow into, only this was a bit less dusty than an afternoon on the farm!
Until next time,
Farmer Jon
WEEKLY HARVEST INCLUDES*
*We try our best to provide the most accurate CSA list in the newsletter! However, there’s always a chance of last minute substitutions in some bags if we don’t harvest enough of a vegetable.
DELICIOUS RECIPES TO TRY
CChef Chris Harkness used his tomatoes and zucchini, with a couple additions, to make a beautiful roast chicken on ratatouille. Check out this steps here and a recipe for ratatouille (our July Food Festival at GP) here.
Looking for more inspiration? Check out these recipes below.https://www.greatperformances.com/blog/july-food-festival-ratatouille/
We can eat soup any time of the year, and this Basil and Zucchini Soup is the perfect marriage of summer flavors.
Tomatoes and basil go perfectly together, but have you tried it with fennel? Check out this delicious Tomato, Basil, and Fennel Salad!
(And if you didn't try the Pasta with Fennel Front Pesto and Caramelized Summer Squash that we shared last week, here's a reminder to give it a go!)
FIND US ON INSTAGRAM
Share your recipes and dishes with us via email or on Instagram! Make sure to tag @katchkiefarm and use the hashtag #KatchkieFarmCSA - we can't wait to see and share what you've made!