2024 CSA Farm Update: Week 10
Hello everyone and welcome to week 10 of the Katchkie Farm CSA. We are very much in the height of tomato season right now. Our beloved crows seemed to take a week off from their tomato harvest and have left us plenty for our harvest. We have also just put up “bird scare tape.” Which is a reflective tape that is supposed to repel crows from hanging around too long. That should get us through tomato season until they figure it out! This week will be our first share of summer leeks. Every year I debate about whether or not to grow them. Mainly because of the laborious process involved in cleaning them, but tasting those first leeks of the season always sways me in favor of keeping them. Walking around the farm, some of our crops have seed that is ready to harvest as well. Adding seed production on the farm is a great way to build resilience into our growing practices. I can’t wait to grow some lettuces, cilantro and shallots from seed that is being adapted to our farm.
In last week’s newsletter, I talked about how our crops received a good drink of rain. The weather from the past week did not seem to give up that pattern. All in all, we received around 6” of rain, which is quite a bit. Luckily it did not happen all in one day, but over the course of the week. The soggy soil puts a break in all of the fieldwork except harvesting. Our fields with more gravely soil seemed to take the rain ok but we may lose some crops on our heavier soils. Hopefully with a good breeze and lots of sunshine most of our crops will make it out unscathed.
When we do get harsh weather, I often think of what we can do to mitigate future events. Unless we are growing in a completely climate-controlled environment (which has its own set of problems) farmers will have to find ways to work with the swings of the weather. I believe that every little bit of improvement helps. Growing seed that is adapted to one’s environment is one way, making sure that we have grown a soil building cover crop before our main crop is another way. Finding that balance between generating income from crops and nourishing the soil is where we can see the farms’ strengths and weaknesses. I have to say it is a challenging, but very rewarding endeavor to find that balance point.
From The Sylvia Center
The Learning Garden at Katchkie Farms is The Sylvia Center’s outdoor hub for education, community and of course, healthy eating. Each year, we welcome hundreds of young people from local partner organizations, schools and summer camps to learn about the lifecycle of a plant–from farm to table. We guide them through multiple activities, like planting and harvesting, making snacks, and creating bespoke crafts.
With every program is a recipe featuring vegetables from the Learning Garden that the participants harvest and prepare themselves. This unusually hot summer has been great for the garden’s tomatoes, peppers, melons and cucumbers, but more challenging for its leafy greens and root crops. The best workaround we have for this is simply making sure the plants have all the water they need.
We hope you enjoy this Cucumber, Peach and Herb Salad that celebrates the season with basil, mint, parsley, cucumbers, cucamelons, and peaches, all ingredients that can be found in our Learning Garden. For more updates and recipes from The Sylvia Center, be sure to subscribe to The Power of Cooking monthly newsletter.
Delicious Recipes to Try
Roasted Leeks & Carrots
Recipe from Embrace: Wellness
Leeks are a member of thealliumfamily, along with onions, garlic, shallots, scallions, chives, ramps and more. Alliums provide many health benefits, including organosulfur compounds that are studied for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Leeks are sweeter than shallots and other alliums; when roasted, they become caramelized and mellow in flavor.
Serves 4
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Slice off the dark-green tops and roots of 1 bunch leeks. Slice the leeks lengthwise and then across into 1-inch pieces. Rinse well. Slice 6 medium carrots into 1/2-inch pieces. Spread out leeks and carrots on a lined sheet pan and toss with 1 Tb fresh thyme leaves, 2 Tb olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast leeks and carrots for 20 minutes, shaking the pan halfway. They should feel tender when pierced with a fork.