The boys harvested a bounty of vegetables.
Thankful is what comes to mind this week after we returned home from a quick trip over Independence Day weekend. As we traveled the Midwest, we saw areas – particularly Indiana that have had way to much moisture.
We feel blessed to have been getting what our plants need in a timely fashion. We pray that this continues, and we also pray for the farmers who are struggling with challenging conditions.
For those that are wondering, we received about 2.5 inches of rain on Monday.
Science of the Week
The saying is – corn knee-high by the Fourth of July. Well, corn is not only knee-high, but it is tasseling. Our sweet corn is tasseling. Some of the field corn is nearly six feet and tasseling. The science that goes into selecting good seed provides the opportunity for the corn to be productive in a variety of weather conditions.
Question of the Week
Why do you thin the crops?
Thinning is done when crops are planted to close together. We try to space them evenly with the proper distance between each other, but with small seeds, this is sometimes difficult to do with our planter.
Thinning is the process of pulling out the extra plants so there is proper spacing between the plants so that they can grow to their optimum performance. We thin different crops such as the beets so that the root vegetable has more room to grow into a beautiful shape. If the vegetables are to close together you start to get the unique shapes or the vegetables that are wrapped together. We appreciate our shareholders that on occasion embrace the “ugly” vegetable and enjoy the still wonderful flavor!
Boxes of Produce
This list is prepared before we harvest your share. Some guesswork is involved! We do our best to predict which crops will be ready to harvest, but sometimes crops are on the list that are not in the share, and sometimes crops will be in the share even though they’re not on the list. Remember food safety in your kitchen when preparing, always wash your hands before working with your produce and always wash your produce before eating.
Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce – Some of the crops are ran under cold well water to take the field heat off of them so they last longer in your refrigerators. They are not washed – just cooled. So wash your vegetables before eating.
Red Oak Leaf Lettuce – Beautiful red lettuce leaf.
Spinach – Remember to wash before eating. A combination of these vegetables will make such a wonderful meal!
Comparing the size of the beets to the size of his head.
Beet Leaves – Great in your salads.
Beets – A taste to start the season.
Cherry Belle Radishes – Last ones for a while.
Zucchini and Summer Squash
Peas were bountiful this week.
Sugar Snap Peas – A garden favorite. Eat the pod and all. Enjoy this delicious vegetable!
Green Beans
Green Beans – This crop is becoming bountiful. Be prepared for future weeks. We do have dill if you wish to pickle some. Here are some recipes from Martha Stewart.
Purple Beans
Purple Beans – A taste of a new crop. Enjoy the fun color.
Check out the size of this onion.
Onions – Yellow to start the season
The boys were using a baseball as they “measured” the size of the kohlrabi for harvest.
Kohlrabi – Here are some ideas of how to use Kohlrabi.
Kale – Let us know what you think!
Fresh cut arrangement
Recipe of the Week
Lazy Tacos
This is a family favorite and a go to recipe in our house. Thank you to Steve’s Aunt Coleen for sharing this idea with us many years ago. This dish can take on many options depending on your family’s tastes.
Crush corn chips and layer taco favorites on top such as:
taco meat
onions
black olives,
tomatoes
lettuce
cheddar cheese
chilli beans
salsa
cottage cheese
salad dressing
Note: with all of the fresh produce I would also try a variety of vegetables.
