On his way to harvest, what a beautiful view.
We spent a lot of time catching up to the growth in the garden: installing a fence to protect the sweet corn from raccoons, moving fence for peas to grow on and planting the final crops of lettuces, spinach, sugar snap peas and carrots. As well as, a lot of weed control and insect management.
The boys learned how to install electric fence this week around the sweet corn in order to protect the crop from raccoons. Thanks to my parents for upcycling this nice solar-powered fencer!
We also installed a fence for the third crop of sugar snap peas to climb up. This greatly assists in harvesting ease. A fourth and final crop was planted of sugar snap peas. We also planted the third crop of lettuce, carrots and spinach.
We received 1.8 inches of rain on Thursday and Friday. We had driving rain on Friday night, and we’re fortunate that is all we received. Other areas of the state saw a cruel side of Mother Nature.
There are many Golden Nuggets from the opportunity to work with all of you. One of them for us is watching our kids confidently share their story of how they raise the crops, and the opportunities and challenges that they see in the field. In the end, we hope the boys understand that it is not what you reap (grow and harvest) but it’s what you sow (the seeds of knowledge and understanding) that is the true reward. Thanks again for the opportunity to work with all of you!
When we have an oversupply of vegetables, Harner Brothers CSA donates them to the local food shelf. It’s important to us to teach the importance of caring for others and sharing when we can.
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 a wonderful meal!
Beets – A taste to start the season. We are thinning out the rows so that the beet plants remaining can grow larger.
Onions
Zucchini and Summer Squash – Some ideas for using your zucchini...
Harvesting cucumbers has begun. We have the cucumbers climb up the fence so that when the cucumbers grow that they hang down through the fence and help to keep the cucumbers clean. This is some “recycled” fence from my parent’s farm. It works great!
Cucumbers – These are the first of the season. We have two varieties planted – look for more in the coming weeks.
Just a few carrots.
Carrots – Learn more about carrots.
Sugar Snap Peas – This is the second crop of peas. We planted to fourth crop this week so that you can enjoy this vegetable throughout the season.
Come on out and harvest a few green beans. This is the view you will find.
Green Beans – This crop is bountiful. We do have dill if you wish to pickle some.
Purple Beans
Purple Beans – Enjoy the fun color.
Kohlrabi
Kale – Some Kale ideas from P. Allen Smith.
Cilantro – Enjoy in salsas, fajitas, eggs and more. Learn more about cilantro here.
Fresh cut arrangement – A variety from sunflowers, zinnias, bee balm, lilies and more.
Garden Science
Have you ever noticed that corn tassels (sweet corn vs. field corn vs ornamental corn vs popcorn) are different colors. Next time you drive by a field of corn notice the color of the tassel – field corn. This is an ornamental corn tassel – notice the purple in it.
The sweet corn tassel is a lighter yellow. Notice the differences – Mother Nature truly produces amazing colors.
Recipe of the Week
Short and sweet recipe. When grilling pheasant, turkey and chicken, I like to baste with melted butter and honey and place any herb on top of it. Turn once. Grill to an internal temp of 170 degrees Fahrenheit.
