Crux of the Seasonal Climb
/
Flowers have burst into flow glory here at Native Hill!
Greetings!
Welcome to week 10 of your summer CSA with Native Hill. We are in the crux of the seasonal climb here on the farm, working hard to start our fall push while getting ready for the mid-summer harvest that is coming down the pike fast. We often have to do things in just the right order to make it all happen, but luckily we have been practicing for a while to get it all right. The heat wave broke last week just in time to give our exhausted and over-heated staff (and machinery) a nice break and spirits are high again. Getting ready for round two. Fall carrots are in the ground with the beets soon to follow and the tomatoes had their final trellising. Here is my brief farmers ode to July:
Fireworks, sweat stained backs
Sticky fingers, chins, and sheets
Exhausted, early bed, Early wake
Swim
Repeat
Flowers have burst into full glory starting this week and look to be cranking from now until the first frost. My plan is to frivolously scatter them around my house as summer is the season of bounty. There is little that makes me feel richer than surrounding myself with bowls of freshness and this time of year is the prefect time to indulge. If it not too hot, displays of different colored tomatoes are often my centerpiece. Eggplant is just coming on and can be kept on the counter for several days without any problems. There are very few vegetables that have that rich purple color and it is truly a favorite of mine to ogle. Contrary to popular belief, eggplant is quite easy to cook and is rarely bitter...at least the ones from our farm. It often acts like a mushroom and will soak up the flavors of any oil or liquid that it is cooked in. We often grill ours and will marinate it in oil, soy sauce, and balsamic vinegar. It can act more as the main event if you slice it thicker and make grilled eggplant and tomato sandwiches on a good sourdough. It is remarkable on pizza if sautéed first in olive oil and salt...or if you are feeling really creative, you can make a big batch of baba ganouch and use that as a base for pizza. Top it with basil, figs, a good cheese and maybe call it a flat bread.
A quick note on heirloom tomatoes, because of their perishable and fragile nature, we will not be stocking them in the farm stand. We will have slicing tomatoes and cherry tomatoes, but if you would like heirlooms, you will need to come to the market. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Katie
This Week's Harvest
Head Lettuce
Kale
Chard
Carrots
Beets
Cucumbers
Zucchini
Sweet Onions
Heirloom Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes (small amount)
Green Beans
Eggplant
Basil
Peppers
