This Week's Share: Tomatoes, Squash and More

 

Note and photo sent in by Dave: This was quite an impressive feat a couple of weeks ago.  That wasp was (barely) able to lift the grasshopper, whom it had already dispatched.  Neither were small.  We watched the wasp struggle vertically up the side of the cinderblocks supporting the table before moving onto the easier-to-navigate cardboard.

And with that bit of action from the farm, let's talk this week's share!

Here's what you'll find in Week 16 of the CSA:

• 1 head garlic. Word of advice, squeeze the garlic when you grab it out of the basket to make sure it’s firm.
• 6 pounds total combination tomatoes + squash
• 1 1/2 pounds total combination okra + eggplant + peppers + beans + hot chili peppers

 

Recipe Ideas!

This Fire & Smoke Gazpachot from Washington Post has come highly recommended. 

And over on my blog, we featured a recipe for Smashed Okra recently for those of you who want a different take on fried okra. 

 

On U-Pick this week:

If you want to come and u-pick, you can find a map of the fields and locations at the Wash Station when you arrive at the farm, denoting where to find the fields listed below. Here's what's on offer this week. 

• Full-size tomatoes. 
• Cherry tomatoes. 
• Ground cherries. They're sweet and still a good amount of them. 
• Tomatillos (these are dwindling)
• Chiles (lots)
• Celery. The celery is too tough to eat raw, but it's great for cooking. 
• Swiss Chard. It will improve as the weather cools. 
• Beans are in two fields as of this week. Lots in C1. The ones in B3 are more suitable for shell beans.
• Okra -- there's lots of okra right now. Come and pick it! Especially on a Monday or a Friday -- we want you to pick it and enjoy it. 
• Herbs: Basil (in the high tunnel). Plus Oregano, sorrel, parsley, onion chives, coriander, dill seed, stevia, lemongrass, anise, Mexican sour cucumbers, thyme, lemon balm, sage, garlic chives. 
• As always, any flowers are always fair game.  

 

A preview of what's to come:

• No potatoes this week but they'll be back next week!
• Our tomato plants look bad, so we're not sure how many more weeks we'll have tomatoes. This is definitely the last week of abundant tomatoes. 
• Our greens are looking great -- we hope to have salad greens in last week's share! 

 

Enjoy this week's share, and let us know if you have any questions about your produce or how to use it! 

Have a great week,

-- Clay