Share 6 - week of June 24th

In the share this week:

1+ lb cucumbers

1+ lb zucchini

1 bunch red long onions

1 fennel bulb

1 bunch of 1.5# golden beets

1 cabbage or 2 kohlrabi

1 salad mix

1 bunch dill

Thoughts from Farmer Anna:

Summer is certainly making itself known this week! The plants and people and chickens are adjusting themselves to this new hot and dry reality after so many weeks of clouds and rain. So far things are looking good - thanks in large part to all of the rain we've had leading up to this heat wave. We were able to get all four of our hoop houses covered in shade cloth on Friday afternoon, and have installed some shade cloth on our newest lettuces and herb plantings. We're also starting to use the sprinklers to cool down some of the more sensitive plants. While this weather is not great for some kinds of crops, others have been going gangbusters! All of the sudden we are picking pounds and pounds of zucchini, squash and cucumbers! We are putting 1+ lbs in all of the shares this week, and I just added more to the store for adding or swapping. We are also starting to see just the very first tomatoes ripening too! There will likely be a small amount to start adding to shares after our break week, and then tomatoes should be on in full force after that!

With the dry weather this week we are finally getting to some of the weeding we've had to put off while the rain fell. The first pic above shows a bed of baby carrots that is partially weeded. Honestly, I'm feeling pretty great about the lack of major weed pressure on the farm this spring. If we had more weed seeds in the soil it would have been really tough on us with all the rain, but thankfully we've been doing a great job getting most of the weeds before they set seed and we are enjoying the rewards of that hard work from the last few years.

Since it's so stinking hot this week, I'm thinking that cooling salads are in order, and I love the idea of combining fennel with your cucumbers and dill. Something like this recipe here:

https://www.feastingathome.com/shaved-fennel-dill-and-cucumber-salad/

We love to make veggie fritters or pancakes when the zucchini and fresh onions are on, and I really love this recipe for a version that also includes cabbage. Zucchini is such a versatile veggie and is a great addition to lots of dishes!

www.loveandoliveoil.com

A traditional Japanese savory pancake with zucchini and cabbage, topped however you like it! Somewhere in between a frittata, a potato pancake and a zucchini fritter, these Japanese savory pancakes are a great way to use up whatever leftover vegetables happen to be in your fridge (in our case, cabbage and zucchini). We topped ours

Chicken update: We have set up our electric net fence and are now letting the chickens out to find bugs and greens on the pasture and scratch around in an old compost and wood chip pile (pic above). It's a perfect little spot for them under the shade of a walnut tree. It took just a few hours last Wednesday to learn to stay away from the fence and now they are some very happy chickens! They are mostly doing great in the heat this week. A little bit of panting (chickens and like many other animals and don't sweat), but loving to peck around and interact with us when we come into their enclosure.

Hope you all have a great week!