In the share this week:
2 fennel bulbs
1 bunch beets
Summer squash mix
1 cucumber
1 bunch red long onions
1 lb yellow onions
1 bunch kale
Thoughts from Farmer Anna:
We finally got some rain on the farm yesterday evening! It was a hot, dry week and we were worried the rain wouldn't materialize on Sunday. It wasn't much, but it definitely helped soften the soil so that we'll be able to do some of the bed prep we weren't able to get to last week. We'll be seeding two beds of green beans, two beds of carrots and eight beds to a summer cover crop mix. Most of that will be happening tomorrow before the rain we are slated to get on Wednesday, but some of the cover crops beds will wait until later in the week. While it feels hard to give up vegetable crop growing space in the middle of the season we have learned that it is well worth the time and space. Cover crops do a fabulous job of increasing soil organic matter and boosting nutrient levels for the cash crops that follow them. Our summer mix includes at least one grain (sorghum sudan grass), and two legumes (cowpeas and sunhemp). We had to order a more complex mix this year since we couldn't find these seeds in smaller quantities, so we may also have some millet and sunflowers in the mix as well!
While our first planting of carrots did not germinate well, we are starting to harvest the first of those roots. Our second planting is better and hopefully those will be sized up to start harvesting next week or the week after. Our third planting of carrots is totally awesome and we just finished up handweeding that crop last week (check out pick below). So while the carrots are a little late to come on this year, we should have some nice ones coming up for you later in the season!
We have lots of onions for you in the share this week. Hopefully you are something like us in that you can never have too many onions :) We are pulling some beautiful fresh red long italian onions and have a good amount of cured yellow onions too, so both of those will be in your share. The italian onions can be used in any recipe that calls for onions and they also substitute for shallot fairly well. I think their shape makes dicing easier or cutting into thin rounds as well. They would be excellent in this beet and fennel salad recipe below:
Since fennel is in the share this week and we have so many beautiful beets, we had to give these two vegetables together. Their flavors really do pair quite well together along with a vinegary dressing. This simple recipe really highlights the fresh flavors and is fairly easy to put together. It would make amazing leftovers as the flavors will meld over time too!
The zucchini and squash are producing well this week - they don't mind the heat as long as we are getting them water. I love the idea of making a fresh summery pasta with the squash and kale in your share this week. Make sure to use some of your onions instead of the shallot they call for in this recipe:
The kale this spring has been really quite amazing. Typically we wouldn't still be harvesting enough of it for shares, but it still looks great. It's such a versatile vegetable and we hope you have found ways you like to eat it. If not, you could try making kale chips or throwing it into a soup or salad. In fact it would go pretty well chopped small in with the beet and fennel salad, for added color and texture.
Have a great week everyone!