Greetings from the garden…
The big projects this week include setting out (more) veggies like lettuce, broccoli and cauliflower as well as pulling up the damaged Snapdragons. After a bit of research, the excess heat is the probable cause of their demise. This is also why baby potatoes are your lot in life. The worry right now is that the White Lady peaches are, well, not as they should be. There is some obvious what looks like bruising, which may be attributed to that nasty heat storm; there will be an attempt to find good fruit for you this week, but it is uncertain. White Lady is a small peach with high ”brix” (sweet) and white flesh. One that was tested actually was red inside, and not as sweet as it ought be. The White Lady is the earliest to ripen in a ‘normal’ year, Hale Haven is the next. Tomorrow there will be an attempt to pick good peaches, hopefully they come through.
The good news is that the beefsteak tomatoes are getting ripe fast. When picking happens there will some random number available. The best expectation is that there will be one or two per member. If all goes well, there is a an option for you do purchase an entire small box of tomatoes so that you can get sweet dribbles all over yourself. There are yellow as well as red beefsteak.
Bell peppers and spicy peppers are sorta ready. The spicy peppers have a tricky behavior where part of the pepper is cool, then all of a sudden tears come to your eyes. Several of you already opted out of hot peppers, the rest of you got a nominal one. The hot peppers seem to be over achievers, so, there is plenty and to spare. If you want more than one (or less than one after trying last week!) let us know. The Bell peppers are still pretty green, although there are a couple that have some paleness showing. If you want a pale Bell, speak up.
The corn and beans are still working on the idea of being edible – which means at least two or three weeks till they show up. Carrots graduate to the “Sugarsnax54″ variety, which are about 12” long and still pretty slim. Sugarsnax54 has been the go-to carrot for the CSA for many years – it is generally crisp and very sweet, especially as the season starts getting cooler nights. Apples are getting close: the first to ripen are what you might call a ‘soft sweet’ apple, almost like a Gravenstein (but not). Figs are reluctant to get ripe. It may be that the heat goofed them up too. That to say, the Gravenstein is not ready but the red crab apples are. Crab apples are to be pickled or jellied – the plan is to pick the red ones tomorrow. If you want some – ask and say how much you would like. Pickled crab apples are an interesting treat.
in the box for week 11:
| Greens | Red (soft, quickly wilting) lettuce, green lettuce, there are 2 or 3 cabbage – you must ask, White and/or Red Chard; optional Asian mustard |
| Crunchies | Misc. Summer Squash; hook neck, patty pan, zucchini. Teen-aged Carrots (Sugarsnax54), Cucumbers, Green Bell Pepper if you ask |
| Herbs | Arugula, Green Onions, Chives if you ask, Basil, Cilantro, Oregano. No mint this week. Hot pepper, zero to 3 or 4? |
| Other | Yellow or Red Beefsteak, Slicer and Cherry Tomatoes, 1-3″ beets with greens, maybe a few Raspberries, White Lady Peaches, probably. Potatoes – various colors. Flower of the week will be mystery arrangement or roses Any preference? Optional Eggplant (ask) |
Next Week:
- White Lady Peaches…
On Deck:
- Figs (maybe ?)
- Bell Peppers
- Apples
