AUGUST
CSA
N E W S L E T T E R
12 -14
G O R M A N FA R M
Field Notes This week’s share is similar to last week and you can read last week’s newsletter as well for some good ideas and info on the variety in your shares. Tomatoes are really coming in, so much so that it is hard to keep up with the harvest. With some wet days early this week we try not to pick while the leaves are wet as this really spreads plant virus from the older plants to the newer plants. A rule of thumb in harvest on the farm when picking multiple successions is to always pick the newer plants >irst so you don’t move plant virus from crop to crop. The sungold cherry tomatoes are the little orange ones that seem to be everyone’s favorite. They don’t hold up as long and you may notice some splitting that is normal as they ripen up quickly. We are starting to pick the 3rd planting of tomatoes this week as well as the >irst two. Be prepared for lots of tomatoes over the coming weeks. We are harvesting herbs each week, which can add a lot
to salads and sauces. Don’t forget to cherish those heirlooms your getting each week, it’s hard to evaluate how much longer we will have them. I am extremely pleased with the production on them. As an ancient variety they don’t have the resistances bred into them like most of the common tomato seed available on the market. This basically means that the plants collapse fast. I’m seeing it now in the >ield and a couple more rainy days and these will be toast. I grew a lot of them and planted them closer than usual as I know they won’t hold up for long and we got a lot of bang for our buck as far as space is considered. This is a big deal in my >ields as I’m limited in space and must maximize everywhere I can. I’m glad to see decision making that takes place in winter working out positively 8 months later! The herbs if not used right away can be dried. You can hang them upside down with a thumbtack and when dried slide the little leaves
off the little stems and put them in a small container and use as you need to. I put thyme in everything it’s an amazing herb to work with. We are starting to pick the 3rd >ield of potatoes as well. This year I grew a lot of potatoes and am so happy that I did. This is one of my favorite crops as there is so much you can do with them and if you don’t get to them immediately they will hold. If you don’t eat them immediately, store them out of the light. Eggplant is doing its weird thing it always does for me on this farm. It yields so little in the peak of summer then as temps cool down the production really kicks in. We expect eggplant to be much better as things cool down. Looking out in the >ield our winter squash is almost done and will be getting picked soon. Spaghetti squash is almost >inished. We like to hold these a bit as they cure and become sweeter, but are also excellent straight out of the >ield.
T H E H A RV E S T
continued Sweet potatoes are growing very nicely and we have a big >ield of them this year. Depending on how they progress we may be able to harvest some early small roots while the rest size up for the fall. I stuck my soil probe into the beds this morning to check the moisture level and I stabbed a sweet potato. I was surprised to see that much growth at this point in their growing stage. It’s a good thing. This week we are planting the second round of fall broccoli, more kales and collard greens. The hot summer has taken it’s toll on fall seeded lettuce and it really doesn’t like all the heat so we are a week behind on that planting as it needs more time to mature. The worms that eat baby plants are also going crazy on the newly germinating spinach and beets, we are working our strategies to manage these as with baby plants a little feeding damage has big consequences. So far the weather for the rest of the week looks sunny I’m doing my “Anti-‐Rain-‐Dance” to give me the ability to prep ground for fall arugula, turnips and the strawberry
planting that will take place beginning of September. Next week will probably be more of the same potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, melons, and garlic. If you store thing correctly in your fridge it is amazing how long things last. I’m >inding that I will eat copious amounts of veggies some days and weeks while other times life happens just so that our household doesn’t have the ability to get through it all. Yet when heavy cooking sessions resume, the produce that was in the fridge for a week and longer is still in better shape then what I buy at the stores. Hip-‐Hip-‐ Hooray for fresh product!! The key is to keep it cold and keep the air off it. This is easily obtained by placing it in a plastic bag. I tie a simple not with the bag ends or fold it over. Produce that is put in the fridge with no covering or just set on a shelf will deteriorate exponentially faster than when stored properly.
Watermelon Cantaloupe Bell pepper snack pepper banana pepper jalapeños okra eggplant tomato varieties thyme
Canned Crushed Tomatoes If you're able to can only one food each year, make it crushed tomatoes. They are incredibly useful throughout the winter. Admittedly, this preparation takes time and will make a mess of the kitchen. But it’s worth the effort. To ensure that the tomatoes (which have variable pH) are shelf-stable, it is imperative that you add acid to the jar, in the form of either fresh lemon juice or citric acid. Citric acid is inexpensive and sold with canning supplies at grocery and hardware stores in the Washington area. You’ll need 7 sterilized quart jars with new lids and rings. Storage Notes: The canned tomatoes can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year. Washington Post INGREDIENTS About 20 pounds of red, ripe tomatoes, cored, peeled and seeded (see NOTES) 14 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or 4 1/2 teaspoons citric acid (see headnote) 7 teaspoons kosher salt or fine sea salt (optional DIRECTIONS Tear or chop the tomatoes into large chunks. Add the first 4 cups of tomatoes to an 8-quart or larger nonreactive pot. Use a potato masher or the back of a strong spoon to smash the tomatoes vigorously. Bring to a strong boil over medium-high heat before adding the next 4 cups of tomatoes; crush them with the masher and bring to a boil. Continue in this fashion until all of the tomatoes are crushed. Bring the total amount of crushed tomatoes to a strong boil over medium-high heat and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
WAT E R ME L O N G A Z PAC H O From Eating Well
3 TBS RED WINE VINEGAR 2 TBS MINCED SHALLOT OR ONION 2 TBS OLIVE OIL 3/4 TSP SEA SALT
INGREDIENTS 8 C. FINELY DICED WATERMELON 1 MED CUCUMBER 1/2 RED BELL PEPPER 1/4 CUP CHOPPED BASIL 1/4 CUP PARSLEY
PREP: MIX WATERMELON, CUCUMBER, BELL PEPPER, BASIL, PARSLEY, VINEGAR, ONION, OIL AND SALT IN A LARGE BOWL. PUREE 3 CUPS OF THE MIXTURE IN A BLENDER TO THE DESIRED SMOOTHNESS; TRANSFER TO ANOTHER LARGE BOWL. PUREE ANOTHER 3 CUPS AND ADD TO THE BOWL. STIR IN THE REMAINING DICED MIXTURE. SERVE AT ROOM TEMP OR
Continued: Ladle the tomatoes into the quart jars, leaving a 1/2-inch head space. Add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid to each quart jar. Add 1 teaspoon of salt, if using, to each jar. Use a flat plastic knife, a chopstick or a bubbler to stir the tomatoes to dislodge any air bubbles.
RUSSIAN PICKLED WATERMELON
Clean the rim of each jar. Top with the warmed lids, and finger-tighten the rims (not too tightly). Process in the boilingwater bath for 45 minutes. Use the jar lifter to transfer the jars to a clean folded dish towel to cool for several hours.
3⁄ 1⁄
4
tsp. cayenne
2
tsp. distilled white vinegar
8 cloves peeled garlic, smashed 5 ribs celery, coarsely chopped 1⁄
2
bunch dill, roots trimmed
2 lb. watermelon, rind left on, cut into 1"-thick wedges
Ingredients
1⁄
4
cup kosher salt
1⁄
4
cup sugar
1 tbsp. pickling spices
In a large nonreactive bowl or pot, stir together salt, sugar, pickling spices, cayenne, vinegar, garlic, celery, dill, and 8 cups water until salt and sugar dissolve. Submerge the watermelon wedges. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 week and up to 2 weeks before serving.