Crop updates: We’ve marked the first chinese cabbage, bok choy and hakurei turnips. Soon the potatoes will be available, the first winter squash as well as the daikon radish. With our wet August, we had issues with the fresh onions not being able to dry down correctly. As a result, you likely noticed soft spots in some of the yellow Walla Walla and white Ringmaster. We have now shifted to distributing a longer lasting variety which seem to have cured better. This is the final week for the tender eggplant.
BONUS: While the Free Choice share is intended for what your household can eat for fresh meals rather than storage for later, the tomato crop is abundant and all shareholders are encouraged to take more tomatoes in the next week for a preservation project, such as this roasted tomato sauce we enjoy making to freeze.
Winter squash harvest starts this weekend, stop by Saturday morning after 9am or Sunday at 3pm! Also, September Garden Morning is on Saturday the 30th plus the Swap it! Community Trading event on Sunday, October 8th 1-3pm.
We had fun on Sunday! So nice to welcome shareholders and dozens of other folks to the hands-on fermentation workshop. Find great photos of this jolly event at this post.
Announcing: Local honey in the share room! Stock up for the chilly times ahead with honey, maple and meat. In the grey cash to the left of the share fridge, deposit cash or checks made out to Squeak Creek in the grey cash box. There is no Venmo option for this product at this time.
Tips and Flavor Notes
- Enjoy flowers now! Many are frost sensitive. Also, folks are encouraged to harvest flowers to dry for later, some varieties particularly suited to that are the little round globe amaranth and the celosia.
- There’s a full bed of beautiful spinach in the Front Range field. When harvesting you can cut all the medium and large leaves on every plant, just be sure to leave the center undamaged where the new growth emerges.
- Don’t be intimidated by the white turnips. The flavor is mild. We enjoy eating them raw, but you can also toss with a few tasty ingredients and roast in the oven as in this miso maple recipe. This planting will last in the fields for up to 2 weeks approximately, so now is a good time to try them.
For the cabbage and boy choy, use a knife to harvest every other plant in the row. The remaining plants will continue to grow and become full size. When we thin by harvesting in this way, we are able to maximize the space to ultimately yield more produce because we are timing it for two harvests instead of one.
We made a batch of meatloaf this week, which for us means cramming as many vegetables in there as possible, while still allowing it all to hold together. We sauteed the onions, garlic, carrots, celery and parsley first before adding it to the meat mixture which also included plum tomatoes, egg, parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs.
Crops Available
This list and availability are subject to change, check the share whiteboard at the start of every visit. If you are unsure about how to harvest: ask us! In person, via text or email.
Cell phone numbers, Flip: 315-854-5399 and Bob 315-854-5395.
*Asterisk marks crops added this week
- Arugula
- Beans- 2 varieties
- Bok choy*
- Carrots
- Celery stalks
- Chard
- Cherry tomatoes
- Chinese cabbage*
- Cucumbers
- Eggplant
- Flowers including Amaranth, Calendula, Celosia, Cleome, Coreopsis, Cosmos, Daisy, Dill, Feverfew, Gaillardia, Salvia, Snapdragons, Sunflowers, Tithonia, Zinnias
- Head lettuce
- Hot Peppers
- Kale- 3 varieties
- Mixed lettuce greens
- Onions
- Spinach
- Sweet peppers
- Tomatoes
- Turnip*
- Zucchini*
Culinary and Medicinal Herbs
- Anise hyssop
- Basil
- Calendula
- Cilantro
- Dill
- Lemon balm
- Lemon verbena
- Mint
- Oregano
- Parsley
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Tarragon
- Thyme
- Tulsi holy basil
Enjoying the night skies,
-Flip and Bob