This Week's CSA:
- Green Beans
- Carrots
- Dill
- Red Long of Tropea Onions
- Walla Walla Sweet Onions
- Strawberries
- Zucchini
- Tomatoes
On Rotation:
- Sweet Corn
- Chard
- Kale
- Eggplant
Share Notes for the Week:
Better late than never, the first tomatoes, corn and eggplant are starting to trickle in. Our heat-loving summer crops have definitely been delayed this season: June was notably cooler than it's been in recent years, and summer has been tepid overall (we've only had one day in the 80's so far). As people who work outdoors all day, no matter the conditions, we love foggy mornings and comfy 65 degree days all summer. But some of our crops would love a few more BTU's. The good news is, they're coming, just a little more pokey and hesitant than usual. If this is a test of your tomato patience, channel that delayed gratifcation mantra: "good things are worth waiting for."
The first of our corn plantings matured in the past week, and with it, and unpleasant surprise: corn earworm. You'll know it if you see it when you shuck your corn: the tip of the ear might have a big or little caterpillar nestled into a nest of frass. The solution is simple: cut the tip off your shucked corn, give it a rinse, and then enjoy as usual. If you've ever wondered why you often see sweet corn in the supermarket sold with the tips cut off, it's because corn earworm is common, ubiquitous, and has become resistant to many pesticides - which means that even conventional farmers have to put up with it, not just us organic zealots. That said, we've never seen corn earworm in our first planting of corn; if it shows up, it's usually in our later plantings, and some years it isn't an issue at all. My guess is that our warm, mild winter allowed it to survive the off-season more successfully, so those Helicoverpa zea moths were ready and waiting when the corn started tassling. Oddly, I don't see much evidence of them in our next planting (fingers crossed!), so maybe we're getting the ick out of the way first thing. We grow five successions of corn each season and will be harvesting it into September. This year the corn shares will be lighter in the beginning (2 to 3 ears), but will ramp up as the harvest goes along. The seed lot for both of our corn varieties was recalled in June due to poor germination, but not before we had discovered the problem ourselves: seedling emergence was less than 50% in the greenhouse, which meant we had to scramble, reseed, and then consistently overseed in order to have enough starts for each week of transplanting. Yes, another fun, slighlty masochistic fact about VF corn: every single plant is hand transplanted. Corn is typically direct seeded (much quicker and less back-breaking), but we have much better success in our cool climate if we transplant it. All to say, enjoy these first couple ears and all they've entailed to date!
Zucchini Tactics: Avocado Crema? Think Again!
My mind was recently blown when I learned that the green "avocado crema" sauce you find at taquerias is actually not made from avocadoes at all: it's zucchini! If you're looking for a zucchini outlet, here are a couple recipes that were shared with me by a foodie friend who's recipe instincts I trust intrinsically (thanks, Lola!):
In A Landscape, Ten Days Away!
Tickets are still available for the In a Landscape concert at the farm on August 30th. The Shore Acres IAL concert the day before is sold out, so if you were hoping to catch up to Hunter Noack at one of his local gigs, join us at VF!
