It's the last week of July - time sure flies!
Tomatoes are just beginning to ripen, peppers are coming along nicely, and the first hints of orange are appearing on the pumpkins we'll be harvesting in the fall.
We've just harvested our garlic crop, which is now hanging to dry and cure - expect garlic in the near future!
Experimental Crops
Each season, we experiment with growing new crops. Although they may be common, due to our unfamiliarity with them, we consider these as experimental crops.
Such crops are typically grown in smaller quantities than would be required to support our CSA program. Yet, these quantities are enough to help us understand the process, variability, potential pests, and other aspects associated with the variety.
This season, we've cultivated a bed each of broccoli, fennel, and cabbage. We've also grown several beds of potatoes, but we'll delve more into that in a future update :).
The fennel has been harvested and will be available at our market stand this week. It proved to be a low-maintenance crop, resistant to most insect pressures. If there is interest and a market for fennel, we now feel confident in our ability to produce it in future seasons.
We're currently harvesting the first of the broccoli, which looks fantastic. It will be available at our market stand this week and next. There were concerns about potential insect pressures since using insect netting on large plants like broccoli could be challenging. However, they seem to have thrived. Despite their relatively long growth period, we anticipate adding broccoli to our crop list next year.
The cabbage is still under observation. We have noticed some caterpillar and other insect activity, but we'll make a final assessment once we've harvested and inspected the heads.
Turnip
For the first time this season we're happy to include in your share: the Milan salad turnip. Unlike larger, fall-harvested turnips, these salad turnips tend to be smaller, sweeter, and more tender.
Despite their name, salad turnips aren't restricted to just salads. Their versatility allows them to be enjoyed raw, roasted, or even used in stir-fry, offering you a range of culinary options.
Turnip is also a hardy crop and while it's not a staple on our farm, we value its robustness and the unique qualities it brings to our menu.
This Week's CSA Share
Head Lettuce
Beets
Zucchini
Cucumbers
Chives
Bok Choy
Swiss Chard
Turnip
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