We're happy to say that this week has been nice and productive. We got nearly an inch of rain towards the beginning of the week that really helped the garden perk up - weeds included. There were some periods of high humidity and heat but overall the conditions have been decent.
Beets & Superfluous Greens
This week's share will include beets for the first time. We've harvested the beets in bunches and have left the greens attached. Beet greens are an entirely usable and edible part of the plant. The greens can be eaten raw such as when mixed into a salad, or they can be cooked in any number of ways. You may notice that beet greens and swiss chard are quite similar, though swiss chard tends to be thicker and crunchier.
If you like the greens, or dislike the greens and think they are a waste of space, be sure to let us know. One reason we remove the greens from some root vegetables like Radish and Turnip is that they aren't typically used. We figure it's better to add those greens to our compost pile and return that nutrition to the soil.
Salad Turnips
Salad Turnips are making their debut in this week share. These smaller turnips have similar growing characteristics to radish - they both fall prey to the maniacal flea beetle.
These turnips can be enjoyed raw - washed, sliced or shredded and added to a salad. Or we've liked them as a crunchy addition to stir fries. There's no shortage of salad turnip recipes out there, so let us know what you try and what you think!
This Week's Share
This week's shares will include:
Head Lettuce
Salad Mix
Spinach
Beets
Radish
Snow Peas
Salad Turnip
Cucumbers
Next Week's Share
Next week's share will include more beets, and possibly our first harvest of carrots. Bunching onions are nearing a ready state, and we'll also be adding fresh basil to shares in the coming weeks. Tomatoes and peppers continue to develop, and our backup zucchini plants are coming along - better late than never!
Food Bank Support
As you may know, throughout the season we make weekly donations to local area food banks. The bulk of our donations go to the Kawartha Lakes Food Source in Lindsay, a charitable organization that acts as a distributor to 11 food banks throughout the Kawartha Lakes.
So far this season we've donated over 400 pounds of fresh produce, all made possible by our CSA members. Thanks so much!