foxlinecityfarm

A wonderful week here in the garden…..As I mentioned this is the time of year I look forward to all summer long.  I love to be out in the chilly mornings with the cold hardy plants.  And then there is always that amazement of the plants that thrive at this time of year.  The cold hardy broccoli grows so quickly and looks so strong and robust.  Our Nappon Cabbage is lovely too right now.   The radishes seem to develop over night and the spinach looks juicy and thick.  Lots of crop harvesting and fun to finally see the yield of many vegetables we planted so long ago.  We have had 2 light frost here and 1 hard frost last night so many of the tender plants are done.  I know everyone is sad to see the amazing eggplant disappear from the boxes. I have honestly never seen eggplant thrive and produce the way it did this summer….The tomato vines froze hard and we had a flurry of harvest to get the last beauties in before the cold.  I think we will have enough tomatoes stored for one more week and then they too will be gone until next season.  We were very pleased with this crop and have made some notes as to favorites as well as “never again” for next year’s planting.  I always like to test a few new guys every year and see what we think.  The pepper plants got quite a chill and we harvested everything that was out there before the frost.  This will be the last week of this astounding crop.  Fun stuff is all set for the last few boxes and we are excited to share the Autumn Season with all of you.

WHAT IS IN YOUR BOX

Radish-Another snappy bunch.

Kale-It sure is a pretty.  Almost like a bouquet.  Delicious flavor as the temperatures cool.  We love to eat it on our sandwiches.  And I know I said it before Kale Chips/Crisps are better than potato chips!  Give it a shot this week-kids love them.

Acorn Squash-We lost many acorn plants when the zucchini plants went down in Spring.  So sadly this is it for acorn.  Never  Fear….Tons of other winter squash in the last few weeks of the season.  The butternut harvest is HUGE!

Cabbage-This is the sweet little single serving size that we love to grow.  Baseball/Softball size.

Green Tomatoes-The once a year offering that marks the end of the season.  Do try fried green tomatoes or explore a few recipes on the internet for tasty breads or cakes.

Cherry Tomatoes-Savor these gems, we are near the end.

Paste/Slice Tomatoes-Also near the end of the season.  What a great run.

Green Beans-We are thrilled to have beans this late in the season.  We kept the row covered through the frosty nights so hopefully more to come.

Peppers-The usual medley.  This will be the last week for these wonders.

Parsley-Flat large leaf is our favorite.  Great in soups.  Also, fun to make a pesto for pasta.

Onions-An assorted box this week.

Watermelon-We went through the patch again before the frost and HOLY COW!  harvested almost 50 melon!  Crazy!!!  It is funny to me to have winter squash and watermelon in the same box.

Ornamental Gourds-A fun treat for the season.  Enjoy!

Basil Snips-A basket on the table to grab what you want.  These are grown in the greenhouse-perfect and flavorful.

Thought you might like to see the sweet potato harvest.

Scott starting the sweet potato harvest. The plastic mulch has just been removed and the irrigation tape pulled up.

Hand digging the sweet potatoes.

A full basket.

Scott working his way down the row.

Laying out the sweet potatoes to cure in the greenhouse.

The amazing sweet potato harvest.  Next week’s box.

The winter squash and pie pumpkin harvest.

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A great box again this week…..Scott and I are beyond amazed and oh so pleased with the bounty and quality of this year’s garden.  With the hardships and stress of the drought, the hot early spring temperatures and extreme heat of the summer months I think we were fearful of how this season would play out for us as well as our fellow gardeners.  WOW! It has really been the best season we have had ever!  Thank you all for sharing the garden with us and making this time possible for our family….We are grateful for the life we have here at home with Maeve.

What is in this snazzy box!

Leeks-Big, plump flavorful beauties. Make a tasty potato soup this week or delicious with fried potatoes or eggs.  Last week Scott planted almost a 1000 little guys we started in the greenhouse for another winter experiment.  We are going to attempt to winter over this planting.  We are hopeful this will be a Spring treat in the boxes next year.

Potatoes-Delicious for all styles of cooking-mashed, baked, fried, or in soups.  Just dug yesterday.  Scott and Malachi got the last of the potatoes out of the ground and in the root cellar.  What a good feeling.  We had a great harvest this year, high yield per hill and very little cull do to “nibbles”.

Radish-Nice crisp snackers.  Pretty round red ones and those delicious long skinny french breakfast.

Beans-Fall green beans are the best. Snappy!  I am not sure I feel this way because  it is much more pleasant picking now opposed to midsummer when it is 100 degrees and the row seems 500 miles long.

Brussels Sprouts-We are sneaking the big guys off the bottom of the stalks for a early taste.  Delicious roasted in the oven.

Zucchini-A nice harvest from the new patch.

Pepper Medley-The beautiful Assortment we are all use to now.  All sweet/mild except for the small glossy green jalapeños.  With the cool nights and shorter days we are nearing the end of this amazing summer harvest.

Eggplant-Just a few!  With tons in the extra/trade box…..feel free to leave them behind if your family is feeling maxed out at this point. The harvest is beyond crazy!

Cucumbers-The vines still have not been pulled down and a few are chugging along.

Cilantro-Salsa!

Cherry Tomatoes-Please let us know if you have a favorite….we are taking notes for next years planting.

Paste/Slice Tomatoes-The slice tomatoes have almost slowed to a stop.  There are a few to choose from but the paste are available in abundance.

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Such a colorful box this week….enjoy the bounty!

WHAT IS IN YOUR BOX

Lettuce-This will be the end of the lettuce for awhile.  Surprisingly we had major bolting of 3 varieties last week in the few days of heat.  Very disappointing.  We tossed them in the compost after a field taste test and all was quite bitter.  We have more lettuce planted but it is a few weeks out.   That said, there will be no shortage of leafy greens.  The spinach is chugging along nicely and the arugula is around the corner too!

Winter Squash-The first gem of the season. A pretty little guy called Autumn Crown with beautiful and fragrant orange flesh. It is actually in the pumpkin family.  Prepare it as you would any favorite winter squash recipe.  It will keep several weeks on the counter so enjoy it as seasonal decor for awhile.

Celery-The robust flavor of homegrown celery is amazing!  I made a big pot of soup over the weekend and this celery sure enhanced the flavor.  We love to add the leaves to our sandwiches and salads too.

Beets-A colorful mix.  Remember the greens are edible and tasty too.  We add them to stir fry or as a side dish slightly wilted with garlic and onion.

Green Beans-Our final planting has just started to produce….it is a nice late season treat.

Pepper Medley-We picked these the morning after the heavy rainstorm so a few may need a quick rinse.  It has been a wonderful pepper year for us but I can tell the plants are now slowing down with the cooler nights.  The mix is our usual mix of the last few weeks.  All sweet or slightly hot EXCEPT! for the small shiny green jalapeños.

Chard-A mix of my 3 favorite colors….

Zucchini-The new patch is starting to really produce now if the temperatures hold.  Try making some zucchini fritters this week.

Cucumbers-REALLY!  Well, I said last week (again) was the end and then we never got the vines pulled down and cleaned up….and then I was out in that area of the garden and noticed they had one last hurrah.  A surprise to me but I am glad as we munch on these all day as a quick snack.

Cherry Tomatoes-A pint this week as the vines are slowing down with the cold evenings.

Paste/Slice Tomatoes-We have TONS! of paste tomatoes this week….and limited slicers.  The vines are loaded with tons of fruit but  slower to ripen with the days growing shorter and the cool nights.

The beautiful beet harvest this week!

It really is my favorite time of year.  I love the cold mornings, wearing a hat and thick socks and several layers of shirts that get peeled off as the day warms up.  I love the smell in the garden too with the seasonal change to autumn.  And my number 1 favorite activity is the winter squash/pumpkin harvest which we started yesterday.  It is so much fun finding all those beauties under the big leaves.  Always a surprise or 2.  We found some huge! heirloom pumpkins hiding  in with the brussels sprouts and I actually laughed out loud.  I think I said to Scott 5 times….”I’m so happy right now!”…..

Malachi helping with the start of the winter squash harvest. Note the cold season broccoli plants at his feet. Our experiment this year…these plants are suppose to handle a few light frosts.

Scott is way back there looking for some more winter squash hiding in the brussels sprouts…..

I had to show you the sweet potato row….all the way to the tree line…..we hope to start digging this week. Looks to be an amazing harvest.

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We had another enjoyable week in the garden.   Time to get some major weeding done that has been on the “MUST do” list for some time and it feels really good to see these areas cleaned up.  Our fall crops are coming along and I think we will start picking wonderful winter squash and pie pumpkins soon.  The spinach has germinated well even in the heat of the last 2 weeks.  We were a bit worried and now relieved.  Lots of fun stuff yet to come.  We are excited for the change in the season and really looking forward to the cooler temperatures and beautiful colors around the corner….

WHAT IS IN YOUR BOX

French Fingerling Potatoes-These are sure delicious.  Wonderful fried, roasted or in soups or stews.  One of our favorite potatoes.

Lettuce-That wonderful romaine is back and also a buttercrunch too this week.

Edamame-This is a fun snack.  We quickly boil in salty water-pod and all for about 4-5 minutes, drain and then eat by pulling the pod through our teeth to get the beans out.  We eat them hot or cold.  The beans can also be removed from the pod and added raw to salad or cooked in a stir fry or sauce.

Pepper Medley-It is a great pepper year!  A beautiful collection.  All sweet or mildly “hot” except for the those small pretty dark green jalapeno beauties for salsa.

Zucchini-A combo of patty pan and long slender varieties.

Cucumbers-I know week 3 of thinking they were done…..but really now it is done.  The end for the season.

Cherry Tomatoes-A Quart again this week.  If you did not try it last week do give it a shot this week.  Oven roasted cherry tomatoes are fantastic.  Slice in half, lightly toss with olive oil, put a bit of parchment on a cookie sheet and evenly spread the cherry tomatoes out.  Lightly salt and place in a preheated 250 degree oven.  2.5-3.5 hours until done.

Paste and Slice tomatoes-The usual bounty…..choose a few.

Garlic-A nice big head of a variety called Music.

Eggplant-STILL going…..beyond amazing.  I have never seen anything like it.

Basil-a new fresh juicy crop that was just trimmed for caprese salads.

The colorful pepper harvest ready to be packed in the weekly boxes.

Maeve helping with the pepper packing….

The tomato harvest…..

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