foxlinecityfarm

Another week that seemed to zip by for us….A pretty time of the year and nice to see the garden space open up.  Scott has started the Sweet Potato harvest and it should be completed by the end of the week.  Harvest started a  week later this year due to the cold Spring but we are pleased with what we are finding.  Beds are being cleaned up and the garlic planting area planned out.  We are going to peek at the bee hives tomorrow with high hopes of a second honey “crop” this summer.  The bees seem busy and we are excited to see what is inside the hives.  Final crops are being harvested and the new hoop house planted with late season Winter cold hardy/tolerant crops.

Scott harvesting the beets.

A surprise fruiting again of the Shiitake Mushrooms after the rains this week.

We had a nice 2nd fruiting of the shiitakes this week after the rains and they will appear in the extra box this week.  What a fun surprise!

Crazy entertainment again this week when we were doing box prep and packaging…..

WHAT IT IS YOUR BOX

Average box Weight this week is 10.84 pounds for a total of 445 pounds of produce!

We have included the season end survey in all boxes this week.  Please take a few minutes to give us a bit of feedback on your experiences this season and return by the end of the season.   Your time is appreciated-Thank you!

Last box pick up is Monday October 14th.

Also, please return all boxes in the next 2 weeks.  We have several boxes floating around out there.

Another wonderful box this week.

PEARS!-We are thrilled to offer pears again this week off our late maturing trees.  They are delicious.  Enjoy!

Green Beans-This will be the last bean harvest of the season.

Acorn Squash-Enjoy roasted or make a tasty soup.

Sweet Peppers-Perhaps the last harvest of the season.  Assorted Bells and Bull Horn Varieties.

Lettuce-A jumbo Green Star Head again this week.

Cucumbers-A final (REALLY!) harvest of the long Asians before the vines are cut down.  I couldn’t help myself.

Asian Greens-A variety called Vitamin Green.  A brassica crop.  Leaves are flavorful and not “mustardy”.  Enjoy fresh in salads or braised in stir fry dishes.

Beets-A beautiful assortment.  Oven roasting bring out the sweet rich flavor.

Kale-6 varieties in the mix.  Makes delicious kale crisps!  A favorite in our house.  Maeve ate a bowl for supper.

Eating Kale like potato chips!

Fennel-Perfect for a beet fennel salad.  Adds wonderful flavor to Autumn Dishes.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-lettuce, squash, leeks, sweet potatoes+ more

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A week of “chores” in the garden and kinda uneventful.   We have begun the Fall clean up of hauling wheelbarrows of debris.  No exciting must see photos. Our hectic “gotta get this done” pace has slowed and the compost pile grows…….The greenhouse is just about empty except for a few flats of winter lettuce that will be transplanted into the hoop house soon. The final harvest of many crops and  the last weeding through some of the root crop beds.  It is a good feeling.  Bountiful harvests to come with many cool loving crops but the hard work is done.  We had over 2 inches of rain this past week and the Autumn crops have responded with robust growth.  Scott just about has the back doors done of the new hoop house and had pleasant working weather.  We peeked at the Sweet Potatoes and they are ready and we will start digging this week.

Maeve kept us well entertained in the garden as she is now on a Lone Ranger kick….She visited a next door neighbor to help with pears and got tangled up in some burrs-3 hours later and lots of olive oil we had her hair back to normal.

It seems we are making the seasonal transition with the boxes this week and it is a jumbo smorgasbord!  The final offering of some of the heat loving crops and the  Autumn vegetables are sneaking in….I have refrained from saying every week-“Man I love this box!” but have to say it this week as it holds many of our families favorites…..

Man I LOVE!!!! THIS BOX!

Enjoy!

WHAT IS IN YOU BOX

3 more boxes to go for the regular season. Last Box pick up is Monday October 14th.   A reminder to please return boxes for reuse.

Average box weight  is 13.63 pounds for a total of 545.20 pounds of produce this week.

Lettuce-A snappy head of a variety called Green Star.

Spinach-The first harvest of the season!  Big juicy leaves.

Maeve helped with the lettuce triple rinse. She definitely knows how to make a job fun!

Chinese Cabbage-A pretty mini head called Minuet.

Brussels Sprouts-They have arrived!  I have to say I wait all year for these….this past week I have consumed cereal bowls of these little gems.  My favorite.  Roasted they are so sweet and  pan fried with a bit of bacon grease is amazing. Really.

Green Beans-1.25 pounds in each box and we are guessing this is the end of this crop for the season.

Zucchini-Perhaps the end also of this Summer staple.

Sweet Peppers-An assortment of bell and bull horn.  The cute little sweet lunch box assortment is in a brown bag this week.

Hot Pepper-Hungarian Hot Wax (yellow) with medium heat and Mildly Hot Anaheims (green) are packaged in a plastic bag.  Both delicious roasted, grilled and great for stuffing (chile rellenos).

Cucumbers-I know……. I thought  they were done but a few appeared this week and I can’t help but to pick them.  The vines are being pulled this week so this truly is the end of the looooooooong cucumber marathon.

Butter Nut Squash-A delicious Autumn treat.  Can be eaten now or sit up to 4 months and the flavor will sweeten over time.

Mini Purple Cabbage or Jumbo Kossak Kohlrabi-A 1/2 harvest of each so one or the other will appear in your box.

Pea Shoots-Add to salads, a soup garnish, or in sandwiches.  Keep in a deep bowl or plate on a bright windowsill and water as needed.  “Harvest” with a sharp scissor or knife.

The last of the watermelon and cantaloupe will be in the extra area this week as well as large patty pans that we let grow jumbo for those of you who like to hollow them out and bake with a delicious casserole inside.  A big basket of broccoli and eggplant and the  final harvest of the paste tomatoes  too.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-Squash, potatoes, lettuce, beets, fennel, asian greens mix, + more

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A happy week for us.  We are enjoying the cooler temperatures and I must admit I have my long johns on today.  The pace has slowed some from the summer frenzy of planting and watering and weeding and harvesting.  The Autumn crops are bountiful and beautiful and now we can enjoy the fruits of our long summer labor.  A calmness has settled here and we are enjoying every minute.  Small putsy jobs we have put off all summer are finally being completed, shelves are being tidied up and stuff is being put away in the greenhouse.  We find our thoughts already wandering to next season and things we want to do-different vegetables we would like to grow,  where the crop rotations will fall and expanding the strawberry beds.  Maeve and I have been baking maniacs now that the heat has broke and we made a hearty soup with the last pumpkin from last year’s harvest. This truly is my favorite time of year.

A moment of thanks to every member of our Summer CSA.  We are grateful for this life we have here at home with our daughter Maeve. Thank you for supporting our dream.  It’s hard work and sometimes difficult but Scott and I realized a long time ago that we are happiest with dirty knees and rough hands.  Everyone of you have made this possible.

We finally had a good rain after 3+ hot windy weeks of extreme drought.  It is refreshing to all the autumn plants in the garden and takes the pressure off of Scott with the irrigation rotation. We picked beans in the rain yesterday which was a bit chilly, cold and loud but we were not complaining.

We also harvested the lettuce in the rain in the new hoop house without getting all muddy and the lettuce stayed nice and clean too.  A treat!  We still had to haul it up and wash in the rain but again no complaints.

Maeve insisted in being in the photo……

WHAT IS IN YOUR BOX

Average box weight is 12.02.  493 pounds of delicious vegetables left today.

Another fabulous box this week!  This will be a week of transition too.  I think  many of our summer crops are coming to an end.

Lettuce-A sweet and pretty German head lettuce.

Zucchini-We may be nearing the end of this summer staple in the boxes.  Our second bed is starting to slow down with the cooler temperatures.

Cucumbers-I do believe this is the end of the looooooooooooong cucumber marathon.  FINALLY!  Enjoy the last of the long Asian and European beauties and the final snack pack.

Dill-We just felt we had to add a bunch this week with the cucumber farewell.

Green Beans-A snappy bag of 3 varieties.

Carrots-1 pound+ bags for everyone.  Sweet and flavorful.

Peppers-A pepper mother load this week!  A colorful variety.  Sweet long yellow bananas, sweet bull horns called Carmen, colorful bells, a bag of those cute sweet little lunch box guys and a bag of long red hot tuberons.

Purple Potatoes-Taste great fried or make the best purple mashed potatoes!  Surprise your family with dinner this week.

Collard Greens-An assorted bunch.  Delicious sautéed or as a bread replacement with sandwiches.

Cherry Tomatoes-A colorful 1/2 pint of the pretty heirlooms.

Lots of watermelon and cantaloupe in the extra/trade boxes too if anyone would like one.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-chinese cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, carrots, storage onions, beans, + more.

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We had a fantastic week in the garden and got a lot done.   Hard working hands!  It feels odd to see the space open up and not have to immediately replant a new crop in the rotation.  The greenhouse is just about emptied out of little seedling started in trays.   Morning sweaters and wet knees in the dew.  The season is shifting to Autumn Beauty.  My favorite time of the year.  Crops we started months ago are nearing harvest and the colors are so beautiful.

A huge pepper harvest this week and we are thrilled.  We were so worried about the pepper plants in early Spring when they were struggling in the cold.  WOW!!!  Tons harvested and tons to come.

Maeve with the pepper harvest.

Scott and Maeve goofing around.

The tomato plants enjoyed the few days and nights of heat and we were able to get some nice slicers harvested as well as a huge harvest of paste and cherry tomatoes.

Maeve helping unload the tomato harvest.

We just started picking the beans yesterday.  A few days later than I thought.    It is the start of 3 staggered plantings.  Beans will be in the “extra/trade” box at both sites this week and in the boxes next week.

A few more watermelons in the extra box too and will appear for several more weeks.  Feel free to grab one if you wish.  Our favorite ali baba are still a few days out.

WHAT IS IN YOUR BOX

A fun and colorful box this week.  Lots of treats!

Pears!!!-We pick and chill them to set the sugars.  Place on the counter and they should ripen in the next few days.  Pears ripen from the inside out so keep an eye on them.

Head Lettuce-A beautiful heat tolerant variety with a pretty bronze color.

Zucchini-This week is the last picking from our first planting of the season.  Both patches loved this weeks heat and a few zucchini grew to baseball bat size over night!  We pick daily and I was shocked.  Anyway, the jumbo guys are in the “extra box” if anyone wants to make zucchini cakes, bread, or muffins grab 1 or 2.

Cucumber-The usual bagged snacker pack and several long Asian and European ones packed loose in the box.

Peppers-Cute little bagged sweet minis.  This variety is called lunchbox and it is our first season growing it.  Delicious and the plants are loaded.  Green bell and sweet banana peppers are also packed in the boxes this week.

Cherry Tomatoes-A pretty pint of the heirlooms.

Paste tomatoes-A heaping quart box of assorted varieties.

Italian Large Leaf Basil-A perfect week for sauce.

French Fingerling Potatoes-Here is what I have been waiting for all summer.  My favorite!  Delicious in potato salad.  Often times I will boil them, place on a cookie sheet, smash them with the bottom of a glass and add a little salt and pepper and/or other seasonings and bake.  They end up somewhere between a french fry and a baked potato.  Also great oven roasted.

Another heart shaped surprise tucked in someones box.

Radishes-For that potato salad or in your toss salad this week.

Celery-More potato salad ingredients or flavoring a big pot of soup for the cold evenings this week.

Sunflower Bouquet-Happy September!  Enjoy.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-leeks, green beans, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini….and more.

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