foxlinecityfarm

Cool damp mornings-we wear an extra layer, long johns and a cap. Work is easier in the milder autumn temperatures.  The air smells good, and the sunlight is heavier.  I love this time of year!  It energizes us and we to hustle with these last growing days of the Summer Season.  Crops we have tended all season long are finally being harvested and the delicious leafy greens that only grow when it is cool are sprouted, up and thriving.  We look forward to every day but wonder when that first frost will arrive.

Big projects all week long.  LONG, really LONG rows of greens needed to be weeded and thinned that often took hours, the pear harvest bonanza continued, squash from the field, a huge edamame harvest and canning!  Our days were full and happy.

Scott kept bringing up crates and crates of the wonderful pears.  We have never had a harvest like this.  Scott’s daughter Amy and I spent a day making delicious pear sauce for winter enjoyment.   48 pints when the day was done and a very sticky kitchen that had to be wiped down before bed.

SUMMER SHARE #16

Fun treats are tucked in the share this week.  Enjoy!  500 pounds of garden delights.

SNACK PACK

Edamame-We love this crop!  A great snack or add the beans to soups and sauces.  Steam or a brief dip in boiling water.  Salt if you wish.  Remove the beans from the pod and eat.  Wonderful sweet flavor.  We had to call Scott’s daughter Amy back again to help.  This time she had to work in the soybean factory allllllllll day.  Thank you Amy for saving us.

 

 

Carrots-Yep, Again……we are pleased really pleased…… Snappy and delicious.  This variety is called Romance and a favorite.

Sweet Pepper-We picked an assortment again this week and 1 will appear in your share.

Hot Jalapeno Peppers-A few for each as the plants were loaded this week.

Eggplant-ERDMAN AND LARDAHL SNACK PACK SHARES ONLY THIS WEEK.

Pears-More wonderful pears to enjoy this week.  We had 1 CSA member comment that they had no idea that this is what “real pears” taste like.

Pac Choi-Beautiful juicy heads from the hoop house.  Eat fresh as a salad or add to a stir fry or soups.

Potatoes-More of those purple Magic Molly wonders.  Fantastic flavor.  These are perfect for roasting or a short steam or even a few minutes in the microwave.

Arugula-A snappy bag to add to pizza or enjoy with a salad.  I love them added to a sandwich for a little zip.

Cherry Tomatoes-The plants are slowing down and we hope for a few more weeks of these beauties.

Slice Heirloom Tomato-1 for everyone.  We are nearing the end of the tomato season.

FULL SHARE

Edamame-We love this crop!  A great snack or add the bean to soups or sauces.  Steam or a brief dip in boiling water.  Salt if you wish.  Remove the beans from the pod and eat.  Wonderful sweet flavor.  We had to call Scott’s daughter Amy back again to help.  This time she had to work in the soybean factory allllllllll day.  Thank you Amy for saving us.

Carrots-Yep, Again……we are pleased really pleased. Snappy and delicious.  This variety is called Romance and a favorite.

Mini Sweet Pepper Mix-A color bag of these pretty snackers.

Sweet Pepper-We picked an assortment again this week and 1 will appear in your share.

Jimmy Nardello Sweet Pepper-A great sweet pepper added to the Slow Arc Of Taste a few years back.

Hot Jalapeno Peppers-A few for each as the plants were loaded this week.

Pears-More wonderful pears to enjoy this week.  We had 1 CSA member comment that they had no idea that this is what “real pears” taste like.

Pac Choi-Beautiful juicy heads from the hoop house.  Eat fresh as a salad or add to a stir fry or soups.

Potatoes-More of those purple Magic Molly wonders.  Fantastic flavor.  These are perfect for roasting or a short steam or even a few minutes in the microwave.

Cherry Tomatoes-The plants are slowing down and we hope for a few more weeks of these beauties.

Slice Heirloom Tomato-1 for everyone.  We are nearing the end of the tomato season.

Broccoli-The start of the Fall broccoli harvest.

 

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-brussels sprouts (for sure!), asian greens mix, swiss chard, spaghetti squash, potatoes, edamame tomatoes, spinach (it’s back!) and more…….

 

MONDAY OCTOBER 12TH WILL BE THE LAST SHARE OF THE SUMMER SEASON……..

Happy Back to School to all the kid’s in our CSA Family.  Hope it was a great first week.

Hope everyone enjoyed the long holiday weekend.  It always seems to me that Labor Day is the good-bye send off to Summer and the door cracking  open to Autumn.  My favorite time of the year.

A wonderful rain here this morning after the hot dry week we had.  Perfect for all the new little Autumn seedlings starting in the garden.

We chugged along last week in the heat.  Keeping the new seedlings moist in the garden and hoop house was a focus everyday.  We weeded around the last cabbbage and broccoli crops, seeding in some late greens on the hoop house, dug and dug potatoes, and started the great pear harvest.  Our duties are shifting with the season and it feels good.

SUMMER SHARE #15

Another amazing week of goodies….enjoy!  We just crested the 1000 pound goal.  1026 pounds going home this week.

SNACK PACK

 

Purple Potatoes-The variety is called Magic Molly and they are delicious!  The prettiest mashed potatoes.  Pale lavender and creamy.  Can be boiled baked or fried too.  A fun surpise at dinner.  I made purple potato salad for a family gathering this past weekend with these beauties and it was a hit.

Pears!-Perfect Pears!!  An amazing pear harvest for us this year.  Best ever.  What a treat for all.  This variety is the second to ripen.  Creamy and sweet.  Unfortunately several years ago I misplaced all the labels and our site planting map so not sure of the variety.

Mini Pepper Mix-This crop is just starting to come on strong.  A big harvest of these gems for the shares this week.

Sweet Pepper-1 larger sweet pepper. We harvested Carmens, Biscayne, colorful Bells, and thick walled Pizza peppers this week.  1 will appear in your share.

Ground Cherries-A pint of these tasty sweet treats.

Cherry Tomato Mix-A 1/2 pint mix this week.

Heirloom Slice Tomato-1 for all this week.  Our heirloom slicers have peaked for the season.

Celery-Great celery flavor.  Use for soups and stews.  Add to stir frys or the leaves are wonderful added to mix salads.

Salsa Kits-Now this is fun!  Everything you need to make a batch of homemade salsa.  Kit included…..tomatoes, jalapeno, storage onion, garlic, and cilantro.  Enjoy!

 

Sunflower Bouquet-A beautiful Mixed bouquet to welcome Autumn into your home.

 

Cantaloupe or Watermelon-1 or the other will appear in your share.  This is the end of our melon season.

 

 

FULL SHARE

 

Purple Potatoes-The variety is called Magic Molly and they are delicious!  The prettiest mashed potatoes.  Pale lavender and creamy.  Can be boiled baked or fried too.  A fun surpise a meal time.  I made purple potato salad for a family gathering this past weekend with these beauties and it was a hit.

Pears!-Perfect Pears!!  An amazing pear harvest for us this year.  Best ever.  What a treat for all.  This variety is the second to ripen.  Creamy and sweet.  Unfortunately several years ago I misplaced all the labels and our site planting map so not sure of the variety.

 

 

Sweet Pepper-We harvested Carmens, Biscayne, colorful Bells, and thick walled Pizza peppers this week.  2 will appear in your share.

Ground Cherries-A pint of these tasty sweet treats.

Cherry Tomato Mix-A 1/2 pint mix this week.

Heirloom Slice Tomato-1 for all this week.  Our heirloom slicers have peaked for the season.

Celery-Great celery flavor.  Use for soups and stews.  Add to stir frys or the leaves are wonderful added to mix salads.

Salsa Kits-Now this is fun!  Everything you need to make a batch of homemade salsa.  Kit included…..tomatoes, jalapeno, storage onion, garlic, and cilantro.  Enjoy!

Sunflower Bouquet-A beautiful Mixed bouquet to welcome Autumn into your home.

Eggplant-1-2 in each share this week.  They loved the heat last week and we had a great harvest.

Cantaloupe or Watermelon.  1 or the other will appear in your share.  This is the end of our melon season.

Zucchini-The new crop is just starting to really produce.  Nice to have these back in the shares again.

Arugula-A nice sized bag to spice up the week.  Snappy in salads and great on pizza.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-peppers, edamame, pac choi, spaghetti squash, summer squash, tomatoes, brussels sprouts (really!), lettuce, radish, broccoli and more…..

 

 

 

A fun week of chilly days that lit the fire in us that it is time to hustle and get those last Autumn crops in the ground.  The sunlight is changing and we can feel the difference.  The days start a bit later as it is just too dark and we quit a bit earlier as we just cannot see well enough to pull the weeds.  It is a nice change from the long days of mid summer.  Supper is earlier and bedtime too.

Outside garden transplanting is done for the season.  An odd feeling.   The last transplanted broccoli  went out and it is a long shot.  We try a late LATE! broccoli rotation just for fun.  This variety is a cold hardy variety that we love to try and stretch it to Thanksgiving.  With a bit of row cover (sometimes 2 layers) we are able to have a super late harvest.  We have the room now in the garden and it is worth a try.  It all depends on the weather and a bit of luck.

We zipped around the garden and hoop house planting all the late leafy green, turnips and radish crops that thrive in the cooler temperatures of Autumn.  Scott prepped the beds and snapped the lines and I was right behind planting the seeds.

We have started harvesting the late squash and pulling the beginning of the late Summer/Fall carrots and it looks like it will be a bounty.  Still chugging along with the potatoes and hopefully this duty will be done at the end of this week.  Oh, Scott is going to peek in on the bees this week as they seem to be extra busy.  Honey in our future!

 

REMINDER……NEXT WEEK’S CSA PICK UP AND DELIVERY WILL BE TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 8TH NOT MONDAY THE 7TH DUE TO THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND….

SUMMER SHARE #14

PLEASE RETURN ALL BAGS AND REUSABLE PACKING MATERIALS…WE’RE RUNNING LOW.

A great share this week and as it was coming together I realized it is a week of “smooth and round”…..enjoy!  1381 pounds from the garden going home to share members tonight.

SNACK PACK

Head Lettuce-A nice head of that delicious Summer Crunch.  Our lettuce rotation will start shifting with the season to cooler lettuces, leaf lettuce and green mixes will return soon.

Sweet Pepper-The pepper plants are still loaded with tons of peppers.  A great pepper year for us.  Enjoy.

Summer Sweet Onions-This is the end of our summer onion harvest.  Store in the refrigerator as these are not storage onions.

Cucumbers-This is the end of the cucumbers for the Snack Pack Shares for the season.  We are going to pull the vines this week and plant long rows of Spinach.

Carrots-Delicious Crunchy Carrots!-As I mentioned before 1 of our goals this year was to grow tons of delicious carrots….enjoy another rotation of these tasty treats.

Spaghetti Squash-I love the start of squash harvest season…..we added this crop last year at the suggestion of a CSA member on their end of the season survey.  Such a good idea and a great addition to our weekly mid season shares.  Enjoy.

Cherry Tomato Mix-A sweet 1/2 pint again this week.

Paste Tomato Assortment-A combination of 4 varieties.  Enough to make a quick sauce this week.

Slice Heirloom Tomato-The Slice tomato harvest slowed this week with the cool and overcast days.  We have some but not the bounty of last week.

Watermelon-Another great watermelon harvest!  This variety is called Blacktail Mountain.  Larger then past harvests and SWEET!  We are enjoy watermelon daily around here and Maeve invented a great treat.

FULL SHARE

We do a quick morning harvest to grab the last goodies from the garden on CSA day…..

Head Lettuce-A nice head of that delicious Summer Crunch.  Our lettuce rotation will start shifting with the season to cooler lettuces, leaf lettuce and green mixes will return soon.

Sweet Pepper-The pepper plants are still loaded with tons of peppers.  A great pepper year for us.  Enjoy.

Mini Sweet Pepper Mix-A nice bag of these tasty treats.

Summer Sweet Onions-This is the end of our summer onion harvest.  Store in the refrigerator as these are not storage onions.

Mini Cipollini Starage Onion Mix-These cute little guys are the start of the storage onions in the shares.  Great for grilling or adding to soups and stews.

Cucumber-The last of the Long European slicing cucumbers.  The vines are coming down this week.

Carrots-Delicious Crunchy Carrots!-As I mentioned before 1 of our goals this year was to grow tons of delicious carrots….enjoy another rotation of these tasty treats.

Spaghetti Squash-I love the start of squash harvest season…..we added this crop last year at the suggestion of a CSA member on their end of the season survey.  Such a good idea and a great addition to our weekly mid season shares.  Enjoy.

Cherry Tomato Mix-A sweet 1/2 pint again this week.

Paste Tomato Assortment-A combination of 4 varieties.  Enough to make a quick sauce this week.

Slice Heirloom Tomato-The Slice tomato harvest slowed this week with the cool and overcast days.  We have some but not the bounty of last week.

Watermelon-Another great watermelon harvest!  This variety is called Blacktail Mountain.  Larger then past harvests and SWEET!

Potatoes-A bag of smaller Carola potatoes.  Perfect for roasting or boiling and/or broiling.  Scott’s favorite potato.

Kohlrabi-The end of the summer kohlrabi.

Sunflower Bouquet-Enjoy!  We love sunflowers at the end of summer….more to come.

Cantaloupe-Finally!  We have been waiting for these guys…. the start of the cantaloupe season.

Eggplant-The harvest slowed a bit in the cooler temperatures last week but enough for Full Share.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-SALSA MIX KITS, TOMATOES, GROUND CHERRY, CELERY, COLLARDS, CANTALOUPE, PEPPERS, SPAGHETTI SQUASH, PURPLE POTATOES, PEARS, SUNFLOWERS, AND MORE…..

 

 

 

 

WOW!  What a difference a week makes. Cooler temperatures that feel almost cold some mornings.  Warm sweaters, a few extra layers and a cap that all come off around lunchtime and back on again in the evenings.  It is transitioning quickly to Autumn.  Wonderful rain showers arrived-finally! that came down long, slow and steady.  We had over 2 inches and the garden sure perked up and our irrigation load has eased.

The end of season hussle is here.  Last crops are all about in and the Fall and Winter over Spinach seeded in too.   We start the huge potato harvest that always seems a bit overwhelming but we chug along.  Cleaning up the edges of the garden and a heavy harvest load keep us busy.

Those tasty plums that we did not eat fresh are all stored in the basement in quart jars as beautiful jewel toned juice.  I’ll added some to our pear sauce for color, jazz up our winter smoothies and drink it straight as a treat this winter.

SUMMER SHARE #13

Another great summer harvest this week.  And another 1000+ pound week thanks to those watermelon.  1281 pounds of fantastic garden goodies going home this week.  Eat well!

SNACK PACK

Lettuce-A crunchy dark romaine is the treat this week.

Kale-A nice sized assorted bundle to add to a fresh salad, smoothy or make baked crisps.

Ground Cherries-They are back!  We did not plant them last year and many members commented on the end of season survey that they were missed.  So a nice long row went in of these sweet treats.  Keep on the counter and not in refrigerator.  Peel back the husk and eat fresh.  Tastes a little like pineapple to us.

Sweet Mini Pepper Mix Snackers-A beautiful and bountiful bag of these pretty treats.

Sweet Bell Pepper-1 bell in each share.

Jalapeno HOT Pepper-A few to spice up some salsa or sauce this week.

Leeks-This is the start of the late summer leek harvest. Enjoy!

Onions-A few more sweet summer short term onions.  Store in the refrigerator as these are not winter storage onions.

Potatoes-Another great harvest! And again thank you Uncle Jim for your help!   We love the potatoes this year.  This week is Peter Wilcox.  Great all purpose potato but excellent roasted or boiled.  Higher carotenoid content than most potatoes and delicious.

Watermelon-Another delicious melon this week.  We started harvesting 2 more varieties. 1 called Minnesota Midget that is long and has yellow rind and another called Black Tail Mountain-BIG! dark and round.

Cherry Tomatoes-A pretty half pint again.

Heirloom Slice Tomatoes-A great!!!! harvest this week.  Several in each share.

Pears-The first year our trees have produced a bounty to share.  Keep on the kitchen counter to ripen up a bit.  Enjoy.

FULL SHARE

 

Lettuce-A crunchy dark romaine is the treat this week.

Kale-A nice sized assorted bundle to add to a fresh salad, smoothy or make baked crisps.

Ground Cherries-They are back!  We did not plant them last year and many members commented on the end of season survey that they were missed.  So a nice long row went in of these sweet treats.  Keep on the counter and not in refrigerator.  Peel back the husk and eat fresh.  Tastes a little like pineapple to us.

Sweet Bell Peppers and Assorted Sweet Peppers-Several in every share.

Jalapeno HOT! Peppers-A few to spice up a few meals or salsa this week.

Leeks-This is the start of the late summer leek harvest. Enjoy!

Onions-A few more sweet summer short term onions.  Store in the refrigerator as these are not winter storage onions.

Potatoes-Another great harvest! And again thank you Uncle Jim for your help!   We love the potatoes this year.  This week is Peter Wilcox.  Great all purpose potato but excellent roasted or boiled.  Higher carotenoid content than most potatoes and delicious.

Watermelon-Another delicious melon this week.  We have started harvesting 2 more varieties. 1 called Minnesota Midget that is long and has yellow rind and another called Black Tail Mountain-BIG! dark and round.

Kohlrabi-The last from this rotation of planting.

Cherry Tomatoes-A colorful pint again this week.

Heirloom Slicing Tomatoes-A bounty harvest this week.  Enjoy!

Cucumber-Really!  I think this is the end…..Really!

Eggplant-We planted 4 or 5 varieties this year and 1 or more will appear in your share.

Pears-The first year our trees have produced a bounty to share.  Keep on the kitchen counter to ripen up a bit.  Enjoy.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-tomatoes, spaghetti squash, celery, lettuce, garlic, melon, cantalope, summer squash, and more…….

 

That oppressive heat last week did not knock us down too much.  We rose with the sun and got the bulk of our work done and watered like maniacs again.  We wait and wait and hope for rain.  Afternoons were spent with easy tasks or inside work.  We are beginning to see the garden clearing out and a few late season “quick crops” are filling in.  Our Summer and Storage onion crops are both completely out of the ground now and as these beds are prepped late season transplants or seeds are quickly planted.

We transplanted out more broccoli this week and kept the drip line running in the heat just to be safe.  Lots more to go out in the garden as we transition to Fall.

We have a simple daily goal…..pick something, plant something and weed something.  Over and over and that will keep us on top of the many duties in the garden.  Too much focus in one area and another quickly falls behind.

Melon harvesting has started and it looks wonderful out there.  We had high hopes for a great melon season this year and it is here…. We are excited about the varieties we selected,  we planted in a great location and lots of irrigation.  Several weeks of harvest in front of us.

Melons are favorite crop of mine for some reason.  Scott said as we were harvesting “A dream come true for you”-and he’s right.

 

 

 

SUMMER SHARE #12

There is no way around it….this weeks share is just “pretty”……really pretty!  The colors are truely amazing.  Enjoy the beautiful and delicious bounty.  AND we reached another goal….we passed our 1000 pound weekly produce goal.  1201 pounds going home tonight! We never did that before.  Thank you watermelons!  Such a great season.

 

SNACK PACK

 

Head Lettuce-Either a Romaine or Summer Crunch this week as we harvest both from the hoop house.  We are having a fantastic lettuce season this year.  Our goal is always a fresh head every week and so far we have hit it.  Enjoy!

Carrots!-A beautiful mix.  So colorful and different flavors too.  Enjoy.  A great summer harvest.

Peppers-A big harvest this week in the heat.  A bounty to enjoy.  A Sweet Bell and another assorted long sweet in every share.

Onions-2 more of those tasty summer sweet onions.  Keep in refrigerator as these are NOT the winter storage onions.

Cucumbers-A few for everyone and we think this may be the end of our cucumber run this season.

Kohlrabi-2 of these crunchy snackers.  Great to add to salads or a veggie tray.

Watermelon-The melon harvest has begun….we are thrilled.  An assortment of “icebox” sized melons were picked and you will find a sweet melon in your share.  The flesh will be red, pink, yellow, or orange.   The start of a long melon season.

 

Cherry Tomato Mix-The beautiful and sweet assortment.

Slice Heirloom Tomato-A beauty or 2 in every share.

Plums-The last of these tasty snackers.

 

Eggplant-1 or 2 in every share this week.

 

Full Share

 

Head Lettuce-Either a Romaine or Summer Crunch this week as we harvest both from the hoop house.  We have had a fantastic lettuce season this year.  Our goal is always a fresh head every week and so far we have hit it.  Enjoy!

 

Carrots!-A beautiful mix.  So colorful and different flavors too.  Enjoy.  A great harvest.

Beets-A nice big bunch from the hoop house so the greens are perfect too for eating.

Fennel-We had  to include fennel this week as it pairs so well with beets.

Mini Sweet pepper mix-A big bag of assorted mini sweet snackers.

Sweet Bell Pepper-1 in each share.

Sweet Summer Onions-2 in each share.

Daikon Radish-That big purple beast in your bag.  Slice off a portion and peel.  Beautiful internal color.  A great addion to salads.

Kohlrabi-2 of these crunchy snackers.  Great to add to salads or a veggie tray.

Watermelon-The melon harvest has begun….we are thrilled.  An assortment of “icebox” sized melons were picked and you will find a sweet melon in your share.  The flesh will be red, pink, yellow, or orange.  The start of a long melon season.

Cherry Tomato Mix-The beautiful and sweet assortment.

Slice Heirloom Tomato-A beauty or 2 in every share.

Plums-The last of these tasty snackers.

 

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-peppers, eggplant, watermelon, kale, ground cherries, tomatoes, pears and more!

 

 

We liked this past week.  The tomato harvest was bountiful, we had time to weed and tidy up and once again it seems like we planted a whole new garden.  The strong transition to Autumn crops and organization is in full swing.  Scott spent a a lot of time with our compost piles sifting and adding the fresh compost to prepared beds for replanting.

A new bed of turnips was planted where the leeks came out and a long row of Swiss Chard went in where the summer onions were pulled.  Radishes went in and again more carrots.  Late Fall seeds were started in the greenhouse for transplanting in a few weeks.

 

The new zucchini patch went in where the garlic use to live and we should be mibbling on summer squash from this patch in a few weeks.

We peeked in on the watermelon and cantalope and feel we are still 2 weeks out on this harvest so we check and wait.

A very special treat this week.  Our wonderful neighbors Dick and Caryl Pfaff gifted us delicious plums.  Dick was given the tree as a Father’s Day gift from his daughter 7 years ago and this is the first year it has produced.  The tree was loaded with fruit and so beautiful.

We had a great time picking the plums and enough to make jam, can and fruit leather.

 

 

SUMMER SHARE #11

Please remember to return all share bags and reusable packaging material.

Another great harvest and a few treats tucked in….enjoy all of it.  980 pounds of garden goodness. WOW!

SNACK PACK

Lettuce-A great head of romaine this week.  Deep green crunchy and delicious. The variety is called Sparx.

Potatoes-Beautiful Carola.  Mash, smash, fry, roast or steam.

Sweet Summer Onions-Store in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.  These are not storage onions.

Cutting Celery-Amazing flavor!  Add leaves to salads, or use leaves and stalks to flavor soups, sauces or stir fry.  This is what celery is suppose to taste like.

Kohlrabi-Peel outer skin and eat raw with salads or with dips.

Sweet Yellow Pepper-A delicious sweet beauty.

Corn-Conventional corn grown for us by Scott’s Uncle.

Basil Plant-A wonderful Thai basil plant!  Great flavor.

Cherry Tomatoes-A 1/2 pint mix of these little gems.

Slice Tomatoes-Choice of Heirlooms.

Plums!-A special treat! Leave on the counter a few days to ripen.

Eggplant-BARABOO SNACK PACK ONLY THIS WEEK.

Raspberry-ERDMAN SNACK PACK ONLY THIS WEEK.  THIS IS THE END OF THE RASPBERRY ROTATION.

 

 

FULL SHARE

Lettuce-A great head of romaine this week.  Deep green crunchy and delicious. The variety is called Sparx.

Potatoes-Beautiful Carola.  Mash, smash, fry, roast or steam.

Sweet Summer Onions-Store in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.  These are not storage onions.

Cutting Celery-Amazing flavor!  Add leaves to salads, or use leaves and stalks to flavor soups, sauces or stir fry.  This is what celery is suppose to taste like.

Peppers-Sweet bell and long yellow bananna.

Corn-Conventional corn grown for us by Scott’s Uncle.

Basil Plant-A wonderful Thai basil plant!  Great flavor.

 

Cherry Tomatoes-A 1/2 pint mix of these little gems.

 

Slice Tomatoes-Choice of herlooms.

Paste Tomato Sauce Kits-A collection of paste tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, and oregano.  Perfect for a pasta sauce or pizza sauce this week.

Green Filet Beans-The end of the beans for a few weeks.  Phew!

Cucumbers-A few snackers for salads.

Cauliflower-A late summer harvest.  ENJOY!  One of Jennifer’s favorite.  I could eat bowls FULL.

Zucchini-Picked small and tender. Baraboo Full Share only.

Plums!-A special treat! Leave on the counter a few days to ripen.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-mini snacking pepper mix, lettuce, summer onions, kale, carrots, beets, kohlrabi, and more…..

 

 

 

 

BEANS!  That was the big theme for this week.  Beans, beans and more beans…. We picked, pulled, planted and gave some away….We pulled the bean plants from the first plantings this Spring and replanted another round of green bush beans for a late harvest. And started picking a new crop of delicious green and purple French filet beans.  The plants are loaded and we pulled handfuls at harvest.

We canned 20+ pounds of green beans one hot afternoon for our pantry and are now well stocked for winter.

 

We peeked in on the dragon tongue beans and they have a ways to go until they reach “shell out” maturity but a bounty of beans are out there.  Something to look forward to with a late season harvest.

When not focused on the beans we watered…..the irrigation now runs around the clock somewhere in the garden.  I know Scott is getting tired of me rushing from some area of the garden and saying “IT’S DRY-BONE DRY! POWDER DRY!! WHEN DID YOU IRRIGATE!”  The strong winds and high heat we had all week quickly dried out the soil.  We hand watered the little carrot and beet seedlings daily in addition to drip irrigation…. and had to water the hoop house and greenhouse 2-3 times daily to keep up.  Lots of time spent with the watering wand.

Scott is thrilled that he completed the garlic harvest.   Lots of hand digging but the full crop is now out.  We separate the heads by size and hang them to dry in groups of 10.  A second rotation of zucchini will take it’s place.

Maeve and I wandered the watermelon and cantalope patch and Maeve is certain there are over a thousand out there.  By the way things look I do not think she is far off in her guess.  We were curious and picked a melon and it is just starting to turn pink inside.  I asked Scott to turn on the irrigation when we walked back and he sighed and said it just ran over there 2 days ago…”IT’S BONE DRY! POWDER DRY!!!!” was my reply.   A few weeks to go until these beauties are ripe.

 

SUMMER SHARE #10

Please return your share bags and any reusable packing materials.

 

Hard to believe it is half way through the season.  Such a strong 1st half of the season and so many goodies yet to come.

839 pounds of produce to enjoy this week!  WOW!

SNACK PACK

Head Lettuce-A sweet fluffy head picked in the early morning light before the heat sets in….A  Summer Crisp named Muir.  Our first year planting this variety and it may become a new favorite.  Delicious!

Cucumber Snacking Mix-A mixed bag of munchers and american pickling.

Dill-A bundle for a small batch of refrigerator pickles or cucumber salad.

Potatoes!-Scott’s favorite variety.  Carola.  We just started hand digging this crop and it is a bounty.  Again, the best potatoes we have ever had and a huge thank you to Uncle Jim for his help!!!  Perfect skin and the plants are loaded. We chuckle when we pull them from the ground…. Carola can be steamed, boiled, mashed, or fried.  More to come of this fantastic potato.

Summer Leeks-We harvested the last of the summer leeks to go with the Carolas this week.

French Filet bicolor mix-Long green and purple filet beans.

Corn!!!!-The 1st harvest of the season.  We DO NOT grow our corn.  It is conventionally grown corn grown by Scott’s Uncle for us.  When we poled CSA members in the past and asked it they would like conventionally grown corn in the shares the overwhelming response was “yes!”.  We have limited space in our gardens and not able to grow corn so this is our best option.  We look forward to a few more weeks of the corn harvest.

Cherry Tomatoes-The plants are really starting to produce with the heat this week. So pretty!

Slicing Tomatoes-A few heirlooms to choose from.

Zucchini-We planted several varieties and pick them small.

FULL SHARE

 

Head Lettuce-A sweet fluffy head picked in the early morning light before the heat sets in….A  Summer Crisp named Muir.  Our first year planting this variety and it may become a new favorite.  Delicious!

Cucumber Snacking Mix-A mixed bag of munchers and american pickling.

Dill-A bundle for a small batch of refrigerator pickles or cucumber salad.

Potatoes!-Scott’s favorite variety.  Carola.  We just started hand digging this crop and it is a bounty.  Again, the best potatoes we have ever had and a huge thank you to Uncle Jim for his help!!!  Perfect skin and the plants are loaded.  Carola can be steamed, boiled, mashed, or fried.  More to come of this fantastic potatoe.

Summer Leeks-We harvested the last of the summer leeks to go with the Carolas this week.

French Filet bicolor mix-Long green and purple filet beans.

Corn!!!!-The 1st harvest of the season.  We DO NOT grow our corn.  It is conventionally grown corn grown by Scott’s Uncle for us.  When we poled CSA members in the past and asked it they would like conventionally grown corn in the shares the overwhelming response was “yes!”.  We have limited space in our gardens and not able to grow corn so this is our best option.  We look forward to a few more weeks of the corn harvest.

Cherry Tomatoes-The plants are really starting to produce with the heat this week. So pretty!

Eggplant-Italian or Asian will be in the shares this week.

Peaches!-Tree ripe and our first harvest from this tree planted 7 years ago.

REMAINING RASPBERRY SHARES WILL BE NEXT WEEK.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-Peppers, cauliflower, tomatoes, corn, potatoes, cutting celery, lettuce, and more….

 

 

A week that zipped by for us.  Our days had clear focus of weed, water, harvest and repeat.  Amazing growth in the garden with the hot days and warm nights.  Daily visits to the cucumber and zucchini patches hauling out containers of produce.  Hours were spent making our way down the long bean rows picking handfuls and handfuls of delicious beans.  The Melons and Squash  double in size over night and we would marvel.

Tomatoes have finally started ripening!!! and they will appear in some shares this week.  Our warm season crops are loving these days.  Every spare moment Scott was on weed patrol as the weeds too love these warm days and it is important to stay well ahead of them.

More lettuce was transplanted in the hoop house right after this weeks harvest came out and yet another long row of carrots went in.  This carrot crop will be a sweet treat for the Winter Share as we snuggled 3 long rows in the hoop house for a late harvest after frost.

SUMMER SHARE #9

It’s another “Holy Cow” harvest week!  Enjoy these Summer delights!  602 pounds of harvested produce this week.  WOW!

 

SNACK PACK

Head lettuce-A juicy romaine from the hoop house.  Delicious.

 

Summer Sweet Onions-A few of these tasty treats.  A staple in your share for a few weeks to come.  Keep in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.  These are not cured winter storage onions.

Cucumber Snacking Mix-An assortment of mini munchers and american pickling.

Long European Slicing Cucumber-These are just starting to produce on the vine.  Skins are thin and tasty-no need to peel.

Mini Head Cabbage-Perfect mini heads for the snack pack. A great addition to salads or slaw.

Green Beans-Another harvest off the 1st planting.  This will be the end of these bush green beans.

Dragon Tongue Beans-A treat!  We pick these before the beans develop as an early harvest.  Great flavor raw or steamed!  These will appear later in the season again as a “shell out” with fresh beans.

Zucchini-Picked small and tender.

Basil!-A beautiful bundle to make a batch of pesto….and then some left over to enjoy with salads and sandwiches.  LARGE green leaves.  We grow our basil in the greenhouse so it is juicy and protected from those darn japanese beatles.

Garlic-We had to add another fresh just dug head for pesto.  A great garlic harvest for us this year.  We save our garlic and replant from year to year.  2 varieties-Music or German Red.

Jalapeno Pepper-These plants were loaded and needed an early pick.

Raspberries-BARABOO SNACK PACK ONLY THIS WEEK.

1 Slicing Tomatoes-BARABOO SNACK PACK ONLY THIS WEEK.

FULL SHARE

Head lettuce-A juicy romaine from the hoop house.  Delicious.

We have a “unique” drying routine for these big heads…..major swinging to get the water out after a good soak in the wash tank and before packing.

 

Summer Sweet Onions-A few of these tasty treats.  A staple in your share for a few weeks to come.  Keep in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.  These are not cured winter storage onions.

 

Cucumber Snacking Mix-An assortment of mini munchers and american pickling.

Long European Slicing Cucumber-These are just starting to produce on the vine.  Skins are thin and tasty-no need to peel.

Mid-sized Cabbage-A variety called tender sweet.

Green Beans-Another harvest off the 1st planting.  This will be the end of these bush green beans.

Dragon Tongue Beans-A treat!  We pick these before the beans develop as an early harvest.  Great flavor raw or steamed!  These will appear later in the season again as a “shell out” with fresh beans.

Pac Choi-The end of the summer pac choi harvest.  A great addition to summer salads to add some crunch or excellent grilled.

Zucchini-Picked small and tender.

Basil!-A beautiful bundle to make a batch of pesto….and then some left over to enjoy with salads and sandwiches.  LARGE green leaves.  We grow our basil in the greenhouse so it is juicy and protected from those darn japanese beatles.

Garlic-We had to add another fresh just dug head for pesto.  A great garlic harvest for us this year.  We save our garlic and replant from year to year.  2 varieties-Music or German Red.

Jalapeno Pepper-These plants were loaded and needed an early pick.

Romanesco Cauliflower-Those pretty green heads in your share this week.  Love them!

Eggplant-A surprise harvest last night.

Cherry Tomatoes!!!!  The first picking of the season…..

2 Slicing Tomatoes-BARABOO FULL SHARE ONLY THIS WEEK.

 

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, fillet tri-color beans, kohlrabi, dill,  carrots,  potatoes, and…….CORN!!!!!

 

Still rolling along with happy days….HOT!!! happy days but happy.  We survived the muggy heat with very early mornings of harvest and hard work and then transitioned to easier tasks in the heat of the day.  Scott and I are not too bothered by the heat so not that taxing on our duties.  Weeding and seeding in during the afternoons is not too difficult.

The heat loving crops responded with robust growth in the hot days and warm nights…..The vines in the melon patch are running all over and tons of baby melons on the vine.

 

Eggplant is finally starting to produce and a few Full Share members will see them in their bags this week.  Tomatoes are finally! coloring up and we are hopeful that we will start picking for the shares next week.  We have a bean explosion going on around here and our second rotation has quickly caugh up to the 1st and our 3rd rotation not far behind….Long long hours of picking down the rows.

We had another great carrot harvest this week and are pleased with the varieties and yield.

The brussels sprouts are heading up and we are excited as we planted tons and tons of these tasty gems for a huge harvest this Fall.  4 varieties went in including purple!

All the Fall Brassicas went in this past week except that cool broccoli we harvest in the snow for Winter Share.  We just started these seeds for that variety and will plant out in about 2-3 weeks.

A stong week again with even a little time to work on a flower order for a dear friend’s special event.  Time to create and revisit my past profession.  I LOVED! it…..

This week we will be planting another bed of carrots and lettuce,  start another potato harvest, dig all the garlic (hopefully) and string it up to dry and pick beans and more beans and more beans again.  Oh, and somehow Scott has to find the time to sickle mow the weeds!

SUMMER SHARE #8

Grab your forks!  We are just starting the jumbo Summer bonanza harvests from the garden…….a fantastic bounty this week.  We are kinda blown away and hope you are too. 558 pounds this week is going out the door!   Enjoy.

 

 

SNACK PACK

Head Lettuce-Another week of that delicious Summer Crisp that thrives in the heat.  Huge crunchy heads.

Leaf Lettuce-A nice sized bag for salads.  This is the last of the leaf lettuce until Fall.

Pac Choi-A surprise harvest this week.  Tripled in size in 1 week and we thought this would be a few weeks out to harvest.  Great raw or on stir fry.

Snacking Cucumber Mix-An assortment of mini thin skinned munchers that we love so much and snacking pickling cucumbers-white beauties too!

Long Skinny European Cucumber-4 varieties are in the garden and we will have these for many weeks to come.

Summer Onions-We just started the onion harvest and these too will be a staple in the shares for weeks to come.  Sweeter than storage onions.  Keep in the refrigerator.

Red Norland Potatoes-Scott finished the harvest of these 1st early potatoes.  Enjoy!  Nothing better than the 1st potatoes of the season.

Carrots!-A sweet harvest.

Cauliflower-We are thrilled with the cauliflower harvest this year.  Past years were kinda wimpy and we set a quiet goal of improving this year.  It is delicious-really delicious and we eat it for supper almost every night.

BEANS!-Here we go with the bean marathon.  1/2 pound + bags!…..we have never had a crop that the beans were this long.  The plants are loaded.

FULL SHARE

Head Lettuce-Another week of that delicious Summer Crisp that thrives in the heat.  Huge crunchy heads.

Leaf Lettuce-A big bag of an assorted mix.  The last of the leaf lettuce until Fall.

Pac Choi-A surprise harvest this week.  Tripled in size in 1 week and we thought this would be a few weeks out to harvest.  Great raw or on stir fry.

Snacking Cucumber Mix-A big bag of an assorted mix of mini thin skinned munchers that we love so much and snacking pickling cucumbers-white beauties too!

Long Skinny European Cucumber-4 varieties are in the garden and we will have these for many weeks to come.

Summer Onions-We just started the onion harvest and these too will be a staple in the shares for weeks to come.  Sweeter than storage onions.  Keep in the refrigerator.

Red Norland Potatoes-Scott finished the harvest of these 1st early potatoes.  Enjoy!  Nothing better than the 1st potatoes of the season.

Carrots!-A sweet harvest.

Cauliflower-We are thrilled with the cauliflower harvest this year.  Past years were kinda wimpy and we set a quiet goal of improving this year.  It is delicious-really delicious and we eat it for supper almost every night.

BEANS!-Here we go with the bean marathon…..1 pound + bags!  We have never had a crop that the beans were this long.  The plants are loaded.

Chinese Cabbage-The small Soloist variety that is the perfect size.  Can be eaten raw in salads or stir fry. Long storage life in the refrigerator.

Zucchini-The plants are just starting to kick in.  Several varieties planted and picked small.

 

 

 

**Eggplant-ERDMAN FULL SHARE ONLY THIS WEEK-A few early birds to tuck in the shares….

**Raspberries-ERDMAN FULL SHARES ONLY THIS WEEK

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-cabbage, lettuce, beans, garlic, cucumbers, dill, summer squash, ????peppers!, and maybe..

 

 

We enjoyed ourselves this past week in the gardens. Not too hot, not too cold, not too buggy, not too wet.  Just perfect…. Scott cleaned up and prepared the “Pea Patch” and we transformed it into Fall cabbage.

We have 1 more round of Fall transplants from the greenhouse to go in this week as our big project.  Finding the room in the garden is always a problem at this time of year.  It’s all in the timing.  We wait for something to come out and then quickly prepare the area and transplant.

More carrots going in the garden and the the hoop house transplanted again with another round of lettuce after a bounty harvest this past week.

 

Our summer heat loving crops are finally kicking into action and our focus changes to these crops. The cucumber vines are loaded and we crawl down the rows daily.  Beans are just about ready, and it looks to be a good pepper year for us…..and the tomatoes are starting to show color-finally!! 2 weeks behind last year.  All those cold overnight early summer temperatures.

 

SUMMER SHARE #7

Hold on to your forks this week’s share is a bounty!  439 pounds headed out the door today.  Enjoy all of it….Happy Summer!

 

SNACK PACK

Head Lettuce-A favorite summer lettuce Costal Star.  Huge summer crisp heads.  Delicious.

Potatoes!-Yes really, Potatoes….and our best harvest ever of the early reds- Red Norland.  Perfect and well over a pound a foot at harvest.  Nothing better than fresh dug potatoes!  Can be steamed, boiled. broiled, fried or smashed.  More to come…

Leeks!-Yes really, Summer leeks.  Perfect timing.  We are kinda blown away too how well this worked out.  Potatoes and leeks.  Nothing better.

Snacking Cucumbers- 1st week of picking….A mix this week of several varieties.  Mini thin skinned munchers, small spined american pickling, and the fun salt and peppers.

Cabbage-A perfect mini head for the snack pack share.  We love this mini variety and have grown it for years.  Gonzales.  Sweet and perfect for fresh salads or slaw or added to a stir fry.

Zucchini-The start of zucchini season…..we planted 7 different summer squash varieties and pick them small.

FULL SHARE

Head Lettuce-A favorite summer lettuce Costal Star.  Huge summer crisp heads.  Delicious.

Leaf Lettuce-Juicy thick lime colored buttercrunch leaves.  A nice companion to the summer crisp in a mixed salad.

Potatoes!-Yes really, Potatoes….and our best harvest ever of the early reds- Red Norland.  Perfect and well over a pound a foot at harvest.  Nothing better than fresh dug potatoes!  Can be steamed, boiled. broiled, fried or smashed.  More to come…

Leeks!-Yes really, Summer leeks.  Perfect timing.  We are kinda blown away too how well this worked out.  Potatoes and leeks.  Nothing better.

Snacking Cucumbers- 1st week of picking….A mix this week of several varieties.  Mini thin skinned munchers, small spined american pickling, and the fun salt and peppers.

 

 

Fennel-A great additions to this weeks offerings.  Fennel cucumber salad is delicious, fennel cabbage slaw too,  fennel, leek soup potato soup pretty tasty, shaved fennel on fresh greens, grilled or baked fennel as a hot side dish.  Lots of options…We love fennel!

Cabbage-A mid sized head for full share.  Pretty light green color and looser heads for fresh eating or added to stir fry.

Large Leaf Italian Parsley-We had to add it this week with the new baby red potatoes…..

Broccoli-This is the end of the early summer broccoli.

Zucchini-The start of zucchini season…..we planted 7 different summer squash varieties and pick them small.

Raspberries-BARABOO FULL SHARE ONLY THIS WEEK. The main season patch is just starting to ripen…  Raspberry season has begun!

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-beans!!!, carrots, head lettuce, potatoes, cauliflower, cucumbers and more…..