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The main garden is put to bed.

 

Tomato, melon and leek patch all cleaned up.

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Hoop House in the morning. Still chugging along.

It is a whole new world around here.  The final crops are being pulled from the garden and hoop house and we LOVE! the fact that we are eating wonderful greens harvested in November! Delicious.  We have been very busy with autumn clean up and getting the last of the crops out and final winter over crops in.  It is a lot of work and time to pull down all the tomato vines and clean up the space. The trellis all need to be removed and stored, plastic mulch removed and irrigation pulled before the soil is tilled and prepped for Spring.  And then we repeat the process with the cucumber area and then focus on other areas of the garden with tidy, tidy, tidy.  Having things all set before the snow flies and ground turns solid makes life so much easier in the Spring.  We are in great shape with a few tiny “want to” duties to tackle but the BIG “have to” duties have been checked off the list.  We are grateful the weather has been comfortable and mild for finishing up the season.

Winter over spinach well established out in the garden all set for Spring.

Winter over spinach well established out in the garden all set for Spring.

Garlic Beds.

Garlic Beds.

We spent a long day planting 2400+ cloves of garlic by hand!  Scott had the leaf mulch on by dark and we were happy the job was complete in one day.    Our favorites-Music and German Red were planted.   The garlic harvest this year was abundant and strong and we were able to save and replant our own supply.  A first for us not having to buy in organic seed garlic.

We are already catching ourselves planning out next year.  Fun to do and dream about next year’s garden…..Seed catalogs will arrive and our potato order will go in soon.  We are already excited about 2015 season.

With the garden clean up well under control, tools properly stored away, and the greenhouse and hoop house ready for winter we felt there was time to work on another favorite job again.  We are even taking orders this year for Thanksgiving Bouquets.

Jennifer working on floral pieces for a special event.

Jennifer working on floral pieces for a special event.

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WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE

We have had a fantastic finish to the season and thrilled to share the bounty with all of you.  An amazing pick up this week with lots of wonderful surprises.  A BIG! box and a Foxline tote of goodies for everyone to take home for Thanksgiving cooking. 33 pounds!!!  WOW! Enjoy.

Get ready for the long DELICIOUS list………

Arugula-A snappy bunch for fresh eating or braising.

Mazuna Mix-Lime green and purple-A mild mustard flavored green.  Delicious fresh or braised.

Lettuce!-REALLY Lettuce….Juicy heads of romaine.

Spinach-A huge HUGE! bag of delicious green leaves and another bag of the beautiful Red Kitten.

Scott harvesting Red Kitten Spinach.

Scott harvesting Red Kitten Spinach.

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Jennifer harvesting the big juicy Space Spinach.

Jennifer harvesting the big juicy Space Spinach.

Scott double rinsing the spinach.

Scott double rinsing the spinach.

Pac Choi-A mix of 2 varieties.  Win Win and White Flash.

Mini Pac Choi- A bag of tiny pac choi.

Radish- Nice big bag of the mild French Breakfast.

Maeve said they look like peppermints or candy canes.

Maeve said they look like peppermints or candy canes.

Kale-A mixed bunch of young kale leaves.

Brussels Sprouts-FINALLY!  They are smaller this year but they are here.  We were worried there for awhile that there was going to be nothing.  Enjoy the bounty!

The Brussels Sprout Patch.  We will see if we can get 1 more harvest out of it this year.

The Brussels Sprout Patch. We will see if we can get 1 more harvest out of it this year.

Brussels Sprouts harvest.

Brussels Sprouts harvest.

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Broccoli/Cauliflower Mix-A big bag of those delicious broccoli side shoots and small cauliflower heads.

Sweet Potatoes-Our best year ever with this crop.  3 Pounds each.

Potatoes-A variety called Molly.  6 pounds each.

Garlic-A combination of Music and German Red.

Onion-2 pound bag of storage onions.

Squash-A butternut and 2 acorns.

Carrots-Sweet storage carrots.  Hoop House grown.

Scott hand digging the carrots.

Scott hand digging the carrots.

A great final carrot harvest.

A great final carrot harvest.

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Leeks-Scotts goal this year…Grow big thick leeks.  Here they are.  Enjoy.

Sunchokes-A nice big bag of these nutty treats.  Will store ALL winter in the fridge in a plastic bag.

Scott digging the sunchokes  earlier in the Fall.

Scott digging the sunchokes earlier in the Fall.

Rosemary-A washed bundle.

Sage-A washed bicolor mix.

 

NEXT STORAGE SHARE PICK UP MONDAY DECEMBER 8

 

Happy End of the Summer 2014 Season!

First off-Thank you to all that shared our best season ever!   We are grateful to all of you that provided us with this purposeful rewarding way of life and time home with our young daughter Maeve.  We love our garden and all the work involved in growing the perfect tomato, or cucumber or sweet, sweet melon.  We truely believe in growing organically delicious, healthy, and beautiful produce for our family and love sharing the bounty with others.  Again, heartfelt thanks to you.

 

Reflecting on the Summer 2014 season we are pleased.  The cooler growing temperatures made work so much easier but also made us wait for a few weeks for the heat loving crops.  Each season has it’s success stories that shine.  Yipee!  Sweet potatoes.  Finally! Big monsters that are beautiful.  We loved!! all those mini snacking cucumbers that we trialed for the first time this year.  Perfect.  We have plans already to grow these beauties again next season.  The spinach was a powerhouse and we are thrilled we finally got this crop down.  Thanks to the hoophouse we were able to provide delicious spinach in several weekly shares all summer long. The hoophouse also kept us in sweet juicy lettuce all season long.  Great variety and quality.   The snacking carrots were amazing, and the cantalope so sweet and bountiful.  The tomatoes were tasty and we were pleased with our variety selection.  A bit disappointed with the volume given the cooler temperatures but feel we all had enough to satisfy.   Beans were wonderful this year and we were happy with the rotation. Oh, and the garlic! Abundant and nice sized heads.   The disappointments were few but still disappointments.  We are still waiting for the Brussels Sprouts to do “something” more than itty bitty buttons.  We LOVE! these sprouts and look forward to this crop all season long.  We are hopeful that they will plump up some before winter share.  Watermelon did not thrive like the cantalope this season and perhaps it was our error where we chose to plant the patch this year.  The popcorn crop experiment almost made it but did not reach maturity before the first frost.  Next year we will have it in early and this is a big goal for 2015. We are glad we had a steady supply of broccoli and cauliflower that was delicious but we are still striving for the BIG huge heads.  These crops will be our winter research reading and next year we should have it down.

Our duties now shift to major garden clean up.  The tomato “graveyard” needs to be all tidied up and all the irrigation throughout the garden pulled and hopefully we can get it tilled before it freezes.  Our hoophouse is packed-we even planted in the walking aisles to ensure a wonderful Winter Share season….pleanty of growing season remain for the cool loving crops.

 

WINTER STORAGE SHARE PICK UP DATES NOVEMBER 10TH AND DECEMBER 8TH

 

Scott packing the final shares of the season.

Scott packing the final shares of the season.

WHAT IS IN YOUR FINAL SHARE WEEK 20

All shares are packed in Fox line tote bags this week.  Keep the bag as an end of season thank you and a happy reminder of the garden all winter long.

536 pounds of Autumn delights in the shares this week.

GRAND TOTAL WEIGHT FOR THE SEASON…….8615 POUNDS OF FOOD FROM THE GARDEN!

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SNACK PACK

The spinach harvesters in the hoophouse.

The spinach harvesters in the hoophouse.

Spinach-A big bag of delicious juicy green leaves.

Garlic-A few heads of Music or German Red.

Storage Onions-Several to carry you into the Fall.

Leeks-The big thick Autumn Leeks that are the best!

Scott digging the sunchokes

Scott digging the sunchokes.

Sunchokes/Jerusalem Artichokes-A favorite late season crop. Those funny knotty looking things…..  The roots have a slight sunflower taste to them.  Best oven roasted or in soups and stews.  Long storage life in a sealed bag in the refrigerator.

Sweet Potatoes-Delicious!  Enjoy our season’s pride and joy!  All cured and ready to eat.  Store at room temperature.

 

Heading out to cut the parsley.

Heading out to cut the parsley.

Parsley-Big bunch of Italian large leaf.

Radish- Our favorite radish to grow.  French Breakfast.  Mild and pretty.

Butternut Squash- Perfect size for roasting or soup.

 

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FULL SHARE

Harvesting the Red Kitten spinach.

Harvesting the Red Kitten spinach.

Spinach-A jumbo bag of dark green and red kitten spinach.

Arugula-We could not help ourselves…….it is so good and perfect right now.  1 more bunch for you.

Garlic-A few heads of Music or German Red.

Storage Onions-Several to carry you into the Fall.

Shallots-Wonderful mild flavor and a long storage life.

Leeks-The big thick Autumn Leeks that are oh so good.

Sunchokes/Jerusalem Artichokes-A favorite late season crop. Those funny knotty looking things…..  The roots have a slight sunflower taste to them.  Best oven roasted or in soups and stews.  Long storage live in a sealed bag in the refrigerator.

Sweet Potatoes-Delicious!  Enjoy our season’s pride and joy!  All cured and ready to eat.  Store at room temperature.

Parsley-Big bunch of Italian large leaf.

Here is your radish picker this week.

Here is your radish picker this week.

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And cleaner.

And cleaner.

Maeve said they look like peppermints or candy canes.

Maeve said they look like peppermints or candy canes.

Radish- Our favorite radish to grow.  French Breakfast.  Mild and pretty.

Mini Green Cabbage-A small head of our favorite mini variety.

Hubbard Winter Squash- Our #1 favorite for flavor and texture.  A smaller hubbard variety and a bit more manageable.

Carnival Winter Squash-A perfect squash for single serving or stuffing.  Rich sweet flavor.

Trying to find a few brussels spouts ready to pick.

Trying to find a few brussels spouts ready to pick.

The bucket is slowlu filling up as I make my way down the long rows.

The bucket is slowly filling up as I make my way down the long rows.

Brussels Sprouts OR Pepper Mix-We were able to harvest enough brussels sprouts to cover 1/2 the full shares.  Bag of brussels sprouts OR the final pepper harvest mix.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Frost on the oregano.

Chilly mornings and we have had our first hard frost.  8 days earlier than last year.  We have picked our last beans, tomatoes, zucchini and peppers for 2014.  The garden focus now shifts to clean up, taking care of the cold loving broccoli in the field, harvesting the last of the storage cabbage and tending to the powerhouse hoophouse.  VERY hard for us to believe that we are nearing the end of the season.  Next week is the final pick up!  A whirlwind of a wonderful summer that flew by.  It seems that we were just picking strawberries and waiting for that first taste of a cucumber and now hustle to get it all tidied up before the snow flies.  Garden clean up in a snowstorm is not fun.

Frost kissed zinnias Saturday morning.

Frost kissed zinnia Saturday morning.

Row cover to protect a few tender plants in the garden from a chill.

Row cover to protect a few tender plants in the garden from a chill.

A reminder that next week-Monday October 13th is the final pick up of the season.  Please return all boxes,bags, and packaging material to your pick up site.

 

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE

A fantastic Autumn Share this week.  595 pounds of wonderful!

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SNACK PACK

Lettuce-Another seasonal favorite.  A delicious green bibb called Bambi.  GREAT! flavor and texture.

Frosty Kale.

Frosty Kale.

Kale-A friend called this week to wish me Happy National Kale Day…..who knew there was such a thing?   In honor of this great holiday a nice assorted frost kissed bunch that is so flavorful.  Maeve loves to eat bowls full of kale crisps as a snack.

Storage Onions-A few in each share.

 

The sweet potato harvest curing in the green house.

The sweet potato harvest curing in the green house.

Sweet Potatoes-They are here! AND they are delicious.  We are so thrilled with this year’s harvest.  Enjoy!  Cured for several weeks so nice and sweet and ready to eat.

Scott cleaning the Celeriac root.

Scott cleaning the Celeriac root.

Celeriac root getting a quick bath in the washing machine.

Celeriac root getting a quick bath in the washing machine.

Celeriac Root-That odd little knotty thing in the bottom of your bag.  Delicious celery flavor.  Great in soups and stews.

Carrots-A nice sized bag of those tasty snackers.

Winter Squash-A slender Delicata. Very sweet.  Excellent for stuffing and baking.

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FULL SHARE

Pretty Bambi in the hoophouse.

Pretty Bambi in the hoophouse.

Lettuce-2 mini green bibb heads in each share.

Kale-A friend called this week to wish me Happy National Kale Day…..who knew there was such a thing?   In honor of this great holiday a nice assorted frost kissed bunch that is so flavorful.  Maeve loves to eat bowls full of kale crisps as a snack.

Storage Onions-A few in each share.

Scott harvesting the Napa Cabbage before the frost.

Scott harvesting the Napa Cabbage before the frost.

Napa Cabbage at harvest.

Napa Cabbage at harvest.

 

Napa Cabbage/Chinese Cabbage-Excellent storage life.  We had one in our refrigerator until May last year!  Light sweet taste.

Beets in the hoophouse.

Beets in the hoophouse.

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Getting beets ready for the shares

Getting beets ready for the shares.

A final bundle added to the pile.

A final bundle added to the pile.

Beets-We get pretty excited about beets for some reason around here.  Enjoy this fantastic treat!

Celeriac Root-A few of these funny little knotty roots in each share.  Wonderful celery flavor.  Long storage life.  I made a very creamy celeriac root soup this past week with a few leeks and chicken stock.  A hit!

Pulling carrots!

Pulling carrots!

The carrot harvest in the hoophouse.

Scott cutting the tops off the carrot harvest in the hoophouse.

 

Carrots- A big crunchy bag.

Winter Squash-Sweet Butternut and Carnvel.

Cauliflower OR Broccoli-A small bag of either cauliflower or broccoli side shoots.

Cherry Tomatoes-Surprisingly those few warm days last week pushed a few more cherries through for us.  Truely the end of tomatoes.

BEST GUESS FOR OUR FINAL WEEK-SQUASH, SWEET POTATOES, SPINACH MOTHER LOAD!, BRUSSELS  SPROUTS, ONIONS, LEEKS, GARLIC, RADISHES, AND MORE!!!!!

 

 

A beautiful week of warm weather for garden clean up with a nice burst of heat to push the last late summer crops from the garden.  Scott pulled all the cucumber vines down and to the compost pile, the melon vines are all cleaned out.  The start of the tomato patch clean up is scheduled for this coming week.  Truely the end of the summer gardening season but lots still going on and growing!  We have Autumn loving cool crops still outside in the the garden that are thriving. Late broccoli, Kale, Swiss Chard, Chinese Cabbage, Cauliflower, Celeriac Root and more….. we seeded in long rows of spinach outside this week to winter over for Spring Shares and continue to transplant seedlings in the hoophouse for Winter Shares.  Gardening does not end for us until December when we pull late carrots mulched in the hoophouse and perhaps pluck a bit of spinich nestled under double row cover from the hoophouse too.

Cauliflower heading up in the garden.

Cauliflower heading up in the garden.

Cool loving broccoli plants going in the hoophouse for Winter Share harvest.

Cool loving Arcadia broccoli plants going in the hoophouse for Winter Share harvest.

Planting long rows of Arcadia Broccoli in the hoophouse.

Planting long rows of Arcadia Broccoli in the hoophouse.

Transplants to go into the hoophouse yet this season......

Transplants to go into the hoophouse yet this season……cold lettuces, pac choi, kohlrabi, radicchio and more.

Tiny radishes.

Tiny radishes.

We are still picking a pint or 2 each day of Fall Raspberries that we freeze for making future jams and syrups for a treat in the Winter Storage Share.

Raspberry picking after school.

Raspberry picking after school.

The end of season survey will be in your share this week.  We would love to read what your thoughts are on the season and any suggestions are always appreciated.  Please return the survey with your box/bag return.

 

 

LAST PICK UP IS MONDAY OCTOBER 13TH!  PLEASE RETURN ALL EXTRA BAGS/BOXES AND PACKAGING YOU MAY HAVE FLOATING AROUND YOUR HOUSE OR VEHICLES.  THANK YOU!

 

We have a few Winter Storage Shares available if anyone is interested….  Baraboo Pick Up Only. Pick up Dates are November 10th and December 8th.  $160

 

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE.

364 pounds of garden produce went out the door today!

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SNACK PACK

Leaf lettuce mix-A delicious just cut assortment.

Portioning out the arugula after a double rinse.

Portioning out the arugula after a double rinse.

Ready to be banded.

Arugula  ready to be banded.

Arugula-A nice big bunch of this snappy treat.  Several members mentioned on their surveys last season that they would like more arugula throughout the season…..hope this was enough for all the arugula lovers!

Salad Turnips-Wonderful!  Enjoy this Spring and Fall treat.  A Japanese variety called Hakurei.  Best eaten raw.  Greens are edible too.

Leeks-The wonderful Fall leeks we have been waiting for…..

Potatoes-We could not put leeks in the shares without potatoes.  Just did not seem right.  Adarondack Reds for everyone.

Green Beans-A surprise for us as we did not think this crop would amount to much in the cold weather a few weeks back.  A late season bounty.

Garlic-Music or German Red in every share.

Cherry Tomaotes-The end of the ripe tomato season for us.

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FULL SHARE

Red kitten is back!

Red Kitten is back!

Scott weighing out the Spinach.

Scott weighing out the Spinach.

Spinach-A huge bag of Spinach this week.  A green variety called Space and the pretty Red Kitten returns.

Arugula-A nice big bunch of this snappy treat.  Several members mentioned on their surveys last season that they would like more arugula throughout the season…..hope this was enough for all the arugula lovers.

Salad Turnips-Wonderful!  Enjoy this Spring and Fall treat.  A Japanese variety called Hakurei.  Best eaten raw.  Greens are eadable too.

Leeks-The wonderful Fall leeks we have been waiting for…..

Maeve weighed out the potatoes this week again.

Maeve weighed out the potatoes again this week-after we made a crown to make the activity seem “fancier”.

Potatoes-We could not put leeks in the shares without potatoes.  Just did not seem right.  Adarondick Reds for everyone.

Green Beans-A surprise for us as we did not think this crop would amount to much in the cold weather a few weeks back.  A late season bounty.

Broccoli-A bag of the smaller side shoots harvested off our summer  broccoli.

Storage Onions-A few in every share.

Winter Squash-A Variety called Carnival. A multi colored sweet dumpling. Sweet tender orange flesh.  Great for stuffing.

Summer Squash-A few little gems to mark the TRUE end of this summer staple.  The second patch vines are done.

Garlic-Music or German Red in every share.

 

The last cherry tomato harvest.

The last cherry tomato harvest.

Cherry Tomates-The end of the ripe tomato season for us.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-BEETS, CARROTS, SWEET POTATOES!!!!!, LETTUCE, KALE AND MORE.

 

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A pretty cobweb on the tomato trellis.

Another work of art that greets us in the morning.

Another work of art that greets us in the morning dew.

The first day of Autumn is just around the corner and it feels like it out in the garden.  Damp dewy mornings and we busy ourselves with other duties while we wait for the garden to dry a bit.  Working with cold wet clothes and chilly wet fingers at this time of year is never fun.

Exciting news to report.  Scott harvested all the Sweet Potatoes this week-by hand!  The vines were slightly nipped by a light frost and it was time to harvest as growing stopped with the vine damage.  A bumper crop.  Our best ever and we are thrilled….Thank you Uncle Jim for your help!!!!!  We planted 500 slips in Spring and Scott weighed out just over 465 pounds when he put them in the greenhouse to cure. Sweet potatoes taste almost like a regular potato if eaten right after harvest.  They need a period of time in high heat to convert the sugars and sweeten up a bit.  We will let them sit in the warmth of the greenhouse for a week or 2 and then Tons!!! of Sweet Potatoes in the final weeks of the CSA.

Sweet potatoes coming in from the field.

Sweet potatoes coming in from the field.

 

Scott with some beautiful sweet potatoes in the greenhouse.

Scott with some beautiful sweet potatoes in the greenhouse.

We also decided to harvest Maeve’s big pumpkin.  We noticed a critter was nibbling on a neigboring pumpkin and did not want this beauty to get a chomp or 2 on his backside.

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Getting ready to harvest our great pumpkin.

Getting ready to harvest our great pumpkin.

He's up and ready to be taken out of the garden.

He’s up and ready to be taken out of the garden.

Lots of wonderful produce yet to come out of the garden and hoophouse. Perhaps a few more tomatoes as the weather report is saying warmer days this week.  We will try for a few more for everyone.  It has been a good tomato year for us but it would be nice to taste a few more in these first days of Autumn.  Next week a big leek harvest of the delicious thick Autumn leeks and a great crop of thick jumbo stew carrots.  We pulled a few to test this week and they are fantastic.  A last big crop of beets in the coming weeks and ALL that fall spinach (including Red Kitten!) is just starting to leaf out beautifully. Oh, and it does look like all that popcorn that was blown down flat and Scott spent all that time standing back up is going to do something..  I really think there will be some popcorn.  We are afraid to peek just yet with fear of being disappointed but the ears are thick and the stalks are slowly starting to dry.  I know I said it before but this really is my favorite time of year.

 

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE

329 pounds of tasty treats from the garden this week.  Happy Autumn Everyone!

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SNACK PACK

Pac choi-I have been looking forward to this return.  A nice juicy head of a variety called White Flash.

Cabbage all washed and ready to be put in the cooler.

Cabbage all soaked and ready to be put in the cooler.

Cabbage-Those fun mini flat heads that we like so much.  Great flavor.  Perfect for salads and stir fry.

Storage Onions-The first of the storage onion harvest.  We have let them dry down and cure for many weeks and they are ready for the shares.   These will appear in the final weeks of the CSA.  Stronger flavor then the sweet summer onions earlier in the season.

Mini Snack Peppers-An assorted bag of these delicious mini sweet snacking peppers.  The last harvest for the season.

Spinach-BIG! delicious leaves.  Full of flavor.  Enjoy.

Ground Cherries-A sweet treat!

Chives-A nice garnish for soups or salads.  Great with eggs.

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FULL SHARE

Pac choi-I have been looking forward to this return.   2 heads in Full Share this week.  A nice juicy head of a variety called White Flash and another taller variety called Win-Win.

Cabbage-Those fun mini flat heads that we like so much.  Great flavor.  Perfect for salads and stir fry.

Storage Onions-The first of the storage onion harvest.  We have let them dry down and cure for many weeks and they are ready for the shares.   These will appear in the final weeks of the CSA.  Stronger flavor then the sweet summer onions earlier in the season.

Peppers-A bag of “mildy hot” Anaheims and a bag of jalapenos. This week will finish the season with peppers for us.

Lettuce-We have made the transition to the cooler lettuces and this is a delicious mini head called “bambi”.

Beans-Perhaps the final bean harvest of the season.

Salad Turnips coming up from the hoop house.

Salad Turnips coming up from the hoop house.

Scott at the washing station cleaning the salad turnips.

Scott at the washing station cleaning the salad turnips.

Salad Turnips-They are back!  Japanese Hakurei Turnips. Our favorite salad turnip.  The texture is as smooth as butter and mild flavor.  Eat raw in salads or sliced thin on sandwiches. Raw is our prefered.  Can be lighty sauted too for stir fries.  Greens can be eaten too.

Chives-a nice garnish for soups or salads and great with eggs.

Summer Squash-A few tender little guys and this is the end of this crop for the season.

Spaghetti Squash- Baraboo Full Share only.

Celery-Erdman Full Share share only.

Tomatoes-A few choice slice or paste varieties. Sadly, this may be the end of the ripe slice/paste tomato season for us.

 

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-SPINACH, LEAF LETTUCE, KALE, LEEKS, WINTER SQUASH, CARROTS AND MORE……….

The sides are lowered on the hoop and grenhouses to keep out the chill.

The sides are lowered on the hoop and grenhouses to keep out the chill.

Brrr……We hauled up wood to the house for the woodburners, put on our caps and pulled out our long johns.  The sides stay down on the hoop and greenhouses as we work in the gardens in a whole new environment.  A quick transition to Autumn life here.  Sad to see the warm summer days disappear but honestly this is my favorite time of year.  It is energizing for me for some reason.

Scott is so happy the late potato harvest is complete.   A duty that was on our mind daily and now satisfying that it is done.  He quickly pulled up the mulch and drip lines and tilled the soil.  We  will plant a cover crop here this week to replenish the soil.

Winter Squash is all harvested and in the greenhouse to cure.  A bountiful harvest and one of my favorite crops to bring in.

Harvesting winter squash on a sunny afternoon.

Harvesting winter squash on a sunny afternoon.  WOW! Look at this year’s growing compost pile is in the background. Pure gold for the garden in 3 years….

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Wondering what we will find.

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Just getting started and the crate is full!

The Fall crops loved the weather this past week and we will start harvesting some late cabbage and peek at the brussels sprouts that seem so late this year.  We had a nice harvest of green beans and wonder if this will be the end of this summer staple.  Carrots and beets are bulking up and all that spinach in the hoop house is getting thick, juicy and so delicious.  Our heat loving summer crops hung out and shivered in the garden wondering what was going on…..tomatoes sat at almost a full stop,  zucchini vines shut down and the peppers rested on the plants.  I am sure one warm day yet this Fall we will have a nice bountiful harvest before our good bye to these summer treats.

 

A big week of clean up.  The cucumber area needs to get cleaned out and  the trellises down.  The melon patch vines need to go to the compost pile and a cover crop planted and I am going to seed in a few late crops in the hoop house.  Radishes, turnips, and pac choi for the winter shares.

The hoop house is packed with Autumn crops that thrive at this time of year.

The hoop house is packed with Autumn crops that thrive at this time of year.

This is where we use to clean our vegetables in the garden before we expanded and needed a bigger processing area....the bittersweet has taken over and it looks beautiful to me.....

This is where we use to clean our vegetables in the garden before we expanded and needed a bigger processing area….the bittersweet has taken over and it looks beautiful to me…..

 

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE

358 pounds of garden goodness this week.

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SNACK PACK

Swiss Chard-We start this second planting late in the season so tender juicy stalks are in the Fall Shares.  2 favorite colors a deep magenta and another called rhubarb.

Spaghetti Squash-Another first for us this season and we are thrilled! We planted 2 varieties.  A mini single serving size for the snack packs and a larger variety for the full shares.  A bountiful harvest.  Enjoy!  This was a suggestion from a CSA member on last year’s end of season survey.  A great suggestion and we plan to plant again next year too.

The last radish from this rotaion in the hoophouse.

A last radish from this rotaion in the hoophouse.

Radishes-A nice sized snacking bag.  The end of this crop in the hoophouse.

Summer Mini Carrots-A collection of 3 varieties.  Carrots grown in the summer are not as sweet as those grown in Spring and Fall.  A strong carrot flavor. Fun to taste the difference.  These are delicious oven roasted or in soups and stews but can be enjoyed fresh in salads or on their own as a snack.

Scott weighing out the green beans.

Scott weighing out the green beans.

Green Beans-Sweet french filet string beans.  Maybe the end of this crop for the season.

Sweet Peppers-1 or 2 in each share.

Summer Squash-A few tiny treats.

Did you know we pick all the green stems off all the cherry tomatoes and wash them before packaging......

Did you know we pick ALL the green stems off all the cherry tomatoes and wash them before packaging……Penny-our garage “disco ball” is in the forground of this photo….”thank you!” We love it.

Cherry Tomatoes-1/2 pint mix.

Tomatoes-Slim picking this week but a few for everyone.

Garlic- A variety called Music or German Red.

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Full Share

Swiss Chard at harvest time.

Swiss Chard at harvest time.

Swiss Chard-We start this second planting late in the season so tender juicy stalks are in the Fall Shares.  2 favorite colors a deep magenta and another called rhubarb.

Spaghetti Squash-Another first for us this season and we are thrilled! We planted 2 varieties.  A mini single serving size for the snack packs and a larger variety for the full shares.  A bountiful harvest.  Enjoy!  This was a suggestion from a CSA member on last year’s end of season survey.  A great suggestion and we plan to plant again next year too.

Green Beans-Sweet french filet string beans.  Maybe the end of this crop for the season.  A nice big bag to enjoy.

The first Fall Spinach harvest.

The first Fall Spinach harvest from the hoop house.

Thick Autumn Spinach leaves at havest.

Thick Autumn Spinach leaves at havest.

Spinach-It’s back!  A favorite….The flavor is wonderful.

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Maeve bagged your potatoes this week....

Maeve bagged your potatoes this week….

Potatoes-Either Corola or Adirondack Red in your share.

Mini Sweet snacking peppers-A colorful assorted mix.

Shallots-2 varieties of this sweet treat.  Wonderful with potatoes.

Garlic- Either a variety called German red or Music.

Cherry Tomatoes-1/2 pint mix.

Tomatoes-Slim picking this week but a few for everyone.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-leeks, turnips,  pac choi, spinach, kale, cabbage, lettuce, and more….

Next week's pac choi harvest.

Next week’s pac choi harvest.

Baby sweet turnips in the hoop house.

Baby sweet turnips in the hoop house.

 

 

 

Maeve in her pumpkin patch.  Look at that monster!

Maeve in her pumpkin patch. Look at that monster pumpkin!

 

Another bright beauty in the pumpkin patch.

Another bright beauty in the pumpkin patch.

Happy Autumn!

Happy Autumn!

 

Autumn.  I like to plant a few sunflowers late in the season around the garden for the birds.

Autumn. We like to plant a few sunflowers late in the season around the garden for the birds.

Dewdrops blanket the garden in the changing morning light.  Warm jackets, and we ponder if we really should put caps on while we work.  The garden is transitioning to Autumn.  Our duties shift to clean up, flipping the growing compost pile, cover crops, and still digging the last of the late potatoes from their beds. We are going to peek at the Sweet Potatoes and see if they are about ready.  This will be our last high volume harvest. Our end of season crops are in and the location for the garlic bed this year planned out.  A few late season “experimental crops” are germinating in the greenhouse for Winter Share hoop house growing and we are going to try some late Late! carrots in crates for a cold Winter sweet treat.

Green onions ready for transplant in the hoophouse for a late season Winter share treat.

Green onions ready for transplant in the hoop house for a late season Winter share treat.

Baby Carrots growing in crates.  We will move these to the hoop house when it gets cold to enjoy in November and December.

Baby Carrots growing in crates. We will move these to the hoop house when it gets cold to enjoy in November and December.

A slower pace and my favorite time of year.  This is the week we will harvest all the winter squash and it looks to be a wonderful harvest!  We will set them out to cure and they will appear in our final shares of the season and in the Winter Share bounties.

Acorn Squash on the vine.

Acorn Squash on the vine.

 

One of Scott’s big goals this season was to have thick plump Autumn leeks and I think we finally did it.  Last winter we researched varieties and planting techniques and the results look wonderful in the field.  We trialed 3 varieties and all look seccessful.  We are looking forward to this late season harvest and big pots of potato leek soup.

Autumn Leeks!

Autumn Leeks!

We have had a fun project going on here the last few weeks.  Gail, a fellow CSA member gave Maeve a Monarch Butterfly catepillar and book about it’s life cycle.  We put the catepillar in a saved screened box that the bees were shipped in with milkweed and read the book and watched the catepillar transition to chrysalas. 12 days later the butterfly emerged.  On Monday night we set it free in the zinnia patch.  Thank You Gail for this amazing experience.

Maeve removing the butterfly from the box.

Maeve removing the butterfly from the box.

There he goes.....

There he goes…..

Hanging out in the zinnia patch.

Hanging out in the zinnia patch.

 

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE

581 pounds this week from the garden!

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SNACK PACK

Garden Celery-Delicious flavorful stalks.  Perfect for soups and stews.

Shallots-Our first year offering these in the shares.  Enjoy this sweet treat.

1/2 Pint Cherry Tomato-The pretty assorted mix.

Slice/Paste Tomato Mix-A few colorful beauties.

Lettuce-The last of the hot summer crunch varieties.  The hoop house in now fully transitioned to cooler lettuces.

Mini Sweet Pepper Munchers-A bag of assorted colors and varieties.  All Sweet.

Sweet Jimmy Nardello Skinny Italian Frying Pepper-VERY! sweet thinned skinned red pepper.  Listed in the ” US ark of taste” by the slow food movement.

Sweet Jimmy Nardello peppers on the plant.

Sweet Jimmy Nardello peppers on the plant.

 

More pretty Jimmy's in the garden.

More pretty Jimmy’s in the garden.

Fennel-The last of the fennel for the season.  Wonderful grilled or roasted.

Sweet Corn-The end of the season on this crop for us.

Broccoli-The side shoot harvest from the summer broccoli plants.

Edamame-A second and final week of our favorite late summer snack.

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FULL SHARE

Garden Celery-Delicious flavorful stalks.  Perfect for soups and stews.

Cleaning the celery for this week's share.

Cleaning the celery for this week’s share.

Shallots-Our first year offering these in the shares.  Enjoy this sweet treat.

Maeve helped clean the shallots this week.

Maeve helped clean the shallots this week.

1/2 Pint Cherry Tomato-The pretty assorted mix.

Slice/Paste Tomato Mix-A few colorful beauties.

Lettuce-The last of the hot summer crunch varieties.  The hoop house in now fully transitioned to cooler lettuces.

Mini Sweet Pepper Munchers-A bag of assorted colors and varieties.  All Sweet.

Sweet Bell Peppers-A few in each share.

Radishes-A bag of crunchy red round radishes for this weeks salads.

Fennel-The last of the fennel for the season.  Wonderful grilled, roasted or added to cabbage slaw.

Sweet Corn-The end of the season on this crop for us.

Cabbage-A small head of that mini variety that we are so fond of.  Perfectly sized for a few meals and fresh eating.

Edamame-A second and final week of our favorite late summer snack.

Tiny Summer Squash-A few picked small from the new patch.

 

Best guess for next week-Spaghetti squash, spinach!, green beans, carrots, and more……

 

The final green bean crop is slow to develop in the cooler and shorter days....next week a bounty!

The final green bean crop is slow to develop in the cooler and shorter days….next week a bounty!

 

 

 

 

 

September.  We marvel how we are leaving Summer behind.  The colors of the garden are deepening, space is opening up and  we are pulling those early crops of the season.  The final rotation of vegetables are going in and the Winter over crops are seeded in.  Our conversations often mention plans of next year’s garden configuration, where we will be planting the garlic this Fall, putting the garden to bed and perhaps something new we may try for next year.  I even heard myself speak of next season “Spring Share”  and we reflect that things are wrapping up.  We are excited to see the Autumn crops we cared for all summer long reach maturity.  The Winter Squash crop patch is developing  and harvest starts soon.

 

Winter squash on the vine.

Winter squash on the vine.

Another variety of squash in the patch.

Another variety of squash in the patch.

The brussels sprouts are forming.  A bit later this year but on their way……  A favorite and we plant tons!

Brussles Sprout rows.

Brussels  Sprout rows.

When Scott went to pull the flattened popcorn rows from last week’s storm he noticed the roots were strong.  He took the time to stand them all ALL! back up.  Well,  3/4 of it is standing tall and is acting as if nothing tramatic happened.  So, popcorn may really be in our future!

Popcorn standing tall!

Popcorn standing tall!

The ever changing hoop house is all new again…..cooler crops settling in for the finish of the season.  Spinach, spinach and more spinach.  Red kitten is coming back!  leaf lettuces, pac choi, turnips, carrots, radishes and cooler lettuces.

Hoop house trasformed again.

Hoop house transforms again.

Next week's radishes in the hoop house.

Next week’s radish harvest in the hoop house.

The tomato plants keep chugging along.  We had a nice harvest the last 2 weeks and expect to harvest for a few more weeks to come….  The crop is not as strong this year due to the cooler temperatures but we are satisfied with the yield after the near non existant harvest last season.

Lemon Drop on the vine.....

Lemon Drop on the vine…..

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE 

611 pounds of goodies from the garden this week!

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SNACK PACK

Cherry Tomatoes Full Pint-A huge cherry tomato harvest this week with all the heat.

Black Cherries at the top of the trellis.

Black Cherries at the top of the trellis.

Slicers/Paste Tomatoes-A colorful assorted mix.

Potaotes-A bag of Red Norlands.

Leeks-The end of our summer leek harvest.   Fat Autumn leeks to follow soon.

Daikon Radish-Two varieties.  Peel and slice off a bit.  Store the remainder of the root in a sealed bag in the refrigerator.

Edamame-We love this summer treat.  Boil or steam in salty water for a few minutes, cool slighty, remove bean from pod and eat.  Delicious!

Scott pulling all the beans off the plants.  A BIG! job.

Scott pulling all the beans off the plants. A BIG! job.

Anaheim Peppers-A variety called Highlander. Classified as “mildly hot” (an odd discription to me….)and I do not taste any heat just that rich satisfying chili flavor.  Perfect for grilling, stuffing (chili rellenos), roasting and green chili stew.

Sweet Pepper-A tasty bell.

Lettuce-A nice summer crunch head.  It has been a great lettuce year for us with these cooler temperatures.

Sweet Corn-Perhaps the last harvest from Scott’s Uncle’s farm.

Maeve enjoying this week's corn harvest her favorite way-raw!

Maeve enjoying this week’s corn harvest her favorite way-raw!

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Full Share

Cherry Tomato Mix-A double pint container!  Bounty harvest this week.

Sweet sundrop cherry on the vine.

Sweet Sundrop cherry on the vine.

Slicers/Paste Tomatoes-A colorful assorted mix.

Potaotes-A bag of purple Magic Molly Fingerlings.

Daikon Radish-Two varieties.  Peel and slice off a bit.  Store the remainder of the root in a sealed bag in the refrigerator.

Edamame-We love this summer treat.  Boil or steam in salty water for a few minutes, cool slighty, remove bean from pod and eat.  Delicious!

Maeve casting a frozen spell on the edamame....

Maeve casting a frozen spell on the edamame….

And magically the job is done......

And magically the job is done……

 

Anaheim Peppers-A variety called Highlander. Classified as “mildly hot” (an odd discription to me….)and I do not taste any heat just that rich satisfying chili flavor.  Perfect for grilling, stuffing (chili rellenos), roasting and green chili stew.

Anaheim pepper plants in the garden.

Anaheim pepper plants in the garden.

Sweet Pepper-A tasty bell.

Lettuce-A nice summer crunch head.  It has been a great lettuce year for us with these cooler temperatures.

Broccoli-1/2 pound mix of 3 summer varieties.

Summer Carrots-These are the smaller quick growing wonders.  Summer carrots are not as sweet as carrots grown in cooler Spring/Autumn temperatures.  Delicious carrot flavor.  Fun to note the difference in the taste.  Wonderful roasted.

Baby Watermelon-Cute little sweet melons.

Sweet Corn-Perhaps the last harvest from Scott’s Uncle’s farm.

Another big bite!

Another big bite!

 

Baraboo FULL SHARE  Group-those of you that missed out on the early summer raspberries….autumn berries are starting,  Grab a container in the cooler.

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Autumn Berries….

 

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-tomatoes, fennel, celery, green beans???, summer squash,carrots, shallots and more…….

Next green bean harvest.

Next green bean harvest.

A sure sign Autumn is around the corner…….Maeve’s Giant pumpkin patch.

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Well, a BIG HUGE!! storm blasted through our area this morning.  Strong front line winds and an inch of rain.  Our power just went back on after a huge oak limb came down from our favorite oak tree on to the power lines.  Our usual Monday post will be delayed due to the power outage.  The newsletter and all garden updates will post tomorrow morning as I do not want to rush it out. We are fine and the garden is fine aside from 10 billion little plastic pots blew out the side of the greenhouse and ALL over the garden and sadly the popcorn crop is flat on the ground.  It was challenging packing the boxes in the dark.  More challenging to do it without our morning espresso but we got it done.  Enjoy the great share this week. A surprise……packed full of wonderful delights.

 

Tuesday Morning and life returns to normal with cooler working temperatures and the gift of much needed rain.  A day of tidy up around the garden from the storm.

 

A few hot days in the garden last week.  It has been such an easy summer with cooler temperatures that a few days of it at the end are tolerable. The hoophouse is transitioning again as we are planting the end of season crops and a few winter over experiments.   More spinach, carrots, beets and arugula went in.  A long row of leaf lettuce and Fall head lettuce transplanted.  The cucumber vines are coming down this week and it sure signifies the end of summer to me.  Final planting of kale and swiss chard will go in as we like to have tender new plants for the end of season of both of the Autumn treats.  Scott spent many days on weed control and cleanup throughout the garden and turned the compost piles. We had huge tomato and pepper harvests in the heat wave. Finally!

Planting carrots in crates for a late season harvest.  We will move these into the hoophouse when it gets cold and hopefully  have fresh carrots in the snow.

Planting carrots in crates for a late season harvest. We will move these into the hoophouse when it gets cold and hopefully have fresh carrots in the snow.

We have a visitor in the garden.  A woodchuck has moved in and is enjoying our late season broccoli crop as his personal salad bar.  He chomped down the row of tiny winter share broccoli plants in one evening and we were disappointed but quickly reseeded after the discovery.  Live traps are set but no luck yet.

Our end of season crops look strong and abundant.  A quick check of the winter squash patch looks good.  We started the spaghetti squash harvest and will start the summer carrot harvest this week.  Fall leeks are thickening up and the edamame harvest is also on our harvest list.

 

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE

Summer abundance! 784 pounds of food went home with everyone.

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1/2 pint Cherry Tomato Mix.

Box of Tomatoes-An assortment for homemade salsa if you wish.

Salsa Mix-jalapeno, cilantro, garlic and Summer onions (the end of this crop for the season)

Romaine Lettuce-Crisp delicious heads.  One of my favorite summer lettuces called Costal Star.  It sure can handle the heat!

Mini Sweet Pepper Snacking Mix-A colorful assortment of sweet beauties.

Sweet Corn-4 ears in each share.

Melon-Our best cantaloupe season ever!  Enjoy the second week of this sweet treat.  Maeve mentioned that she is about “cantalouped” out as we eat it at every meal this time of year.

French Filet Green Beans-Last of this harvest for a few weeks.

Sunflower Bouquet-A favorite summer treat.

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Cucumbers-An assortment and end of season good-bye to this summer crop.

End of the cucumber harvest.

End of the cucumber harvest.

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FULL SHARE

Full Pint Cherry Tomato Mix.

Box of Tomatoes-An assortment for homemade salsa if you wish.

Salsa Mix-jalapeno, cilantro, garlic and Summer onions (the end of this crop for the season)

Romaine Lettuce-Crisp delicious heads.  One of my favorite summer lettuces called Costal Star.  It sure can handle the heat!

Mini Sweet Pepper Snacking Mix-A colorful assortment of sweet beauties.

Sweet Corn-8 ears in each share.

Maeve sampling the corn harvest.  She thinks raw sweet corn is the best.

Maeve sampling the corn harvest. She thinks raw sweet corn is the best.

Finishing up her second ear.

Finishing up her second ear.

Melon-Our best cantaloupe harvest ever!  Enjoy the second week of this sweet treat.  Maeve mentioned that she is about cantalouped out as we eat it at every meal this time of year.

French Filet Green Beans-Last of this harvest for a few weeks.

Sunflower Bouquet-A favorite summer treat.

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Spinach-I just have to say it again….we are thrilled that we are able to offer this tasty delight in the heat of summer.  ENJOY!

Ground Cherries-A snack we look forward to every summer.  Keep on the kitchen counter and they will just get sweeter and sweeter.

Jimmy Nardello Sweet Peppers-Long skinny red guys that taste like candy.

Backyard Honey-Another sweet treat from the garden.

Finishing up the honey pour.

Finishing up the honey pour and Maeve gets to lick the pitcher.

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-edamame, spaghetti squash, potatoes, lettuce, corn, tomatoes, maybe a few more melons and more…..

 

Fast.  That was the theme of the week for us.  The days zipped by quickly and big harvest jobs completed in a speedy fashion.  We are enjoying work in this season’s cooler temperatures.  The absence of the extreme oppressive heat of years past sure keeps our endurance up to chug along.  Happy days of progress and it feels good.  Late season crops are developing with the aid of constant around the clock irrigation somewhere in the garden.  We hope for rain, daily we hope for rain but the irrigation lines run and we are ok.  The popcorn is tassling!  High hopes we make it in time.   The next round of broccoli looks good and we are still digging late potatoes.  We planted and will continue to plant late season carrots and are going to experiment with some over winter carrot varieties for an early season treat next year.  More spinach went in, beets too and a final planting of Chinese cabbage.  I seeded in some pac choi for end of season harvest and have to admit I am starting to miss eating one of my new favorites this season.

Scott removed the Summer Squash jungle.  I danced among the vines for a final harvest that will appear in the shares this week.  The new patch is starting to produce already.

 

Summer Squash vines going to the compost pile.

Summer Squash vines going to the compost pile.

A nice snappy carrot harvest came out of the hoop house.  We are pleased with the results and again marvel at how quickly they developed.  It seems like we just planted the seeds last week and here they are.

Pulling carrots.

Pulling carrots.

Scott harvesting carrots.

Scott harvesting carrots. The romaine lettuce in the background doubled in size this week and we will be harvesting it for next weeks share…. HUGE! Crazy!

End if the carrot rows.....

End if this carrot harvest…..

Scott washing the carrots in the old wringer washer.

Scott washing the carrots in the old wringer washer.

WHAT IS IN YOUR SHARE

638 pounds this week!  That is a lot of food……enjoy!

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SNACK PACK

1/2 pint cherry tomatoes-The delicious assortment.

Assorted slice/paste tomatoes-A few choice beauties.

Cabbage Head-A mini summer cabbage head.  Perfect for strir fry, salad or slaw.

Spinach!-Amazing to me that it is here in August.  Delicious flavorful leaves.  ENJOY this marvel for this time of year.

Kohlrabi-We grew 4 varieties. An assortment will appear in each share.

Kohlrabi harvest.

Kohlrabi harvest.

Green Beans-Nice long french filets.

Carrots-Sweet hoop house grown carrots.

Summer Onions-We are nearing the end of this crop.

Summer Squash-The last of the harvest from the jungle.

Cantalope-Sweet!  Really sweet.  We are thrilled with this crop.  A wonderful variety called Sarah’s Choice.

Starting the cantalope harvest after daily inspection.  FINALLY! ready.....

Starting the cantalope harvest after daily inspection. FINALLY! ready…..

Scott hauling up a load of cantalope.

Scott hauling up a load of cantalope.

Cinnamon Basil-A perfect pairing with the sweet cantalope.

Cucumber Mix-This may be the end of this season’s harvest…..

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FULL SHARE

Pint of Cherry Tomatoes-The pretty colorful assortment.

Paste/Slice Tomatoes-A few assorted in each share.

Cabbage Head-A mini summer cabbage head.  Perfect for strir fry, salad or slaw.

Kohlrabi-We grew 4 varieties. An assortment will appear in each share.

Beautiful Lettuce-A copper colored wonder called Outrageous.

The lettuce crop at harvest time.

The lettuce crop at harvest time.

This week's Lettuce harvest.

This week’s Lettuce harvest.

Green Beans-Nice long french filets.

Carrots-Sweet hoop house grown carrots. A nice big bag.

Summer Onions-We are nearing the end of this crop.

Summer Leeks-Delicious! We felt our leek crop last year was a bit wimpy and unremarkable.  We made sure this season’s selelction is amaxing!  4 varieties were planted and this is the start of the early smaller summer leeks.  A variety called King Richard.

Taking the summer leeks up to the washing station from the garden.

Taking the summer leeks up to the washing station from the garden.

Potatoes-We had to include a nice sized bag of potatoes to go with the leeks this week-how could we not?  Tasty gratins, fried or soup.

Summer Squash-The last of the harvest from the jungle.

Cantalope-Sweet!  Really sweet.  We are thrilled with this crop.  A wonderful variety called Sarah’s Choice.

Cinnamon Basil-A perfect pairing with the sweet cantalope.

Cucumber Mix-This may be the end of this season’s harvest…..

European Slicing Cucumber-It may be the end of this summer crop too…..

Sweet Pepper-A pretty bull’s horn variety called Carmen.

 

 

BEST GUESS FOR NEXT WEEK-HONEY (FOR SURE!-WE HELD ON TO IT FOR A WEEK AS THIS WEEK’S SHARE GOT JUST TOO BIG AGAIN.), KALE, ROMAINE LETTUCE, CORN, PEPPERS, MELON, SPAGHETTI SQUASH, TOMATOES, AND MORE…..