Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Week 13: Summer is Here!

Summer is finally here on 8th Street Greens!

This week's box:  Herb Salad and basil or cilantro, whichever you did not get last week, from 8th Street.  If you got cilantro this week, you get a cucumber (either a classic slicer or an asian variety), some from Yonder some from 8th Street.  If you got basil this week, you'll have summer squash in your box, from Yonder Farm.  Also from Yonder:  sugar snap peas, hopefully filled out and sweet.  Truly the last of them:)  and a tomato.  The apricots are “Perfections.”


Cucumber and cilantro are delicious together in nori rolls or fresh spring rolls.  It's a great idea to make a batch of wraps before the work week, then eat them for a couple of days.  A cool, refreshing summer snack, full of nutrients but light on the belly.  Put some pickled ginger, wasabi, and soy sauce on it and you've got electrolytes!

Summer squash is delicious lightly sauteed in butter or olive oil, with basil added at the end and maybe a little salt and freshly sauteed garlic (leave the cloves whole or chop it) and some balsamic vinegar.  Use it as a side dish or to top pasta, along with some raw tomato.


The fruit share gets:  2 lb of apricots (“Perfection”  We're calling the grade 1 1/2s, because they're not quite as nice as fancies but not as blemished as #2s.  Watershine, the OPMA representative who does the marketing, networking, taking of orders for all the OPMA growers, said these apricots have some russet and blemishes.) They taste like perfection but aren't A+ perfect:)  The 2 lbs of peaches are Early Red Haven from Filaree Fruit.  We'll all have peaches in our box next week!  The strawberries are from 8th Street.  I guess berries are about done at Bunny Laine. . .  bye bye my blueberry loves.  Glad I have some of you in the freezer!  My family has been living off ½ flat of blueberries per week—they sure do take care of us!  Next year, I'd be happy to get any of you extra blueberries each week.  And Bunny Laine would be happier to bring me several flats a week!  Blueberries are just right, but so are succulent peaches!

Elliot Phillips weeds a bed of strawberries at 8th Street Greens.

If anyone wants a box or more of Early Red Haven peaches for canning, drying or bulk fresh eating, call or email me by next Monday.  Prices vary for fancies, small fancies, #2s, or canners.  Red Havens are cling-pit.  The semi-cling “freestone” are the Suncrests, which won't be until early September this year.

The drying shed filled to the brim with garlic.

The garlic is all in the drying shed.  We'll start cleaning it next week.  I just rototilled a lot of ground yesterday, prepping for more salad successions (only 2 more for the season!) and for cover crop.  We planted lots of greens and herbs this morning and are doing an 80 pound greens harvest tomorrow!

Shannon keeps her seeds organized and safe from the rain and sun in a file box. Genius!

Shannon spreads nitrogen-rich fertilizer by hand onto a long bed.

Shannon skillfully seeds a bed with yet another succession of salad greens.


Looking forward to making pesto soon.  We'll have lots of basil starting next week.  If any of you would like to order a pound or two, call me.  I'll try to figure out a recipe for pesto that uses a 1 lb of basil ratio.  A pound of basil looks like a gallon of milk, regarding size of bag.  When making pesto, we just always improvise the ingredients into the food processor. . .  oh yah!  I made a yummy strawberry/raw ginger/fennel bulb smoothie yesterday, with ice cubes, rice milk, a dash of lime and agave nectar.  Yum!  Try it, you might like it!!!  It's so worth it to motivate and follow through on one's food ideas, with all this delicious seasonal food at our foot tips---root tips---finger tips.

Best to you all!  ~~shannon

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