2023 CSA Newsletter #12
Welcome to those folks who are joining us for the second half of the CSA season. Thank you for your support of the TC3 Farm. And welcome back to my Tompkins Cortland colleagues for the start of a new semester. I love the start of semesters, especially the fall. It is the start of a new academic year, the weather is mostly still great and the energy of students and faculty returning is pretty fantastic! It is a nice pick-me-up during a long farming season. Wishing you all a great semester!
Last week was an important week for crop maintenance. All of the tomato plants got a major pruning to increase airflow between the plants. This is important as we head into the fall and the plants become more susceptible to disease as the weather changes. In addition to the airflow pruning creates, it also helps the plants' energy usage. Another disease prevention task with the tomatoes is to remove any rotten or split tomatoes from the area. Every time that I do this task, I always think about the stories of rotten vegetables being thrown in disgust at an individual and appreciate that I have never experienced that. It is definitely not the most glorious of farm tasks but it is a necessity. The basil planting also is in the process of a mini-renovation. I mentioned last week that we were taking a week off to give it a chance to rebound a bit. Well, we took it a little further than just giving it a rest. We did a major "topping" of the plants to take care of any flowering plants and a bit of disease prevention. We're ultimately not going to be able to keep up with the flowering, but I think this is a good start for a last hurrah.
Let's get on to this week's CSA share. The tomato bonanza of 2023 continues. I think the heirlooms may have peaked last week, but they are still plentiful. This week, it is the beefsteak tomatoes that are going to shine. They really hit their stride and are going to be pumping out beauties for the next few weeks. The paste/sauce tomatoes and cherry tomatoes are also not showing signs of slowing down. I don't know if folks have a dehydrator at home, but halving cherry tomatoes and throwing them in the dehydrator is such a tasty treat now and even a better one in a stew on a cold winter day. It's going to be a great week for cucumbers, as well. Side note - The partnership with Rocky Acres has been great. Not just for the CSA, but for the students to see collaborative work within the food system. Our markets are different, but we have a shared goal of feeding our community. We have been able to provide cooler space, as the folks at Rocky Acres are in the process of expanding their capacity. Okay, back to the share. There will also be lettuce mix and scallions, as well as eggplant, hot peppers, the bell/frying pepper mix and the specialty pepper mix of shishitos, padrons and santa fes (havasu variety). This week will also be the return of garlic. It is done curing and with that, comes more flavor. Fingers crossed, but I am hoping for next week, the fall kale will be ready.
Have a great week!
-Farmer Todd