2023 CSA Newsletter #14
Wow! That was a hot week! I know it's technically still summer, but I am over the hot weather and looking forward to cooler temperatures. It wasn't the most enjoyable weeks of work. But just like the crops, we made it through. I was definitely nervous about the brassicas growing since they already are a few degrees warmer because they are covered for pest protection. They seemed to make it through mostly unscathed and should really bounce back with the upcoming cooler temperatures.
It was a short week for us last week with students having off for the Labor Day holiday and the adjustment of juggling the new semester with their classes. Most of what was accomplished was harvesting for the CSA. We were able to start some of the cleanup projects that we want to accomplish before we can't. I was also able to start to generate priorities for our fall projects. I know I was just complaining about last week's heat, but it can easily go the other way and have temperatures drop before we are fully prepared. We have the ability to push crops in our tunnels but there are steps that we need to take to make sure we can maximize their potential. We have started that process by pruning the tomatoes and cleaning up bad fruit. We need to keep that up and start some other maintenance that will hopefully begin this week.
The CSA choice this week is as robust as last week. There is still lettuce mix, kale and the Asian Greens mix of bok choy and tat soi. This week it is bigger and better suited for stir-fries. If using in a stir-fry, I recommend cooking the stems and leaves separately, unless you want crunchy in your dish. There are still scallions along with all of the tomato choices of beefsteaks, heirlooms, sauce and cherries. The "specialty pepper" choice will see the return of Shishito peppers, as well as Padron, Havasu and this week some big beautiful Anaheims. Garlic is returning this week and there will sweet Bell and Italian frying peppers to choose from. The eggplant is slowing down but is still in this week's share. The hot peppers are still producing like crazy. This week will see the addition of some different superhot varieties. There will also be new mild varieties. I forgot to mention them last week, but the Habanada variety is an amazing heatless habanero. It was bred locally at Cornell by plant breeder, Michael Mazourek. There will also be one of my favorite looking peppers, a variety called Mad Hatter. Basil will once again be u-pick. We will probably start to pull it out in the next couple of weeks, so you are welcome to as much as you would like. There will also be a bonus of some seedlings available at pickup this week. There will be 4-packs of Catnip, Feverfew, Bee Balm and Catmint, if you want to add some pollinators and edibles to your landscape.
Have a great week!
-Farmer Todd