Summer CSA Pick up #10: 7/31-8/4

Farm News

How does the song go … what a difference a day a day makes.

Boy does that sure feels true right now. Last week it was so hot we were mainlining salt tabs, shade, and soaking wet shirts and the on Thursday it was 80F and it looks pretty okay and comfortable for the next week. We just can’t help but hope that the big heat of the summer is DONE! Gosh, wouldn’t that be nice?

As the weather breaks, we appear to have entered smoke season here in beautiful Central Oregon. A month ago, every day on the farm revolved around checking the temps to make sure the vegetables wouldn’t freeze (do you remember how cold it was this spring?), and now we are pivoting to checking the current and forecasted AQI to see how bad it really is outside.

Just like when it is cold or hot, farmers can’t avoid the smoke either. Plants need watering, tending, harvesting, planting, starting. The weeds are still everywhere. Animals are still hungry and thirsty and they definitely need a bit more attention for the same reason we do: the smoke sucks.

Everyday, we go do the thing. Sometimes it feels like it is because we have to, but under that ‘have to’ is a whole lot of ‘want to’.

I do want to take a moment today to thank you for being CSA members. Your membership, your weekly attendance and excitement are all things that we know we can count on. Farmers in Central Oregon, us included, are all really struggling with a lag of sales at the Farmers Markets we attend. Between the heat and the smoke (and the economy and the state of the world and all the things that we don’t fully understand or recognize), this significant revenue stream is down. Having you, our faithful CSA members there consistently, generously, and graciously truly makes all the difference both from a dollars and cents and from an emotional perspective.

A CSA commitment is about so much more then the food you take home with you. It is about economic, environmental, social, and emotional sustainability. It’s about one’s health and confidence. It is about trust and love and passion.

Thank you for being a part of our Community! And, hey, if you know someone who has been thinking about joining on of our CSAs or starting to shop at the Farmers Market or the Farm Store, send them our way. We have space and we would love to welcome them to the community in whatever way they can join! Don’t forget, if you recommend someone, you’ll get a store credit bonus!

~ Alison & the Farm Crew

Top Pic: Did you see them last week? The tomatoes are here! Tomatoes are such little goldilocks: hot but not too hot, sunny, but not too sunny. These conditions are perfect now. They got a big boost of growth with the heat, but this downturn in temps has really helped them ripen up. Come and get ’em! (Photo credit: Ray Hansen)

Next Pic: We know you LOVE kale and we make sure you have kale almost every week, by power-posing the kale. The kale you see in this photo has been power posed. We remove the kale leaves all the way up the stem from the bottom leaving two or three at the very top in a “power pose”. This allows the kale plant to keep growing and leafing out all summer! (Photo credit: Ray Hansen)

Final Pic: The first of the hot peppers are turning colors and should be coming to you soon (if not this week!) Sweet peppers are always a little bit behind the hot, but they too are on their way. (Photo credit: Ray Hansen)

Veggie CSA

Every week, we include this section with what we think will be coming out of our fields and hoop houses for the CSA pick up. Keep in mind, that we send this email on Monday just as we start harvesting for the week. That means this is a guess/estimation/extrapolation of what we think we are seeing in the fields. Sometimes we are spot on, but other times we are not.

Our CSA is market style, this means that it isn’t a guarantee that we have of all these things for everyone. Instead, this will be the variety of what we will hopefully (fingers crossed) have for you to choose from this week.)

A note on foundations: SURPRISE! You will learn your foundations and all the details of your CSA for the week when you pick up.

Harvest List will probably include:

asian greens, napa cabbage, yod fah
green onions
kale & chard
head lettuce, salad mixes, arugula
radishes & salad turnips
kohlrabi
beets
basil
beans

eggplant
tomatillos
zucchini & yellow squash
cucumber
fennel
carrots
tomatillos
tomatoes
brocoli & cauliflower

Meat CSA

Tune in next week for the Meat CSA.
Don’t forget, Meat CSA picks up every other week. Next meat CSA is 7/10.

This is quite possibly the first dahlia in bloom on the farm this year. What is so special about this is not the wow factor of its pink and yellow striping, but the cool fact that this was a saved dahlia tuber from last year! Not only do we save vegetable seeds, but we are also saving unique, one of a kind flower seeds and tubers. You will start seeing Dahlia’s in the bouquets Momo brings to market soon!
(photo credit: Natalie Leder)