Week #4, June 29, 2010 CSA Pick up

What delicious organic veggies are available this week at Valley Dream Farm?

In Your CSA Bag

~ Tomato - one large & one small

~ Swiss Chard

~ Kale (purple)

~ Lettuce

~ Garlic Scapes

~ Choice: Bok-choy or Cucumber

~ Strawberries (get 1 pint/pick 1 pint)

Also at the Farm Stand

produced locally...*

Boyden Farm ~ beef

Green Top Farm ~ lamb & pork

Red Hen Baking Co. ~ organic breads

Maple Shade Farm ~ maple syrup

* These items are brought into our farm stand to give you a larger selection.

Recipe of the Week

Avocados with Strawberry Salsa and Tortilla Strips

News from the Field

Strawberries are available for you again this week. They seemed to have peaked this last weekend and are slowing down already. You may have noticed that our berries come a few days later (zone 4) vs. some of the other farms in the area (zone5, closer to the lake). Many people were out picking over the weekend and left with baskets of red, juicy berries. They may not last for another week. This week you may pick one pint for your CSA share (you have one week to pick your pint). Delivery members will receive their pint already picked.

Our Tomato Story:

Our tomatoes were started from seed in February. We grow several different kinds, each for a different purpose. We are also growing different colors this season. We grow special types to be grafted together when whey are about 3-4 inches tall. A root stock with great disease resistance and vigor is grown for the bottom of the new grafted plant and the top of the new grafted plant is chosen for its delicious flavor. Bi-focals and a steady hand are helpful when cutting the plants at similar angles and putting them together with a grafting clip. They are carefully transplanted into larger cells in a shaded incubation chamber an misted for 4 days to allow the grafts to take. Nest they are uncovered fro a week and returned to the sun slowly as the grafts begin to heal and the plants continue to grow. Soon the clips are removed and the new plants are again transplanted into small pots. By March the grafted plants are ready to be planted in the green house in black plastic with trickle tape underneath to keep those thirsty plants happy and the humidity in the greenhouse to a minimum. This is just one way we as organic growers can bring you a better tasting tomato.

Please enjoy your fresh organic vegetables!- Anne Tisbert