Week 5, July 5 - 12, 2011

In your CSA bag

~ Kohlrabi
~ Cucumber
~ Beets with Greens (also edible)
~ Green Beans- 1 quart
~ Bok Choy – 1 bunch
~ Garlic Scapes – 10
~ Radishes –1 bunch
~ Spinach-1 bunch
~ Lettuce
~ Tomato – 1 conventional (“not ours yet” they will be coming!)
~ Pansies – one 6-pack
(they need more soil so pot them up or in the ground and watch them grow - best in a place that has more sun than shade, and water when wilted)


Also at the Farm Stand
Grown at Valley Dream Farm...
~ Flowers
~ Herbs
~ Bedding plants (20% off for all members)

Grown locally...
~ Maple Syrup, all sizes available - Maple Shade Farm
~ Tomatoes - Deep Root Organic, Canadian grower
~ Eggs - Great Scape Farm, Cambridge

Coming Soon... ~ Boyden Beef

Recipe of the Week
Kohlrabi Cole Slaw


News from the Field

Happy 4th of July! Sorry to say that Strawberries are ending. You can pick if you look under the leaves about 20-minutes per quart. Blueberries, are still about three weeks away.

If you think it smells a little fishy around the farm store, then you are correct as we are frequently fertilizing the plants with an organic fish fertilizer. I guess the pilgrims were “right on” when they planted a fish under the sweet corn to fertilize it. We use an organic product called organic gem made from ground fish parts. It works great but does not always smell so great.

We have just emptied the greenhouse and members can take FREE plants

Summer Squash Plants:
yellow straight neck & Zucchini

Winter Squash Plants:
Acorn - dark green typical,
Carnival - a multi colored acorn like which is also the best for long storage
Butternut – tan with a long neck and fatter bulb at one end
Buttercup like - actually a Kabocha, which looks similar to a buttercup without the ring around the bottom stem
Sweet Dumpling – smaller, rounded with ribs, white with dark green stripes/spotting, stores well also one of the sweetest.
Cream of the Crop – a white acorn shaped squash.

Tomato Plants:
New Girl – an early, great tasting, disease resistant, 4-6oz firm
Big Beef – a larger 10-12oz, excellent tasting, All-American
Valley Girl – flavorful, midsize 7-8oz heavy yielding, temp tolerant
Paragon – very good flavor, 8-10 oz, big flush of fruit
Sun Gold – cherry, gold colored, tropical flavored, to die for !
Sprite - grape tomato, very prolific, red colored

MEMBERS receive a free 6 pack of pansies!

Today we are also giving you a free tomato. We sold out and were not able to buy organic ones for our farmers market and with all the 4th of July activities it seems that tomato sales were down. So you will benefit as a member with a free tomato of your choice.

Enjoy the flavors and the sunshine!

Thanks!
Anne Tisbert