Farm Happenings at Broadfork Farm
Back to Farm Happenings at Broadfork Farm

Farm Shares for June 25, 2022

Posted on June 23rd, 2022 by Janet Aardema

Summer officially began this week and our Tomato yields are becoming more abundant with every harvest! (They pair so nicely with our Basil, pictured in the photo above.)

 

REMINDER: Your TOMATOES will almost always be separate from the rest of your vegetables at pick up. Look in the crate located with shares. 

On our farm, for most vegetables with seeds inside of them (botanically speaking they are "fruits") we harvest 3 times per week. For greens (lettuces and kale, chard, etc.), we harvest two times per week. 

The rhythm on our farm shifts this time of year as we start harvesting more and more vegetables that are actually fruits. Your Farm Shares gradually change to reflect this different harvest! Vegetable "fruits" are more dense than the fluffy, leafy greens. These greens are a lot harder (or impossible) to grow in the hottest time of the year, but our family loves the balance of lettuce with the summer bounty and we figure lots of you do, too. So we've worked for a number of years on strategies to be able to harvest lettuce most weeks of the summer. We still need the right weather conditions to allow it, so cross your fingers for that cooperation from the skies and wind. And while you're at it, take a look at where you might be able to decrease your carbon footprint while also contacting your representatives to ask for large-scale changes to what powers our modern day life. Climate change impacts farming so greatly. 

Last week we pulled our earliest-maturing garlic and hung it to cure. Curing is the process of the garlic skins drying so that the garlic can stay good/store for a few months. If the skins stayed wet, the garlic cloves would mold. The photo above shows some of our garlic after we pulled it from the ground. We let it dry for a day in the sun before moving it to our barn to hang. 

Vegetable prep suggestions:
Roasted Beets with balsamic glaze (so easy) and goat cheese. Serve on Salad Mix combined with thinly-sliced raw Swiss Chard. 
Serve roasted or grilled Summer Squash on the side. (Marinate the squash in oil with salt and garlic before roasting for an extra delicious treat.)
Dip carrots into hummus for lunch. 
Put slices of Cucumbers into your sushi rolls and wraps and sandwiches...

If you've received this email, you have a share scheduled to pick up in two days. (Sudden need to be out of town? No problem -- log in and click on "Reschedule or Hold this Share" BEFORE 6am the day before pick up.)
 
For Pick Up:
- Please remember to bring your own bags each week. 
- At Self Serve locations: Our vegetables are in green plastic boxes at the pick up location, labelled with members' names. Find the box with your name on it. - Empty the vegetables into your bag and leave the empty, green box for us to collect.  
- Loaves of bread, for those who have ordered one, will be near the green boxes, labeled with your name. Pick up your loaf if you are due one. (Some people have purchased a Bread Share for a loaf each week of the season. Some people order a loaf when they please.)
- Same for cooler(s) at pick up locations with any cold items that aren't vegetables (tomatoes, eggs, fermented vegetables, etc...)
- At Staffed locations: One of us will be there to quickly gather your items for you to bag up and bring home.
- Preparation ideas and recipe suggestions are in your email. Also check out our Pinterest Page for lots of recipe ideas, organized by vegetable. 

Vacations:
If you will be gone and can't pick up a particular week's share you can reschedule that week's share for a different week in the Harvie software, or you can have a friend or family member pick up for you. Just forward this email to them so they know the details. 
 
Vegetable Storage Tips:  Storing them properly allows them to last longer in your fridge (or on your counter!), stay more crisp, and serve you best.  Here’s what the pros do…
-> All GREENS and ROOTS need to be refrigerated in an AIR TIGHT bag or container to prevent going limp/wilty. Keep bagged greens in the bag in which we pack them.
-> ROOTS store best if you remove the tops and refrigerate them in a separate container or bag.
-> If you’re short on fridge space, you can also keep Peppers, Onions, Potatoes, Garlic, and Cucumbers (for a brief time) out of the fridge. (Though, our standard is to store Peppers & Cucumbers in the fridge. Just keep an eye on them. They’ll go bad after a time.)
-> Keep Tomatoes and Eggplants OUT of the fridge. (Eggplants have the shortest shelf life of anything we grow. Eat them soon after getting them from us.)
 
Thank you again for being part of our Farm Share! Our farm wouldn't exist without you, and we're so happy to grow vegetables to nourish you. 
 
Blessings on your meals ~
With blessings on your meals ~
Janet, Dan, and the whole Broadfork crew (Julie, Mia, Natalie, Sophie, Magda, S., Zach, and the farm kids)
Want to follow along during the week, including Farm Stand updates? Visit us on Facebook or Instagram