Greetings from the field!
Though it may be hard to believe we are already in mid-August, our farm is just starting to ramp up. We are in peak summer harvest which is keeping us up to our elbows (and in the case of the sunflowers, past our heads) in harvest.
Taking time to embrace the bounty in this time of year can sometimes be difficult with the amount of work, but it is a must. This time of year feels especially special after what this year has brought so far. We have been enjoying mornings of field walks, snacking on cool Sungold cherry tomatoes. Afternoons have been fueled by tasting the first Paula Red apples of the year. Dinners are finished off with fresh cut slices of Blacktail Mountain melons.
We have also been busy closing down our blueberry upick. Thank you so much to all who took a trip out to visit our blueberry farm over in Benton Harbor. We would love to see all the jams and treats you made with your bounty; please continue to sending us pictures!
Speaking of blueberries, there is still one more chance to stock up on fresh 5 pound boxes blueberry. CSA customers: check your customization email. Farm stand subscribers: boxes are available to be pre-purchased from our online farm stand. We will also have boxes at both of our Sunday markets in Chicago this weekend (Logan Square Market and Glenwood Sunday Market).
This time of year also means we are prepping to open our fall apple upick at our home farm in Berrien Springs! As we busy to open farm stand for the upick, we hope you are marking your calendars to come visit us this fall for some safe, social distanced farm fun. Starting Labor Day weekend (Sep 4th-6th) we will be open Fridays - Sundays from 10a-6pm EST through the end of October.
A final reminder for you, CSA shares are coming up! In addition to more 5 pound boxes of blueberries, this month we also have available a wide selection of items including: tomatoes, melon, basil, tomatillos, apples, and summer squash. These items will also be available for pre purchase and at our Sunday farm markets. Be sure to stock up before August is over!
We are also about to get full swing into apple season. Start dusting off your apple pie, crisp, crumble, sauce, bake, roasting and tart recipes, this year we will be flush with some wonderful varieties. So you can plan ahead, our season starts off with more tart and flavorful McIntosh varieties early on, and move into sweeter and unique flavored varieties into late fall.
Stay tuned for more upick, harvest, and other fall information!
Your organic family farmers,
Sydney, Tom, Gonsalo, and The Earth First Farms Crew
