Last night, we woke up to lightning and the sound of rain. Woohoo! We received a little less than 1/2 of an inch, and we are so thankful. It seems like it has been weeks since we've received any measurable amount of rain, and irrigation has become an around the clock affair. We're still irrigating (most crops need about 1 inch of rain per week), but last night's storm relieves some pressure.
This week is the last week for watermelon, and probably the last week for cantaloupe. What a wonderful melon season! The melons are very ripe and ready to be eaten. Tomato season is reaching its peak - we have bulk tomatoes for canning, freezing, and drying available. We love to freeze the cherry tomatoes to add to soups and stews in the winter. The tomatoes for drying are a lovely variety called Verona. A miniature Roma tomato, the fruits are about 2 inches long - perfect for cutting in half and then dehydrating. We use the dried tomatoes in soups, stews, pasta salads, and even make tomato paste from rehydrated tomatoes.
We are also offering Salsa Verde kits this week. They include: 1 lb of tomatillos, 1 small head of garlic, 1 bunch of cilantro, 1 small sweet onion, and 1-3 jalapenos. Here is our go-to method of making salsa verde.
As our cooler empties of melons, we are filling it up with late summer produce. We'll have carrots in next week's shares - and hopefully will have the every week after that. Our first succession of fall cabbage is almost ready, and spaghetti squash harvest in on the horizon. Peppers are looking beautiful, with the first orange and red fruits harvested this past week.
We hope that you have been enjoying the bounty of the summer growing season!
Your Farmers,
Craig and Lauren
