Trumpeter Swan Farm CSA News - Summer, Week 10, Aug 2
---- Harvest Ebb and Flow ----
Usually, July brings full harvest amounts, giving more choices and typically 10-12 items in a full produce share. The first week of July had just that. But then the effects of no significant rain at our farm between June 15 and July 15 slowed the growth and harvest amounts. We can water to keep things alive, but plants still want to just hunker down and wait. Two weeks of normal rain has got things back on track. Sweet corn has arrived, and cherry tomatoes are starting!
---- Share of the Harvest ----
Just a reminder, we use the "Share of the Harvest" CSA model. You get a share of what we harvest on our farm. There are CSA farms that use a "Share of the Farmstand" model, where their farm stands are supplemented with produce from heated greenhouses, and purchases from other growers, including ones with earlier harvests in Iowa and Missouri. Nothing wrong with that. They provide a earlier and wider selection, at their farms stands and in their CSA boxes, than is locally available. So, "Share of the Harvest" means that we have to be patient with our growing season, waiting until August for sweet corn, and September for an abundance of tomatoes!
---- Cucumbers ----
We grow the long "slicer cucumbers" and stubbier "pickling cucumbers". They taste the same. Some people have preferences, but you can use either variety for salads or sauces. But certainly, if you want to make refrigerator pickles, or cucumbers and cream, select the picklers since they are shorter and have a more tender skin.
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Thanks,
Phil.
