Happy Fourth of July, Farm-ily!
I have a near-infamous appreciation for the aroma of fresh basil. So much, in fact, that I grow it indoors in my living room where I can smell it while I drink my tea in the morning on the couch! My indoor basil plant is currently tipped with budding white flowers, something you won’t ever see on the same herbs here at the Farm. Many of our summer crops require careful pruning.
Pruning can take many forms, including purposefully removing flowers or new growth. For the plants that need it, there can also be multiple benefits. We prune to force vertical height and leaf density in basil by redirecting the plant’s energy from reproduction to growth. In the case of tomatoes, especially the indeterminate tomatoes in our high tunnels, pruning not only helps drive earlier and more sustained fruit set, it helps with airflow to combat potential fungal disease. Have you pinched off the flowers of your tomato starters before transplanting them to a container? That’s a form of pruning! An indeterminate tomato is the vining rather than “bushy” type usually found in containers. They are a labor of love, and if we prune and care for them dutifully they will keep our bellies full of bruschetta, panzanella, and caprese all summer. Pruning tomatoes actually takes up so much of our time, we’ll be bringing in volunteers shortly to help.
By contrast, we don’t prune other fruiting vegetables, like zucchini and summer squash, because it doesn’t increase the harvest yield. Harvesting the blossoms would actually slow the development of the zucchini… which might negatively impact our office consumption of zucchini bread. Some of the other plants we leave alone are herbs with a linear rather than axillary structure. Think of the shape of basil stem with forks and leaves, versus the long single stem of chives or dill. Pruning doesn’t nurture their growth. Their blossoms are also edible and delicious- which is why we send those dill flowers your way.
If all of this is old news to you, you are a ripe candidate (see what we did there?) to volunteer for some tomato pruning shifts on the Farm. If you’ve never pruned but a little socially distant time with the tomato vines sounds like fun, we’ll show you how and give you some shears. Send us an email at farm@willowsfordfarm.com if you’re interested. This summer looks like a long and fruitful one!
Eat well and be well,
Ashley, Collin, John, Lex, Alexandra, Nate, James, Rory, and the hens, hogs, and dogs
Meal Plan Week #7
- We've already given you all our best tips and recipes to conquer the zucchini harvest like champs... this week is the week of cucumbers. Have you ever made pickles? If not, that's our 2020 challenge to you! Here's how you do it: The Best (Easiest) Refrigerator Pickles. Kid approved.
- Cucumbers are breakfast food when you add them to an Egg and Veggie Breakfast Bowl with a delicious cilantro sauce.
- Cucumber salads with tomatoes and vinegar are a picnic staple, but how about one with Cucumber, Honeydew, and Burrata? Burrata makes everything better! Or, pair your cukes with our adorable baby beets for Cucumber, Dill, Beet, and Feta Salad. Make your cucumber salad filling enough to stand alone with Cucumber Chicken Salad or Cucumber Black Bean Salad.
- Skip the salad altogether and whip up a Cucumber Basil Gazpacho.
- Break out the spiralizer and make Sesame Marinated Cucumber Noodles.
- Still have cukes? Use the rest up for snacks in Salt & Vinegar Cucumber Chips.
**Meat Shareholders this week will receive an assortment of pork ribs/spareribs and butts, ground chicken, and NY strips**
