Today is box day! Only two more weeks after this one. The tomatoes are falling way off. There are lots of green ones, but don't know if they will make in time for the rest of the CSA season. Today the full shares get, handful of tomatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, melon, peppers, eggplant, apples, herbs, eggs & bread. The half shares get a handful of tomatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, peppers, eggplant, apples, cucumbers, eggs & bread. Next week we will be looking at some winter squash!!! Enjoy!

We got a double batch of the Elderberry jelly made yesterday and then went out to dig sweet potatoes. Boy were we nicely surprised! They did a lot better than we had thought they would what with the pesky deer keeping the vines trimmed up early on. We dug two 5 gallon buckets so far, so you will have sweet potatoes in your boxes tomorrow. Plus I'm baking again for the boxes today. You will be getting applesauce bread.

This past week has been the usual for chores and work. This cooler wet weather has slowed down the tomatoes and okra. There are still quite a few peppers out there, but they need warm sunny weather to turn red. We have been working on making tomato jalapeno jam and we are finishing up that today. We picked some more elderberries and may try getting some of those worked up and make a couple batches of jam this afternoon. The rye that Greg sowed in the hoop houses has sprouted so he's been watering that. We need to dig on the sweet potatoes, so may work on that this afternoon if it isn't too muddy!!!

Today is box day. The full shares will be receiving apples, eggs, peaches, okra, eggplant, peppers, onions, leeks and herbs. The half shares will be getting eggs, apples, eggplant, peppers, onions, cucumber and a leek. Hopefully it won't rain during delivery!

The last two nights Greg has mowed the weeds down in the two hoop houses that we had spring greens in and tilled them up and sowed rye for a green manure cover crop.

Friday was picking day for market. Greg mowed between the rows and knocked down a lot of weeds while I picked. Things are slowing down, the okra is pretty much done. After we were finished picking we cut up peppers and put in the dehydrator. Our daughter came home for the weekend, so she fixed dinner while we finished up loading the trucks. She went to market for us in Fulton, she wanted some spending money!

Market Saturday was lousy in both Columbia and Fulton locations. It starts cooling off and people quit coming to market. I don't know if they think that there's nothing left or are just tired of the tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and zucchini?! But the Fall stuff is coming in. There are the winter squashes, pumpkins, sweet potatoes and some of the Spring things are again available in the Fall. So keep coming out to market!!!

Greg's brother-in-law commissioned me to make some corn cob jelly, tomato jalapeno jam and persimmon jam for his store that he and Greg's sister own in Glasgow, Missouri. They sell Missouri made art and crafts and Missouri made food products. It's called the Riverport Market. If you're ever in Glasgow check it out!

Yesterday was errand day and catch up day, but I didn't get any house work done or the lawn mowed, which needs it badly!!!! I worked on getting a trailer load of hay to a guy in Millersburg and he wanted some veggies. That pretty much took all morning. I had to air the tire up on the trailer, get it hooked up and to the barn under the hay mound door, which took several times of backing, which I can not do!!! So I never got it as close to the door as I wanted, so when I went to throw out the hay some of it missed the trailer! And the hay is 20 years old so all the twine on the bales was rotten and broke! But I finally got it all in the trailer and tramped down and the tarp put on and delievered!

By the time I got home it was noon so I got cleaned up (again) and went back to town to go to the bank and grocery store, back home to put groceries away.

Our little dog Sassy had a vet appointment at 2:15p.m. so I loaded her up to go back to town and while I was putting her in the van Shadow our big black dog decided he wanted to go and jumped in too! I could not get him out as he laid down and when he thinks you're mad at him he will not do anything you tell him to do! At the moment he's one big massive cockle bur as he's been out back chasing rabbits, so I didn't want to try to pick him up, so he rode to town with us!

After the vet visit I then had to go out to the feed store to get dog food, water softener salt, and a bag of oats. Get home and unload everything and put it away, by then it's about 3:40p.m. I still haven't cleaned yesterdays eggs and put them away, so I worked on that. Greg gets home at 4:00p.m and asks have you checked the tomatoes in the dehydrator? Shoot!!!! We look at them and most of them are now black!

Greg worked on spraying the tomatoes in the hoop house. They still have lots of little green tomatoes, so we are hoping there will be tomatoes late. Today is baking day, so I'd better hop to it. Maybe later I can get the yard mowed?!

We got all the strawberries planted!!!!!! YEAH! Today is box day. This is week 21, so after today there will be 4 weeks left, and things are petering down. We need a little rain to get the greens and radishes we planted going, most have sprouted but now need moisture. Today you will be getting apples, tomatoes, eggs, potatoes, onions, eggplant, cucumbers, summer squash and peppers. The full shares will also get a little bit of green beans and okra.

Well market Saturday was not good! This year I think more people are growing their own stuff, plus there are more vendors with produce this year at the market, so competition is stiff! That's where it's important to find a special niche that no one else is doing and work on that. It may not be as profitable as some, but then that's where you have to be diversified on top of everything else! We've been drying tomatoes, and I need to work on putting soup mixes together like I usually do for the fall, but my big enemy is TIME!!! Oh, well if I could bottle "TIME" and sell it I'd be rich, as no one has enough TIME! After market on Saturday we started planting strawberries, got one bed done. Then Sunday we worked all day and got four more done, so now we just have one bed left to do and Greg hopes to get that done tonight! YEAH!

Greg worked Tuesday evening on the electric fence around the strawberry patch and I helped him finish it up yesterday evening so now we are ready to start planting strawberries! The tips are looking good with nice roots so things are falling into place. I'm baking today and putting tomatoes in the dehydrator. Here is a recipe I got off Lane McConnell's blog for apple salad since apple season is here!

Honey Apple Salad from my mother's kitchen
3 1/2 diced red apples
2 T. lemon juice
2 c. grapes
1 c. sliced celery, thinly sliced
1/2 c. chopped dates
1/2 c. mayo
1/4 c. honey
2 T. sour cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
In a large bowl toss apples with lemon juice. Add grapes, celery and dates.In a small bowl combine mayo, honey, sour cream and salt, mix.Pour over apple mixture and toss; stir in walnuts.
Posted by Lane at 9/09/2009

Today is box day! You will be receiving tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, summer squash, apples, pears, okra, eggs, and maybe herbs! The peaches are pretty much done. There are about 3 more trees out there, but they are not ripe and don't look too good.

Saturdays market was so-so, but holiday weekends usually aren't too good. At least it didn't rain! Yesterday we went to a Sellmeyer family reunion up to Glasgow, so today it's back to work. We are making tomato jalapeno jam and jalapeno cayenne jam! This afternoon after it dries up we will go out and pick. I think the peaches are pretty much done, but there will be apples.

Yesterday Greg & I went on a farm tour that was sponsored by the Missouri Vegetable Growers association and MU Extension. It was fun, we went to a couple of big guys; Thies and Stuckmeyer's South of St. Louis which some of you may know and been to. They are gearing up for their Fall activities. We also went to a smaller operation more along the lines of our size. It's always fun and interesting to go on these and see how other's do things and the equipment they use and gadgets they have come up with to make things easier! It's also nice to know everyone has the same questions and problems we do; deer, coons, rabbits, weeds, labor, etc!!!

Today we've been busy picking for tomorrow's markets. Megan is coming home this weekend and wanting to take stuff to the Fulton market and earn some money! We are about done all that's left to do is wash tomatoes and peaches and then load the trucks!

Yesterday Greg tilled up four old greens beds and we replanted radishes, lettuce, kale, swiss chard, spinach, turnips, etc. So hopefully we will get some fall greens. The weather sure has been nice enough for them. Today I'm baking zucchini and persimmon bread for Columbia farmers' market. Greg is coming home at noon and we are going to take a road trip over South of St. Louis area and do three farm tours and see how and what other people are doing! I'm also trying to stick more tomatoes in the dehydrator between baking spells! So I'd better get to it!

I've had some people tell me they don't know what to do with eggplant, so here are a few recipes I found on the web that might be of interest to you. I also have, but can't seem to find it a recipe for slicing them like fries and deep fat frying them and then seems like there were some dipping sauces, but I can't find it. But you could use any kind of dipping sauce you like; ranch, blue cheese, or sprinkle them with salt, pepper, paprika or Cayenne pepper and have a snack! Anyway hope this helps give you some ideas and you use up your eggplant! Enjoy!

Delicious eggplant roll-ups with basil, spaghetti sauce, ground beef, and seasonings.
Cook Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Ingredients:
1 large eggplant, peeled
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons milk
1 cup soft bread crumbs
2 to 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried leaf basil, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/4 pounds lean ground beef
1 jar (16 ounces) spaghetti sauce
Preparation:In a Dutch oven or large, deep skillet, bring salted water to a boil for eggplant. Cut eggplant lengthwise into about 12 1/4-inch slices. Boil in salted water for 3 to 4 minutes. Drain well on paper towels.
In a mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, bread crumbs, cheese, and seasonings. Add 1 pound of the ground beef; mix well. Divide into 12 portions. Place a portion on each eggplant slice; roll up. Place in a large baking pan, seam side down. Brown remaining ground beef; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce. Spoon meat sauce over roll-ups. Cover pan and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 30 to 40 minutes longer. Serve over spaghetti or with a tossed salad.Eggplant rolls serve 6.
Cook Time: 30 minutes

EGGPLANT CASSEROLE
Ingredients:
2 large eggplants, about 1 pound each
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped onion
4 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
8 ounces minced or ground cooked ham
2 cups fresh bread crumbs
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
Preparation:Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and remove pulp to make a scooped-out shell, 1/2 inch thick. Chop the eggplant pulp coarsely and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat; cook the eggplant shells, cut side down, for 5 minutes. Remove shells to a shallow baking dish. Add butter to skillet; sauté onions and garlic for 2 minutes. Add reserved eggplant pulp, tomatoes, thyme, cayenne and pepper and cook over brisk heat until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is thick. Remove from heat and mix in ham, bread crumbs and coriander. Fill the eggplant shells with the stuffing mixture; bake in a preheated 400° oven for 15 minutes, until slightly browned.
Serves 4.

EGGPLANT CREOLE
Ingredients:
1 eggplant
1 can (10 1/2 ounce) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 small onion, diced
1/4 cup diced green or red bell pepper pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 medium tomato, diced
Preparation:Peel, slice and cook eggplant; drain and mash. Add remaining ingredients and place in buttered casserole. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake eggplant casserole at 350° for 20 to 30 minutes.Eggplant casserole serves 4.

BOX DAY!

Today you will be getting the usual, tomatoes, peppers, onions, summer squash, cucumbers, eggplant, okra, peaches, apples and pears! Enjoy!!!