CSA box time again today! Everyone will be getting some blueberries, potatoes, onions, eggplant, jalapeno pepper and eggs. The full shares will also get some green beans, broccoli, blackberries and okra.

The radicchio that was looking so good and was ready to put in the boxes this week became food to the "Deer"! They ate off over 20 heads! I hope it gave them a terrible belly ache! I say they all though we've only ever seen one, but there has to be more than one to have eaten that many heads of radicchio and they also got into the green beans that same night! We didn't think about them eating the radicchio as it is bitter and so we hadn't sprayed it with the rotten egg and hot pepper mixture. Like I said I hope they "paid" for it!

I planted out more fennel, basil, oregano, celeriac, parsley and husk tomatoes. We planted some more green beans and edamames (edible soybeans). We worked yesterday on weeding the pumpkins and winter squash field, have two more rows on that to do yet. I need to get back out and string on the tomatoes again. Always plenty of things to do. Also need to get some more jams made...

This week the full share CSA boxes are going to be getting: eggs, blueberries, onions, chinese cabbage, lettuce, new potatoes, okra, eggplant, herbs and a jalapeno pepper. The half shares will be getting eggs, chinese cabbage, new potatoes, onions blueberries and a jalapeno pepper! I picked a quart of blackberries, so there may be blackberries in your boxes next week, too. Enjoy, see you this afternoon!

Well Greg is finally finished with the outage! Now he can get a few things done around here that he hasn't had time to keep up with! He mowed around the black berries and blueberries, he's been spraying deer repellent around the summer squash, cucumbers, beans and broccoli, but it keeps raining and washing it off, so have to keep making more and spraying! I finally got all the tomatoes first stringing done, and Lucas tied up the peppers, eggplant & okra. We got the summer squash and cucumber plants out of the green house and planted out in the field! We've got most of the new lettuce and greens beds weeded. I still need to set out some of my herb plants and another tray of fennel out yet, Greg and Lucas did some already, I just need to finish it up.

Be looking for Chinese Cabbage in your boxes this week. Here are some tips on how to use it. Chop it raw into salads, substitute in traditional coleslaw, for an Asian-style salad, toss chopped cabbage with grated carrot, copped green onion, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Chinese cabbage cooks quickly. Steam for 3-5 minutes or until leaves are wilted down but remain slightly crisp. All cabbages are at risk for overcooking! Substitute Chinese cabbage for common cabbage in recipes, but reduce cooking time by 2 minutes. Chinese cabbage is a classic and popular stir-fry vegetable and also a main ingredient in egg rolls. You can stir-fry it alone with a little onion, toasted sesame oil, and soy sauce, or add it chopped toward the end of your mixed vegetable stir-fry. Chinese cabbage is excellent in soups, fried rice, mashed with potatoes, etc.

Storage tips: Do not remove all the outer tough leaves before storage. They will help retain moisture, keeping the inside crisp and fresh. Keep Chinese cabbage in the hydrator dra wer of the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

The above information came from "From Asparagus to Zucchini" a guide to cooking farm-fresh seasonal produce.

Well the bad news (for you) is the strawberries are over with! I can't say that I will miss them! But the good news is that the blueberries have started! They are a little higher to pick, but it takes so many of them to make a pint! Oh, well the picker is never happy! Any way be looking for them in your CSA boxes this week. Also new potatoes hopefully. The sweet potatoes sure are looking good. The day we planted them they were such small little slips and it was so hot, they wilted down and we were pretty sure we'd lose at least half of them! But we really put the water to them and kept them wet for a couple of days, and then it rained and cooled off and it looks like we have only lost three!! Now to keep the deer away from them! The deer sure have been doing a number on the radicchio! I didn't think anything would eat that as it is bitter! They haven't touched the cardoon though! That's prickly like a thistle!

LEEKS

Leeks belong to the lily family, along with their close relatives onions, garlic, scallions, shallots, and chives. They are milder and more refined in flavor than onions. Leeks are native to the Mediterranean area and may have originated in Egypt, where they were cultivated and worshipped, or, as it has been written, "where onions are adored, and leeks are gods." Cooking tips: To clean, remove green tops to within 2" of the white section. Peel off outside layer. Cut leek in half lengthwise and wash thoroughly under water to remove grit and soil between the layers. Leeks may be eaten raw, chopped into a variety of salads. Leeks may be cooked whole; try braising or baking. Steam or boil leeks for 10-12 minutes. Top with butter, a dash of salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese. Layer thin slices of leek in a favorite sandwich. Leek, tomato, and melted cheese is a winner. Lightly saute chopped leeks alone or with other vegetables. chop or slice leeks into quiches, egg dishes, casseroles, stews, stocks, soups and stir-fries. Substitute leeks for onions in recipes and notice the subtle flavor changes. Puree cooked leeks for a soup base. Add leek leaves to long-cooking dishes, such as grains, beans, or stews, for added flavor. Add cooked leeks to mashed potatoes. The above information is again from "From Asparagus to Zucchini" A guide to cooking farm-fresh seasonal produce.

KALE

Hope everyone is enjoying their CSA boxes they got yesterday! Everyone received some kale in their boxes and I had a lot of people ask me what you do with Kale. Just click on the green word kale and it will take you to a web site with lots of ideas! Kale is the oldest member of the cabbage family and among the earliest cultivated. It was a favorite vegetable in ancient Rome, and has remained popular in Scotland & Ireland for many centuries. Nutritionally, kale is vastly superior to most vegetables. It is very rich in vitamins A,C and the mineral calcium. B vitamins and other minerals are also in excellent supply. Kale is also the highest in protein content of all the cultivated vegetables. Kale has a distinct but not overpowering flavor, and is interchangeable with broccoli and other hearty greens in recipes. Cooking tips: Remove stems from mature kale leaves by folding the leaf in half lengthwise and stripping or slicing away thick stems. Baby or very tender young leaves may be cooked stem and all. Steam mature kale leaves approximately 4-5 minutes, it is ready when limp but still retaining some texture. Toss steamed kale with olive oil, lemon juice, and a dash of salt & pepper. Try adding diced raw garlic. Saute tender young kale leaves. try a light saute in butter with garlic and onions. Add sauteed kale (chopped) to omelets, quiches, scrambled eggs, casseroles, or mashed potatoes. Add chopped or sliced raw kale to hearty soups and stews toward the end of cooking time. The above information came from "From Asparagus to Zucchini" a guide to cooking farm-fresh seasonal produce third edition.

Will be so glad when the outage at the plant is over and Greg can go back to normal hours instead of this 1:00 p.m to 12:00 a.m. five days a week and being on call every other weekend!!!! This is his fifth week of this schedule and it goes till at least the 11th! Then maybe we can get more things done that need doing! His normal schedule is 6:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and every other Friday off. Then during the summer he uses his vacation to take the other Fridays off so that he's off every Friday and can help pick for market or do anything else that needs doing. We've planted summer squash, cucumber, winter squash, pumpkin & gourd seed, but still have cucumber and summer squash plants to set out. We got sweet potatoes planted and the tomatoes in the hoop house 2nd stringing done. They are looking good! They are blooming up a storm and there are quite a few green tomatoes! Lucas' girlfriend got here this weekend and she will be helping us for two months. I'm looking forward to her taking over the baking and cooking for me!

Hope everyone has been enjoying their CSA boxes! The strawberries have been something else and we should have them next week, but they are tapering off. I will personally be glad to see them go as picking them is not my idea of a fun time, but oh well... The next thing to look forward to is blueberries...

We've been busy trying to get things planted. Have finally got all the tomatoes out and the okra and sweet potatoes!!!! We had a time getting sweet potato slips and they should have been in a lot earlier, hopefully this heat will not kill them before they take hold! We could use a couple of cooler days and a little rain...

The next thing to get transplanted out is the cucumbers and summer squashes! They are going strong in the green house, again some cooler weather and rain to set them out in would be great!!!!!