We were needing rain, and now we've had rain. What we did not need was more wind. In last nights storm we lost the plastic off of our biggest hoop house that we plant tomatoes in, and a few more branches!

We've been planting beans, and have beans, summer squash and cucumbers all sprouting. We've got a few of our first summer squash starting to bloom. The deer had been eating on our okra plants, so Greg sprayed a hot pepper/rotten egg concoction on them and they are looking better, but now with the rain he'll need to respray them.

Over the weekend we worked at cleaning out one of the little hoophouses and tilling it and laying drip tape and plastic in order to get ready to plant some things to go late into the fall and early winter. This afternoon I've been working at doing a second stringing of our field tomatoes. Last week we worked on pulling weeds out of the potatoes, have quite a bit done, but still have 3-4 rows to go yet.

Our fennel, cardoon and carrots are looking great, may even have fennel this week for the CSA boxes!

This cooler weather has been a blessing, but looks like it's not too last! Talking 90 degrees again this week! Well it was nice while it lasted.

Good news! Blueberries are here! Everyone will be getting some today in their CSA boxes! There will also be eggs, lettuce, and onions. The half shares will get peas, and the full shares will get swiss chard, kale and kohlrabi. Now I know you're going to ask what's that so here is some information!

Kohlrabi shares its botanical name, brassica oleracea, with its close relative, broccoli. But Kohl, meaning "cabbage," and rabi, meaning "turnip," better describes this delicate vegetable. Kohlrabi, like other brassicas, thrives in cool weather. Kohlrabi also mimics its brassica relatives nutritionally. It offers generous amounts of vitamin A and C, and emphasizes the minerals potassium and calcium. It's high in fiber and contains only 40 calories per cup.

After washing, trim away any woody or tough portions of skin. Kohlrabi does not have to be peeled after cooking. Kohlrabi is excellent cooked or raw. Grate kohlrabi raw into salads, or make a non traditional coleslaw with grated kohlrabi and radish, chopped parsley, green onion, and dressing of your choice. Try raw kohlrabi, thinly sliced, alone or with a dip. Peel Kohlrabi and eat it raw like an apple. Steam kohlrabi whole 25-30 minutes or thinly sliced 5-10 minutes. Dress slices simply with oil, lemon juice, and fresh dill weed, or dip in flour and briefly fry. Saute grated kohlrabi in butter; add herbs or curry for enhanced flavor. Add sliced or cubed kohlrabi to hearty soups, stews, or mixed vegetable stir-fry. Chill and marinate cooked kohlrabi for a summer salad. Add fresh herbs. Mash cooked kohlrabi, mix with cooked potato form into patties and fry in butter. Larger, older kohlrabi are good stuffed. Scoop out center, fill with chosen stuffing mixture, and simmer, covered for 20 minutes.

Store kohlrabi globe in a plastic bag. It will last for 1 month refrigerated.

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

SWISS CHARD

Chard is high in vitamins A, E, and C, and minerals like iron & calcium. Minerals are more readily absorbed from chard than they are from spinach, chard also contains no oxalic acid, and element present in spinach that ends to bind minerals and render them unavailable during digestion.

Cooking Tips: If leaves are large and mature, remove stems to cook separately. Young tender leaves can be cooked whole. Chop leaves and stems diagonally across the leaf Cut stems into 1" chunks and leaves into ribbon like strips. Steam stem pieces 8-10 minutes and leaves 4-6 minutes. Raw baby chard leaves are wonderful in green salads. Saute the leaves in garlic butter or with onion. Toss steamed chard leaves with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. For an Asian flavor, toss with toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Include chard in stir-fries with different colored and textured veggies. Serve over rice or noodles. For soups, add chard stem chunks 10 minutes and leaves 4-5 minutes before soup is done. Use Swiss chard in any recipe calling for fresh spinach, like quiches, lasagna, omelets, etc. Blend cooked chard (include cooking water) with a tart plain yogurt, herbs (like basil and thyme), and a dash of salt and pepper. This makes a healthy gourmet creamed soup that is easy, quick an delicious.

Chard freezes well. Blanch chopped leaves for 3 minutes, rinse under cold water to stop cooking process, drain, squeeze lightly and place in an airtight container such as a zip-lock freezer bag.

SWISS CHARD PIE

1 onion chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbsp. oil
1 bunch Swiss chard
6 eggs
1 cup shredded cheese
1 tsp. salt
2 pie crusts

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Brown onion and garlic in oil Trim and chop chard, add to pan, and cook down until center comes out clean, 30-40 minutes. Makes 2 pies.

ASIAN-STYLE CHARD

1 Bunch Swiss chard, cleaned
1 Tbsp. peanut oil
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
freshly ground black pepper

Cut off and discard thick stem ends of chard. Cut out ribs; chop ribs into 2" pieces; set aside in a pile. Stack the leaves in small piles; coarsely chop them. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high flame. Add ribs; toss and cook 1-2 minutes. Add leaves and garlic; continue to cook, tossing often, until chard begins to wilt, 2-3 minutes. Stir in soy sauce and hoisin sauce; cook until chard is tender, 1-3 minuets longer. Add pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Makes 2-4 servings.

Again all of the above came from "From Asparagus to Zucchini" a guide to cooking farm-fresh seasonal produce.

Hot, hot, hot!!!! And the singing cicadas! This could be a summer to remember and we haven't even got started yet! We've been busy watering, pulling weeds, mowing and planting. We've got green beans, edemame, and several varieties of dried beans planted. Worked last night getting the winter squash and pumpkin patch disced up and ready to plant. The strawberries are done, so this weeks CSA boxes will be more greens and you will have a baked bread probably applesauce. We've got the tomatoes in the hoop house staked and tied and even got 3 tomatoes out of there last week. Need to go out and check on the blueberries as that will be the next berry to be ready.