What to expect in this week’s share:
- Lettuce
- Kale/Chard
- Scallions
- Endive/Escarole
- Broccoli (see the story below)
June is warming up after a cooler than desired May. The crops are coming in well considering these lower than normal temps and big swings of heat in between. We had a beautiful Arugula crop two weeks ago that we lost in the those few days of ninety degree temps. Growing early crops could be called an art but really, its closer to a roll of he dice. Unlike the weather for the rest of the summer, late April and all of May are quite variable in almost every way. The crops that we are harvesting in these first weeks of June have all been in the ground for the past four to six weeks and suffered through the ups and downs. During this stretch we can have temps that range from 30 to 95 degrees with days of rain followed by days of strong sun. Crops, especially tender leafy ones, are all trying their best to produce leaves and then flowers and seed, the goal of the plant is to reproduce. When the plants are stressed by extreme temps, wetness and or lack of sun, they switch into reproduction mode, setting flowers and seed earlier than they would have without these stressful variables. As farmers and eaters we want these plants to take their time getting to reproduction stage (also called bolting) so that we can harvest them a few times, enjoying their tender leaves, like in the case of arugula. The leaves of crops that are not rushing towards bolting also taste better. The good thing is that we have many successive plantings of these tender crops, like the arugula we have this week to replace the crop we lost last week.
Two crops to look for in the next couple weeks are strawberries and zuchinni. Both look strong in the fields and should be along soon.
Volunteer weeding parties every Wednesday and Saturday morning from 9 am until 11 am.
Join the crew in the fields pulling weeds amongst your vegetables. This is not like when your parents sent you into the jungle-like backyard garden to weed when they should have sent to in to bush hog. Our crops are in beautiful rows and the work is easy, instantly satisfying, and dare I say, fun. Chat with our lovely apprentices & fellow CSA members while you weed, or find your own quiet space. Past weeding volunteers have thanked us for the free meditation sessions! Meet at the CSA building at 9am on Wednesdays and Saturdays or find the crew in the fields anytime after 9 until 11. Help your vegetables win the battle against the persistent weeds & arrive with vitality on your table.
Lobster!
We saw some beautiful lobster delivered last week here at the farm. Bring some home this week to your family and friends. Call the Interstate Lobster, our own Harpswell lobsterman’s co-op and they deliver your freshly landed lobsters to the Tuesday or Friday CSA pick-up 833.5516.
Port Clyde Fresh Catch
Maine groundfish shares available. This is fresh fish delivered to the farm each Tuesday during CSA pick-up. Check out their website for more info www.portflydefreshcatch.com
Tofu Tempeh, Mushroom share will start the first week of July.
Look for Maine-produced tofu, tempeh and mushrooms for sale and to taste at pick-up during the next couple weeks. We hope to get all of you excited about these great products and sign you up for a share that will start the first week of July. Each week you will get either a pound of tofu, a pound of tempeh or half a pound of mushrooms, all produced here in Maine. Whata great way to rounding out you Maine meals!
Salad Dressing Recipes this week.
Look on the website for more recipes where you can search by ingredient (look for the sidebar at the right on the page) www.crystalspringcsa.com and send in your favorites for us to post.
The season of eating fresh green salads has begun. At the end of the day, sometimes making a salad dressing can seem like one extra step too many. Keep it simple! Just a little effort really does go a long way in this case. Start with the basics and build from there. Adapted from Mark Bittman.
Using the blender makes emulsifying easy & effective, but there is nothing wrong with shaking everything up in a jar or using a fork. Avoid the giant list of ingredients in store-bought dressings and make some simple ones at home.
The Basic Recipe: ½ cup olive oil + 3 tablespoons wine vinegar + salt + pepper
- Lemon: ½ cup olive oil + ¼ cup lemon juice + tablespoon warm water + black pepper
- Mustard: add 1 teaspoon (Dijon or whole grain) to the basic recipe
- Soy: add tablespoon soy + 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil to the basic recipe
- Ginger: add 1 inch (or more!) of peeled & chopped fresh ginger + tablespoon warm water to the basic recipe
- Honey-garlic: replace the wine vinegar with balsamic + a clove of garlic and a tablespoon honey