P I C K L I S T
TOMATOES! - EGGPLANT - KALE - SHISHITO PEPPER - HUNGARIAN HOT WAX PEPPER - ONION -
BLUEBERRIES! - CUKES - BASIL - CILANTRO - ZINNIAS
First off, the pick on Saturday was tons of fun and yall pulled so many blueberries from the field! Hope to make another pick like that happen again for yall some time. Outside of the blueberries, field cherry tomatoes and sweet peppers are ripening and we appear to be on the cusp of a massive melon harvest. We are basically surrounded by ripe Summer candy everywhere we go.
In other news, Edgewater Farm has not one, but two newsletter/blog/updates to offer. First off is this weekly letter that you know pretty well by now, and the other is written by Pooh Sprague. Pooh and Anne started this farm in 1974. 48 years later, Pooh keeps up with tractor work, greenhouse propagation, unseen tasks, and a very strict napping routine (grandkids be warned!). He offers real perspective through the written word. Here is his latest from August 1st:
We have been in a drought this summer, and it's been a struggle. It is coupled with the fact that our field crew is understaffed as our Jamaican H2A workers have all been delayed by at least a week. One gent who was supposed to be here on June 5th still hasn’t gotten his “ok” to come up. This is due to politics, bureaucratic turf wars in both Jamaica and the US. The end result is a very tedious and expensive SNAFU for us.
But despite these challenges we really haven’t lost much in the way of crops. No yet. We are experiencing a very nice blueberry crop this year. Sweetness is up, as well as the size and plant production. We would like to take the credit as farmers, but the sorry truth is that we can’t honestly assign it to our cultural wizardry or management practices. It just… is. Alternately a confluence of weather events and oversights on our part resulted in a mediocre strawberry crop, a crop in which we invested a lot time and money. But the sun has produced the sweetest corn, tomatoes and melon in many years. Our potato crop this year has had tough sledding, however we are looking at a potential bumper crop of other fall vegetables.
A summer drought such as this years’ seems to defy and thwart our best efforts. Why does Dave Pierson (farmer in Braford vt) tell me the storm front produced 1.65” inches of water on his farm and we don’t get a drop? Closer to home Ray will report 3/4” of rain when we (in Plainfield) only have .2” in our rain gauge. I have used an expression when explaining to lay people that it takes a bit of Zen temperament to accept all the things in agriculture that are out of reach or control. It is simply that we farmers are not “in the driver’s seat.”
We all think that technology will solve all our problems. And technology has given us some great achievements. But I think the climate change and the pandemic have amply demonstrated that we are often wrestling with natural forces that may well exceed our ability to cope with or begin to control. Forces natural as well as unnatural forces: politics, supply, input costs. There is the issue of invasive species. There may have been some slowing down the advancement of invasive species by identifying them and trying to contain them, but so far as I can see garlic buckwheat, purple loosestrife, Japanese knotweed and Norway Maples have clearly settled in among us along with the northward march of ticks. I don’t believe we have the ability, technology or fortitude to stop them…
Farming is all about coping and accepting the march of natural forces, and trying to adapt to them, all while trying to earn a living. There could be an upside resulting from all these natural forces. There are always hidden benefits to counter the down side. Today’s invasive species could well be tomorrow’s beneficial pollinator, tomorrow’s new food group, raw material or hot new ornamental. Today the Norway Maple is maligned, but in an era of warming climate when the northern limits of the sugar maple are advancing ever northward, we may be welcoming the ornamental and perhaps economic products of the Norway Maple. As hated as Japanese knotweed is, it is a tremendous late season source of nectar and pollen for pollinator and beneficial insects, especially honeybees, whom never had a good late season nectar and pollen source before knotweed arrived. I guess we will have to develop the right perspective and attitudes. But I still wish we could have a rainy day that leaves us with two inches in the rain gauge.
Pro-tips:
Asked picking partner Claire what she would do with this CSA box, and she very promptly answered: MEZZE PLATTER. Here are some recipes to inspire and get you started…
(this is a real fave when eggplants roll in)
2 eggplants
1/4 cup garlicky tahini (I just added a grated garlic clove to my tahini)
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
pomegranate seeds (optional in my opinion/ maybe use something else sweet and tart to keep it local… raspberry?)
pomegranate molasses (optional again/ honey or maple syrup to keep it local)
fresh mint
fresh basil
za’atar olive oil (In a bowl combine 2 tablespoons za’atar spice with 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; stir until blended)
Heat a grill (high heat). You can also use the burner on your stove, just be sure to line it with tinfoil. Score the skin of the eggplant. Place on a very hot grill for 30 minutes until the skin is black and the eggplant has deflated, is fully cooked and has developed a smoky flavor, making sure to turn the eggplant several times on the grill.
Let cool on a strainer so all the juices drip away. Once cooled, remove the skin from the eggplant meat and place in a bowl with 1/4 cup of the garlicky tahini, fresh lemon juice and the kosher salt. Mix with a whisk until all is combined. You may need to add more garlicky tahini depending on the size of the eggplants.
Place a cup full of the dip into a bowl and using your spoon to spread it so there is a well in the center. Drizzle around a teaspoon of pomegranate molasses on top, then 1/2 tsp of the za’atar olive oil. Sprinkle on pomegranate seeds and garnish with leaves of fresh basil and fresh mint. Serve with warm bread. If you can’t find warm pita, challah works great too.
SERVINGS: 2 TO 4/ TIME: 10 MINUTES (jenny grew up on this stuff)
2 medium roma tomatoes, cubed
1 pound seedless (English) or Persian cucumbers, unpeeled, cubed
1/2 medium red onion or 4 scallions, finely chopped
3 tablespoons finely minced fresh parsley
Juice of half a lemon, or more to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons sumac powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
You can either toss all of the vegetables in one large bowl, and pour over it the parsley, lemon juice, olive oil and sumac mixture you whisked separately in a small bowl, or if you’re in a hurry just toss everything all at once.
Other additions: 1/2 to 1 cup crumbled or cubed feta, 1 bell pepper, cut into cubes, 1 15-ounce can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained, 1/2 to 1 cup coarsely chopped olives, 1 to 2 tablespoons finely minced mint or dill or pita chips (see below). You could also whisk a couple tablespoons of tahini into the dressing for a thicker, sesame-coated flavor.
This recipe is from Bon Appetit and it's a terrific go to for every shishito you encounter from now till frost
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups whole shishito peppers or Padrón chiles
Flaky sea salt
Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Cook peppers, turning occasionally, until they begin to blister on all sides. Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.