“We ask ourselves,’Who are we to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and
fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be … your playing small does not serve
the world.”
~Nelson Mandela
Summer Share Box 7 Crop List
- Summer Squash (All Shares)
- Slicing Cucumbers (All Shares)
- Zucchini (Full and Single shares)
- Cone Cabbage (All Shares)
- Bibb Lettuce (All Shares)
- Farmer’s Choice: Mint/Lemon Balm/Oregano (All Shares)
- Kale (All Shares)
- Snow Peas (Half Shares)
- Farmer’s Choice: Mini Tomatoes/Cantaloupe (Full Shares)
- Green Beans (All Shares)
- Red Potatoes (Full and Single Shares)
- Eggplant (Single and Half Shares)
- Beets (Full Shares)
Farmer Notes
- Potatoes are Norland Red – they are fresh out of the ground (uncured), so eat them up in the next week
- Lots of cucumber slicers that are great to have in cold, salty water in the fridge for a quick, healthy and refreshing snack
Farmer Vanessa hard at work harvesting tomatoes - Tonight I grilled squash, onions and tomatoes with a pepper and served it on a toasted sourdough open faced bread
- Last of the snow peas – we should have sugar snap peas in 2 weeks or so
- The melons, tomatoes and peppers are just beginning to roll
- Bibb lettuce this week is smaller and a bit more delicate than romaine
- Green beans are done for now – we have a second planting just coming up out of the soil
- We missed out on the rains this weekend – we have had less than 1.5 inches the whole month of July. Needless to say we are irrigating full time, but that never can take the place of a good drink from Mother Nature
- Let us know if you want any pickling cucumbers to process – $2/pound with a minimum of 5 pounds per order
- Keep returning our boxes and ice packs – we really appreciate it
We have a constant companion in honey bees here at Earth Dance Farm. Anywhere on the farm you find yourself working, you will notice a few bees working right alongside you. They have the important job of pollinating most of our crops and our harvests are much more abundant because of their dedicated labor.
Crop of the Week: Potatoes
Potatoes, one of the world’s favorite foods, are this week’s crop of the week. They were one of the first crops planted this spring on the farm, and will be harvested into the fall. They take a lot of time and effort, but it’s all worth it when we dig up those spuds. This is the first of the potatoes, but expect more in the coming weeks.
Potatoes are native to the Americas and were originally domesticated in southern Peru and northwestern Bolivia between 8000 and 5000 BCE. It spread to Europe in the 16th century and has since become one of the most commonly eaten foods globally.
Potatoes are part of the Solanaceae or Nightshade family, which also includes tomatoes and eggplant. As a member of this family, potatoes contain a small level of toxic glycoalkaloids that increase if the tubers are exposed to sunlight and turn green–this is the logic behind avoiding green potatoes. But no worries, when potatoes are cooked, the glycoalkaloids are degraded and can no longer cause harm.
There are a few main groups of potatoes: russet potatoes, red potatoes, white potatoes, yellow potatoes, and purple potatoes, though there are 1000s of cultivated varieties. These can be harvested at different stages—immature, new, and cured—which changes the flavor and texture of the potato. This weeks Full and Single shares got new red potatoes, which means they will be nice and creamy but with thinner skins than cured potatoes whose skin has more time to toughen up.
The possibilities for preparing potatoes are unlimited: skin-on or peeled, whole or cut up, mashed, baked, boiled, steamed, hashed, scalloped, or fried! Pair them with almost any herb or spice; they make a great addition to any meal.
Some recipes to try:
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