Edgewood Farm Organics CSA
6/29/15 Newsletter
Happy Summer CSA Comrades!
We hope everyone enjoyed their beginning of summer boxes last week. The zucchini and onions were sure to add a bit of spunk to your meal adventures! Thanks for continuing to be positive companions aboard this seasonal veggie train.
The weather has continued with the pattern of rain, rain, overcast and glimpses of sunshine. We are done focusing on the negative effects of too much rain and training ourselves to be extremely thankful for the bursts of sunshine that greet us. The soil dried out significantly over the past few days; perhaps we will be able to get back up on dem’ horses soon, (a.k.a. use a tractor again). It’s been a long time coming….
In the field we are trying to fuel our crops with TLC, and gratefully with a little help from our friends. On Tuesday our wish for help with the overwhelming weeds was granted…..the “Genie in the Bottle” was my sister-in-law Anna. She rallied four generous Clif bar employees to volunteer with us in the battle against the inferior plants! Brassicas were able to breathe easy after their visit and we hope Clif crews will return later in the season for more “fun.” If that wasn’t awesome enough, Emily had two friends visit on Friday whom are embarking on a sustainable farm tour nationwide! They helped us prepare for the Princeton Farmer’s Market and energized us with their empowering conversation and outlook towards sustainable, communal living! Thank you to all of our help, your generosity lifted us and is still guiding us daily! Aside from the compassionate volunteers, the most rewarding task this week (in my humble opinion), was trellising the tomato rows. We were fortunate to have a fellow farmer teach us a tried and true method and the tomatoes seem extremely thankful. The Broccoli and Cabbages are showing their true colors and we hope they will make an appearance in next week’s box!
In the greenhouse we are continuing to nurture our Brassicas for the fall and seeding more to ensure we have a bountiful supply of these plants that love cool, fall weather. We also seeded various herbs in the greenhouse in order to provide future thrills to your meal experiences!
As for the lil’ Russians, their willingness to help in the field has curtailed, most likely due to the fact that they are young children that just want to have fun! Joe has zero interest in the field if a tractor isn’t involved and Timmy just wants to play with his cars in the mud. They pop up from time to time to help wash vegetables, provide interesting conversation, and then they disappear on the farm to do “who knows what” on 400 acres. I guess overall we are just plain jealous of their irresponsible adventures but we know they will come-a-knockin’ when the sun starts to shine and they want us to take them swimming in the creek. It is then that we will have renewed meaning to them.
In Goatlandia, the goats have been behaving, with the exception of Hopeless Hope who likes to barrel through me daily. I wouldn’t mind this much if she had ample amounts of milk to provide but she doesn’t. So my shins take a beating and I keep on feeding her and hoping…..The rest of the girls are providing milk and entertainment and for that we cannot complain. We delivered fresh cheese to both drop off sites last Tuesday and anticipate that it was enjoyed! More cheese will be provided as it is available and we encourage goat cheese in everyone’s diets as it is a healthy dairy option that goes hand-in-hand with the health benefits of a CSA box.
New vegetables are presenting themselves for harvest each week; enjoy eating time because it is happy time!
What to expect in the box on June 30th, 2015
Kale
Swiss Chard
Salad Mix
Spicy Salad Mix
White Onions
Green Onions
Carrots
Zucchini and/or Cucumber (Cukes are just presenting themselves so more will come)
Parsley
Cilantro
Let us know about your favorite recipes and feel free to share stories about your eating escapades, whether they are with your family or solo missions! Let’s all stay connected.
*Extra note: We will gladly take any zip loc bags that people are willing to part with. We are crazy environmental lovers that wash our “zippies” and reuse them for our personal food preservation needs. In fact it’s been 2 years since I’ve bought new Ziplocs for the house and I would like to keep with that trend.
**Extra Extra note: We are on the look for a used washing machine that has a spin cycle that works. With this contraption we would be able to spin your salad mix clean and crisp every time….just one of the tricks of the trade we have learned along the way. If you know anyone looking to donate a machine or sell for a fair price we would be extremely grateful!
Have an awesome Independence Day and remember to shine brightly, the positive light that you wish to see worldwide.
“Grow, inspire, repeat.”
With kindness,
Edgewood Farm Organics CSA Crew