In Your Share This Week
- Cabbage, green
- Carrots
- Escarole/Radicchio
- Kale, Lacinato
- Leeks
- Parsley
- Peppers, sweet mix
- Potatoes, Yukons
Crop Notes
Cabbage: We sure had an explosive cabbage season here on the farm. Historically we have grown a variety of cabbages with a variety of spacing in the field in order to produce ‘large’ and ‘small’ cabbages that go into the Full and Half shares, respectively. It turns out that intentionally trying to grow smaller vegetables is a lot harder than it sounds, so now we are experimenting with growing big, beautiful veggies all the time, and then cutting it in half as needed. If you have a half share, you will be getting a half of a head this week that we cut right at the time of pack-out with clean knives. Nonetheless, you can always give the cut face a quick trim when you use it to freshen it up. We also recommend storing your cut cabbage in a plastic bag in order to prevent moisture from escaping from the cut face.
Escarole and Radicchio: This week you are receiving the same variety of escarole that has been in the share before, full share members will also get a head of radicchio, which is in the same family as escarole.
Leeks: Its leek season!!! These are our very first leeks, and are a nice medium and tender size. Leek tops are another great addition to the stock pot if you make your own stock at home with odds and ends. Trimming the tops off also can help save space in the fridge, just keep the white portion of the stalks wrapped in a plastic bag to retain moisture. And of course, leeks are always fantastic with potatoes.
Potatoes, Yukon Gem: We are featuring Yukons that are from our newest acreage, which is still in the ‘transitional’ phase. In order to be certified as Organic, acreage must not have had any synthetic herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, or fertilizers applied for the last three years. We began leasing the land at the beginning of the 2014 season and have been managing it organically with lots of beautiful cover crops and flowers that attract beneficial insects as we transition it over to Organic. Next season we can finally certify the land as Organic, which we are very excited about. We also dry farm all of our potatoes, which has dramatically reduced the amount of disease we find on the potatoes. Yukon Gem also feature pinkish/red splotches on the skins, mostly where the new eyes will eventually pop out. Don’t be alarmed, the pink coloration is a totally normal (and beautiful) feature of this tasty variety.