Greentree Naturals CSA Newsletter - August 2, 2006

Fresh from the Garden News

Our big accomplishment of the past week is that the garlic is out of the ground! It appears to be a good crop this year. Once out of the ground, we hang it to cure for several weeks. By curing it this way, it will store for up to a year is stored appropriately.

We are already starting to clean it, which is a very long and tedious process as it all has to be done by hand. Once cleaned, I will make garlic braids out of much of it to sell at the farmers market.

Some years ago, we sent some of our garlic to world renowned chef Alice Waters at her restaurant in California, Chez Pannise. She was kind enough to give me her personal opinion on her letterhead stating that our garlic was some of the finest flavored she had ever tasted! Since then, we have been selling our garlic all over the U.S.

I know that you are anxious to have sweet, fresh carrots and I promise they are coming. Given one more week of growth, you should get carrots in next weeks bag.

The beans and tomatoes are also coming along nicely and should be ready for first harvest soon. The corn plants are starting to tassel up, which is a good sign that sweet corn is on its way too! I love the bounty of this time of year!

Just a reminder, the potatoes never need to be peeled! The peels are good for you and have excellent flavor. Just chop them up and sauté, bake or broil. Boiling really takes away the nutrients, so keep it simple and take in as many fresh vitamins as you can by cooking all of the veggies at a minimal. They are best when just crunchy when cooked.

The cucumbers do not need to be peeled either; the skin is sweet unlike the ones in the store.

The philosopher who said that work well done never needs doing over never weeded a garden.
-Ray D. Everson

WHAT'S IN THE BAG...

• Salad Mix - Always double washed and ready to eat! The heat has been tough on the greens, but as it cools down again, the flavor will improve.
• Brassicas Bag - Cauliflower, cabbage and 'holy collards'! We decided to cut the cabbages in half so you would not be overwhelmed with too much. The Collards have holes in them, but are still good!
• New Potatoes - Yellow Finns, Alby's Gold, Ruby Crescents, and Red Chiefton.
• Stir-fry mix - Sweet peppers, onions, summer squash, and garlic.
• Herbs - Basil, Italian Parsley, Greek Oregano, Winter Savory, French Tarragon. If you don't use them in a day or two, put them in the food processor with olive oil an pulverize.
• Blueberries - From Riley Creek.

If you want to order more berries, I need to know by Friday morning at the latest. I call Stan the blueberry man, place the order, then he delivers to me at the farmers market. Price is $11/gallon. They freeze very well.