June 27th 2012
Farming can be difficult, both physically and emotionally, and over the years I've developed a few survival strategies to help me cope mentally. I won't go into rules # 1 and 2 now-- they're trade secrets-- but I can reveal strategy #3, which is: have fun. I have an advantage here because I consider picking peas for four hours straight to be a barrel of monkeys, but sometimes it isn't enough and so last Saturday was our first annual Jade Family Farm bingo night! A good time was had by all. That's all I'm allowed to say.
On a weightier note I am quite distressed to inform you that incidences of late blight are being reported all over Central Pennsylvania, including one outbreak only 8 miles from here. For those of you blissfully unaware, late blight is a fungal disease affecting tomatoes and potatoes and is quite devastating, often wiping out the entire crop within days of the first signs of infection. We're taking what preventive measures we can, but the only truly effective controls involve extremely toxic chemicals which we wouldn't use even if organic standards allowed to do so. Hopefully the weather will stay dry and we can at least get some good harvests. The good news is that the disease is not communicable to hooman beengs.
In your boxes:
Senposai
Snow Peas (Full Shares) or
Snap Peas (Couples shares)
Lettuce
Zucchini
Pearl Drop Onions
Carrots
Senposai is this week's vegetable you've probably never heard of. It is a leafy cooking green, similar to collards but milder, with a different flavor and growth habit. Perhaps its not so similar to collards after all. We have become quite fond of it even though it sounds foreign. You can lightly steam the large leaves and use them as a gluten free wrap, if you don't feel like chopping them up.
Somebody told me that they use the carrot tops to make pesto. I've never tried it, but it seems like a good idea. Anyone like to be a guinea pig? On the other hand, Dana just informed me that some people say not to eat the greens, as they contain potentially harmful alkaloids related to cocaine, caffeine, and strychnine. Hard to know what to believe these days.
Some of you may have noticed that we are now offering cheese from our friends at Stone Meadow Farm in Woodward, Pennsylvania. This raw milk cheese comes from pastured Jersey cows which, although not certified organic, are not given any chemicals, antibiotics, or synthetic hormones. Although we are a production, not a procurement, enterprise, we're never going to produce cow's milk cheese, and I wouldn't feel right depriving you of the opportunity to eat this cheese-- the finest farmstead cheese with which I am familiar. Cheese-- try some today! Five flavors to choose from. Use only as directed. Oh, and don't forget, couples and family shares can also order this cheese, or anything else on the a la carte list, just by visiting our website and going to “a la carte” on the “purchase” menu.
Last week was the week of customer complaints. Unfortunately, all of them were justified. As a result, Simon and I have reviewed and revised our packing procedures and hopefully we will be making fewer errors. We are really sorry about these errors and any omissions but please keep in mind that we are only human and trying our best.
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