Turkey Hill CSA Newsletter

Week 6, 2007

From the farm:

August is the peak of heat and growth in the garden. Time seems suspended and the days are long and hot. Farm work starts at 6, and field work usually ends by 10 am when the heat makes picking or weeding unbearable. Evening time in the garden is lovely, and if we are lucky we try to get out to the field between 7 and 9 pm.

Whats coming out of the field?

Head Lettuce - I'm sure everyone must be getting tired of lettuce this week and this is the last of the head lettuce, butters, red crisp & red frill. Combine these for a beautiful salad while we take a week off from salad mix, which will return next week.

Onions - (new) Early Walla Walla and 'Superset' sweet onions - we are starting to pick the big ones a little at a time, and we have these and many more onion varieties to come. Since these don't require refrigeration, they aren't in the cooler or your box - instead look for a box with a bright orange label that says something like 'Onions - take 1'. Red onions are a few weeks off, and later in the fall we will harvest shallots, leeks and storage onions.
Garlic (new) - The garlic crop was spring planted this year and couldn't tolerate the heat - the heads never formed fully, but we are going ahead and harvesting what did grow this week - these garlic heads may look a little funky, but the taste is excellent - peel down to the clove and remove the tough skin to use.

Important Pickup Notes, Questions answered:

Some people were confused by last week's pickup and didn't get everything the were supposed to. When you arrive at the pickup location please read the board or orange labels carefully. A few important notes from recent questions:

• Items outside the box or cooler: Sometimes we can't get everything to fit in your box or into the farm cooler for farm pickups. Look for a stack of separate boxes with labels telling you what to take: Cabbage - take 1, Cucumbers - take 1, Squash - take 1. Look for bags nearby and grab your extra items!
• Fruit share - Do you get the fruit share - look at the pickup sheet to check if you aren't sure. Make sure you get everything on the list - often in separate boxes than the veggies. Only take fruit if you paid for the fruit share.
• Flowers - we are about to begin the flower share, with gladioli starting and bouquets coming soon. If you have a flower share (check the list) choose one bouquet (or stems or bunch in the case of gladioli or sunflowers). When you get home (and every few days) trim the bottoms of the flowers on an angle and place in fresh water.
• Wilted veggies: sometimes your veggies may get wilted - in the box or in your car; most green veggies can be revived by placing in a bag with a small amount of water in the refrigerator, or try soaking in the sink in cold water.
• "I didn't get my carrots, " or missing veggies in my box: last week the carrots just weren't quite ready and I would up substituting Cucumbers at the last minute for some of the shares. This came after i sent the newsletter and some people were confused because they were expecting those carrots. So please use the following list as a guideline and understand that this may vary slightly before the actual harvest and pickup. We do have plenty of carrots, we'll start picking them this week and have them for 4-6 weeks or more. Cucumbers are flowering in the field and coming in in the hoop house. Once the larger field crop begins to produce, you can expect a steady supply of cukes.
  

This week's Box:

Here is what you can expect in the this week's box...

Head Lettuce

Onion - Sweet Yellow (new)
Garlic (new)
Basil - the basil is really coming in this week - call to special order larger quantities - 970-872-4413.
Broccoli - look for broccoli on and off for the rest of the summer and into fall.
Cabbage - red

Carrots, baby (new)
Kale - Kale and chard are so good for you they are worth eating every week, we alternate varieties.

Beets - Full size, mixed colors - this are some of the last beets this year. If you have some left in the fridge, chop of the tops and put them in a bag - they store very well and will last for weeks and weeks.

Mixed herbs, rotation of thyme, oregano, marjoram...

Peas - Snow peas this week, ends soon.
Scallions (new) - great for using fresh as zesty garnish over a cooked dish.

Squash - Watch out - the field squash is coming in and there will be a lot. Fun varieties include yellow pear, yellow straight neck, eight ball, sunburst, crooked next and more. look for squash in a separate box - take what the label says - squash don't like being stored in the same temperature cooler as the rest of the veggies.

Fruit - Peaches! Palisaide Peach Company - Yum... Paonia peaches next week. #2 peaches by the box available, call to order - 970-872-4413.

Coming soon (in the next 1-3 weeks):

Cucumbers

Pearl Onions

More herbs

Beans - Green, Yellow Purple - lot of these coming in next week.

Cauliflower - just about to come in - look for white, purple and delicious orange 'cheddar' cauliflower.

Flowers!

Fruit - Peaches from First Fruits, Paonia

Turkey Hill CSA Newsletter

Week 5, 2007

From the farm:

Things are really beginning to ripen on the farm, with many crops just beginning to come in. I've also been busy this week with my two Kid's birthdays, so this newsletter is going out a little late. I am continuing to post recipes on the recipe page of the web site. Please visit the recipe page to download and print the latest recipe ideas. Please call or e-mail if you have questions.

This week's Box:

Here is what you can expect in the this week's box...

Baby Salad Greens - tender baby greens, triple rinsed.

Parsley (new)

Cabbage - Napa (new)

Cabbage, green (new)
Carrots, baby (new)
Chard - Rainbow nutrition packed bunches.

Beets - Full size, mixed colors: red, golden, stripped (pink) and cylindrical. Steam until juicy sweet. Beets will last a few weeks, enjoy!

Head Lettuce - Beautiful head lettuce one more week

Mixed herbs, rotation of basil, thyme, oregano, marjoram... call to special order basil for pesto.

Peas - Shelling, Snow or Sugar Snap - here they come!

Squash - From the hoop house, and the field.

Fruit - Peaches! Palisaide Peach Company - first of the season, more to come... Paonia peaches next week.

Coming soon (in the next 1-3 weeks):

Cucumbers
Red Cabbage

Scallions/Pearl Onions

More herbs

Garlic

Beans - Green, Yellow Purple

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Flowers!

Fruit - Peaches from First Fruits, Paonia

Turkey Hill CSA Newsletter

Week 4, 2007 

From the farm:

The top question in most people's minds is when it is vegetable 'X' coming in? Its week 4 of 17, so we have 13 more weeks - we are just getting going! by the time you are finished eating your last potato and squash this fall you will hardly remember the abundant lettuce of july - so enjoy!

Here is a rundown the vegetables and their status and expected time of arrival (not exhaustive): 

Tomatoes and melons are just beginning to ripen in the greenhouse the field tomatoes are setting fruit but are the least a few weeks off before ripening, field melons are far behind the hoophouse and will be a fall crop.  

Squash: The  yellow and green zucchini  is already coming in but more varieties will come in over the next few weeks as the field squash begin to ripen.  

Carrots are almost ready and we will start picking baby carrots next week -  full-size carrots in the next few weeks. Carrots last for many, many weeks as we harvest various types and consecutive plantings.

The green (and yellow and purple) beans yellow  are still a couple of weeks off but they look great - expect a big harvest that lasts just a few short weeks. 

The Napa cabbage is almost ready, we should start picking that in the next week or two. 

Also beginning in a few weeks are the brassicas: broccoli, cabbage (green,red), cauliflower (white, orange and purple)

Peppers, cucumbers and eggplant are just beginning to show signs of fruit and are a good five or six weeks off. (we may have a few early cucumbers and eggplant).

Garlic is in short supply this year, our spring planted crop will be ready in a few weeks.

Culinary herbs, like basil's cilantro dill oregano parsley thyme sage and rosemary are all beginning to be ready, expect a rotating selection of herbs each week; if you don't use the herbs we give you by the end of the week, just hang the bundle in a cool spot to dry.

Fall crops, which we begin to harvest in mid-September (8 weeks away), include sweet corn, red yellow and white onions, shallots, leeks, potatoes (red, blue, gold and white this year), and winter squash.

Fruit crops:

peaches-Palisade peaches should be ready in about one week.

Paonia at peaches are still a few weeks off.

Paonia apples, plums, pears, and more late-summer.

Flowers... we are just beginning to harvest the flowers expect bouquets in the next few weeks.

Some crops will continue all summer long... these include the cooking greens kale and chard and our baby greens salad mix, which we continually plant for a fresh tender crop.

I am continuing to post recipes on the recipe page of the web site.  Please check there to download and print the latest recipe ideas. Please call or e-mail if you have questions.

This week's Box:

Here is what you can expect in the this week's box...

Baby Salad Greens - tender baby greens, triple rinsed.

Chard  - Rainbow nutrition packed bunches.

Beets - Full size, mixed colors: red, golden, stripped (pink) and cylindrical. Steam until juicy sweet. Beets will last a few weeks, enjoy!

Head Lettuce - Beautiful head lettuce for a couple more weeks; This week: red valentine, a fantastic red romaine, and green butter!

Mixed herbs

Peas - Shelling, Snow or Sugar Snap - here they come!

Squash  - From the hoop house, and soon the field.

Fruit - fruit vacation - no fruit this week; we should have palisaide peaches by next week.

Coming soon (in the next 1-3 weeks):

Napa Cabbage

Scallions/Pearl Onions

More herbs

Garlic

Bunched Spinach

Baby Carrots

Beans - Green, Yellow Purple

Cabbage

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Flowers!

Fruit - Peaches from the Palisaide Peach company!

Turkey Hill CSA Newsletter
Week 3, 2007

From the farm:

I have created a farm slide show, if you don't see the slide show below, check the website gallery page The peas are just beginning to come in, we put a little bit in this week's box, but expect more peas in the next few weeks. The sugar snap and snow peas come in first - with these you eat the whole pod. The shelling peas are next with fat fiberous pods surrounding the succulent peas. Pop the little peas out. 

Summer squash is really starting to come in in the hoop house, expect more in upcoming boxes.

A note on last week's boxes:
-The cherries and apricots you have been enjoying are from the recently certified organic orchards in Domingez canyon, a beautiful desert canyon North and West of Delta. This week we will start getting some of the limited crop of cherries from First Fruits orchards. Peaches from Palisade are just beginning to ripen. 

I am continuing to post recipes on the recipe page of the web site. 

This week's Box zucchini 

Here is what you can expect in the this week's box...

Baby Salad Greens - tender baby greens, triple rinsed
Kale  - We grow three types: green kale, red russian kale and tuscano or dino kale.

Radishes - the earliest root crop - last week
Head Lettuce - Beautiful head lettuce for a couple more weeks; green and red: romaine, butters, leaf, crisps. Yum!

Basil - from the hoophouse

Peas (new)

Baby beets (new)

Squash  - From the hoop house.

Fruit - Cherries, Apricots (end soon)

Coming soon (in the next 1-3 weeks):
Napa Cabbage
Scallions/Pearl Onions
Dil, Oregano, Thyme, Marjoram
Garlic
Bunched Spinach

Summer Squash - from the hoophouse

Beans - Green, Yellow Purple

Baby Carrots

Fruit - Peaches