On The Farm

Lots more coming in this week on the farm. The summer squash are starting to fruit and we picked a handful this week, we’ll have squash for the boxes in 1-2 weeks. We also picked a few early eggplant and peppers, these will show up soon too. The main weeding is now complete, and all thats left is a little more weeding on long season crops like carrots and onions, plus a little more salad planting, and a LOT of harvesting. Harvest is a busy, slightly chaotic activity on the farm.  Everything has to get out of the heat and the field by around 10am, then everything needs to be washed, bunched and bagged, orders and CSA boxes need to be packed etc. Its always a bit crazy in the harvest area, but we make it enjoyable with a team spirit. As I like to say, “many hands make light work”.

Delivery Notes

A Word on #2 Fruit

Last week included some #2 cherries in the boxes. I usually pack only  the best #1 fruit, but in this case I thought this might be my only chance to get Rainier cherries for the year. This week, plus more apricots from Domingez Canyon, a new, larger type called ‘Supreme’

Special Orders

We have a few items available for special order, this week we have #1 and #2 cherries or apricots by the box, please call for pricing and availability. We will have shelling peas available in bulk for freezing in the next few weeks, and basil for pesto later in the season.

In the Box

Chard & Kale –Half 1, Full 2
Parsley, 1 bunch
Lettuce –  speckled romaine, red crisp, red butter, green butter,  – halfs 1 head, fulls 2 heads
Peas – shelling, snow & sugar snap, some shelling (new) – 1 bag (1/3 lb.) Full, add 1 1/2lb bag snow peas
Salad – 1 bag – new crop
Radishes –  1 bunch
Beets – continuing to size up – half 1 bunch, full 2 bunches
Bok Choi – full box
Scallions – full box
basil, bagged -= lime, cimmaron or thai basil

Friut

Half/Full amount
Apricots 2lb/4lb.

Coming Soon

Green Beans
Cucumbers
Summer Squash
Broccoli
Carrots, baby
Soft Neck Garlic
Organic Olathe Sweet Corn

The Box Value

Half – $21.50, Full  $36.75 – fruit is usually right at the cost: this week half $6.00, full $12.00

The salad requires constant weeding to remain pickable!

This week it really feels like summer on the farm. We are in full-on harvest mode, with planting, weeding and other farm tasks falling to minimal levels. Harvest starts early in the day – I’m usually in the field by 6am on harvest days, picking my favorite crops and setting out the tasks for the day. Ideally, everything is out of the field by 10 am when the heat really sets in. Salad mix is one of the first crops picked for the day, and 20lb. is a typical amount. Once the salad is out of the field, the washing begins – someone leaves the field at this point to start processing the salad, which we triple rinse with 5 min soaks and then drip, then spin dry. As more crops come in from the field, we begin falling back to the harvest shed where everything gets washed, cleaned of bad parts, bunched or bagged, then stored in the cooler. In addition to preparing portions for the CSA we are busy packing wholesale orders – its a bit chaotic, but after 18 years we have systems in place to keep the work flowing!

Come Visit the Farm!

Please feel free to visit the farm, just let us know when you plan to come and we will give you a tour of the fields. Farm pickup customers, feel free to walk out into the fields when you pick up your produce.

Special Orders

Winter squash in the orchard...

We have a few items available for special order, this week we have #1 and #2 cherries or apricots by the box, please call for pricing and availability. We will have shelling peas available in bulk for freezing in the next few weeks, and basil for pesto later in the season.

Oh the Fruit!

This week we have more Cherries – Bings & some Rainiers from Domingez Canyon, the Reiniers are yellow and more watery than the bings. These are #2s with some bruises – eat them quickly! Also we have Apricots from the same organic orchards – this is a rare treat, many years there are none –  these will last two weeks, then we’ll have the first Paonia cherries.

In the Box

NEW: Hardneck Garlic – bunches of hardneck garlic, these have scapes (flowers) on them, try adding those to a dish for a more mild green garlic flavor)  Half &  Full 1 bu.
Chard & Kale – in short supply, don’t worry, we’ll have these for the rest of the season!
Spinach - new crop baby plants, yum
note: halfs get 1 bag spinach, kale or chard; fulls get 2 bags
Lettuce –   green romaine, red crisp, red butter, green butter, and some showey leaf lettuces like red speckled romaine – halfs 1 head, fulls 2 heads
Peas – snow & sugar snap, some shelling (new) – 1 bag (1/3 lb.)
Salad – 1 bag – still more coming!
Radishes – 1 bunch – last week?
Beets – continuing to size up – half 1 bunch, full 2 bunches

Remember, we sometimes substitute one item for another – but if you think you missed something please email or call – we can usually make it up the following week.

Friut

Half/Full amount

Bing Cherries 1.5lb/3lb
Apricots 1.5lb/3lb.
Rainier Cherries .5lb, 1lb.

Coming Soon

Shelling Peas
Napa Cabbage
Green Beans
Cucumbers
Summer Squash
Broccoli
Carrots, baby
Soft Neck Garlic
Organic Olathe Sweet Corn

The Box Value

Half – $22.50, Full  $35.25 – fruit is usually right at the cost: this week half $7.00, full $14.00