August 5, 2020

I’m sure that all of you are hiding from the heat, which has been so intense this past week. It is quite nice to be able to duck into our air-conditioned houses and head to the creek or pool when we need to cool down, but our growers are not always able to escape the heat so easily. Although they try to keep most of the harvesting, planting, and weeding to the cooler mornings and evenings, the outdoors are inescapable much of the time. Washing and packaging produce can luckily be done indoors, or at least in a shaded area, but all that fieldwork is accomplished right out in the blazing sunshine. So three cheers for our amazing growers, who are out there in the hot, hot, heat each and every day making these delicious baskets possible.

We usually focus on the completed products here in our newsletter, but growers are seeding and planting all season long. Right now Willowbrook Farm is battling some especially voracious squirrels that are after their new cucumber plants. They have installed a very creative scarecrow (see below) to no avail, but keeping music playing in the field all day long seems to be helping. This week’s cucumbers are from an earlier planting that pre-dated the squirrel assault. Also this week, we have chioggia (candy stripe) beets, which are so pretty and tasty when thinly sliced in a salad. Along with the cucumbers, salad turnips, tomatoes, and salad mix, this week’s salads will be on point.

I’ve included an eggplant recipe this week for those of you wondering how to use them. You can also check out the recipespage on our website to see many years’ worth of recipes that we have shared. You can even click on the vegetable you are interested in to find all the recipes for that item.

Have a delightful week!
Meghan

What’s in your basket – August 5th
Bok choy – Whipstone Farm
Chioggia beets – Whipstone Farm
Cucumbers – Willowbrook Farm

Garlic – Willowbrook Farm
Eggplant – Willowbrook Farm
Salad mix – Willowbrook Farm
Salad turnips – Whipstone Farm
Tomatoes – Whipstone Farm

Salad turnips straight from Whipstone’s fields to our baskets.

The potato field at Whipstone Farm is looking excellent.

Meanwhile, the lower field at Willowbrook Farm is looking like a jungle.

The squirrels are eating Willowbrook’s new cucumber plants and not even this guy can keep them away!