It sure is hot! While most – if not all – of us have been hiding inside air-conditioned buildings, our growers are outside doing the difficult and important work of feeding us. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of the amazing farmers making local foodsheds function! As the heat of summer takes hold, things can get pretty crazy around here. Insects like grasshoppers, tomato horn worms, and aphids start to give us a run for our money. Pest control becomes an ever bigger issue, and organic-growing methods make that job much more intensive. Plants can also be affected by disease. Just last week, Hilary had to pull 30 tomato plants showing signs of infection with the curly top virus. She had to act fast to try to keep the infection from spreading. Weeds are also beginning to take over at this point in the season as monsoon rains combined with high heat supercharge their growth. All that to say, our local farmers are working harder than ever at this point in the season, so let’s send them some extra gratitude.
This week plums and basil are gracing our baskets! Basil has a short growing window here because the heat makes it bolt so quickly. We likely won’t have basil again, so if you can’t use all of it fresh, you may want to make pesto or try chopping it and freezing it with a little water in an ice cube tray. Then you can add fresh basil to pasta sauce and other recipes throughout the year. Our plums come from Marilyn’s Orchard in Camp Verde. Steve and Marilyn Meyer run a lovely orchard and sell their bounty at the Verde Valley Farmers’ Market in Camp Verde each Saturday. If you are hoping to make jams or jellies this year, you should visit them at the market to stock up on the freshest fruit.
Have a great week!
Meghan
What’s in your basket – July 10th
Cucumber – Willowbrook Farm
Garlic – Whipstone Farm
Kale – Willowbrook Farm
Plums – Marilyn’s Orchard
Salad mix – Willowbrook Farm
Summer squash – Whipstone Farm