Doorstep Harvest Newsletter 8-17-13
As always, try new foods with caution, and in small amounts. Also, please note that some herbs-foods may interact with pharmaceuticals so, if you use meds, please go to http://www.drugs.com/ to check them out.
News from the garden: Alex is out this afternoon for a fun trip to K-State game with relatives. I (Mom) am filling in with newsletter writing today. Black berry production is slowing down (6 oz. of berries today). By the way, they freeze easily (just pop them into a freezer bag…we washed them with vinegar water already). Or, simmer them with some sugar and use as syrup… This past week we tip pruned the first year black berry canes to force side-branching before winter. This technique enables the cane to grow more surface area for next spring’s berry set (thus increasing the number of berries produced that go into your tummy). Fruiting happens on second year canes and branches (so more branches this fall equals more berries next summer). Little cousins (age 5-8) hand-picked Japanese beetles off of the triplecrown black berries this week for one penny each! Just picture the look on their little faces (of disgust and anxiety) as they summoned their braveness and grasped those beetles, hurriedly dropping them into a jar of soap water. Alex says the soap decreases the surface tension of the water so the beetles can’t swim and thus they sink to the bottom and drown. Those boys gathered 75 beetles! A big thank you to Uncle Dale’s boys! How brave they are! Those beetles are just as big as the biggest berries and feel as hard as steel robotic toys…really creepy… They are gorgeous to look at but really give me the heeebyjeebies to touch… We are hoping for Crenshaw melons by early September. Broad bean production is at last in full swing. Tomatillo plants are thriving (over five feet tall!!!!) and setting. Ground was dry enough for Alex to plant some fall crops before this last shower. Tomato season has kicked into full swing and is expected to continue through frost.
This week, in your Doorstep Harvest, you will find:
J Tomatoes: The one pound bag of two funny shaped ones contains heirloom variety (black crim). There are two bags total of four pounds of regular tomato. There is also a one pound bag of a variety of cherry tomatoes. Alex says that equals 6 pounds total tomato.
J/JJ Cucumbers: Mix of varieties. The white one is called Edmonson. Seeds came from Seed Savers Exchange. Blurb about seed writes: “Introduced to SSE in 1982 by Clarice Cooper of Kansas and her late husband Auburn. Family heirloom dating to 1913 from Clarice’s grandfather Edmonson; still being maintained by Clarice. White-green blocky 4” fruits mature to a deep red-orange. Crisp and flavorful even when large; rarely bitter. Good for slicing, salads, and pickling. Hardy and prolific, disease and drought resistant.” Next time it’s harvested, the skin will be “mature deep red-orange.” You can then tell Alex which way you like them best (younger with white skin or older with red skin…)
JJItalian Broad Bean: This variety was chosen due to its fantastic storage properties. Good canned or freezes easily after quick blanch in boiling water followed by dunk in ice water then into freezer bag for winter meal. This variety of bean requires a longer cooking time than your typical snap bean. I love them steamed/boiled with balsamic vinegar and sea salt but Alex likes them plain or in sauté of bacon grease… yum…
JJ/JSummer squash/Zuccinni: production is slowing down a bit due to the squash vine borer…
JJ Chard: A new sort of brown-grey-charcoal colored buggy-beetle (unidentified so far) is snacking on the chard this summer…
JJTriple Crown Blackberries (6 oz): Washed lightly this week with vinegar-water. They are very ripe and fragile. Eat them this weekend. May spoil very quickly! Or, put them in the freezer or fridge.
Mung bean sprouts: Alex took time this week to sprout these for you. Enjoy them in stir fry, on salads, or in soups.
J/JJKale: A bit buggy but well washed (although I advise you to wash them once more and pick them over to your liking as I picked out several clumps of yellow eggs and moth larvae. ( L ) Summer Kale is never as sweet as winter kale… it sweetens in freezing weather… Also, mature Kale is still enjoyable but tougher than baby kale. It is best to shred the mature Kale and cook it longer than usual or google “massaged kale” and find many recipes for kale salad that is literally pressed and massaged by hand into tender-juicy mess and served with a variety of marinades…
SOUP BAG: Small amounts of some things are coming on slowly and may be good in soup: J Okra, J JJapanese bunching onion, J thinned carrots, JJyard long bean, JJokra leaves.
JJHerb bag : J Jalapeño peppers, JJ Shisho (Perilla), JJParsley (Japanese), JJOregano (Keep in paper bag on counter to dry for future use or keep in fridge sealed for use this week), JJComfrey, JJBASIL, JJSage, JJLemon Balm
J Flower Bouquet: Strawflower, Smoke tree foliage, Hyacinth Bean Flower, Butterfly Bush Flower, Double Rose of Sharon, Salvia.
J = grown in my garden in the country at Grandma (organic as much as possible) –had to use one application of 7 on squash plants this year.
JJ = 100% organically grown in my 4-H Garden in my Cedar St. home.