The Adamah Blog

West Hartford CSA Harvest Notes – Week 7 July 28th

Celery Fresh celery is quite different from grocery store celery as evidenced by the deep green color of our crop- so healthy! This is not an easy crop to grow and many CSAs don’t bother. We gave our celery lots of water and love and it turned out pretty nice! Some of the leaves were beginning to be chewed on by leaf hoppers so we decided to harvest the crop before they did too much damage. For this reason, some of the celery is still a bit small and those who choose the small ones are getting two.

Tomatoes The tomatoes are still just trickling in so each share still isn’t yet getting a bounty. The plants look great so hopefully in the weeks to come you will get many more. We grow many varieties of heirloom tomatoes so you will see lots of different shapes and sizes in your shares over the season. We pick them a little before they are fully ripe so that they aren’t mushy by the time they get to you. Some of these tomatoes are ripe and ready to eat today or tomorrow whereas others are still a little green and will need to sit on the counter for a few days before they are ready to eat. Do not store tomatoes in the fridge as it decreases taste

Basil This morning Mira was across the field from me carrying a crate of basil and I could smell it from about an acre away. Store this aromatic herb on your counter rather than in the fridge and keep it out of the sun to reduce wilting.

Eggplant This is an Asian variety and it happens to be my favorite kind of eggplant. It is especially good sliced somewhat thin and cooked in stir-fries. The eggplant is coming on slowly so you are only getting one again this week. Hopefully you will get more in weeks to come. Store in the fridge, ideally in the crisper.

Carrots We have been finding a few black spots on the carrots caused by pests and therefor decided to pick them before the problem got any worse. We tried not to give any such carrots out to you but if you do find one, go ahead and cut around the yucky bit. The rest of the carrot will be delicious! Store them in the fridge in a bag or in the crisper.

Fresh Garlic Store these in the refrigerator and eat within a week or two. This fresh garlic has not been cured and so, like new potatoes, it does not store as well as cured garlic. We are hanging the rest of our garlic in the shed to dry so garlic you get later in the season will be cured and storable.

Summer Squash Choose from our three varieties of squash. The flying saucer shaped ones are Patty Pans, the dark green are zucchini and the yellow are yellow crookneck summer squash. Store in the fridge, ideally in the crisper.

Cucumbers Cukes will continue to be a consistent part of your share for the summer. Store in the refrigerator, ideally in a bag or crisper.

Green Beans The bean plants are just starting to produce. These gourmet green beans are unbelievably delicious, raw or cooked. Store it in the fridge in a bag or in the crisper.
Toscano Kale This is my favorite variety of kale and it has many names. It is sometimes called Toscano, Lacinato, or Italian but my personal favorite name is dinosaur kale. We aren’t sure if it is named for the resemblance between its’ leaves and a dinosaur’s scales or for the way that the plant looks like it belongs in the jurassic age.

New Potatoes Most potatoes we eat are cured, meaning that they have sat in the ground for months to thicken their skins and increase their storage capacity. These potatoes are freshly dug and have not cured, thus their skins are very delicate and they will not store well. The creamy tenderness of these Dark Red Norland new potatoes is a real treat.