In The Box: 8, Local
This morning we woke up to a gorgeous, sunny, CRISP fall day. The grass on the back acres was laced with white frost and we actually had ice on the windshields of the cars. Beautiful. It sent me into a panic.
The basil! The lettuce! Thankfully, neither perished in the light freeze. In fact, many of the crops growing right now are at their best when the night temperatures start to fall. The beans, the salads, the greens and even the tomatoes left on the vine are terrifically tasty. Yet while we’re enjoying some of our most delicious harvests of the year, we are ever aware when in the gardens that the boundless optimism of summer is over. This week we seeded the last turnips and spinach and popped in cabbage and collard transplants, but there is really nothing else we can start in the ground anymore. It’s a time of year when all that’s left to do is just sit and wait for what comes.
Here’s what’s in the box:
In The Box: 8, Local, September 15, 2007
Edamame Soybeans – Different varieties than the last box. Thank goodness we succession planted this back in early summer – it’s been a nice long season for these and there are still three rows growing!
Green Beans – Slowing down, but tastier than ever.
Hard Squash – April, one of the owners of the other organic farm I work at, Garden To Be in Mt. Horeb, cooks lots of hard squash in the cool days of fall, and then freezes the pulp to be used as a base for rich soups all winter long. Squash will keep for a long time in the cool of a basement, or even in the kitchen, but if you have a work day in the kitchen anyway, cook it up to use on one of the rushed days near Christmas.
Autumn Colors Salad Mix – The best salad of the year grows in fall. We’ve added some tender beet greens and Gem marigolds for color. To spice it up, add some radish.
Radishes – These crazy radishes were interplanted to mark the rows of our fall carrots. The little carrot seeds washed away in the rains, but these radish are mild and fun. Black Spanish, Red Meat, French Breakfast and something that looks suspiciously like a purple-topped turnip have come up. The label reads “Scarlet,” but I’m skeptical.
Tomatoes – I know I keep saying these are done, but they never are! I think these really are the last, since the vines are totally dead and black.
Parsley
Basil
Nasturtium Leaves and Blossoms – These are so gorgeous right now, and getting spicier by the minute. How about a salad with JUST nasturtiums? Or try some of the unique recipes I’m putting up in the next post, and be the absolute talk of your next party! We’ve picked extra-large bags of these, since the frost may do them in.
Squash Blossoms – Again, we’re picking these all since the frost tonight may finish them.
Goat Cheese – My goats are already dried up for the year, and my neighbor Hilary’s are finishing up, too. This may be our last goat cheese until next season.
