The News from Windflower Farm
Hello from a very wet Windflower Farm! Rain and mud and more rain: a test of one’s foul weather gear and tolerance for wet socks and mosquitos. Jan, Nate and I stopped in at the farmers’ market today, where the consensus among farmers was that a wet year is preferable to a dry one, even if it means more foliar diseases and weedier fields. Not a one enjoys dragging irrigation pipe around the fields. I’m with them so far, especially because our soils are well drained, but I’m worried by the prospect of more rainfall. We are not vendors at farmers’ markets – all of our produce goes to the CSA – but we do like to visit for mushrooms, maple syrup, tree fruit and sundry other items and to exchange gossip with our fellow farmers. And on this occasion, we had the additional treat of hearing a musical performance by a young man who works here and his trio. (He also produces organic grains on his family’s farm. More on that in a future newsletter.)
What’s in your share?
- Butterhead lettuce
- Green leaf lettuce
- Lacinato kale
- Tomatoes
- Basil
- Squashes OR cucumbers
- Beets
- Eggplant
- Yellow onions
Eggplant is the new item in this week’s box. Quick ideas: You might bread and pan fry slices to go on pizza or, with bruschetta and a dollop of ricotta, on toast. If you are feeling especially bold, you might try ratatouille. Fennel will come next week. The wet weather has slowed development of our corn crop, but you can expect the bicolor variety ‘Vision’ two weeks from now. Our peppers and garlic should also start at about that time.
A couple of notes on our tomatoes: Roads in and out of NYC are very poor, which is especially hard on ripe tomatoes. Some bruising is inevitable. Our goal is to send mostly fully ripe fruits, but we’ll also mix in tomatoes that are not quite ripe so that you won’t have to consume them all immediately. Your tomatoes will finish ripening on your kitchen counter.
Your fruit shares will be Yonder Farm’s peaches. The rain has made harvesting and the prediction of what’s available difficult. Pete tells me not to expect his stone fruit to arrive fully ripe. If he put fully ripe apricots or peaches on our truck, they’d be ruined in transit. Like tomatoes, they’ll ripen by sitting in a bowl on your counter.
By the way, if you have a comment or complaint about the contents of a share, please feel free to share it with me. Your feedback helps us become better farmers, and welcome thoughtful, constructive criticism. We all want you to have a good CSA experience, so we really will pay close attention to what you have to say and the team and I will make improvements where we can.
I hope you have a great week, Ted
Central Brooklyn CSA 