Week 3!
Good Morning!! I want to talk about the weather, the heat and dryness but I know I have the last 2 weeks. Its on my mind every day and night. But from a wider view, its more than just the weather - I have been doing a lot of research lately about raising food and stress and it seems that agriculture is one of the leading professions that creates stress. For me a lot of the stress comes from uncontrollable aspects of the work such as weather, pests and disease and other natural factors that contribute to the overall health of the farm. And then there are things that I can control but may not have the time to prioritize them such as weed control, pruning the tomatoes, etc. because things come up. What Genica and I are both learning this season is to make time to do other things! Simple right? On Sunday we cut out of here and headed north to find a new swimming hole under a covered bridge in Belvidere and it was amazing. The oppressive heat made it easy to take off. It is challenging to let go of the farm even for a few hours but that process is so rejuvenating and as Genica says, we can “feel like human beings in the world.” Then we can both return to our projects with new eyes and fresh bodies. One member I spoke with yesterday is trying to swim with a friend in the reservoir every morning and she has found that to be recharging. Breaking away feels so important these days and I hope that all of you have healthy and fun ways to combat the stresses of life. Or maybe you are one of the many teachers we have in the CSA and its summer and you are maxing and relaxing without a care in the world.
This week!
the first carrots! These were sown in late March in a greenhouse and are delicious!
a bag of spinach - ok, for real this is the last of the spinach until fall.
a bunch of rainbow chard - not sure what to do with chard? Here is a nice, simple side dish recipe.
2 cukes - more to come.
a bunch of dill. I’m pretty excited about this and I don’t even like dill that much! Herbs have been a challenge here since the beginning so it feels like a big accomplishment to have dill this week! And here is a recipe for tzatziki sauce - a great hot weather accompaniment using the cukes too.
a bunch of scallions - you could toss them in with the chard dish for some added flavor. Or dice them into a cucumber salad like this one.
Broccoli - raw, cooked. Yum.
Kohlrabi - one CSA member said just eat it like an apple. Last night Genica and I peeled one and shredded it into a salad. Cut it like crackers and put a slice of cheese on it for kohlrabi crackers and cheese. Here are some other ideas! Veteran CSA members have heard all this before :)
Week 3 Share
Well, apparently I didn't take any picture this week. But here is an old photo of a sticky note that Genica put on my desk after a long day as a reminder. It was so nice to see some old faces yesterday and spend some time down in Waterbury!! I hope you all have a great week!!
