Knock Knock? (Who’s there?) Nora. (Nora who?) No rain!

Hmm. Otis has been into knock-knock jokes, but he wasn’t into that one, either. The irrigation held the line. This local drought is, well, pretty interesting really. And, it’s satisfying to abide.

We picked and preserved a pleasing supply of the seasonal wild berries of the neighborhood. The juneberries are almost done, with the remaining fruits mostly having gone Past Purple and into the “Fruit-Leather Nuggets” phase. Kristin observes that they are unique in being enjoyable at all stages of ripeness. She’s right. Its a rare and prized fruit that hits the trifecta of tastiness when ripe, under ripe, and over ripe.

The red and black cap raspberries are at the end as well, black caps drying on the plants and final reds ripe and relished by the wild life. Simultaneously the first ripe dew berries are arriving. The earliest of the blackberry clan, they sprawl low on the edges of bare sun-baked sand, the largest such berries seasonally seen. Blackberries and grapes remain green, but seem probably plentiful,

No new bear or deer or mosquitoes. The blister beetles – a newcomer to our field – are quite plentiful, but seem to eat a little of all kinds of things instead of destroying just one whole crop of something, which is very polite of them. We listen to Wood Thrush in the evening, Whip-poor-Wills at night, and Ravens whenever. And something – Wabbits? – is munching down soybeans and parsley-or-maybe-that-was-cutting celery.

MORE WORDS

Whats in Box 6

• Potatoes – we had some kind of new, powerful weed pushing up the landscape fabric in the field this season, something more tenacious and powerful than anything we’d faced before. Well, it turned out to be potato plant volunteers, sprouting from the apparent army of spuds that we missed harvesting from the 2022 weed forest. They pushed up and through the weed barrier, found their way to the sunlight and somehow gathered enough moisture to form the spuds that we harvested for you today. Everyone is getting a mix of reds, purples, and whites – but sorted by size so some of you get a few big lunkers, some get an equivalent volume of adorable little miniatures, perfect for roasting whole, and most of ya; have a quart of taters somewhere in the middle size range. Bone apple tea, as they don’t say.
• Tomatoes – probably. They’re juuuust getting started, so you’re going to get either ONE full sized tomato, a handful of cherry tomatoes, or maybe just an IOU and a muttered apology..
• Onions – They’re biggening.
• Cucumbers – surely you used them all up from last week by now right? Right?!
• Zucchini
• Garlic – more volunteers from those who went MIA among last year’s mega weed forest. Thanks Baby Jasper, we wouldn’t have any garlic this year without ya!
• Bok Choi
• Napa Cabbage
• Mint Medley – spearmint, peppermint, and mountain mint. They all go great on your refreshing mock tails and mojito s! In the bag with your bok choi.
• Micro Mix – a downright delectable blend of kale, broccoli, amaranth, sunflower shoots, pea shoots, red cabbage, and radish microgreens.

Recipe A.I.deas

The robot was being a bit silly today and tried to recommend that we caramelize the napa cabbage, but I think we reigned it in now …

• Garlic Butter Roasted Potatoes: Toss diced potatoes with minced garlic, olive oil, and salt. Roast until golden brown and crispy.
• Cucumber and Napa Cabbage Slaw: Shred cucumber and Napa cabbage, then toss with a light vinaigrette dressing for a refreshing and crunchy slaw.
• Bok Choy Stir-Fry with Zucchini: Sauté sliced bok choy and zucchini with soy sauce, ginger, and garlic for a flavorful and nutritious stir-fry.
• Zucchini and Onion Fritters: Grate zucchini and onions, mix with a bit of flour and egg, then pan-fry until crispy and delicious.
• Garlic Roasted Napa Cabbage: Drizzle napa cabbage with olive oil and minced garlic, then roast until tender and caramelized.
• Potato and Micro Green Salad: Boil diced potatoes, toss with lemon juice and a light mustard dressing and top with micro greens for a delightful salad.
• Feel free to adjust the quantities and seasonings according to your taste preferences! Enjoy these recipes in your CSA newsletter.