It's no secret that this heat has been intense and oppressive. Despite that fact, our crew has pushed on to complete all of their regularly-scheduled work this week: tying tomatoes, pulling up garlic, hauling in baskets of heavy summer squash, tomatoes, eggplant, and SO many more crops. We are blessed to have a crew that is dedicated to our farm.
Every now and then, we have special events: staff lunches & treats. But, we had an idea that we'd like to ask for your support with. This weekend and early next week, we're going to put a tip jar out in front of the store. Would you consider tossing in some spare change toward an ice cream party for the crew? We could sponsor it, of course, but we thought it could be extra special coming from our farm community, to let them know that they are thought of and appreciated by the public, too. Randy and I are the faces of the farm, but we have a staff behind us that makes this all possible.
Visit us this weekend on Saturday (9-4) and Sunday (10-3), plus Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (10:30 to 6), and toss in a few coins on your way in or out. We'll also have some paper and markers on the table so you and/or your kiddos can write the crew some special notes and drawings of gratitude (or bring a pre-made one!). This is the time of year when it gets harder - there's more to harvest, the planting hasn't stopped, and the heat and humidity are tough to work through.
Any tips will go toward purchasing ice cream, toppings, and supplies for the crew to enjoy a party on Friday, July 26th. Thank you for helping us to boost morale on the farm!
Build-a-Bouquet was a huge hit last weekend, so much so that we heard you loud and clear - do this again! Ask and you shall receive. We're holding build-a-bouquet again on Saturday from 9 to 4 and Sunday from 10 to 3.
Here's how it works if you're curious but unsure (these directions are there at the time, too!):
Visit the farm and the display of flowers is out front
Each bucket is tagged with instructions: limit X amount of sunflowers, or take any 10 stems from this row, etc. We provide a basket and you can fill it with your selection of blooms.
Head to the nearby table to do your arranging. We have clippers and rubber bands there.
After you make your bouquet, come into our store to pay: $20 plus tax.
At this time, we don't offer pricing on individual stems so that we can reserve all inventory for build-a-bouquet.
One request: send us your beautiful photos! We loved receiving these last weekend.
Bulk boxes of pickling cucumbers are still available! Boxes are 25 lbs. for $32. Walk in each day that we are open and ask for a box while supplies last - no pre-orders. You are welcome to buy more than one if available that day. Bulk boxes should be available through August, and availability will peak later this month.
An update on raspberries and blackberries.
Blackberries are coming in fast and furiously now! We have these stocked in the store daily. We're in between raspberry plantings and in a small gap of time when we're waiting for the next plants to ripen. Availability might be slimmer this week. We haven't given up hope on holding PYO raspberries this year, it's just that we can't do it yet as we're waiting for the next planting.
Blackberries will also be available at the Monroe and Shelton Farmers' Markets this weekend.
As mentioned previously, this week we pulled all of our garlic! Admittedly, we were a little behind on this task this week as there has been so much else to do! But the crew got it all dug up, and now it's hanging it in the barn to dry.
Once it's dry, we'll cut the tops and put it out for sale. We also set about 100 lbs. aside to use as seed for next year, which we'll start weighing soon. It's hard to believe we're already planning for some fall tasks.
We're also pulling fresh, green onions at the moment. Next week, we'll look at the forecast to see if we can start pulling up our onions. We wait for the tops to start browning and dying back, and then we'll know that they're done growing and ready to come out. The problem is that we need 3 straight days with no rain: the onions have to lay out in the sun to dry so we can store them without having them rot. As you can imagine, this was a huge problem last year, and we lost so many of our onions. Normally these store well into December, but we didn't have very many in storage in 2023. We're crossing our fingers and toes for better luck this year. It's been a pretty good growing year so far, balanced with sun and rain... I hope I didn't just jinx it!
WHAT'S IN STORE
Here is the fresh produce we plan to have in stock while supplies last (through Friday, 7/26):
Beets
Blackberries
Cabbage (green)
Carrots
Cauliflower (limited quantities)
Collard greens
Cucumbers (slicing and pickling)
Eggplant
Escarole
Fresh herbs (sage, thyme, parsley, rosemary, mint, and basil)
Grape tomatoes
Green beans
Kale
Kohlrabi
Onions
Shishito peppers
Swiss chard
Tomatoes
Yellow squash
Zucchini
Plus:
Silverman's Farm blueberries Bread is on hold for the foreseeable future
STORE HOURS
Monday: 10:30 to 6
Tuesday: 10:30 to 6
Wednesday: 10:30 to 6
Thursday: 10:30 to 6
Friday: 10:30 to 5
Saturday: 9 to 4
Sunday: 10 to 3
So sorry, but we can't accommodate early or late arrivals even if we are around. Our staff is scheduled to work on prepping the store with the freshest products right up until we open. We also try to honor personal lives by closing promptly.
** Vegetable subscription pickup occurs during all open hours on members' scheduled pickup day and we hold shares for 24 hours afterward.
MARKET HOURS
Shelton Farmers' Market - Saturdays from 9 to 12 at 100 Canal Street.
Monroe Farmers' Market - Fridays from 3 to 6 at 7 Fan Hill Road.
THIS WEEK'S VEGGIE SUBSCRIPTIONS
MAIN SEASON WEEK 7 OF 20
(Tuesday, July 23rd through Saturday, July 27th)
Biweekly pickup occurs on all odd-numbered weeks - 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19. (This week.)
Share Contents (Listed approximately from shortest shelf life to longest)
Large:
2 lbs. of cucumbers
1 zucchini
1 bunch of Swiss chard
1 bunch of carrots
1 lb. of green or wax beans (farmer's choice)
1 bunch of scallions
1 bunch of parsley
1 small special summer bonus (You choose! Think tomato, pepper, grape tomatoes, etc.)
Small:
2 lbs. of cucumbers
1 zucchini
1 bunch of Swiss chard
1/2 lb. of green or wax beans (farmer's choice)
1 bunch of scallions
1 small special summer bonus (You choose! Think tomato, pepper, grape tomatoes, etc.)
Caring For Your Share (All of this information, plus long-term storage info, can also be found in our Vegetable Library of Resources).
Store Swiss chard in a plastic bag in the fridge. Or, snip the ends and store in a glass of water, like a bouquet. Wash and spin out when ready to use, within a few days.
Store scallions roots-down in a glass of water in the fridge, like a bouquet. Cover the greens with a plastic bag. Or, store in a plastic bag in the fridge and use within the week.
Store your cucumbers and zucchini in the crisper drawer in the refrigerator.
Store beans in a plastic bag in the fridge. Wash and blot dry when ready to use.
Store peppers in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your fridge. Set the crisper drawer to low humidity to allow some of the ethylene gas that results from decomposition to escape. Ethylene gas will cause the peppers to rot sooner.
Keep tomatoes out on the counter and out of direct sunlight, where they will get plenty of air flow. Do not put them in the fridge; it will dry out the tomatoes and change their consistency. Tomatoes continue to ripen after harvested, so use within a few days. To ripen a tomato quickly, put it in a paper bag in a dark place, like a cabinet.
Store grape or cherry tomatoes in a bowl with lots of airflow on your counter. If stems are still attached, don't pull them off until you're ready to eat the tomatoes. Wash before using and enjoy within a few days.
Remove the greens from the carrots and store them in plastic bags in the vegetable crisper. Use greens within the week, but the carrots may last for weeks when stored properly.
Store parsley stems in a glass of water in the fridge, like a bouquet. Cover the leaves with a plastic bag. Or, put the parsley in a damp paper towel in a plastic bag in the fridge.
The LGF Cooking Club (Recipes to try in addition to those in the Library of Resources!)
Korean Beef Bowls (uses scallions)
Additional Large Share Ingredients
How to Change Your Vegetable Subscription Pickup Day
If you need to skip your share for the week, or change your pickup day, you must provide us with 48 hours notice for any of the options below. This is because we pack shares the day before pickup. Once your share has been harvested and packed, we can not cancel your pickup.
For Tuesday pickups being changed, we need to know by Sunday.
Wednesday pickups, we need to know by Monday.
Saturday pickups, we need to know by Thursday.
You have the option to choose another of those pickup days in a given week: Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday.
You can skip a pickup and receive a double the following week.
If you miss your pickup, we will hold your share for 24 hours after your pickup day, and then it will be donated to a local food pantry. With more members than ever before, we don't have the cooler space to hold onto shares longer than this. This is a great option if you accidentally miss your pickup - just come the next day.
You can always send a guest to pick up in your place by simply notifying us of their name.
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