We've been keeping an eye on the weather all week, hoping to hold our pick-your-own raspberries and flowers again this weekend. It looks like Mother Nature intends to ruin our plans again, with another rain storm on Saturday morning.
Last week we were forced to cancel our plans due to the deluge we got. Look at what happened in our fields. See how the rows were completely flooded? I admit, I went out to harvest some flowers afterward and almost fell a couple of times.
There are SO many gorgeous flowers out there that it broke my heart not to be able to have you out there along with me.
The raspberries were hammered and waterlogged, too. Randy and I harvested a ton - there were so many out there, too, but the bushes and berries were soaked and we had to be selective about which ones we picked.
Note the Shaggy Coos Farm milk carton necklace Randy made so we can harvest berries faster with two hands. Farm fashion!
Anyway, looking ahead to Saturday, we're frustrated to see more rain in the forecast. `So, we're channeling our inner Ross Gellar from Friends, who said... "PIV-OT!"
Instead of pick-your-own, we're holding two other special events: Build-a-Bouquet and Stuff-a-Bag.
Stuff-a-Bag works like this. You come into the store and pre-pay $30 for your bag. We give you a bag, and you go out in front of our store to stuff the bag with as much veggie goodness as you want.
The offerings will be:
Romaine
Escarole
Squash
Zucchini
Green cabbage
Kohlrabi
Salad turnips
Garlic scapes
& a few other surprises each day.
Here I am with a sample late season Stuff-a-Bag.
Stuff-a-Bag will take place beginning on Saturday, July 13th and run EVERY DAY through Thursday, July 18th.
Build-a-Bouquet will also be happening this Saturday, 7/13 and Sunday, 7/14.
You pay $20 and make a bouquet of all of the flower offerings in front of our store. So many sunflowers and bright colored flowers are now available!
Both of these events will be under tent cover in case of rain so that it doesn't put too much of a damper on our weekend fun.
Bulk boxes of pickling cucumbers are now 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.
Believe it or not, we are still seeding for the fall. Note the personal fan, ice water, and cooling towel to help me get the job done.
Everything we've been seeding is brassicas and greens for November and December - Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, kohlrabi, bok choy, and Swiss chard. Now that our land restoration project is done, these crops will be planted on the 1.5 acre field.
All of you autumn lovers will be happy to hear this next one: in between customers last week, Henry was filling pots with soil to get ready to plant...
Mums!
We order a shipment of plugs (the same way we start the hanging flower baskets for the spring) and then we nurture them until they're ready in mid-September. We usually change the store over for the first weekend after Labor Day and aim to have them ready for this time. Mums are easy - they just need a space in the greenhouse and water.
Each of our morning field crew takes a day prepping veggies at the wash station. Eric's on duty on Fridays so he can help load up a huge order of veggies each week, which heads to the East End NRZ Market & Cafe in Bridgeport to be distributed to residents in need.
Rotating the crew through the wash station and store gives them a much-needed break from the heat. Each day there's a special project to work on, be it market prep, CSA prep, wholesale order prep, bulk box prep, and so many more jobs...
This week, we welcomed 30 members to our short and sweet Peak Season program. This one runs for 13 weeks, includes one share size, and pickup happens on Thursdays each week. It's the perfect option for members who prefer to eat veggies that are available at the height of the season, or otherwise can't commit to picking up for a longer season (our Main Season program spans 20 weeks and Extended Season program spans 32.)
We challenged our Peak Season members to snap a photo of their haul and got some beautiful submissions.
Meanwhile, our Main Season members are a quarter of the way through their program and having so much fun! This week, they received a bunch of salad turnips and posted in our Facebook group to share their thoughts:
They also had the chance to pick their own beans or grab a pre-picked bag with their share this week. It was fun to see individuals and families headed out into the fields to take advantage of the farm.
In case you're wondering, tomatoes usually arrive in late July. The tomatoes we're harvesting now are being grown in our greenhouse in order to satisfy a need for tomato availability in a small way. Soon we'll have so many it'll be impossible to keep up. We'll also offer tons of bulk boxes of plum tomatoes. For now, we enjoy what nature gives us in due time...
WHAT'S IN STORE
Here are the fresh veggies we plan to have in stock while supplies last (through Friday, 7/19):
Beets
Blackberries
Cabbage (green)
Carrots
Cauliflower (limited quantities)
Collard greens
Cucumbers (slicing and pickling)
Eggplant
Escarole
Fresh herbs (sage, thyme, parsley, rosemary, mint, dill, and basil)
Green beans
Greenhouse tomatoes
Kale
Kohlrabi
Lettuce
Onions
Raspberries
Romaine
Shishito peppers
Swiss chard
Yellow squash
Zucchini
Plus:
Silverman's Farm blueberries
Wave Hill Bread muffins, baguette, boule, and sandwich loaves delivered on Saturday
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 6 OF 20
(Tuesday, July 16th through Saturday, July 20th)
Biweekly pickup occurs on all odd-numbered weeks - 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19. (Next week.)
Share Contents (Listed approximately from shortest shelf life to longest)
Large:
1 head of romaine
1 eggplant
2 lbs. of cucumbers
1 bunch of kale
1 pint of shishito peppers
2 fresh onions
2 free choice items (You choose from eggplant, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, romaine, kohlrabi, green beans, or basil)
Small:
1 head of romaine
1 eggplant
2 lbs. of cucumbers
1 bunch of kale
1 fresh onion
1 free choice item (You choose from eggplant, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, romaine, kohlrabi, green beans, or basil)
Caring For Your Share (All of this information, plus long-term storage info, can also be found in our Vegetable Library of Resources).
Store kale 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.
Shake out and then store your romaine in a plastic bag in the fridge. Wash when ready to use, within the week.
Store your onions, cucumbers, squash, or 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 shishito peppers in a plastic bag in the fridge. Wash when ready to use.
Store eggplant at room temperature, like out on your counter, but keep it away from other fruits and vegetables that will emit ethylene gas, as this will cause it to rot faster (tomatoes, melons, bananas, etc.)
Remove the greens from the kohlrabi bulb and store in separate plastic bags in the fridge. Use the greens within a week; the bulbs can last a couple of weeks if stored properly.
Trim the bottoms of the basil and place the stems in a glass of cold water, like a bouquet. Keep it out of the fridge, as basil leaves can turn black when exposed to cold temperatures. Use within a few days.
The LGF Cooking Club (Recipes to try in addition to those in the Library of Resources!)
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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