The calendar says fall, but as we pack our first boxes of the new season, the weather is still feeling like summer. As a result, we're packing tomatoes in the box to kick off the fall CSA. We might have put sweet peppers in the box as well, and even though we love to over pack the boxes (about 42% over value this week) to minimize farm waste and honor our favorite customers (CSA customers are the best), there are limits. I must say that this year we have really gotten some things right, productivity is way up from last year, and we've got one heck of a lot of stuff to try to figure out how to get into the boxes. That's a pretty good problem to have.
In addition to having lots of crops now, this warmer weather is also ripening things at a pretty torrid pace, which puts a pretty significant strain on everyone to keep up. Our processing kitchen, which in large part serves to minimize waste and utilize as many tomatoes as possible, has been cooking 7 days/week for nearly a month now. At this rate, we're making enough of our trademark product, whole roasted tomatoes, to last not just through this year's winter CSA share, but through most, if not all, of next year's winter share as well. If we can process enough tomatoes to get us through the next 18 months, we won't need to grow as many--or any--outdoor tomatoes next season. The tomatoes from our hoop houses taste a lot better, yield better, and are more reliable than our outdoor crop. If we can focus on hoop tomatoes next year, they should yield better yet, and potentially have even higher quality. When quantity is way up and more than necessary, it is time to pull back and redouble efforts on quality. We want to be the best, not the most.
This week's box has some of the most perfect green leaf lettuce you'll ever see. It was harvested yesterday, in perfect conditions, after having excellent growing conditions for the last month. The mesclun (spicy greens mix) isn't quite as perfect, but it's very nice nonetheless. We've worked hard to get it harvested at the right stage of growth/height, and take care of it post-harvest. With the cooler (slightly) weather of early fall, the flavor is a little milder, with the mustard greens and arugula being not quite as hot as they were in warmer summer weather. To honor the fall season, and to mix things up, we're packing acorn squash and potatoes as well. To round things out, we have some beautiful Lacinato kale.
We had considered packing in this week's box thyme, parsley, the aforementioned sweet peppers, and even spinach, which is coming back onto the scene in our fall plantings. This is truly the most productive time in the history of this farm. Heck, we could even have included rosemary, shallots, tomatillos, and/or celery leaf! Next week we're likely to begin packing broccoli, with cauliflower expected the week after that. It's making our heads spin.
It's great time to be part of our CSA given the quality and quantity we've worked so hard to achieve, and the fortune we've been lucky enough to have. Thanks for being part of our farm!
-- Chris
