(Listed from shortest shelf life to longest shelf life)
Melon or Strawberries: Our first melons, it was too windy into May for us to plant so it is only now we have them. Please eat the strawberries right now. If they arrive damaged let me know and I will replace them. The overwhelming response from members is to pick them ripe rather than the crunchy one’s you buy in the store. Lettuce: We are surprised and pleased to include lettuce in your box in the middle of the summer. Store in the crisper. Plums or Peaches: We, and most other farms growing tree fruit, are having problems with harvesting peaches. They are breaking down too fast as some of you have told me after last weeks delivery. Eat the peaches fast or cut them up and freeze them for smoothies. Chard: These have few holes from what we believe to be Harlequin bugs. They are now at a population that I may have to investigate removing them in some way. I have not had to spray any crop for many years now. I am not sure what the organic method for dealing with them is. Store in a plastic bag in your crisper. Arugula: You still need to eat your greens in the summer. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge. Summer Squash: We have four types of squash planted so you may get the light green Mexican, dark green regular squash, yellow squash or the round ones. Store in the fridge. Persian Cucumbers: The cucumbers are from seed given to us by our friends and neighbors at Magnum Seeds. Heirloom Tomatoes or Cherry Tomatoes: The seeds for these wonderful summer fruits have been grown from seed we have selected and saved over the last twenty years. We will try and give you a range of ripeness so they last longer. Do not refrigerate. Red Gypsy Peppers: Sweet peppers this week. I eat them as a snack while driving. Store in the crisper. Roma or Shady Lady Tomatoes: These will keep some time. Please sort through all your tomatoes using the ripest first plus any with signs of damage. We will try to give you a range of ripeness to last the week. Garlic: Please hang this bunch in a dry cool place out of direct sun. Remove each bulb from the bunch as you need it. Leave the stems attached to the bundle as this aids in keeping the quality of the bulbs. White Onions: These are the first to cure in our huge onion field this year. We have dug these right out of the field. Coming later are red and yellow onions. Keep on your counter and use within a couple of weeks as they are not fully cured. Potatoes: The tops of the plants have dried and the crop of potatoes is sitting there waiting for us to pick them all. I have to complete the restoration of the potato digger that we bought in the spring. Store in the crisper.