(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. Italian Basil: I am still hoping to offer boxes of basil for bulk pesto making. The problem is we can never seem to grow enough even though I plant more each year. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge. Green or Red Mustard: I know it is summer but you still need to eat your greens. Store in a plastic bag in the crisper. 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. They like to see how their seed does in the rigorous conditions of an organic farm without all the pesticide protection. 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. Plums: We have a new farmer in Vacaville who has visited us several times and I have been to his Farm. Shankar has four acres of vegetables and twenty acres of organic prunes. These will go for drying very soon. Green Bell Peppers: The first pepper on the plant is called the king fruit. it sucks all the energy to it leaving other fruit to wait until it is ripe. I like to pre-empt this and pick it green so the remaining fruit size up and ripen. Store in a plastic bag in your crisper. Red Gypsy Peppers: Sweet peppers this week. I eat them as a snack while driving. Store in the crisper. Eggplant: Aubergine to those from Europe. This is not bitter like the store bought one’s. I never liked them unless they were soaked and salted. These taste great, Lorraine dipped the slices in batter last week. Store in the crisper. 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. Everything in your box is produced by us at Eatwell Farm in Dixon, except the plums which come from Hill View Gardens in Vacaville. Their organic certification is due any day now.