WHAT’S IN THE BOX The following are the items being harvested this coming week. Items and quantities in your box may vary depending on your harvest day and the harvest. Please read the Notes on the Share (below) to know which items we "rotate" through the boxes. If the harvest of a crop is not enough for every member, we keep track of whom has received it and whom has not so as to keep the shares even.

The picture represents a full share box and is not exactly what every box will contain this week. The boxes are completely governed by what is ripe and ready for harvest and how much of it there is. We endeavour to divide the harvest fairly.

NOTES ON STORING THE HARVEST Please check out our Vegetable & Fruit page on the website to find tips on maximizing the life of your veggies.

NOTES ON THE SHARE Basil – We are thinning a new planting this week so your bunch is young basil with roots. Lemon Basil and Purple Basil – Harvesting bunches. If you would prefer a bunch of lemon and purple basil instead of coriander, please email us. Beans – We are harvesting 'Cherokee Wax' , yellow, string less, bush beans and 'Strike', green, string less, bush beans. Beat Root – Harvesting 'Bulls Blood', 'Ruby Queen' and 'Golden Detroit'. The 'Golden Detroit' steam well. They turn a brown colour when grated. Better cut into thin matchsticks raw in a salad. Cabbage – We are continuing to harvest our first Autumn planting of green 'Golden Acre' cabbage. Harvesting a few heads of 'Red Rock', red cabbage. Capsicum – We are harvesting "breaking" capsicums. These are green or purple capsicums that have started to turn to red. There are many posts online which talk about how to continue to turn the capsicum red...on your kitchen counter or in a bag with a banana. We are harvesting them "breaking" to keep the plant producing as they should produce for another four-six weeks depending on the weather. Red capsicums contain high levels of vitamin C but come only when the plant has matured. Please look at the pepper post to identify. Carrots – Bunches of 'Scarlet Nantes' or 'Red Core Chantenay'. Chillies - The harvest of ‘Padron’ chillies will continue to appear in some boxes. There are ‘Hungarian Hot Wax’, ‘Long Thin Cayennes’ and ‘Thai Hot’ or ‘Bird’s Eye’ being harvested. Please look at the pepper post to identify. Coriander – Harvesting small bunches. If you would prefer a bunch of coriander instead of lemon and purple basil, please email us. Corn – The fifth planting of corn, a butter and sugar variety 'Max', is coming on. Lovely big ears full of flavour! We found ears today for the photo and expect to find more for Saturday pick-ups. We will continue harvesting on Wednesday and divide the harvest. Cucumbers – We are harvesting the third planting. There are small, round 'Lemon' cucumbers, small pickling cucumbers 'Sumter', medium size cucumbers 'Marketmore' and 'Straight Eight' and large Chinese climbing cucumbers 'Suyo'. Eggplant – The eggplants were another crop effected by the extreme heat. We are continuing to harvest what is there. Please look at the eggplant post to identify. We rotate the harvest. Lettuce – Harvesting 'Freckles' and 'Green Oak Leaf'. The lettuce has not liked the hot humid weather. If we leave it in the ground, it will rot. So we will harvest the whole planting, giving you extra lettuce this week. There will be none next. If you wash it and wrap it in kitchen paper, or wash it, spin it and store it in a plastic container, it should last for ten days. Melons – We are still harvesting from the second planting, although the harvest is scanty. We keep checking the third planting as there are some big melons growing. We are unsure of what the harvest this week will be. We are also awaiting two more watermelon varieties which are not quite ready yet. Onions – We are harvesting 'California Red'. We harvested these storing onions in the earth sign according to the biodynamic calender. These onions should contain all of the flavour and nutrients you would expect from a biodynamic onion and they should store well too. Parsley – Harvesting 'Flat leaf' Italian and 'Curly Leaf'. Patty Pan Squash – The variety is 'Jaune Et Verte'. They are scallop, small, round summer squash. Delicious baked, grilled or stir fried. We are rotating the harvest of these each week. Radishes – Harvesting 'Purple Plum'. Hoping to get them into all the half share boxes this week. Tomatoes – There is a bumper crop of cherry tomatoes. The Romas are coming on and there are a few 'Marglobes' too. Expect extra this week as the cherries are so prolific! Zucchini – Harvesting 'Nero de Milano' and 'Romanesco'. The zucchinis are slowing down and we may need to start rotating the harvest.

NOTES ON WHAT'S GROWING We are still in the thick of tomato season with the bigger varieties ripening now. The first planting is beginning to slow down. We have put a second planting in though and we are just beginning to harvest those tomatoes. We are unsure how prolific this planting will be, being so late in the season, but wanted to experiment. There are teeny tiny heads of broccoli- unsure when we will be harvesting. The English spinach planting still does not look ready for harvesting for this week. Hopefully next. There is also fennel and celery which will be ready for next week. And maybe baby rocket too! The potato harvest this year has been reduced by the lack of rain...potatoes require large amounts of water. So there are no potatoes this week but they will be back next week.

ESKY'S Please keep putting out your esky's. Peter is happy to put your vegetables in one to preserve the freshness of the food until you return home. Leave them in the shade and leave a note if you think he would not spot it. We have also been told that water frozen in juice bottles with card board on top in an esky is an excellent way to protect the tender greens and keep everything cold and crisp. Thanks for the advice!

U-PICK FLOWERS We have cosmos, zinneas, scabiosa, fever few, snap dragons, calendula, nasturtiums, statice, helichrysums and many other flowers growing. Every member is welcome to come and U-pick some edible flowers and a bouquet each week on Saturdays from 8am-11am. If you have not been to the farm yet, this is a great chance to walk around, see your food growing and leave with a wonderful posy.

SEASONAL EATING - SHARING INSPIRATION Please keep sharing your inspirations. True seasonal eating has lost its definition, due partly to the fact that the grocery stores and fruit and vegetable shops seem to have everything, all the time. It is great to be a part of the re-awakening of eating with the season and I am enjoying compiling what that looks like for so many different families.

RECIPE SUGGESTIONS Beet Root, Feta and Almond Salad Carrot and Radish Salad with a Glorious Moroccan Inspired Dressing Perfect Lettuce Salad with Radishes, Semi Dried Tomatoes and Capers Zucchini, Cherry Tomatoes and Chicken Kebabs

You can also search by key ingredient on our website recipe page for many more ideas.