CSA AUTUMN SHARE WEEK #3 Our What's in the Box photo helper has returned to school. These are the last weeks of tomatoes until December! We hope you are enjoying them as much as we are!!

NOTES ON WHAT'S GROWING

The farm had its first light frost on Sunday night. Peter turned irrigation on at 4am to protect the frost sensitive crops...sweet potato, beans, zucchini, cucumber, tomatoes, capsicum, eggplant and lettuce. All fared well but there is a natural resignation to the cold, damp nights in the zucchini, cucumber and tomato. The capsicum and eggplant are slowing down considerably with the cold. We are currently picking the last bean planting. And we hope that the last sweet corn planting will ripen in the next few weeks. Enjoy these crops now as we will not see them again until next December.

Meanwhile the cool loving crops are thriving. The next broccoli planting should be ready for its first harvest on Friday. It is a big planting with many heads looking like they will be ready at the same time. This might mean lots of broccoli all at once. The first cauliflower planting is starting to head. The root crops are glowing.

We have harvested the pumpkin crop and are curing them for long storage. This week you will receive ‘Butternut’. Your fruit may have damaged skin. The inside is fine though. We use these first as they do not store.

We planted the garlic crop for next season this week and now know what we have left for the rest of the season. The storage onions are also drying and plentiful. Onions are one of the most heavily sprayed crops and because they bulb on top of the ground the spray residue is very high in the onion. Enjoy these unsprayed, biodynamic onions which should store in a cool dark place for months.

The cherry tomato crop is still producing for “Pick Your Own” during farm pick up times...with the threat of frost and the crops natural waning, get them NOW. Please bring your own containers. Limit a 1 kilo bucket per family.

Farm pickup is 2-5pm Fridays and 8-11am Saturdays. Box pickup is available at other times by appointment only. Cherry Tomato picking is only available during farm pick up times.

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. We envisage that many of the vegetables you are receiving this week will last for two weeks with careful attention to storing upon arrival. Although we do wash all the greens after harvest, we are washing to take the heat out of the plants and wash away some surface dirt, not to prepare them for consumption. We also spray a seaweed/herb brew about every ten days. While this will not harm you, it does have a taste. We do suggest washing your produce prior to eating.

WHAT’S IN THE BOX The following are the items harvested this week. Items and quantities in your box may vary depending on your harvest day and the total harvest of each crop. The boxes are completely governed by what is ripe and ready for harvest and how much of it there is. We endeavor to divide the harvest fairly. 1/4 share: 5-7 items 1/2 share: 8-10 items Full Share: 10-12 items

Beans Capsicum Carrots Coriander Garlic Leeks Kale Onions Potatoes Pumpkin Silver Beet

Tomatoes Japanese Turnips

Extras Broccoli Celery Cherry Tomatoes Chilies Cucumbers Eggplant Lettuce Summer Squash Zucchini

RECIPE SUGGESTIONS

Pumpkin and Spinach Curry - This recipe is an internet find. I love the homemade curry powder! – 30 minute prep and cooking Roasted Japanese Turnips and Their Balsamic Greens

Carrot and Leek Soup

Warm Kale and Roasted Pumpkin Salad Chunky Potato and Leek Soup

You can search our recipes by looking for the key ingredients on our website recipe page

Please note - Photo is a randomly selected full share box with the inclusion of coriander which missed the photo.