WHAT’S IN THE BOXThe following are the items in your box this week. Some items and quantities may vary depending on your harvest day. Check out our Vegetable & Fruit page on the website to find tips on maximizing the life of your veggies.

NOTES ON THE SHARE Basil – This is the beginning of the basil harvest with just the "tops" being picked this week. Beetroot – Perfect for raw eating, sliced on a mandoline or grated, and steaming whole or in quarters. Each bunch has a mixture of ‘Ruby Queen’ and 'Cylindra'. The youg tops can also be mixed into a salad! Broccoli – We are hoping that there will be a bunch of small broccoli heads in every box. If you do not have it this week, you should next. Tatsoi or English Spinach or Cabbage – We are unsure of the quantities of each harvest. Your harvest day will determine which you receive. Baby Carrots – This week there is a mix of ‘Scarlett Nantes’, ‘Cosmic Purple’ and ‘Red Core Chatenay’. These are beautiful and young and just need a light scrub. Edible Flowers – Perfect for summer salads. Fennel – The variety is 'Zefo-Fino'...lovely as a raw salad or braised! Garlic – All boxes will have a clove of freshly harvested 'Italian Purple' garlic. Some boxes will also have a bunch of garlic scapes. Lettuce – All boxes have a head of 'Rougette Montpellier'.

Radish - Tuesday deliveries will have radishes this week 'French Breakfast'. Rocket – Eat raw in a salad or sandwich, sprinkle over a pizza. Parsley – 'Italian Flat Leaf' Sugar Snap Peas – We will dividing the harvest of 'Sugar Anns' this week. Next week the shelling peas 'Greenfeast' should be ready. Baby Potatoes – Beautiful white skinned ‘Coliban’, small and medium size chats. Steam them with butter or quickly boil for a beautiful potato salad. Thyme– A bunch in every box.

NOTES ON WHAT'S GROWING Our entire crop of brassicas for the first few weeks of the share has fallen prey to the heavy winds of late October/early November (entire plants snapped off), the hot, dry spring and the white cabbage moths and their damaging caterpillars come early due to the hot spring . From tatsoi and bok choy to purple cauliflower and late season broccoli - There is a crop to harvest but it is filled with damage. We will harvest what we are comfortable with from those crops and divide it into the boxes. There is a summer broccoli planting on the old land that has been unaffected from both the heavy winds in early November and the cabbage moths. We hope to have bunches of brocollini for the next few weeks from that. The heat has also caused many items planted for the first week to bolt, or go to seed. Coriander, a protected bok choy planting and english spinach. We do have subsequent plantings of these but they may not ready for this weeks harvest. The warm season crops such as zucchini and green beans are loving the heat and should be ready in the next few weeks to fill in the gaps. There are also lots of baby tomatoes so we are hopeful for Christmas tomatoes.

RECIPE SUGGESTIONS This season, we are featuring recipes from wonderful chefs, mothers, food lovers and friends. In week #1, Nikki Fisher from The Wholefood Mama offers Beetroot, Rocket and Persian Fetta Salad.

Other recipe suggestions for the week are: Steamed Baby Potatoes with Parsley Roasted Baby Carrots with Garlic Scapes Fennel Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

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

Photo is the Half Share(2 people) Week #1