CSA Summer Share 2014 - Week #1 (7 January/9-10 January)
/We would really like to hear how the box is working for you, what produce you like, what is harder to know what to do with and what meals were a highlight in your house. If you are picking your box up, please do share with us. If your box is delivered and you are home, please chat a bit with Belinda or Peter.
With the days heating up, please do leave a large esky out and we will pack your veggies into to help them cope until you get home. Belinda and Peter do try and find a shady spot for the box but even in the shade, the greens wilt very quickly!
NOTES ON WHAT'S GROWING Heat above 36C does really effect crops. The tomatoes, capsicum and eggplants can drop all their flowers, the cucumbers can just give up, the pumpkins which are starting to grow can get sun scalded as can the capsicums, tomatoes and fruit. The melons, corn and zucchini seem to thrive. The cloud cover in the late afternoon, the cool change and the rain falling now helps!There are melons growing well, with some about the diameter of a dessert plate, and the field tomatoes are ripening. We have welcomed a new intern, Tahlia, who will be working with us through March. The Autumn brassica plantings continue to be seeded as do more plantings of lettuce, basil, beans, corn, coriander, perpetual gator, rocket, spring onions and zucchini.
We were lucky to have the rain after the heat on Saturday. Some of the apples and capsicums were scalded by the sun but most things recovered well with the cool change and rain.
We were excited to spy lots of native Australian bees today. These blue banded bees are great pollinators and wonderful proof that the diversity within our ecosystem is growing!
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.
Extras Broccoli – The last of our Summer broccoli. The crop will be back again in March. Capsicum – There have been a few green capsicums ready for harvest with many more smaller ones growing. The coloured sweet capsicums come later in the season. Chilies – There have been a few 'Hungarian Hot Wax' and we have started picking the 'Pimiento de Padrons'. These are wonderful fried. We rotate the 'Padrons' through the boxes and the harvest has just started. We give you a good size bag to make heating the oil worthwhile. There is a recipe for them here. Peas – Sugar snap peas or snow peas. Wonderful in a salad or a stir fry! Squash
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 addition of padrons.