August 23, 2017

It’s one of my favorite weeks of the year! Okra is here! Love it or hate it, okra has arrived and we usually only get it for one week. While it can be an acquired taste (or texture), okra is a wonderful summer crop with a small window, so enjoy it while it is here. I will, unfortunately, be out of town this week, so hopefully we can get some more next week. Thank you Whipstone Farm for growing this special crop! Check out some of our okra recipes from past seasons here.

As summer comes to a close, you will see some of the produce in your basket changing. This will most likely be the last week for cucumbers, as Willowbrook Farm’s patch is slowing down. Eggplant is starting to come on, so it should be in your baskets in a few weeks. The corn crop is almost ready to harvest at Willowbrook Farm, assuming the critters don’t get it first. Denise caught a raccoon a few nights ago, so hopefully her vigilance in protecting the corn will pay off. The time for stone fruits such as plums, peaches, and nectarines has passed, and now we will enjoy fruits such as pears and apples. This week we have Asian pears from Plum Nutty Orchard in Camp Verde. These are a brown-skinned, crunchy pear, so enjoy them while their flesh is crisp.

Willowbrook Farm is doing well after the flood and javelina attack a few weeks back. The javelinas are still hanging around, so they are keeping their gates shut all day long to keep those pesky critters out. The winter squash are setting more fruit, but it’s hard to say if any will be ready to harvest by the end of the CSA season. Luckily, Whipstone Farm seems to have a lot of winter squash in their fields, so we should get some either way. Farming is always an adventure (and mystery) so it will be fun to see what we end up enjoying over the next few months!

Happy solar eclipse!
Meghan

What’s in your basket – August 23rd

Asian pears – Plum Nutty Orchard
Cherry tomatoes – Willowbrook Farm
Cocktail tomatoes – Willowbrook Farm
Cucumbers – Willowbrook Farm
Green beans – Zopilote Produce
Onions – Willowbrook Farm
Okra – Whipstone Farm
Salad mix – Whipstone Farm

Although many flowers didn’t survive the big storm at Whipstone Farm,
the dahlias are doing great right now.

Slow, but steady, the winter squash are coming along.

Happy potato field at Whipstone Farm.

The lettuces at Willowbrook Farm are doing great after the flood.
They don’t seem to mind the layer of mud surrounding them!