Another beautiful week is under way! This is one of my favorite times of the year. Some days are still hot and summery, others are cool and breezy with a taste of autumn. The windows stay open all night long and sometimes, all day. Mornings and evenings are cool enough to throw on a sweater and weekends are perfect for spending time with friends and enjoying a fire in the backyard. It’s also the time of the year that usually brings a lot of work canning and preserving the last of the harvest. I typically can enough diced tomatoes to supply us for the year, and supplement with cucumber pickles, applesauce, jams, and pickled beans and okra as needed. This year the pickling item of choice for our family is okra. My kids love it, especially my daughter (who turns six this Friday!). So I am so excited that we are getting okra this week! I know that it is not everybody’s favorite, but I hope you will give it a try with the recipe below or another on our recipes page. And if you just know it’s not for you, feel free to leave it with the volunteers for those of us who can’t get enough of it when it is in season!
Whipstone Farm will be hosting a Dahlia Field Day this coming Sunday, September 22nd from 3-6 pm. The field day will be a celebration of the autumnal equinox and the bounty of the fall harvest. This won’t be a full tour of the farm, but a chance to enjoy the 5,000 beautiful dahlia plants currently in bloom during their best growing year ever. Shanti says, “There is no charge to come, we just ask that you be respectful and follow a few rules (wear sturdy shoes, no dogs please, tell your friends, tag us in your photos!). Bring a hat, a snack, some water, and cash if you want to buy flowers. We will have some pre-made dahlia bunches for sale or you can pay by the stem to cut your own, but mostly we just want people to come stroll the field, take some photos, get inspired to grow some of your own next year.” Whipstone Farm is located in Paulden, but don’t follow google maps to their home address, as the dahlias are in another field, 5 miles away. To get the location for the Whipstone Farm dahlia field, sign up for their newsletter on their website.
Have a cool week!
Meghan
What’s in your basket – September 18th
Eggplant – Whipstone Farm
Head lettuce– Willowbrook Farm
Kale– Willowbrook Farm
Okra – Fasteen Farms
Shishito peppers – Whipstone Farm
Summer squash – Whipstone Farm
Gorgeous head lettuce this week from Willowbrook Farm.
A mix of purple, yellow, and green beans headed your way!
Dahlia field at Whipstone Farm. Go check it out on their Dahlia Field Day!
These dahlias are unbelievable!