Welcoming in some new end-of-June crops
- Victoria & Randy Rogowski
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
STORIES & UPDATES
Now that the second half of June is underway, the arrival of new crops has us feeling excited. This week we welcome beets, broccoli, and the free choice option of snap peas. Large share members will even receive some cauliflower!
This year, we decided to plant our first round of cucurbits differently than in past years. April and May wind can really beat up on our transplants in the field, and last year we lost a lot of cucumber plants specifically to harsh winds. We kept having to pull out and replace transplants until eventually we ran out of extras.
Randy's farmer friend suggested direct seeding and swore we'd be harvesting cucurbits the same time as always. Unfortunately we do feel like having early transplants did yield summer squash and cucumbers sooner, so we are slightly behind our normal schedule. We'd hoped to be ready to harvest the first round this week, but they're still a bit small. Fingers crossed for some by the end of next week.
The sad news is that strawberry season has come to an end. While we are extremely sad to see them go, the reality is that harvesting strawberries every other day is incredibly labor intensive, and at times detracts from other important jobs that need to be done. So, it's a bittersweet relief.
Peppers need to be weeded, broccoli and cauliflower need to be harvested before we have a temperature swing, every snap pea is removed from the plant by hand (as well as garlic scapes), we continue planting successions of crops like brassicas (cabbage family crops) to stay on schedule right through September 15th, peaches were never thinned this past week, and the list of course goes on and on.
We installed a new handle in the store doorway to assist our customers in making the step up. We hope this makes for safer visits to the farm! Longtime supporter Betsy suggested this, and we are grateful to receive constructive feedback like this.
This week, everyone is receiving a kohlrabi bulb.
German for "cabbage turnip," this vegetable is a cross between a turnip and a broccoli stalk. You can eat it raw or cooked, though cooking tames the turnip flavor to caramelize it and make it sweeter. We grow a green and red variety; similar to cabbage, the red variety is sweeter. You can eat the bulb and the greens, but peel the bulb first. Harvested in the early summer and fall.
Storage: Short-term: Remove the greens from the bulbs and store in separate plastic bags in the fridge. Use the greens within a week; the bulbs can last a couple of weeks if stored properly.
Long-term: Freezing Kohlrabi
Recipes:
Don't forget about the ongoing contest in our members' Facebook group! Post a photo of what you made with your garlic scapes by Friday, June 26th. Let's share inspiration together and show how creatively we cook! Our team will pick one lucky member from each pickup day to win a jar of Sunday Sauce.
STORE INFORMATION
We are all set with box donations at the moment! We'll let you know the next time we're in need. Thank you all!
Here is the fresh produce we plan to have in stock while supplies last (through Sunday, 6/28):
Arugula
Basil
Beets
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Collard greens
Escarole
Garlic scapes
Hakurei salad turnips
Kale
Kohlrabi
Lettuce
Napa cabbage
Radishes
Romaine
Scallions
Snap peas
Swiss chard
Tokyo bekana
CURRENT HOURS:
Monday: 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Tuesday: 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Wednesday: 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Thursday: 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday: 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
UPCOMING EVENTS
We will offer limited hours on Saturday, July 4th from 9 to 12 only.
Saturday pickup members can come that morning, or Sunday, July 5th from 10-3, or are always welcome to arrange to skip a week and double the next. Please let us know by June 30th if you'd like to make a change for the holiday weekend.
The Shelton Farmers' Market runs every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at 100 Canal Street.
The Monroe Farmers' Market runs every Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. at 7 Fan Hill Road.
Steve has retired from markets and we're excited that crew member Jona stepped into the role! Be sure to say hello.
VEGETABLE SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
MAIN SEASON WEEK 3 of 21
(Tuesday, June 23rd through Saturday, June 27th)
Share Contents (Listed approximately from shortest shelf life to longest)
Large:
1 head of broccoli
1 head of lettuce
1 head of cauliflower
1 bunch of Tokyo bekana
1 large bunch of beets
2 kohlrabi
1 free choice item (most likely includes: garlic scapes, 1/2 pint of snap peas, scallions, arugula)
Small:
1 head of broccoli
1 head of lettuce
1 bunch of Tokyo bekana
1 bunch of beets
1 kohlrabi
1 free choice item (most likely includes: garlic scapes, 1/2 pint of snap peas, scallions, arugula)
Storage tips and recipes for all of the vegetables in this week's share can be located on our website, here.
VEGETABLE SUBSCRIPTION POLICIES
All pickups must take place within store operating hours. For many reasons, we can't leave shares outside the store. Pickup days are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.
If you need to skip your share for the week, or change your pickup day, you must provide us with 48 hours' notice for any of the options below. This is because we pack shares the day before pickup. Once your share has been harvested and packed, we can not change or cancel your pickup.
For Tuesday pickups being changed, we need to know by Sunday.
Wednesday pickups, we need to know by Monday.
Saturday pickups, we need to know by Thursday.
You have the option to choose another pickup day in a given week: we offer share pickup on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday only. We can not have shares ready on any other days.
You can skip a pickup and receive a double the following week.
If you miss your pickup, we will hold your share for 24 hours after your pickup day, and then it will be donated to a local food pantry. With more members than ever before, we don't have the cooler space to hold onto shares longer than this. This is a great option if you miss your pickup - just come the next day.
You can always send a guest to pick up in your place by simply notifying us of their name.
Please send us an email to laurelglenfarm@gmail.com 48 hours before an anticipated change. You must submit your request in writing in order to leave a paper trail. This allows you to show proof to our store staff at pickup in the event that we need clarification.
If a share is picked up outside of your scheduled time (aside from an approved change) or the 24 hour holding period without proof of a request, you will be billed for an additional share.
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