This is the last week of the Summer CSA. We made it! The hot weather has returned for the final days of August to remind us to be grateful for the coming fall. This week we are so happy that the ARUGULA is ready! The soaring heat has got things growing very quickly. I for one am excited about some salads. I am also excited that the tomatoes have lasted until the end of August. They aren’t as abundant and they aren’t all pretty, but they are here. You might have a green tomato or two with your share. Enjoy them green (grilled green tomatoes are delicious! You don’t have to fry them) or wait for them to ripen.
This week the shares also include Sweet Potato Greens. These are the leaves of the sweet potato plant. They are mild in flavor and slightly floral. I like to use them similarly to swiss chard or cooked spinach. The leaves and the leaf stem are eaten. The main vine is tough and should be discarded. I like to prepare my sweet potato greens by sauteing onion with the finely chopped stems. Then I add the chopped leaves and some diced tomato. Because they have a low moisture content, I find adding a little liquid in the cooking is best, such as tomato or a tablespoon of stock or broth. Sweet potato greens are a unique summer treat. They are very time consuming to harvest, which is why we don’t frequently offer them. Try them in an omelet or sauteed and finished with a drizzle of maple syrup.
Wondering what to do with the long beans, okra, and peppers? Last week I made a bit pot of gumbo. A bigger pot than I intended because we ate it for five nights (a total of 14 hearty servings) straight. Either it was very good, or Patrick and Randy are too polite to complain about eating the same thing for dinner for a whole week. Perhaps both. It is a good way to use up some summer veggies.
On Saturday afternoon the well quit. It has been a very dry month out here. The soil is like powder. We have lots of seeds and tender young plants in the ground for our fall crops that are very dependent on the irrigation. Of particular concern are the just planted seeds. Once they become damp, the must remain moist until they finish sprouting. Drying out mid-germination will kill the seeds. I scrambled to get the seed beds covered in spun fabric row cover to help preserve the moisture and help our seeds germinate. The well guy (or rather his brother) came out Sunday to look at the well and give us the bad news: the well needed a new motor. A major fix with a big price tag. The work was completed Monday evening. It was a seeming eternity from Saturday afternoon until Monday night! But now the water is running. Time will tell if our little seeds survived, but otherwise ALL IS WELL.
