Summer and winter harvest days are completely different beasts. In the winter, our harvest in the tunnels and fields lasts only a couple hours or so; most of our time is spent in the wash station processing storage crops, or completing other projects on the farm. But as the days heat and lengthen, crops in the fields grow so rapidly! Once the strawberries came on, our harvests began to stretch until eleven or noon, with one person staying back to wash and process the harvest as quickly as possible. It is still early in the season – harvests will continue to extend in the coming months.
I hope you see the swelling bounty in the barn, in the variety and quantity of crops we are offering. The diversity of what we offer was part of what drew me to Open Field; it is rare to see a CSA program that provides food year-round, let alone with as many varieties as we provide. Farms I’ve worked at in the past have grown just three or four varieties of winter squash: we grow over a dozen! The names of each variety themselves are practically poetry -- Devotion basil, Pink Beauty radishes, Painted Mountain dry corn, Jade green beans... contrasted with a few extremely utilitarian names like Storage #5 Green Cabbage and XR-F1 Sweet Corn. Our focus on open pollinated seeds and biodiversity in the field is new to me, and one of the many parts of Open Field that I am learning to love.
Stay cool out there!
Alyssa
CSA barn hours:
Summer: 2:30-6:30 pm (starts the week after daylight savings in March)
Winter: 2:30-6 pm (starts the week after daylight savings in November)
Pick List:
Eggs
Cortland Yellow Onions
Parade Scallions
Rhonda Beets
Hakeuri Turnips
Pink Beauty Radishes
Polaris Fennel
Mideast Peace Cucumbers
Emiko Napa Cabbage
Old Growth Palm and Rainbow Lacinato Kale
Champion Collards
Magenta, Freckles, and Alkindus Lettuce
Regiment Spinach
Parsley, Cilantro, and Dill
Albion Strawberries
Tea Blends and Ground and Whole Chiles (Please bring your own containers!)
Sonora wheat flour and wheat berries
Pick your own flowers and herbs
Saltonstall Olive Oil (Please bring your own jars!)
Starts available in the shade tunnel (Please only take starts from area in between the two signs!)
Roasted Radishes
I really like to eat these with a soft-boiled egg, greens, and toast.
Pink Beauty radishes (about 2 big radishes per serving)
1 lemon, zested and halved
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh herbs to garnish
Preheat oven to 400. Dice the radishes and place on an oven safe pan or dish with a drizzle of olive oil and salt/pepper to taste. Roast for 20-45 minutes, until done to your liking (the shorter time is more crisp-tender, the longer time is softer and more caramelized). Toss with lemon zest and lemon juice, and garnish with fresh herbs of your choosing.