Hamlet Organic Garden

August 30th 2010 Share 14
Whats Happening At the Farm
We are almost ready to start planting some of those in anticipation of the winter. We farmers have to think ahead since in the shortening days of late summer and autumn seeds take longer to germinate and grow. We prepare for winter by applying manure and compost to maintain high levels of organic matter which improves nutrient availability, water retention, and encourages a healthy diversity of soil life. We also add lime which is a calcium based mineral that prevents our sandy soil from becoming too acidic to support plant growth. It’s like baking a giant cake! Stay tuned for more on cover crops in the near future….

In Season Now
You’ll get some combination of these items in your share this week:
Lettuce, Escarole, or Raddichio
Kale or Swiss Chard
Cherry Tomatoes or Tomatillos
Tomatoes
Cukes
Zukes and Summer Squash
Peppers
Onions
Potatoes
Melons

On The Way
winter squash
soybean

Pick Your Own
Pick your own items are available for you to harvest at any time, as long as it’s not raining. Look for the signs marking the beds!
Cherry Tomatoes-lots of different varieties, staring with matt’s wild cherry in front, sungold, yellow pear, a purple cherry and ending with a regular red.
Beach Plums-this is a sour fruit, great for making jam
Hot Peppers
Basil
Mint
Parsley
Chives
Thyme
Rosemary
Oregano
Flowers

August 23th 2010 Share 13

Whats Happening At the Farm
Being a member of a local organic CSA farm means that, together, we have begun to reclaim a certain degree of responsibility which is severely lacking in modern society. No longer passive consumers (at least for part of the year) of commodified, transported food, our bodies now have a direct, tangible connection to the land. We are encouraged, through an awareness of this connection, to actively take part in a sustainable, mindful stewardship of our environment, our community, and ourselves. We are even motivated to be imaginative with the creation of our meals. In every respect, it is a matter of regaining a bit of control and conscientiousness in our lives, of becoming a bit more connected to the processes we sometimes take for granted and, ultimately, a matter of being more creative, more interactive… and yes, having more fun (a garlic festival with your neighbors will always trump the standard supermarket shopping experience). That’s what a CSA should provide…through an insight into the interconnectedness of the health of the environment, the social well-being of the community, the living vibrancy of the food we ingest, and the physical health of individuals.
In short, we are working towards an environmentally sustainable lifestyle while simultaneously improving our own health. Food just picked and in its natural state is what our bodies evolved to ingest. Take for example the fact that the mineral Silica is severely lacking in the diets of most people today, simply because it is almost non-existent in processed foods. Essential for healthy skin and nails, Silica is mainly found on the skins of certain foods (beets, cucumbers, etc). Eating food in its natural state, and freshly enough that it hasn’t lost the compounds that make it so healthy, is in itself, a fundamental system of wellness.  This food, raised on the energy and mindfulness of the farmers, really does act as a sort of medicine. In the end, the responsibility belongs only to us to cultivate our own well-being.

In Season Now
You’ll get some combination of these items in your share this week:
Lettuce
eggplant
pepper
cherry tomatoes
tomatillos
cukes
zukes and summer squash
melons

On The Way
winter squash
kale
swiss chard
soybean

Pick Your Own
Pick your own items are available for you to harvest at any time, as long as it’s not raining. Look for the signs marking the beds!

Beach Plums-this is a sour fruit, great for making jam
Cherry Tomatoes-lots of different varieties, staring with matt’s wild cherry in front, sungold, yellow pear, a purple cherry and ending with a regular red.
Basil
Mint
Parsley
Chives
Thyme
Rosemary
Oregano
Flowers

August 16th 2010 Share 12

Whats Happening At the Farm
This season we’re growing over 50 varieties of tomatoes at the H.O.G. From round red standbys to multicolored cherries and funky-shaped heirlooms, we have tomatoes for every occasion. The vines are starting to peak, so eat as much as you can to hold you over until next August. Listed below is some of our favorite varieties of heirloom tomatoes. They may not look great, but the seeds were loving saved over generations because of their outstanding flavor.
Aunt Rubies German Green-this variety is a real standout this season, making large1-2 lb fruits that are reddish green when ripe. Seldom make “perfect” fruits, Aunt Ruby’s are often cracked and catfaced, but taste outstanding. Definitely my #1 favorite variety this season.
Prudens Purple-Fruits ripen very early, and have that quintessential heirloom look-huge 1 pounders, catfaced, cracked, and pink, the flavor is out of this world. Silky texture, minimal seeds, rich and sweet with a nice tartness to balance it out.
Green Zebra-Small, bright chartreusey-green with deep, lime-green stripes. Rich tomato taste with a bit of a bite.
Ruby Gold-Huge, red streaked yellow fruits with a marbled interior. Meaty fruits with a mild, sweet flavor. Seldom cosmetically perfect, great for fresh eating.
Speckled Roman-Cylindrical red paste tomato with yellowish orange striations. Rich tomatoey sweetness and great texture, suitable for fresh eating or sauce.
Green Moldovan-Yellow-green when ripe, this mid-sized, slightly flat tomato. Very citrusy yet sweet, our favorite new find for this year. Eat it fresh like an apple or make a green salsa with tomatillos and this beauty.
Purple Calabash-small, squat, truly purple and very ruffled looking, this tomato is the opposite of what you would buy in a supermarket. Flavor is unique-intense, sweet, yet tart also, worth the effort to cut up! Impossible to get a nice slice off of, but perfect for a chunky tomato salad.
Cherokee Purple-dark pinkish-purple fruits have greenish brown shoulders when ripe. Stunning sliced, interior colors range from red, pink and purple to green, brown and black. Great smoky flavor, derived from an old Cherokee Indian heirloom.

In Season Now
You’ll get some combination of these items in your share this week:
Kale
Radicchio/Escarole
Eggplant
Pepper
Zucchini and Summer Squash
Cherry Tomatoes
Tomatillos-great chopped up with tomatoes in a nice salsa
Tomatoes
Melon
Corn

On The Way
winter squash
kale
swiss chard

Pick Your Own
Pick your own items are available for you to harvest at any time, as long as it’s not raining. Look for the signs marking the beds!
Cherry Tomatoes-lots of different varieties, staring with matt’s wild cherry in front, sungold, yellow pear, a purple cherry and ending with a regular red.
Basil
Mint
Parsley
Chives
Thyme
Rosemary
Oregano
Flowers

August 9th 2010 Share 11

Whats Happening At the Farm
As a member of our CSA, you share in the bounty as well as in the lean…and this year has certainly be bountiful for our potatoes, onions, and eggplant! Expect to get a lot more of these items this season. Luckily, onions and potatoes will keep for several months. We’ve also had a great year for melons-both canteloupes and watermelons are fantastic this season! You may see melons with a small crack, but haave no fear, it means they are the ripest and sweetest, but they won’t keep more more than a few days. Cut them up and keep them in the fridge.

In Season Now
You’ll get some combination of these items in your share this week:
Lettuce
Eggplant
Peppers
Potatoes
Onions
Cherry Tomatoes
Tomatoes
Zucchini or Summer Squash
Canteloupes and Watermelons!
Thai Basil or Parsley

On The Way
tomatillos
winter squash
kale
swiss chard

Pick Your Own
Pick your own items are available for you to harvest at any time, as long as it’s not raining. Look for the signs marking the beds!
Basil
Mint
Parsley
Chives
Thyme
Rosemary
Oregano
Flowers

July 26th 2010 Share 9

Whats Happening At the Farm
This week we will be harvesting most of our onions-they are starting to dry in the field, and will continue drying in our shaded greenhouse. Our first bean crop is coming in this week. The parasitic wasps we released last year were so effective, I haven’t seen a single bean beetle this summer. Everything has been growing beautifully. The only crop we seem to be having a problem with is lettuce…the hot, dry weather combined with the groundhog circus has made it difficult for us to keep our successions growing. Hopefully in a few weeks we will catch back up with regular weekly lettuce! Tomatoes are also coming in beautifully! The cherries have just started, and the plants look lush and healthy-the regular slicing and sauce tomatoes are just starting to turn from green…to a little less green! Hopefully soon they will be red! We grow only heirloom varieties bred and saved for taste, so they take a little longer to ripen then regular red round hybrid tomatoes. But the patient growers are rewarded with tomatoes that have a superior flavor!

In Season Now
You’ll get some combination of these items in your share this week:
Cabbage or Kale-after a failed first planting, our second planting of kale is ready to harvest! Its been strange going so long without our signature green!
Green Beans
Potatoes-this has been a banner year for potatoes for us, expect to keep getting them for a while! In a brown paper bag in a pantry they’ll keep for a while.
Onions
Corn-our second planting is our favorite variety, Luscious, a bicolor type.
Beets
Cukes and Zukes
Eggplant
Cherry Tomatoes

On The Way
Tomatillos
Okra
Hot Peppers

Pick Your Own
Pick your own items are available for you to harvest at any time, as long as it’s not raining. Look for the signs marking the beds!
Basil-try the thai basil, with purple stems. Its got a great sweet/spicy flavor thats really good in a panang curry.
Mint
Parsley
Chives
Thyme
Rosemary
Oregano
Flowers