Lettuce (2 heads this week)
Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes
Sweet peppers
Hot peppers
Beans
Zucchini
Cucumbers
Kale
Parsley
Basil
Dill or cilantro
Spinach
Winter squash – Kabocha, Spaghetti, or Delicata
Onions
Garlic
We are in route from OSU back to Helvetia as I write this note. It is a great distraction from my heartache as we send child #2 off to college. We are so proud of Diego and all that he has accomplished and we know he will have a great experience in College. There will be a hug hole in our daily lives. We look forward to his visits and updates from him with all his new experiences.
I participated in an OSU extension summer vegetable field day last Thursday. We got to walk in the fields of the Willamette Valley field station farm and taste the tomatoes and shiso from the trials. Some amazing grape tomatoes from Johnny’s Seeds: “5 Star” and a new one called “cherry bomb” were my favorites. Benjo Seed Company bred my favorite “Mountain Magic”(a small tomato just larger than a cherry) and a few other less flavorful beef steaks that had late blight resistance. We also got to participate in a study of peppers as Cornell University works to breed a pepper that is tasty and aesthetically pleasing. It was fun, but I didn’t think any of the varieties were worth all that effort.
This week will be busy as we get our greenhouse #3 planted for fall and winter. We have spinach, lettuce, mustard and more transplanted. We hope to see some more daikon and other radishes to get us through the winter. Now that Diego is gone we have lost a radish eater, so I will be on my own to eat all that strong stuff. Next Sunday OMSI is hosting a fall harvest festival and I will be there with wreaths, fall décor and peppers. Please stop by and see me and share in the fall festivities from 10:00 to 4:00 in the parking lot at OMSI.
Our very own Harvest Festival is scheduled for October 18th from 2- 6. This is your chance to show off to your family and friends and invite people who might want to join next season. We have a great line up scheduled from the Helvetia Alp Horns to Mexico en la Piel (Mexican folkloric dancers) to Taeko drummers and our very own CSA member jam session. We will fire up the pizza oven and ask you all to bring a dish to pass. We hope you can all make it to the celebration. Our barn turns 100.
We are planning to have a Thanksgiving share again this year. We harvest the Sunday prior to Thanksgiving (November 22) and you can pick up 11/22 or 11/23. The harvest is usually huge with at least 20 items including a pie pumpkin for you to make your own homemade pie. The cost is $35 and must be pre-paid. The sign-up list will be in the barn in October.
No recipes today as I am not attached to the internet. I recommend looking at our winter squash recipes on the website. The Curry Squash soup is a favorite and uses up tons of veggies. We hope you are keeping up with all the veggies. Fortunately the onions, garlic and winter squash keep very well. Have a great week.