Week 11, August 22nd – 26th

Your Box This Week — Saturday deliveries:

Please note: this summary is written before we pack your box—be aware that some guesswork is involved. As always, be sure to thoroughly wash all of your vegetables.

Fruiting Crops — Tomatoes, Heirloom Tomato(es), Sweet Pepper (maybe), Eggplant (maybe)

Root Crops — Carrots, Red Norland Potatoes

Salad Greens — Lettuce, Mizuna (in bag)

Alliums —  Storage Onions

Herbs — Dill

Sign up for the Free Recipe Service
Make sure you sign up for the Local Thyme recipe service we offer with your share. Local Thyme offers storage and handling tips and recipes customized to each week’s share. It has received many great reviews from our shareholders. Check out this sample recipe: Fresh Tomato Soup with Chipotle Cream.

Spaghetti Squash Was not Listed in the Wedding Registry
Haidy and I attended a wedding in Massachusetts this past weekend, the marriage of Hannah Spencer to JD Sipes. Hannah was my assistant in late 2008 and early 2009 when I was touring Europe with The Real Dirt on Farmer John. She is very talented and very funny. Our base in Europe was in the vintage (run down) Hotel Nostos in the old section of  Chania on the Greek island of Crete. Most nights we ate across the street from our hotel at Tamam Restaurant, where we would laugh hysterically throughout the dinner. Other diners at Tamam tended to be subdued, but we shrieked with laughter, even on nights when we decided to tone it down. Hannah is that funny.

Hannah and JD got married on a hill of wild flowers near the main barn at the Montague Retreat Center. It was a quick weekend getaway for Haidy and me, as it is almost impossible to get away at all during our busy growing season.

Hannah loves spaghetti squash, so that’s what Haidy and I gave her for a wedding present. It is a mystery why Hannah excluded spaghetti squash from her wedding registry.

Cover Crops for 2018 Season
We have been seeding peas in many of the fields that will be planted to vegetables in 2018. The peas protect the ground from erosion, enliven the microbial life in the soil, enhance the soil structure and add to the fertility.

Suggestions from Shareholders
We have received many suggestions from shareholders for how to make our CSA administration more manageable. The most frequent suggestion revolves around a buddy system for new shareholders, linking a veteran shareholder with a new shareholder. For example:

“Hi there! In response to farmer John’s email about shareholder questions, how about a buddy system? My friend joined this year and she asks me any questions she has and I’ve directed her to the site, or given her the info. And we’ve had fun talking about recipes and storage ideas….we’re learning a lot from each other. And since I hate when people suggest ideas for someone else to do, I’d be happy to be assigned to be a “buddy” next year. Please reach out with questions. And thanks!”
~Michelle

The Buddy System idea has merit, at least at first glance. We’ll look into this further when our current season starts to wind down.

A Different Approach
The receptionist in this video has been recommended as our customer service representative. I suppose we could put this to a shareholder vote…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3IxMQsazAM

Please Visit Your U-Pick Garden
There are flowers galore (but the green beans are over): www.angelicorganics.com/shareholder-u-pick/

U-Pick Delight
“The beans and flowers were amazing!!!  We went home and celebrated my dad’s 81st birthday with our pickings! Thank you to everyone for making the world a better place!”
~Lynn

Farming without the Weather Worries
“We are on our third season with you and loving all of it! Thank you for helping us eat both locally and healthy! We pickup at logan square and someone who was picking up at the same time mentioned they had never seen purple green onions and pulled it out of the box she was unloading and I casually mentioned the great thing about green onions is you can trim off the ends and put them in a mason jar on a sunny window sill and have a second, third and sometimes fourth round of veggies! I thought I would share in case you ever needed farm news content or thought others might be equally as excited as I am!”
~Regards, Melissa A. Toops

Our Barn Roof no Longer Leaks

The re-roofing of our big barn is now complete—a daily joy to behold.

dryly,
Farmer John

Please Fold Your Boxes Properly and Return Them
The farm re-uses the vegetable boxes. Flaps are easily torn when the boxes are dismantled improperly, and then the box bottom might later burst open with fresh, organic local produce heading towards the floor. Please carefully flatten your box and return it to your delivery site. If you receive home delivery, place it in the location where your box is delivered.

Let us Know
Let our office know anything you’d like to share about this week’s box at email hidden; JavaScript is required. Please note the week and day of delivery, your site, when you picked up your box, and any comments about your box.

More from Shareholders
Visit us often at www.facebook.com/angelicorganics, where we post exciting farm developments regularly, and shareholders post recipes, tips, and photos.

Upcoming Events at Angelic Organics Learning Center
Saturday, 9/9/17 | 1:00 PM: Wild Edibles Series: Fall Foraging
Explore Angelic Organics farm and the surrounding forest to identify wild, edible fall plants. We’ll learn about basic botany, wild edibles, and bake a wild fruit and nut crisp at the end! Sign up at www.LearnGrowConnect.org/events