Harvest Notes - Week 14

Onions drying in the greenhouse

We are so grateful to have a deep well and an efficient irrigation system saving our crops from this drought. The black hoses you see, called drip tape, put water right where the plants need it.

Oregano This fresh herb would be delicious in sauce from your paste tomatoes. If you want to preserve it, hang it upside down in a well ventilated area. Crumble into a jar once fully dried (2-4 weeks).

Tomato Tomatoes are beginning to wind down. Try cooking the paste tomatoes down for a pasta sauce with fresh oregano pasta sauce and remember you can freeze it for the winter in ziplock bags or can it in mason jars.

Sweet Peppers We grow a number of varieties of sweet peppers including red bells as well as yellow and red long Italian peppers. All of them are incredibly sweet and can be used interchangeably for raw snacks, roasted delicacies, and sautes.

Leek This will be the last week of a bountiful leek harvest- just in time for potato leek soup!

Onion These can be stored in a cupboard rather than the fridge.

Lettuce This red butterhead is a French heirloom variety.

Potato This red skinned variety is called Dark Red Norland. We are distributing potatoes dirty this season to improve storage (washed potatoes are vulnerable to rot when stored for a long time). Wash no more than a week before use. Store in a dark bag and/or cupboard.

Napa Cabbage This versatile green is delicious raw in marinated or dressed salads. It cooks quickly so be careful not to overdo the timing when sautéing, steaming, or adding to soup. It should store for up to two weeks in the fridge.

Cherry Bomb Pepper I find that just a little bit of hot pepper can enhance the flavor of a dish without adding any real heat. If you don’t usually like hot peppers, consider adding just a 1/2-1 teaspoon of finely minced bomb pepper to a large dish meant for 4-6 servings.

Summer Squash Believe it or not, this is likely the very last of the summer squash. After so much of it- I know its hard to imagine cooking without!