Farm Girl Farm Thursdays

Firstly a great big THANK YOU to Farm Girl Farm and Equinox Farm for the GORGEOUS tomatoes for the Berkshire Grown fundraiser!!!!  They were as delicious as they were gorgeous!!

August 24, 2010

Hi all—

A few notes from the field on your veggie shares.  

Regarding the watermelons:  we grew 12 varieties of watermelon this season and had a little extra space to do it in.  So clear some space on your counter because here they come!  Right now the yellow ones are ripening, soon we’ll start we’ll start harvesting the pink ones.  Somewhere in between are the orange ones (!).  There were a few distributed today—the very round melons with a yellow-orange flesh.  So delicious!  We are spending lots of time in the watermelon patch thumping and analyzing the melons for ripeness—so the ones we select to bring to  the table should be, in our professional opinions, ripe.  But if  we are wrong, and you get one that is less than at its peak, do not despair because this is only the beginning of the watermelon tidal wave.  

On the cucumbers—we have a variety in the field called Super Zagross. It is an heirloom variety known for its non-bitter taste.  The caveat is that this cucumber is ugly as sin.  The skin is cracked and rather tough.  But peel it and the smoothest, mildest cucumber is inside. This cuke is great for sandwiches, soups, you name it.  So don’t be afraid .  We have begun referring to these cukes as the “green uglies.”

We’re sorely missing the eggplant which is usually starting to ramp up its presence at this point in the season.  Our eggplant plants are not so happy—too little water at just the wrong moment and alas, not many blossoms and not much fruit!  Things are looking slightly better than last week, so maybe in a few more weeks we’ll have enough to bring to the table.  It’s a funny contrast to last year, when the eggplant cavalierly stepped in and took the place of the tomatoes as nightshade superstar.  Well, we’re always learning.

Events for your calendars:

The 7^th Annual Stanton Brothers’ Pig Roast will take place at North Plain Farm in Great Barrington, starting at 4 pm (bar) and 5 pm (food).  The roast will feature all local meat and veggies and is a great community event.  Ticketes are $35 and kids under 16 pay their age.  Call (413) 429-6598 or email northplainfarm@gmail.com for more details.  It’s a totally locally grown event and I never miss it.

And don’t forget to keep Monday September 20^th open for Berkshire Grown’s 12^h Annual Beautiful Bountiful Berkshires Harvest Supper at Eastover Resort in Lenox (6:30 to 8:30 pm).  We’ll be selling tickets at the pick-up table, ask us for details or call Berkshire Grown at 528-004 or see  www.berkshiregrown.org for more details.  This is always a stunning aesthetic event —sights, tastes, smells, etcetera—a ballroom-wide tasting menu from chefs who work with local producers.

Enjoy the veggies this week.

--Laura Meister, Farm Girl Farm Farmer