Who eats melons and sweetcorn in 50 degree weather?

Seeds Farm CSA members in Augtober!

It sure has been a drastic change in weather since last week. Though I must say the cool October weather we had these last few days has been terribly welcome. Especially in contrast to the heat an humidity of last week! I realize my newsletter last week was short and dull, similar to how I felt in the oppressing heat. Not this week...we're psyched!

We're especially psyched because the melons and sweet corn are in! Everyone will have a chance to get sweet corn, and select member types/dropsites will get melons this week! (Don't worry, we're making sure everyone gets a melon eventually). The melons are loved by all, especially those deer. We planted twice as many melons as last year and will harvest about a third as many as we did last year. We have a number of different melons, yellow watermelons, red watermelons, orange cantaloups, orange crenshaws, and green honeydews. Oh, they are good! Harvesting melons is one of my favorite tasks at the farm because you have to sample so many to make sure you have a good idea of which ones are ripe and which aren't. Never do I feel as abundantly rich as I do when I harvest. Ahead of me is a field of juicy, sweet, delicious melons and as I go through the field to harvest, I sample of of these, one of those. Oh, this one is ripe, it's dribbling down my cheek! Oh, this one is not ripe...

And the sweet corn! They are good enough to eat raw. We grow a special variety called Mirai, and I've never tasted a better sweet corn. This multicolor cob is a result of years of breeding for optimum taste and texture. (Note, not GMO. This seed was bred on the Ahrens family farm in Illinois by J. David Mackenzie in the 90's by crossing certain varieties of corn with others, and selecting the best varieties over generations). This variety has two copies of each gene, su-1, se, and sh-2. What does this mean? Well, the su-1 and se work in conjunction with each other. The se gene increases the amount of sugar produced in the kernel and also increases the tenderness of the kernel. The supersweet sweet corn varieties that have the sh2 gene (shrunken-2 gene) causes very slow conversion of sugar into starch. Whereas sweet corn from yesteryears had to be eaten immediately from the field or else they would turn starchy, these last longer. I hope you enjoy!

This week in your box you'll find:
Cauliflower, melons, sweet corn, peppers, thyme, tomatoes, carrots, garlic, beets, and eggplant

Recipes!
I've been having a lot of fun fermenting. It's been a great way to preserve the abundance, and is good for your gut, too!

Here in this picture I've made fermented sauce, fermented cayenne hot sauce, Indian Sauerkraut, and beet ginger sauerkraut. I've also made kimchee and fermented pickles this year, not pictured.

I have to admit, it took me a while to believe that fermented foods tasted good, and that they were safe to eat (part of the instructions frequently include: scrape off mold...) It wasn't until this year that I fully embraced fermented foods, and now I can't get enough! They're super easy to make-basically chopped, shredded, or pureed fresh vegetables + salt + time. That's it.

Hot pepper fermented sauce:
Chop peppers, seeds removed (unless you're brave and like killing heat). Puree with a bit of water, enough to make a paste. Add salt to taste. Let sit at room temperature for a week. Scrape off mold as it grows. When it's done, lid it and put it in your fridge.

Sauerkraut:
Visit THE sauerkraut man, Sandor Katz's website for awesome insturctions: http://www.wildfermentation.com/making-sauerkraut-2/

Fermented pickles:
Visit Sandor again, at http://www.wildfermentation.com/making-sour-pickles-2/

I've also been into my immersion blender. When I get home form the farm, I rough chop whatever I have leftover and stick it in a big pot. There's usually enough juice from the veggies so it doesn't burn, but if not, I add an inch or two of water. I let it simmer while I shower off the farm dirt and read a book on the couch. When I find myself hungry, I head to the kitchen and take my immersion blender and blend the soup until it's semi chunky and semi pureed. I salt it, maybe add some vinegar, maybe some sour cream, maybe some Seeds pork sausage, definitely some fermented hot sauce, and eat in bliss. I make sure I make TONS, that way I can save some for farm lunches during the week, and I make sure to freeze at least a handful of individual portions in ziploc bags for the winter.

THE POTLUCK IS THIS FRIDAY! WE HOPE TO SEE AS MANY OF YOU WHO CAN MAKE IT!

We're going to have a blast.

6-7 Potluck of delicious food and meeting other Seed Community members. Play some lawn games.
7:00-7:30 Farm tour-see where your food is grown! Say hi to the pigs. Sample some raspberries. Feed the chickens. Take in the fresh air....
7:30-whenever the party is done-Bonfire!

Members who come get to pick a free bouquet of flowers to bring home!

Please bring a dish to share and your own utensils-plates, cups, silverware. And a blanket to sit on.

Customizable CSA members, please see e-mail from earlier this week about changes to the Customizable CSA share.