STAR HOLLOW FARM NEWS

For the week preceding Saturday, August 8th, 2009

General news & info

Hi folks,

In addition to finally being hot outside, the produce that we have for you this week finally looks like a mid-summer list also, with beans, corn, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant in good supply. I'm trying a new format below where you can see an overview of everything – but not a lot of detail. Of course, the fact that it's listed here doesn't mean that it will necessarily be around all day!

This week's produce:

• Greens: bibb lettuce, arugula, braising greens, cabbage, chard, dandelion, kale (Russian and lacinato)

• Veggies: beans (edamame, green, Lima, yellow wax), beets, broccoli florettes, carrots, sweet corn, cucumbers (hothouse and field), eggplant (oriental), garlic, okra, onions (several kinds), peppers (bell and some chiles), potatoes (red, gold, and rainbow mixed), tomatoes (standard red, specialties, Roma/plums, cherries), zucchini

• Herbs: basil (Italian and mixed), cilantro, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, savory, sorrel, thyme

• Mushrooms: crimini, portabella, shiitake, white

• Fruit and melons: cantaloupe, nectarines, peaches

• Other items: the usual eggs, butter, cheeses, preserves and such.

Hey, wanna go to the movies? CSA members Gretchen and Jen were talking about the new food movie “Food, Inc.” while up here at the open farm this weekend, and decided to go see it in DC this Saturday (8/8). They posted on the blog the time and place. If you'd like to join them, and then possibly discuss it afterwards, their contact info is on the blog post. (www.starhollowfarmcsa.blogspot.com)

On the farm: We had our biggest pick of cherry tomatoes yesterday—they're going into your CSA boxes this week—but it looks like the plants will be done soon as the blight blackens about half of the remaining leaves each day. With the tomatoes there in the high tunnel, I don't want to spray anything at all since there are so many different kinds of crops all within close proximity.

Out in the fields, the potatoes haven't all collapsed yet so that means every day the tubers are getting bigger underground (YEAH!). We'll be digging some every week from here on out, into September probably, and with luck we'll achieve our plan of having our own potatoes for you all through the winter.

Jack and the others have gotten all of the walls and the rafters of our second cooler in place, and the insulation will be going up around it starting today. Hopefully we'll have it ready to use in a week or two.

We have a young man here volunteering on the farm for two weeks, learning what is involved in running a small vegetable farm after interning at the Family Farm Coalition headquarters in DC for the first half of the summer. Thanks for your help Scott!

Open-farm gatherings: We had a nice get-together here last Saturday evening and Sunday morning with three carloads of CSA members and friends up from DC to see the farm and socialize. The third and final open-farm this season is on September 5/6. Three families with young children have already RSVP'd, so it's looking to be a family affair this time. (And we don't think we'll make it to midnight and beyond around the campfire on this final version, but it was fun last time!)

ORGANIC—To be or not to be, that was our question: And there continues to be lots of discussion on the topic, which is good as it is helping us formulate our plans. We also had our first “may choose not to continue supporting you as we have” comment, which we knew would come, and is good as we realize not all will agree with our decision to change, if and when it happens.

CSA-Specific News & Info

Planned CSA produce for this week:

This week the plan is for green beans, a couple of ears of sweet corn, a healthy pile of mixed summer squashes, some green bell peppers, and ingredients for a tomato/fruit salad (mixed cherry and specialty tomatoes, some French sorrel leaves for a lemony bite, a peach and a nectarine). Enjoy!

Adams Morgan CSA volunteers. Thanks to LeighAnne and Karin for their help handing out orders last weekend!

Thanks for your support!

Randy, Chris and all at Star Hollow Farm

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