The crew has been sampling the few precocious cherry tomatoes that were in the field the last two weeks. They're tasting good and we had enough for a little sampling this week so they're in the shares today. We'll randomly rotate varieties among the bags as the season goes on. This year I'm trying a few new, to me, varieties. In the mix are standards from previous years: sungold which is an fruity gold cherry, juane flamme which is a gold saladette, and moscovitch is our standard red slicing tomato. New in the cherry department are gallina which is yellow, peacevine which is red, and black cherry, which isn't inky but is darker than usual. We're also trying a pear shaped tomato called Japanese black trifle.

We had a nice harvest of carrots today. Summer squash, like tomatoes, is rotating through varieties. The cucumbers continue to come in slowly so some shares have one, some will get them in the coming weeks. We're growing two varieties of cucumbers, lemon and Poona Kheera. The lemons have been a standard for all of the years of the CSA but the Poonas are new for us this year. We're harvesting them at a range of maturities. When they are younger the skin is pale, similar to the lemons. As they get more mature the skin becomes brown. We've noticed some slight bitterness just under the skin. If you are sensitive to bitterness try peeling the cucumber before eating it. Salting also helps draw out bitterness. Try slicing the cucumbers thinly, tossing them with a generous quantity of salt and then letting them sit for 15-20 minutes. Rinse the cucumbers and then eat them as a side, or incorporated into a salad.

Joker is the crisp lettuce of the day. Pink lettucey mustard has grown back strongly so there's a small handful to add to a salad or a stir fry. Finally, the herb of the week is sweet marjoram.

Today's share is basically the same as Monday's. If you're looking for notes on the share check out the last post.

Besides harvest, today was a major planting day. Many of the fall and winter crops have already been planted but the next few weeks are when the majority of them get put into the ground. Lettuce, chicory, cabbage, broccoli, carrots and fennel were all planted this afternoon and the the water was promptly turned on to make them more comfortable.

Any spare moments these days are spent hacking back smart weed. It's quite bad in spots, but it could be worse. Today the chard was freed, as well as a bed of celeriac. Peppers, salsify and scorzonera are all waiting their turns. Like every farmer on a new piece of ground, I'm looking forward to taking advantage of some of the improvements we're making in the soil over the next few years. We're already seeing major weed reductions in areas where we've had successive crops. I expect to see that continue, and to also change as we slowly raise the pH and active microbiology levels in the soil.

In the share today is a small bunch of thyme, a bit of basil, romaine lettuce, summer squash of one sort or another, and a bit of chard. Cucumbers are slowly getting going so a few bags contain a cucumber as well.

Thyme is one of my favorite herbs. I frequently use it in soups, when cooking beans, tossed into vegetable sautées. Some of the stems are woody so the small leaves should be stripped from those. The more tender stems can be chopped with the leaves. When I cook beans with thyme I just toss in the whole stem and then fish it back out before eating.

The intention behind the CSA shares at Our Table is to keep them small. This summer some of the items are smaller than average, and we're missing a few items which have failed, but if you've done this before you'll recognize that it's all quite normal variation due to differences in growing conditions from year to year. This year is different than last and next will be different again. I'm sad to report that the fava beans completely failed this year, but the carrots are looking better than they have for a few years. No predictions though. Even I have little idea what exactly we'll be harvesting the next few weeks. One of the joys of farming is discovering what's ready each week, as it ripens.

Josh Volk

Head Harvest Prognosticator

Today's share is sporting the first solid flush of summer squash. They've been trickling in up to now but I think we're solidly into squash season now. Cucumbers are just starting to trickle in today so a few random bags have samples of Lemon cucs or Poona Kheeras, the two varieties we're growing.

The herb rotation continues with oregano this week. We also continue with the lettuce, harvesting Plato II this week, a nice romaine. Kale makes another small appearance, as do carrots.

This last weekend was a big one for the farm with a number of events on Saturday. As chief pedal pusher I rode the cargo bike down to OMSI, set up a little display alongside the Splendid folks (who supply the cargo bike), and then rode in the Disaster Relief Trials. The trials featured three classes of riders demonstrating how cargo bikes can be used in disaster relief efforts. I managed to post the fastest time in the e-assist category, riding the 35+ mile route in just over three hours. The course included a number of stops to pick up and drop off cargo. It also included a 1000 ft climb to the top of council crest. Nearly 50 riders participated and it was a super fun day.

Josh Volk

Not the only cargo crazy cyclist out there!

Another beautiful, sunny day on the farm today. The CSA share is about the same as Monday, only the summer squash are getting bigger. Take a look at Monday's post if you want more info on the shares. 

Today I finally remembered to take a photo of the delivery bike in front of our 10 kw solar array. We're generating electricity on the farm with this array and some of the electricity is going into the battery for the electric assist on the Bullitt cargo bike. On Saturday I'll be riding that bike in the Portland Disaster Relief Trials, an event demonstrating the capabilities of cargo bikes to aid in disaster relief efforts. It's a fun event and there'll be a cargo bike showcase and the start and finish which is at OMSI so come down and check it out if you're interested in finding out more.

Resiliency is one of the goals of the farm, the ability to survive all kinds of disasters, large and small. Steps like investing in solar energy, delivering a portion of our shares by electric assist bike, and using electric vehicles and bikes to get around the farm are all small steps we're taking which make the farm more resilient. Choosing to diversify production on the farm, growing a wider variety of crops, and using organic and biodynamic approaches are the really big things we're doing to make the farm resilient, and we hope, disaster resistant.

Josh Volk
Chief Pedal Pusher

Slowly working our way through the herb field sweet marjoram is this week's pick. Just a few sprigs to sweeten up dressings or an herb butter or whatever kind of dish. Marjoram is closely related to oregano and both dry and store well for later use if you're not inclined to use it right away.

Also in somewhat of an herb/vegetable crossover we have fennel this week, both the fronds and bulbs. Thinly sliced bulbs are great on salad, or chop and braise the bulb for a more sweet, less licorice flavor.

Summer squash is making its rounds. We don't have quite enough for everyone yet, but soon there should be plenty. There are four varieties that I hope everyone will get to try at some point. Two are zucchini types, one is a patty pan, and the fourth is a unique, trombone shaped beauty. Like everything a bit of olive oil and a sautée pan is my preferred way of preparing squash. These little guys are good any way you like them though.

We thinned the cippolini onions today. There's one in each share which can be used as a green onion.

Lettuce and the mustard called pink lettucey fill out the share, both prime ingredients in a little side salad.

I'm headed back out to the weeds for a short stint before riding into town with the shares this afternoon.

Typically I write about the CSA and the vegetables on the farm, put a little photo of said vegetables up there and leave talk of the berries and other parts if the farm to others. Today the only photo I have from yesterday is one of an unreasonably large clump of blueberries that is one of the many unreasonably large clumps of blueberries that surrounds the vegetable fields. It is very distracting. I admit, we've been sneaking over to the edges of the fields and "snacking" occasionally between bouts of harvesting, hoeing and planting. The blueberries aren't part of the CSA share, but there is a discount on u-pick berries for CSA members.

Thursday's CSA share this week was about the same as Monday's so check out the previous post for more information there. I'll also mention here that after asking Harriet Fasenfest, of A Householder's Guide to the Universe fame, the innocent question of what she does with sorrel, she went and posted a nice recipe up on her facebook page for a creamy sorrel soup with potatoes and peas, and then to top that off she went and brought us some for lunch yesterday. It was delicious!

In the field we've been focused on weeds, but also planting a bit. The back and forth between rain and sun this spring set the weeds up nicely. Everytime I thought we were on top of it we'd get a new round of rain which would bring them back and delay our hoeing. Yesterday we focused on freeing the melons. Tomatoes are finally fully tied (I think), and the summer buckwheat cover crop also got turned in yesterday to make way for plantings for fall and winter harvest. 




Josh Volk, head blueberry sampler

Herbs are the pick of the week. We have a number of perennial and annual herbs planted that are all starting to grow nicely. In order to shape the plants and keep them productive we need to pinch them early while they are still small. Today we pinched two lightly, and actually cut a bit harder on a third. There are basil and sage tips in the share today. The basil is just enough to add a little flavor to a dressing, or provide a garnish. On a hot week like this I think of sage for making a tea with honey. Just steep the leaves in boiling water and then add honey and ice. The third herb is sorrel, which might also be called a green. Sorrel has a strong lemony flavor and is used for flavoring soups and sauces, or can also be mixed in with other greens. It is a classic pairing with fish, and also goes well with potatoes. I think of cream of sorrel soup when I harvest it and its lemony flavor contrasts nicely with cream, or other dairy in both soups and sauces.



Our first carrots of the year are here. Rescued from the smartweed, they're still small, but tasty. The share also has more chard and lettuce this week. The lettuce is Samantha, a curly red leaf.



Out in the field we're trying to stay hydrated, but appreciating the sun and heat as it helps us kill unwanted weeds and speeds up the growth of summer crops. We're also busy trying to finish getting the tomatoes all strung up. It's exciting to already see fruit on the vines.