Irma brought us four inches of rain in the past few days. The creek is high and the puddles are deep! Don’t worry about the gardens. We have a tall berm between the creek and the fields! It would be nice if we could have several days of sunshine now. I realize the power is still off for many (us, too) and trees across the roads have made travel difficult. We appreciate the effort being made to get to the pickup sites to retrieve your CSA Veggies boxes! We will work with you–our CSA Members.
We see a beautiful crop of sweet potatoes in the field. The above ground plants are filled with bumble bees and the roots beneath are still growing! It would have been lovely to have them harvested before Irma blew in but that was not destined to be. The only winter squash which we think we will have this year are the spaghetti squash. The fruits are rather small compared to a typical year and they are still growing. We will sample to see when they are mature enough to harvest, but again, several days of sunshine would be a blessing as the ditches run water out of the gardens.
If you have eggplant and no electricity, here is a recipe for Zaalouk which requires only a grill! http://wlos.com/community/carolina-kitchen/carolina-kitchen-zaalouk
In the boxes this week: Kennebec potatoes and red potatoes, cabbage, a couple of cukes, patty pan squash and perhaps zucchini and eggplant. (Eggplant is a tropical plant, you must realize. They do not like the cool temperatures! But on last inspection, the plants looked good.) Also, sweet, colorful bell peppers and tomatoes. Fajita time?! The oblong, heirlooms are ready when they are orange. Inside they will be red, however, they are not a juicy tomato–they are “meaty.” And they may look a bit wrinkly with time as they are used for drying!
This is not a feel good story, nonetheless, it is a story which needs to be told.
Officials inspect only about 1 percent of imported food, which could be tainted with biological or chemical agents before entering the United States. And, food manufacturers, packers or distributors, are more likely to be hit by lightning than be inspected by the FDA.
And now a pretty picture to help you feel better! My son took this in the front yard.
Cane Creek Asparagus & Company CSA 