June is always a gorgeous riot of green; more shades of green than I have words for! Long days of sunshine and warmer temperatures make the more delicate early spring crops bolt and go to seed. The menu around here changes fast now.
The spinach is gone until late fall, with just the sturdier, more heat-tolerant leafy greens remaining. Chard tastes remarkably similar to spinach, can be cooked in exactly the same ways, and usually holds up for another month. All of the large heads of broccoli have been cut, with probably just a few more weeks of the little tender florets that grow after the main harvest. Last week for cauliflower, and fairly limited quantities available at that. I used to try and grow salad mix through the summer under shade cloth, but germination was a devil, it drove me absolutely batty trying to keep it weed-free, and it was susceptible to just melting back into the earth in long wet spells. We trialed a variety of heat-tolerant full head lettuces last summer using the same shade-covered low-tunnel setup, and found a romaine lettuce that outlasted all others even through 90-degree days. Lots of romaine lettuce coming your way this summer...caesar salads? lettuce wraps? grilled romaine?
New this week: sweet bulb fennel, new potatoes, both 'Red Pontiac' potatoes and 'Yukon Golds' dug less than a day before they get to you! New potatoes have very thin skins that do not need to be peeled off; I like to boil them, then smash them up with a big spoon adding liberal amounts of butter and milk. Three types of cucumbers: regular garden cukes, long English cucumbers (the kind you usually see waxed to death then individually shrink-wrapped in the supermarket), and Diva cucumbers. Divas are a little beit alpha type cucumber, sweet and crunchy with very thin skins, picked just a few inched long at most. These are great for snacking, dipping, and make great pickles, too!
Thanks so much for your business, eat well, and have a great week!
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