In Your Share (Aug 19th edition)

Sweet Corn Field

You got a sample of sweet corn last week, but this week we should have lots more!! We transplant corn in order to give it a head start if we have a cold wet spring. The corn plants can grow in cool weather, but the seeds needs warmth to germinate and thrive. If we plant seeds directly into the cold wet soil they often just rot in the ground. If we plant the seeds in the greenhouse and keep them warm & toasty for a week or two then the small plants are usually strong enough to handle the weather after that. Baby corn plants look like a single blade of grass attached to the seed and have a small fragile root when we transplant them. Less than a week old they’re too small to fend for themselves but older than two weeks they have a larger root system that can break that is stressful for plants. The variety we grow is Sugar Buns which we have found to be a good early producer with a nice balance of sweet and old fashioned corn flavor. Enjoy!

If you’re interested in corn then Beautiful Corn: America’s Original Grain from Seed to Plate by Anthony Boutard at Ayers Creek Farm is a must read! Or check out this video about Anthony & his corn.

In your Recipe Packet are some great ideas for the old favorites ie. cucumbers & summer squash as well the new additions to the share ie. padron peppers.

This week your share may include…

• Basil: Several different kinds to chose from.
• Carrots: They’re back : )
• Corn: Yum!!
• Cucumbers: You’ll see a few different varieties in the share this week. Of the classic green cucumbers we’re growing two different kinds – Marketmore 76 is long, slender and slightly knobby while Diva is shorter, fatter and has a smooth skin. Both have great flavor.  There will also be some heirloom Lemon cucumbers in the mix – they have the round shape and yellow color of a lemon but taste like a cucumber.
• Eggplant: These long skinny eggplant are often called Japanese  eggplant, but can be used just the same as the traditional Italian globe shaped fruit. One of my favorite recipes is neither Japanese or Italian, but Eggplant in the Moorish Style.  
• Kohlrabi: Try the slaw in this week’s recipe packet. It would be really good on fish tacos!
• Sweet Onions: These aptly named Candy sweet onions are super juicy and good right now!
• Hot Peppers: The jalapeños are definitely hot, but padron peppers are a different style altogether. The spanish padrons are fried in olive oil until the skins begin to blister then sprinkled with sea salt. That’s all there is to it – simple and tasty – and most do not have any heat to them. But the fun of it is that maybe one in ten is hot!
• Yellow Potatoes:  These are a very versatile potato – tasty boiled, roasted or mashed.
• Summer Squash: A nice mix of small tender squash in a variety of different shapes and colors including patty pan, crookneck and zucchini.
• Stupice Tomatoes: Very exciting!

Coming soon… More Peppers!