All,

WOW, this year is flying right along! We are now in the last week of summer session and getting ready to transition to fall. One thing we have learned, we can’t put labels on seasons. The beginning of fall will be more of summer. After the weeks of tomato anticipation they are now coming in like crazy:

This is after all the shares have been filled.  Good thing we really like tomatoes! I see salsa in our future! (See the recipe below.)

Planning ahead for the fall, the cold weather seedlings (it really feels weird saying that phrase while it’s over 95 F out there!) are all sprouted and we have started planting them in the vacated areas in the gardens.

Waiting for the sun to rise enough to hit the seedlings. In the spring, this area is sunny all day. This is something that gardeners have to take into account when positioning gardens and greenhouses.

Remember the kale, mizuna, bok choy, kohlrabi, lettuce, and Chinese cabbage from spring? They are all going in the ground now, along with fresh sowings of radishes, beets and carrots.  As we count our “days to maturity” they should be ready towards the end of this fall session.

Speaking of carrots, what do you get when a carrot hits a rock? A challah carrot!

Cosmetically….interesting! It still tasted good, just took a little ingenuity to clean.

Next week we will send out a survey asking for your feedback. Please think about what you liked best, and perhaps what you didn’t care for, about ALL aspects of the 2012 CSA session. This will help make next year even better!

Well, the wind is picking up, the temperature is dropping, and there are clouds on the horizon. Maybe it will rain? Like all good farmers, we will rush outside and try to get some more seedlings in the ground! 

Until next time,

Jeff and Sandra

Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients:

Tomatoes

1 onion

Sweet peppers

Hot pepper (I used 1 of the Ho Chi Minh cayenne; this salsa will knock your socks off. For not so hot only use ½, or even ¼.)

1 can crushed pineapple

Lime juice to taste

Chop up some tomatoes (I halved a mixture of yellow and red cherry tomatoes)

Chop up an onion

Chop up some sweet peppers

Chop up a hot pepper-be careful and/or wear gloves!

About this much

Put the tomato, pepper, onion mix in a pot. Add one can crushed pineapple and lime juice to taste, roughly 2-3 tablespoons.

Let simmer for about 5 minutes. The idea is to soften the veggies, but not cook completely.

The finished product. Refrigerate .

NOTE:  The salsa is not canned, only stored in the refrigerator in mason jars. THIS IS NOT A SAFE CANNING RECIPE! Only use tested recipes for canning.