Oh boy it was a busy week on the farm! Last week’s main focus was getting our tomatoes trellised and our caterpillar tunnel moved. 

For those who don’t know, a caterpillar tunnel is a greenhouse that’s intended to be moved each year. It’s comprised of metal hoops that sit on pieces of rebar that have been hammered into the ground. Plastic gets draped over the hoops, and is secured with string. It sounds simple, but it’s a task that requires lots of hands, precise measurements, and little to no wind. Despite it being the warmest weather we’ve had this season, our amazing crew got it all moved and reassembled in two days. 

We choose to grow some varieties of our canning tomatoes (those more susceptible to disease) in the caterpillar tunnel because it not only extends our growing season, but it also protects the plants from disease and harsh weather.

When we weren’t working on the caterpillar tunnel, we were pounding in posts to start trellising tomatoes. We trellis our outdoor tomatoes using the Florida Weave method. 

This involves twine being looped around posts, and pulled tight against the plants. The twine works to not only stabilize the plants, but also lifts the leaves and fruit off the ground. We prefer this method over standard cages because it takes up less space, costs less, and is faster to maintain throughout the season. 

Thanks to all the rain we got recently, our crew will spend much of the upcoming week weeding and hoeing.

We’ve had a few people ask about hail–yes, last Monday’s storm did include quite a bit of hail here at the farm! It was a fortunate time for it though, and we seem to have gotten by without a lot of damage. The crew had harvested Thursday’s Bok Choy just before the storm hit or its brittle leaves probably would have been shredded. You may notice some slight damage on the broccoli heads as well. Our main long-term concern is for the onion crop; their leaves have quite a bit of bruising on them. That can reduce their ability to size up fully and can also introduce pathways for disease to infect the plants. All in all, we’re grateful that the damage wasn’t more significant. 

In your share this week:

Garlic Scapes – Napa Cabbage – Beets – Lettuce – Cucumber – Carrots – Kale – Green Onions

This heat wave makes me want salad after salad, but sometimes I want to spice it up. This Napa and Kale Slaw is the perfect salad for this week’s box. It combines crispy napa cabbage and earthy kale, with chickpeas and breaded cauliflower. Then everything is tossed in a creamy and spicy jalapeno ranch. Adding cucumber, carrot, or green onion to this would be delicious. If you aren’t a fan of cauliflower, try swapping it for chicken, shrimp, or tofu.

If you aren’t a fan of eating beets, but like enjoying an adventurous cocktail, check out these 7 beet cocktail recipes. Some are sweet. Some are earthy. Some are spicy. All of them feature beets in a creative way!

Garlic scapes can be used just like you would regular garlic. Some of my favorite ways to use them are in scrambled eggs, on top of pizza, or in this scape and white bean dip. This dip is wonderful with fresh veggies (like those carrots and cucumber in your box), crackers, or warm bread.