Week 6: July 18 - July 21
Planting garlic, last October
People often ask what our favorite crops to grow are - and the answer tends to change from season to season. We love growing spinach and microgreens in the depths of winter, the first spring carrots bring us joy, and we find great satisfaction in the seeding, transplanting, pruning, trellising, and harvesting of beautiful tomatoes in the summer. But one favorite flies a little more under the radar almost all year long: garlic.
Garlic is unique among the crops on the farm in a few ways. For one, it is seeded in the fall, before the ground freezes for the winter. The planting of garlic kicks off next year’s season before the current year finishes - a commitment to grow again. In spring, it’s one of the first things to emerge in the field, small spikes of green showing us that the season is ready to kick off.
In early summer, garlic gives us scapes - the only plant on the farm that provides two distinct harvestable crops. And this week, we finally harvest the garlic! It’s amazing to pull large, beautiful bulbs out of the ground where nine months earlier a single clove was planted. Over the next few weeks, the garlic will hang in one of our greenhouses, protected from the sun and kept dry so it can cure and be ready for long-term storage.
We don’t save a lot of our own seeds on the farm, mostly for practical reasons. Cross-pollination, hybrid varieties that don’t grow true to seed, and the logistics of savings seeds in many crops make it unwise or unfeasible for us to produce our own seed. But with garlic, we can and do! Each year we set aside a portion of the harvest to serve as the seed for the next year’s crop - a self-sufficient cycle of garlic that, over time, becomes accustomed to growing in our soil. The rest makes its way to our CSA bags, our kitchen, our market and our plates.
This year’s crop looks to be big and beautiful, thanks to the frequent rain this season. If you’d like to join us in harvesting garlic, we’re opening the invitation to anyone who would like to join. The harvest will start at 1:30pm and will likely take a couple of hours. Feel free to join for some or all - afterward we’ll have some refreshments and hangout time for anyone interested. This is an inclusive event - feel free to bring the whole fam! And please do RSVP so we have an idea of how many people might show up!
Have a vampire-free week,
Ashley, Chris, Hallie, and the 10th Street Farm Crew
In Your Bag This Week
Flavor Mix microgreens: Mild and tasty, these make an easy salad on their own or can add some color to any other salad. Try them on eggs or sandwiches – or anything, really! Store in a bag in your fridge.
Cucumbers: Crunchy and refreshing, chop up for a salad, add to sandwiches or just eat raw! Store in a bag in your fridge.
Carrots: These carrots are sweet, crunchy, and oh so addicting! The tops were a little weak this week due to all of the rain a few weeks ago, so they're topped and bagged this week. Store in your fridge.
Tropea Onions: Our favorite fresh red onions - mild and versatile. Store in a bag in your fridge.
Summer Squash: Green zucchini and yellow squash - delicious sautéed, grilled, or baked. Store in a bag in your fridge.
Tomatoes: The tomatoes are really tasting great right now! Store on the counter - never in the fridge!
Basil: The perfect partner for tomatoes and other summer veggies! Herbaceous and tasty. Store in a glass of water outside the fridge.
Broccolini (half shares): Tasty tender broccoli shoots - eat them leaves and all. Store in a bag in your fridge.
Farm Mix Salad Mix (half shares): A mix of red and green lettuce with just a splash of mustard greens. Delicious with just olive oil and salt, or dress it up! Store in a bag in your fridge.
Shishito Peppers (full shares): Typically mild, occasionally you will get a spicy shishito mixed in! A delicious pepper that makes the perfect appetizer - you see it frequently at restaurants. Store in a bag in your fridge.
Cone Cabbage (full shares): A whimsically shaped green cabbage that’s perfect for making slaws, fermenting sauerkraut, or caramelizing in the oven. Store in a bag in your fridge.
Kale (full shares): Hearty yet still tender, the kale is tasting great this summer. Maybe time for some kale chips? Store in a bag in your fridge.
What should I make with what’s in the bag?
Don’t forget to grab your basil from the CSA table this week, along with your tomatoes. At that point, you’re just some mozzarella shy of a caprese salad, perfect for a summer snack or side. If you want something a little heartier, a panzanella would utilize the fresh red onion and cucumber that’s in your bag too! Delicious. We’ve got squash this week, which is incredibly versatile - we love them grilled with a mustard vinaigrette. And our eldest kiddo asked us to put his signature zucchini recipe in the newsletter: sautée garlic in olive oil, then cook thinly sliced zucchini in the oil with a little salt until golden brown. Top with either grated parmesan cheese or crumbled up saltines for a little extra crunch!
Full shares have shishito peppers in the bag for the first time - they’re one of our summertime faves. Try cooking them like this if you’ve never had them before and see what you think! And half shares get their first crack at broccolini this week. This roasted broccolini recipe couldn't be simpler (or tastier!)
If you've found a recipe you're loving, please send it our way. We're always looking for new things to cook and who knows, maybe it'll make its way into an upcoming newsletter!
We wash everything in your bag but we wash them in bulk so some things may need an extra rinse at home. Please bring your bag back next week so we can re-use them! Thanks!
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