Summer CSA Week Five | Beat the Heat

Week 5: July 16th - July 19th

I have a friend who reads this newsletter who I call on the phone every now and then. Often when we chat, she’ll say something like “I read the newsletter. Seems like you’ve been having some weather.” It echoes in my head whenever I sit down to write an update from the farm: don’t just write about the weather, don’t just write about the weather, don’t just write about the weather. But whew, have we been having some weather. 

Heat waves like the one we’re in the middle of can be pretty punishing on the farm. So I thought I’d use this week’s newsletter to share some of the adjustments we make to cope with dangerously high temperatures. 

For one thing, when hot weather hits we tend to shuffle our days around, planning and replanning to minimize the impact of the heat on people and plants. This week we’ve been starting and ending our days earlier to avoid the hottest hours of the day, and checking off the hardest physical tasks first, before things really heat up. We harvest veggies in order from most heat-susceptible to least, getting tender leafy crops out of the field before they’ve had a chance to store up heat from the day. For most crops, we “hydrocool” as soon as things come in from the field, dunking or spraying them with cold, filtered well water to chill them down to storage temperature as quickly as possible. We also shifted some harvests (like head lettuce) to earlier in the week than normal, to get veggies out of the fields before the hot weather took its toll on them. 

Once the harvest is done, any field tasks are checked off. At points this summer, we’ve experimented with a moveable shade structure in the field for when we’re weeding, and have been occasionally running sprinklers while we’re in the field planting to keep everyone cool. Because of the serious heat this week, we’ve pushed off all but the necessary weeding and bed preparation that will keep us on schedule for the coming months. We’re taking lots of breaks, focusing on hydration, enjoying popsicles and cold watermelon, and remembering that farming is a marathon not a sprint. 

Then, when the sun is really beating down, we spend the latter part of the day washing and packing veggies - using a portable AC unit to try to cool down our packing area by a few degrees. We end the days sweaty and HOT, but hopefully safe and with the day’s work accomplished. We’re so grateful to the amazing farmers on our crew who are rolling through the heatwave with high spirits. 

We’re also irrigating around the clock this week, really putting our well through the wringer. We’re grateful that we’re coming into this stretch on the heels of some good rain, which has made the plants more resilient to the high temps and dry spell. Even so, we’ve been on a full-time watering rotation, balancing deep irrigation in some fields with quick-hit bursts of water in the middle of days to cool off the soil and hopefully keep those baby carrot seeds germinating.

We’re also using shade cloth more than ever. Last year we started a focused effort to use these black netted cloths (seen in the photo above) to protect our salad mix and lettuce during the hottest months. This week we’ve taken it a step further and put shade cloth on two of our three tomato and cucumber tunnels as well. This cloth reduces the amount of light hitting the plants, which keeps temperatures more manageable. The hope is that by covering tunnels we can help minimize “blossom drop” where tomato and cucumber plants lose their flowers and stop producing fruit during extended periods of hot weather.

We are grateful to the UMN Extension and The Land Stewardship Project, a MN non-profit supporting farmers, for inviting us to participate in a Climate Resilience Cohort last winter. During two sessions, the cohort helped us create like these to care for the plants and people on this farm as we face increasingly challenging weather (including the added new challenge of smoke that showed up yesterday).

All things considered, we’re heartened by the way the farm looks as we reach (knock on wood) the final days of this brutally hot week. The people are still smiling, the plants still seem happy, and the forecast for next week looks more forgiving! Next week, I promise, I won’t write about the weather. 

Have a week where you manage the heat,

Chris, Ashley, and the 10th Street Farmers

A NOTE ABOUT FOOD SAFETY:

As you have no doubt seen in the headlines, a pretty nasty bug called cyclospora has been making its way around the country. We want to assure you that our produce is not affected! This parasite is transmitted through human feces, and likely originated at a farm or food processing facility with improper water management practices and/or poor labor conditions. We are food safety certified through FSMA (the Food Safety Modernization Act) and our farm is certified throuhg the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program. We follow best practices by (of course) providing a bathroom with running water to our employees and emphasizing hygiene on the farm. All of our produce is washed with clean well-water (the same well we use for our own home) and we test that well regularly to ensure its safety. So go forth and eat salad! And tell your friends to support local farms!

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In Your Share This Week

Choice:

• Cabbage: A staple across cultures, cabbage is equally tasty in a fresh cole slaw and roasted in the oven. Versatile, storable, and beautiful. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

• Green Beans: The classic taste of summer - these green beans are flavorful and ready to rock. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

  
  

Choice (full shares take 2):

• Cucumbers: Crunchy and refreshing, chop up for a salad, add to sandwiches or just eat raw! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

• Summer Squash: Green zucchini and yellow squash - delicious sautéed, grilled, or baked. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

Choice:

• Beets: These earthy beauties are good in sweet and savory roles alike. Boil, roast, or grate into baked goods! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

• Carrots: These carrots are sweet, crunchy, and oh so addicting! Remove tops and store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

Choice:

• Radish Shoots: These beautiful purple and green shoots have a spicy taste and add a pop of color. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

• Garlic Scapes: This loopy fella is the flowering part of a garlic plant - chop it up and use it just like garlic. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

• Fresh Onions: These cippolini and fresh red long onions are perfect in any recipe that calls for an onion! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

Choice (full shares take 2): 

• Romaine Lettuce: Beautiful crisp lettuce heads. Great for everything from lettuce wraps to salads and sandwiches. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

• Broccolini: Tasty tender broccoli shoots - eat them leaves and all. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

• Kale: Hearty yet still tender, the kale is tasting great this summer. Maybe time for some kale chips? Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

Choice:

• Farm Mix Salad Mix: A diverse mix of tasty red and green lettuces. Delicious with just olive oil and salt, or dress it up! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

• 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 an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

Choice: 

• Cilantro microgreens: Zippy micros to add a little flavor to whatever's on your plate! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

• Parsley: A flavorful addition to dips, salads, dressings, marinades, and more. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

• Sunflower Shoots: Crunchy and nutty flavor, these are a great substitute for lettuce on sandwiches or wraps. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

  
  

Choice (see sign for half share/full share detail in market!): 

• Slicer Tomatoes: The taste of summertime! Store on the counter - never in the fridge!

• Cherry Tomatoes: A rainbow of flavor, packed in a pint. Store on the counter - never in the fridge!

• Basil: The perfect partner for summer veggies! Herbaceous and tasty. Store in a glass of water outside the fridge.

• Eggplant: This Asian variety of eggplant has a very thin skin, so you don't need to peel it - just cut it up and cook it! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.

Kitchen Inspiration

We made these charred green beans with lemony yogurt earlier this week, and they knocked our socks off. Simple and tasty, and the kids liked them too. We charred them on the grill, which is a great way to add a little summertime flair to veggies if you have a grill. Something like this grilled zucchini with herb caper vinaigrette is a nice addition to a meal. Or try grilled beets to amp up their smoky sweetness.

Grill or no grill, you can't go wrong with a simple caprese salad with balsamic vinegar. Or maybe an Italian fregola salad with broccolini and cippolini onions? If all else fails, we recommend cooling down with a delicious smashed cucumber salad.

If you've found a recipe you're loving, please send it our way. We're always looking for new things to cook and share with other members!

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Please remember to bring back your Purple or Blue bag each week! Thank you!