7/30/25 Lessons in Patience: Summer Crops & Tractors
Corn & Tomato lesson in patience
They’re late this year, but finally they’re here! To give you an idea, last year we had Corn for the full CSA this week (7/31/24). This year we seeded the same variety two weeks earlier but they’re but we only have enough for Families. Classics will have them next week. Bobby remembers he started working on the Farm August 1st two years ago and we were harvesting a bounty of all our Heirlooms Tomatoes, this year, there are a few of each variety ready is all… but they’re coming. It’s just a lesson in patience.
Why are they growing slower? It’s the coldest summer on record. It has such an impact on our growing.
Tractor woes - another lesson in patience
Our John Deere 4520 is an amazing tractor and goodness are we appreciating it these days. 2 weeks ago now it started making a grinding noise in the left front wheel hub when 4WD was engaged. The gears were not engaging. Because we only use the tractor to move compost, we’re always putting heavy loads in the front bucket and need 4WD to move those heavy loads.
We reached out to several smaller mechanics and also the JD dealership and everyone was 3 weeks out to even look at it. The problem is there are a lot of tractors in the shop pre-grape harvest. They said, in a month they’ll be cleared out. This was a no-go because we are insanely busy planting out all our fall and even winter crops right now (never mind summer harvests)!
Come the teen mechanic. A friend of our son, a senior in high school named Oskari has a passion for tractors. In fact he and our son dug an old small Kaboda tractor out of our pond (it had been there unused for 15 years) and we gifted it to him and he got it up and running. That was a year ago. He wanted to take a look at it, so we gambled and gave him a day. This young mechanic really knew what he was doing and so, yes, we have an 18 year old in charge of our tractor repair.
In the meantime, we put out to our network of farmers we needed to borrow a tractor. Unfortunately everyone needs their tractor this time of year. So we rented one (at $450/day) for two days last week to get some big plantings in. It was a stronger tractor than ours and yet we learned… we love our tractor.
Now more patience… we ordered the parts as fast as possible, went to pick them up last week and one of them didn’t come (they confirmed the order but Friday tell us it’s obsolete). So we find both a kit that has the parts and I found a guy in Tennessee who buys old tractors and parts them out and had this part. We ordered them BOTH as insurance policy. Additionally, we needed some new bearings and we’re still awaiting those (they promised this morning, let’s see). Both gears came in the mail yesterday afternoon and he started reassembling the wheel hub. If the bearings come in today we hope to have a tractor tomorrow morning. We really hope it as Oskari has a flight to Finland Thursday to visit his paternal grandma.
In the meantime of ordering the parts, Oskari has fully taken off the front axle and done a deep cleaning (there were chips of the worn down gear throughout), fixed an old throttle issue (two mechanics over the last 3 years said was unfixable) and worked on numerous other little bits. He identified an issue with the hydraulics we’ll work on in the winter (when the tractor is parked).
Thank goodness for young mechanics, we took a chance on him and so far are excited to support someone young and get our tractor workin! Oskari’s maternal grandmother is a CSA member, here’s to the greater meaning of Community Supported Agriculture.
1st Wednesdays Farm Walk
Next Wednesday, Aug 6th we’ll be hosting our 1st Wednesday Farm Walks at 2pm and 6pm with Farmer Elizabeth.
Come and pick some berries, cherry tomatoes and maybe some corn! Come see your produce in action. Produce Notes & Recipes
This Week’s Box
Red Butter Lettuce
Gold & Chioggia Mixed Beets
Rainbow Chard (SR) OR Rainbow Kale (WC)
Red Slicer Tomatoes
Genovese Basil
Eggplant (SR) OR Summer Squash (WC)
Pint: Shishito (SR) OR Summer Squash (WC)
Family: Bicolor Sweet Corn, Aji Crystal Hot Peppers
But back to what we do have… Today everyone has a partial quart of what we call Red Slicer Tomatoes. Red Slicers are a mix of three varieties (New Girl, Estiva and the heirloom Moskvich). Next week we’ll certainly have full quarts and start to bring in some more colorful Heirloom tomatoes and then every box through the end of tomato season! Next week I’ll give you a big write up on this year’s varieties at that time.
Also soon, maybe next week, we’ll start having a standing add on of a second (or third) quart of tomatoes so that you can really enjoy the season.
Packaging note: If clean, please send back quarts and other reusable containers (including egg cartons).
The Mixed Beets this week are a mix of light and fruity Gold and Chioggia. We think they pare really well together. Here are two examples.
Warm Beet & Summer Squash Salad with Basil
1 bunch mixed gold & Chioggia beets (about 1 lb), scrubbed
1 medium summer squash or zucchini, sliced into thick half-moons
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
1–2 Tbs red wine vinegar or lemon juice
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
Optional: ½ bunch kale or chard, stemmed and chopped
Optional: ½ cup roasted shishito peppers or blistered eggplant slices
Heat oven to 400°F.
Trim beets and cut into wedges (no need to peel if skin is tender). Toss with a bit of oil, salt, and pepper. Roast on a sheet pan 20 min.
Add summer squash to the same pan. If using kale/chard, toss it with a bit of oil and add in a pile on the same pan. Roast everything together for another 15–20 min until just tender and golden.
If using shishitos or eggplant, blister in a hot pan with a splash of oil and a sprinkle of salt while beets roast.
Toss warm veggies with vinegar or lemon juice, fold in chopped basil, and adjust seasoning. Serve warm or room temp.
Chilled Marinated Beets with Basil & Roasted Eggplant
1 bunch beets (Chioggia and/or gold), roasted, peeled, and sliced
1 small eggplant, cut into ½-inch rounds
1 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
Salt & pepper to taste
Optional: dollop of yogurt or tahini for serving
1. Heat oven to 400°F. Arrange eggplant slices on a baking sheet, brush lightly with oil, and roast ~20 min until soft and golden.
2. Meanwhile, roast beets if not already done (wrap in foil or bake in covered dish ~45–60 min), then peel and slice into rounds or wedges.
3. In a bowl or shallow dish, layer beets and eggplant.
4. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. Sprinkle with chopped basil, salt, and pepper.
5. Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve cool or room temp with optional yogurt or tahini.
Families have our Bi-Color Sweet Corn. Eat it raw, boil just until warm or grill!
Families also have Aji Crystal Peppers from Chile (and several of you ordered on Add-Ons). They are really hot! They have a tropical fruity spice. We harvest them immature (yellow green) when they have more flavor, later they turn red and take go significantly up the Scoville scale (10,000 when green, 30-50,000 when red). Here are a couple ideas for use:
Spicy Honey with Aji Crystal
1 Aji Crystal pepper, sliced into thin rings
¼ cup honey
Optional: thyme sprig or squeeze of lemon juice
1. Warm honey gently in a small pan with the sliced pepper (and thyme or lemon, if using).
2. Let it simmer just briefly, then remove from heat and allow to infuse as it cools.
3. Store in a clean jar and use as a drizzle over roasted carrots, cornbread, pizza, or cheese.
Zesty Yogurt Dip with Aji Crystal
½ cup plain yogurt
1 Aji Crystal pepper, finely minced (roasted for milder flavor, optional)
Juice of ½ lemon
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt to taste
Optional: chopped herbs like basil or parsley
1. In a small bowl, combine yogurt, minced pepper, lemon juice, garlic, and salt.
2. Add chopped herbs if using, and stir until smooth.
3. Serve as a dip for veggies, a dressing for salads, or a sauce for grain bowls and grilled veggies.
Extra Shares
Flower Share: Haven’t decided yet. Too many options.🌸
Lettuce Share: Lettuce Leaf Mix 🥬
Bunching Greens Share: Toscano Kale 🌈
Eggs… 🥚yes we still have plenty!