July 21st Newsletter

Fruit Hounds,

Cherry harvest then..

I hope you were all able to stay cool and safe in the blistering heat this week. The temperatures made us nervous this week, because we still have a lot of fruit out there and too much heat can cook the cherries right on the tree. Luckily, it is getting cooler again and the cherries still look (and taste!) fabulous. One of our mottos is "sometimes it is better to be lucky than to be good." A saying that definitely applies to farming!

...and now

Well, I suppose it does not hurt to be good either.... and I cannot give enough credit to our terrific crew this season. We have brought on a lot of new people and thrown them into the cherry harvest "circus," and everyone is rolling with the punches and keeping the enthusiasm high. Our newbies are not the only ones learning. Our more experienced crew members are stepping up, taking on more responsibility and patiently imparting wisdom. We could not pull harvest off without them!
We also had a visit from 7&4 News this week: http://www.upnorthlive.com/news/story.aspx?id=922928
To mix things up a bit, this week you'll also get apricots instead of only cherries. Here is the entire list:

• Cherries
• Apricots
• Cucumbers
• Zucchini
• Yellow Beans
• Broccoli
• Cilantro
• Honey

Beyond the Bin

• 2.25 package of cherries - $ 10.00
• 20# bin of cherries - $ 35.00
• Zucchini - $2.00
• Basil - $2.00
• Raspberries, 1 pint (black or red) - $5.00
• Parsley - $2.00

The raspberries are beginning to produce and they are so good! The honey jar is from Hilbert's Honeyland. Hilbert's bees pollinate our trees in the springtime! The 2.25 lb package of cherries is our new packaging and we are really excited to introduce it to our markets (including you!). It is a clamshell design and holds about two quarts of fruit. 

Here is a recipe from Epicurious.com:

Honey Glazed Waxed Beans

yield
Makes 6 servings

active time
15 minutes

total time
25 minutes

ingredients

• 1 1/4 pounds wax (yellow) or green beans, trimmed
• 1 tablespoon mild honey
• 3/4 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

preparation

Cook beans in a 4-quart pot of boiling salted water until just tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain in a colander, then immediately toss with honey, zest, and salt in a large bowl.

Alright CSAers, have a good week and wish us luck as we dive into the second week of Cherry Harvest 2013!