Week Eight / Amazing Eggplant
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| A special thanks to Citizen's Bank for volunteering with us! Great work!! |
We began harvesting two new crops this week; tomatoes and
eggplant. It was great to see everyone enjoying the pick-your-own cherry
tomatoes. The plants are looking great so far, and there is some really
beautiful heirloom fruit hiding in their vines. The larger tomatoes have also
come into season, and you may have noticed some for sale in the farm stand on
Saturday. We will have the typical red tomatoes available, but we also have
other varieties to look out for. Please keep this in mind when selecting your
produce from the farm stand as some feature green stripes or are completely
white even when fully ripe.
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| Kurt and Gabe planting lettuce |
Eggplant is certainly one of the most interesting crops to
harvest. Before getting started, the farm crew was given a lesson on how to
safely handle the beautiful fruit that tries to fight back when being picked.
First, the sharp spikes near the stem will cause painful pricks that can hurt
all day. The fruit should be handled by its smooth bottom until it makes its
way into water for processing. At this stage, the spikes soften up and become
less of a hazard. This plant also
releases a chemical when picked that can cause feelings of illness or fatigue.
While the fruit is safe (and actually quite healthy) to eat, this defense
mechanism feels like something out of a horror movie. Dangers aside, these
plants have a multitude of other unique facts that set them apart from other
plants that we grow on the farm. For one, these plants, referred to as
aubergines in other parts of the world, are a member of the nightshade family.
This means that they are closely related to tomatoes and potatoes. Unlike
potatoes, this “vegetable” is actually a berry that contains a low level of
nicotine. Not to worry, one would have to consume an outlandish amount of
eggplant in order to reach a level of nicotine even remotely close to that of a
cigarette. Lastly, these small plants can reach a height of over eight feet in
some parts of the world.
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| Weeding the second planting of lettuce |
In other news around the farm, please continue keeping the
property in mind if you’re looking for something to do in the area. The
barnyard has been full of happy families learning about livestock, the café has
been providing excellent food on Saturday mornings, the Friday Farm Dinners
have been a big hit, and there was a great turnout for the outdoor performance
of Othello this weekend. If you are curious about upcoming events at Powisset,
please visit our events page!
If you are one of the many people that enjoys the fresh eggs
we get in from nearby Moose Hill Farm, there is a promotion going on that you
should know about.
Hey
y'all! I don't know if you've noticed, but it's been pretty hot out. In a fit
of heat-induced silliness, we have started a giveaway to celebrate our new
product: BBQ Beef Sticks made by Vermont Smoke & Cure. Each day we draw a
too-cool -for-school chicken inside one egg carton. If you are lucky enough to
find that carton, you can bring it to any of the Trustees farm stands and
redeem it for a package of beef sticks made using our own grass fed beef, and
with no preservatives or weirdness. And if beef really isn't your thing, you
can redeem it for a dozen eggs when you finish off the first.
-Katy from Moose Hill
Please remember that this Thursday, August 2 at 6:00pm is
our CSA member potluck dinner. Please bring a dish to share with others as we
connect as the farm community!
At last, here is the list of what week 8 brings to the
table. If you have purchased a 10-week share, you will pick up if your last
name begins with the letters L-Z.
- Tomatoes
- Basil
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Herbs
- Kohlrabi
- Cabbage
- Fennel
- Kale
- Tomatillos
- Hot Peppers
- Squash
- Cucumbers
Thank you for all of your continued support, we hope to see
you soon!
Jeff Hoodlet
Farm Apprentice
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