If it hasn’t hit you as hard as it is hitting me this week, Summer is reaching its late, hot, and hazy homestretch, which means that now is the time to savor some of Summertime’s treats and think about stashing away a bit to enjoy over the cold months.  Future you will be thankful, and so will your farmers. To quote one of our customers, “These are the days that we dream about all Winter,” and with so much dreamy produce rolling in from our fields this week, I figured we ought to not only extend but also expand our Bulk Tomato Sale this week.

In a word, TOMATOES.

In a few more words…a literal HALF-TON of tomatoes.  Oh my WORD. That’s how much the crew picked today in a race against 90+ degree temps.  Thanks to their effort, Colorful Heirlooms, thick Beefsteaks, juicy Slicers, a kaleidoscope of Cherries and loads and loads of lovely Romas are stacked up, ripe and ready.  I keep darting out into the farmstand to look around at it all, and though it is a marvel to see it all in one place, I’m looking forward to seeing it go home with folks this week to either enjoy now or preserve for later.  We’ll have boxes of Romas available this week, 10 lbs for $30. 

Wild Hare Celery is here, and it might be right on time for Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese weather this week?! Who knows—we actually have a very rare round of August Bok Choy this week too, so expect the unexpected I guess. Lush, leafy, bright and full of fresh flavor, Celery is one of those vegetables that I will forever argue is an unsung delicacy to eat in season. Farm fresh really hits different with this one, and Farmer Mark really loves growing it, even though it can be fickle. Celery takes foreeeever to grow, which means it is vulnerable to all four seasons of varying weather, mildew, and pests.  We start it from super tiny seeds in late Winter, and cross our fingers that we'll be harvesting from late Summer through Thanksgiving.  Some years we luck out.  Some years are a bust.  Last year, mildew set in early, so we’ve started this year’s crop two weeks earlier than last to head off problems.  We only get one shot at it per year, but we give it our best each time. As soon as things heat up again, it will lead us all toward some fresh takes on late-Summer salads and stir fries. 

Meanwhile, the tomatoes are flowing in beautifully and deliciously—Heirlooms, Beefsteaks, Cherries and Romas are all on the ripe-and-ready- list. And as one of our folks reminded us last week, this is one of twoish months a year when tomatoes taste like tomatoes, so let’s DIG IN!