Everything in our boxes this week is identifiable except perhaps the sapotes, upper right in the photo image above. Like avocados, they need to soften after harvest; they will not soften on the tree. Like most subtropical fruit, they are best left unrefrigerated. Leave on your counter until they are slightly soft when pressed and then cut open as you would an avocado. The white, creamy flesh is delicious!
Harvest Lists Archives - Morning Song Farm
We had hoped that we’d get one more week out of the mulberry grove, but the sudden hot spell vanquished all hope there. All the berries fell off on Sunday and the local bird/rabbit/squirrel population are having a berry fest field day. Best mulberries ever, this was a good season for us, as many years we’ve only gotten a week or two out of the grove. Next year, it will be even better as we learned a thing or two about mulberry management. We also discovered that rattlesnakes like to hang out in that part of the farm, and so next year us harvesters will be “chapped up” with rattlesnake protection, at least in the early weeks of picking when the snakes have gotten accustomed to having the grove to themselves.
Below is this week’s large Garden N Grove box
For whatever random reason, you now have to click on the image to view the entire thing.
Beautiful box
es this week. We’re in full Satsuma Mandarin harvest now, and hope everyone enjoys these little gems. So easy to peel, and intensely flavored. We lost our entire fioja guava harvest to agricultural theft this year, (along with pomegranates…earlier) so the wonderful Satsuma harvest is really appreciated. We actually confronted a thief last week helping herself to our tangelolos, which aren’t ready to harvest yet….and her comment was that she thought that fruit trees near where she could park on our property were ok to pick. Wow. Just wow. Anyway, fencing is in order for 2015 as the entire 5 acre parcel in the front of our farm seems to be open season for marauders. Just amazing. I really think 20 years ago….heck 3 years ago….thieves wouldn’t justify their theft. “Ok, you caught me.” Or something of that order before. Now they actually have a moral-ground position.
At last we’re into cooler weather! We sure snuck by the usual, miserably hot 92028 summer out here until September. Then, we found ourselves working in sauna-like heat for a few weeks. Anyone who thinks they’d like to farm in rural San Diego should try September out here first before giving up their day job. :/
Here’s our harvest shot for this week. We also harvested a few late eggplants that ended up in some of the trade-in boxes, so if you have an eggplant in your possession from us…it’s either a Black Beauty or probably the beautiful, variegated Gandia. We do save seeds from our heirlooms, and sometimes the results are crossed the next year, so some of our eggplant this year seems to be crosses of the two main varieties we grow. There are ways to avoid cross pollination so that heirloom seeds come “true” each year…we don’t bother. Be aware that the chili peppers are indeed hot. Use only a tiny bit in your stir fries, and try the rest for future use. Even the tiny quantity given to each subscriber is waaaay more than most would need in a week. I’ve always thought that a good hot chili is a better than some medicines, even if you don’t enjoy the taste in cooking. Like wasabi, this week’s peppers are better than a decongestant if needed. Of course, I think almost anything edible is improved with a little heat.
