FARM LETTER
We finally have purple carrots! Our 4-year-old did a wild jig
when he first bit into one this week—some kind of Sponge Bob-inspired dance
routine, we fear.
The purple carrots have given us a heck of a time this year.
Many, many plantings of seeds were planted but wouldn’t germinate, mostly
because of the dry weather. But, at last, we got a crop.
We love these carrots because of the rich color and sweet
flavor. Our orange carrots are pretty flavorful, but there’s something special
about the purples.
If anyone asks you about them, you can let them know that the
earlierst carrots were purple. Really. The Dutch in the 17th century altered them to orange.
“Jack Frost” has been hovering in the neighborhood here. So we expect
this is the last week you’ll see the salad tomatoes (or any tomatoes),
eggplant, and many such summer favorites. We had a good stretch and enjoyed
them while they lasted. The sweet bell peppers we’ve been enjoying are also on
the short list.
***We had parsley on the harvest list, but our field crew
mistook young celery tops for parsley and picked the wrong crop. Our 7-year-old
daughter, ironically, was just asking how the celery was coming along. It’s a
hard crop to grow in the Northeast, and Ken explained it wasn’t going so well
seeing as it’s a crop that needs intensive water. That’s not to say your celery tops can’t be
put to good use. Use much like you would parsley. The stems are flavor-full and
would be a great aromatic addition to a sauce, stir-fry or soup. The leaves are
good to eat too and contain Vitamin C,
calcium and potassium (more so than the stalks). Use the leaves like parsley
leaves or add to a green salad or sandwich, such as tuna or egg salad.
No comments:
Post a Comment