The Modest Carrot

Hello Dear Friends!

I can’t believe we are half way through August! Be-cause of your generous support, we are planting seeds for our Winter Season!! Since you are charter mem-bers, you will receive your basket or box through the end of September. We are taking orders for our Win-ter and Spring Garden boxes now. You probably re-ceived my email explaining all the details. If not, please let me know!

If you know someone who has citrus trees and is will-ing to allow us to pick their excess, that would be won-derful! We are hoping to include citrus fruit, persim-mons and pomegranates in your winter baskets. We have some fun vegetables in store for you!! And a wonderful winter seasonal salad box . We will be ex-perimenting with micro greens as well. Kale, sunflow-er, pea, and a micro-green mix!

Our cucumbers and zucchini/squash are winding down but Anna and Clarissa are teaching us about “succession planting”. This is when the farmer plants a seed three weeks later near the “old” plant so when the aphids arrive and weaken the plant, the “new” and younger plant can take its place without a lull in pro-duce. Needless to say, I did that only by accident with tomatoes, but not with cucumbers and squash. Thank you to the experts!

Ripening

• Sweet Bell Peppers

• Mild Anaheim Peppers

• Sweet Bell Peppers

• Jalapeno Peppers, Habaneros

• Assorted Melons

The “Modest” Carrot

The modest(o) carrot receives marginal culinary attention. Rarely does it attain star status except in carrot cake. In other dishes, peas and car-rots, it humbly shares the marquis. Relegated mostly to mere side dish or flavor enhancer, it is, however, ubiquitous, performing admirably its supporting role in sauces, soups, and stocks.

Its perceived modesty may also derive from how it grew up. As a root, it grows unseen, showing only curly green locks to the world above. At harvest, though, the normally demure carrot reveals a more seedy side. Fresh, it surprises, no shocks, the harvester with a rarely seen sultry al-lure. Makes us wonder what’s happening below that ruddy cover of soil! Perhaps the coy carrot should be the star on your dinner table tonight. Eat your carrots - fresh and raw!

— Keith Martin