Dear CSA Members,
This is the time of year when we begin to feel the pressure of the oncoming season. Every winter I say to myself, “This year I’m going to have everything ready by the time fruit comes…!” but alas, it is never so.
In winter, summer seems so far off and I concern myself with winter things. But now, there’s fruit on the trees (it’s early) and the sun shining so it’s time to get moving!
Jose was able to get away for a much needed vacation, (and so were we). Anna took advantage of the freed up kitchen space to make some really delicious pickles with carrots, beets and chow chow from cabbage; the final offerings of the garden. She and Maria have perfected the olive oil crackers, they are deli- cious! We’re selling them online and we’re serving them at our shop in the Ferry Building with Anna’s pepper jelly, goat cheese and our dry-cured olives.
I am sad to see the winter garden go, as the weather gets warmer, the lettuces are bolting and are getting a little bitter. I don’t mind the bitterness so much but that means that they are coming to an end. I am roasting the last of the beets right now, as I write and I have had what will be my last cabbage salad for a while. I used the last of the leeks and carrots in a vegetarian cassoulet last night. But, it’s time to start planting the seedlings that Marlene and Kristen have been nurturing the last couple of months.
My mouth is watering for peppers and tomatoes already. The kitchen is back
in full swing this week; the first order of business being finishing up the last navel oranges for marmalade. We have to make enough to get us through this year and the holidays until the next navel orange season. We have used the last of the blood oranges in strawberry blood orange marmalade made with Dirty Girl Farm’s amazing strawberries. The marmalade was a big hit and we hope we’ll have enough cherries to make the strawberry cherry conserve with Joe and Miranda’s strawberries.
Next, we do some Spring cleaning of the kitchen, ceiling and all storage areas, and walk-ins. We’ll need to prepare the dried fruit trays, buy supplies and hire extra people to help us process all the fruit. We are making some changes to our dried fruit process that we are very excited about, a solar “tent” that will de- crease drying time, therefore increase productivity and quality.
Even with the pervasive “so-much-to-do-and-so-little-time” feeling, we are still looking forward to another abundant fruit season and we hope you are too.