This week’s box included: eggplant, garlic, kirby cucumbers, Japanese cucumber, okra, sweet corn, potatoes, autumn frost pumpkin, yellow squash, zucchini, cantaloupe, Italian pepper. You can see a photo that can help with identification on our Facebook page or check out our weekly video on Instagram.
Need storage instructions? Visit our fruit & veggie home pages. Click on the pic and a new page opens with storage instructions and a list of recipes curated by Conne over the years.
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Conne, who is on vacation this week, is going to be sad that she missed the second installation of sweet corn! This is Suzanne — who missed the first sweet corn delivery — stepping in and to be honest glowing a little bit because I love corn so much! Who doesn’t?
Alas, there are others that enjoy the sweet corn as much as I do. Unwelcome others. Every year, we compete with a black bear who has the address of the farm and a taste for corn. It’s been back for three years running now. Hard to argue with a bear. I personally love that black bears are out there. They can have some of my corn.
The other pest that the farm deals with is the corn ear worm so called because most of the time it enters through the tip of the ear. In our style of organic agriculture, we choose not to apply any organically certified pesticides. They’re still toxic. Isn’t it a little strange to use killing as a growing method? Surely those ‘cides have an impact beyond their intended target: other bugs that might be beneficial, birds that eat bugs, organisms that live in the soil, people who work on the farm ….
Because of these cultivation choices, it’s likely that you found some corn ear worm damage and possibly even some of the corn ear worms themselves yesterday. We recommend removing the tip of the ear as soon as you get the corn home. Peel back the husks, remove the dried silks, and lop off the top. Cleaned ears go into the refrigerator, or straight into some hot water for corn on the cob. The worms? They go to the chickens. If you don’t have chickens, chuck it outside. Graham, Wes & Charlotte’s son, confirms that he has eaten raw corn on the cob, but not one of the worms which reputably taste just like corn. If you do a challenge and eat one–or have your teenager eat one–please video it for us.
One other story about the corn ear worm. Back in 2008, the farm used to have a tent at the East Atlanta Farmers Market when it was located in the parking lot at the (former) East Atlanta Ace Hardware. During sweet corn week that year, the market date coincided with an Atlanta event that USDA executives from Washington were attending. They popped into the farmers market on their way to the airport and were excited to find sweet corn. They bought a lot. Carried it home on the plane. I honestly cannot remember if we told them about the corn ear worm. I hope so. But we may have been talking about so many other things that I forgot. It’s still fun to imagine their encounters with the corn ear worm. Maybe they’re all cool with that, being close to farming. But organic sweet corn is a tiny tiny drop in the bucket compared with the millions of tons of corn grown industrially in the US.
Do you need recipes featuring corn? Our corn recipe page has some great suggestions. So many that I always wish for more corn every year.
The little autumn frost pumpkin is a treat this week. Longtime subscriber Veronique justifiably snorted at the name, coming in the heat of August as it is. It’s going to be roasted here. It should also keep for a while on the counter — no guilt on waiting to cook that one.
More eggplant! I’ve been roasting eggplants and freezing them for babaganoush in the future. I really love eggplant browned and with a stir fry sauce as Conne’s been recommending. Here’s an easy Stir Fry Recipe that she’s sent our way in the past.
More cucumbers! I hope someone will do a taste test comparing the Kirby cucumbers with the Japanese cucumber that was included in this week’s box. Our cucumber recipes page has lots of ideas if you’re getting behind on cucumber consumption. I’m going to make Melon Cucumber & Cherry Tomato Salad using the leftover tomatoes from last week.
I’m surprised that I haven’t already added the next recipe to our site. It’s one of my favorite cucumber salads, courtesy of Peach Dish, the beloved and now-gone homegrown Georgia meal kit company. They included this recipe with Spiced Lemon Chicken with Carolina Gold Rice for an easy delicious supper.
Peach & Cucumber Salad
1 cup cucumbers, thinly sliced
1/3 cup sweet onions, thinly sliced
3/4 cup peaches, thinly sliced
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
5-7 fresh basil leaves, chopped
salt & pepper to taste
Place cucumber slices in a medium-sized bowl and sprinkle lightly with salt. Allow to stand for at least 10 minutes then drain the resulting liquid. Add onions, peaches, vinegar, sugar and basil and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
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