This Week's Vegetable Notes - by Diana Nolden, assistant growing manager

I used to think the chorus for “The Boys of Summer” song by Don Henley was actually “after the poison, son of a gun”. I would have been the first person to admit how silly it sounded, but that wasn’t stopping me from singing. It wasn’t until a friend burst out laughing at my rendition that I was informed of my mistake. I could have sworn those were the lyrics. I still get a chuckle thinking about my version of the words compared to the original. I had a similar experience of misunderstanding concerning the sprayer just last week.

As of this year I have become part of the spray team, which consists of Primo and I with Ben as an alternate. My first spray was beneficial nematodes and Primo rode around with me explaining all the details involved with spraying. It was all very new and I was soaking in the information. He showed me how to attach the sprayer, fill the tank with water, turn on the agitator, and how to move the “boone”. In order the spray our tomatoes and lettuce the “boone” has to be locked into a higher position so the sprayer can pass over the trellis stakes or electric fence. I knew this would prove to be a challenge; it is a heavy piece of equipment.

I was right to be a little nervous because on my first spray without Primo’s aid the “boone”, not properly locked into place swung and dropped on its own accord. Luckily, with Ben’s help, we caught the problem as it was happening before real damage could be done. You might say I was skittish to do spraying that involved moving the “boone”. However, Primo headed back to Mexico for a week and sprays still had to be applied. It was up to me, and with another lesson from Primo, I had some new tricks to help me raise the “boone” with no assistants.

Feeling more confident, Bob and I headed out to some fields that needed spraying. We were discussing the aphids that had shown up in the Red Russian Kale, part of our salad mix field located within the electric fence. I was talking about moving the “boone”, when Bob started laughing. “What did you call it? It's BOOM.” Really, but I was so sure of what I had heard. Ben, who was also present, was aware of my mistake from the get go. It turns out that I had been using the wrong name for over a month.

Again, I almost prefer my mistaken terminology to the actual name. Boone, what a fun word to say. A lot like “after the poison, son of a gun.” (editor's note: it's really "after the boys of summer have gone") I am continually improving my spraying skills, and can do the application without assistance, but I may go on calling it boone and smiling to myself.

Please note:this box summary is written the week before you receive your box. Some guess work is involved: some things may be in your box that are not listed, and some listed things may not be in your box. As always, be sure to thoroughly wash all your vegetables.

The page numbers listed below refer to cooking tips and recipes in Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables as provided to all shareholders. Some recipes are listed at AngelicOrganics.com/RecipeService

BRASSICAS - 248-269

Cabbage, Cauliflower, and/or Broccoli - maybe; the wet spring caused many of these plants to spring towards seeding faster than normal; hence, many did not reach full size and/or matured early; do not worry, there are still more cabbages to come in the next few weeks and maybe some cauliflower; otherwise more broccoli in the fall.

ROOTS

Beets- with their greens, pp. 55-62 (per Bob, these greens are a good addition to a pasta sauce)

Young Turnips-red scarlet queen and/or white hakurei, bagged with Red Russian kale. Some will have their greens and some of these turnips greens have been ravaged by insects but are still edible and zesty. Perhaps use any greens in a salad or a stir-fry, pp. 129-135 (also see note about radishes)

Radishes-maybe; if so, bagged with lettuce, no greens on these. pp. 129-135; please note, due to unclear instructions one of our workers dumped both the topped radishes and topped turnips in a soaking tank before washing; this mixed them all together. Therefore, either topped radishes &/or topped turnips may show up in your lettuce bag. Both are fine salad additions. We have linked to these photos to help distinguish them if you care.

FRUITING CROPS

Cucumbers- mildly sweet, pp. 95-101

Zucchini & Summer Squash-pp. 145-150

Popcorn- cured over winter; shell to pop (some folks will put them in a paper bag and microwave them to pop while they are still on the cob)

COOKING GREENS -pp. 81-94

Swiss Chard-big, beautiful bunches

Red Russian Kale-young, a nice salad additive or can be cooked; Note: Some aphids have become particularly fond of some leaves. We tried to discard these leaves during harvest and remove aphids when washing the kale. However, we recommend rinsing it in salted water before cooking or adding to salads to remove any persistent aphids.

SALAD GREENS -pp. 136-141

Lettuce-heads of 2-Star (greenleaf), Magenta (red summer crisp), Crispino (iceberg), and/or Pic 714 (green romaine)

ALLIUMS

Scallions-likely the last of these, pp. 121-128; Sweet Onion(s)-maybe; these will for sure be ready next week!

HERBS -pp. 102-120

Basil and Parsley- Parsley will help keep your pesto from turning dark.

Almost 10 years ago, Tom Spaulding, his wife, Neddy Astudillo, and their children moved to northern Boone county to start Angelic Organics Learning Center, our partner educational non-profit. It has been exciting to see how the Learning Center has helped to share the farm with thousands since. And the experience of the farm has not stopped with our borders. Through farmer training programs and urban initiatives, countless folks have been connected with other farms and gardens. “Know your Food, Know your Farmer” is now an experience for many folks who’ve never been Angelic Organics Shareholders.

As part of its 10th year anniversary, the Learning Center is hosting a Farm Dinner Celebration in August. Details are below (or on the next page). Further your opportunities to participate in other programs and to support the Learning Center activities are detailed there as well. The Learning Center stands for empowering people to create sustainable communities of soils, plants, animals and people through educational, creative, and experiential programs. They have grown quickly. Many of their activities happen at the farm but they also work out of an office in Chicago (near Hyde Park). They have over 10 employees forwarding their mission. I am thankful for the difference they are making. Learn more about them by reading below and going to LearnGrowConnect.org.

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Our Summer Open House is coming soon---Sunday, July 20, 2008, 11 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.Look for more details in a separate email from the farm this week. Or click on this link: AngelicOrganics.com/OpenHouse