July 2nd, 2025
What’s in your share?
Garlic Scapes
Radishes
Radicchio
Salad Mix
Cilantro
Cucumbers
Zucchini
Garlic scapes - are produced only from hardneck garlic varieties. Once the garlic bulb is almost ready to harvest, it puts up a stalk, which, if left to its own accord, will produce a head with dozens of tiny garlic seeds. We cut the scape off before it flowers, so that the plant can put its energy into making nice, big bulbs instead of putting the energy into making a seed. Garlic scapes are a delicacy - there is only one per plant, per season. They can be used as garlic in any recipe.
Taters and hot dogs.
Zucchini - is slowly making it’s debut! We are just starting to harvest; the first round of fruit usually has a tapered blossom end, but they taste great. If you know how zucchini grows, you know you’ll be getting your fair share of zucchini this season, so we’ll try to provide some fun recipes to try as we harvest more. Zucchini (and cucumbers) are the only crops we harvest every day because they can overgrow quickly and become undesirable for cooking.
STORAGE: Zucchini keeps best in the fridge. We like to dampen a tea towel (or paper towel) and wrap the zucchini, keeping it in the crisper drawer. It should last over a week.
Cucumbers - If you’ve been with us for a few years, you know that cucumbers have been hit or miss for us. This is because there’s this cute little beetle, called the “cucumber beetle”, which rapidly infests any crop in the cucurbit family (winter and summer squash, watermelon, and cucumbers). The larvae feed on the stem of the plant near the ground and can kill the plant that way. What’s worse, is that they spread a disease called “bacterial wilt”, which causes a completely healthy and vibrant plant to wilt to its death overnight. Cucumbers are particularly susceptible to this disease, and we’ve been struggling with this the entire time we’ve farmed here. Our cucumber crops never last long, so we cherish every one we get.
For the last two season we tried a new method - that of exclusion. We lined an entire high tunnel with insect netting, hoping that the plants could get established long enough to get a harvest before the inevitable beetle infestation. This method is not without controversy; excluding pests means also excluding beneficials, so we decided that since we had two successful seasons of lowering our pest pressure, we would open the tunnels back up. We haven’t put insect netting on the cucumber tunnel, and yes, there are beetles, but there are also TONS of fireflies. I’ve done a good amount of research into whether or not the firefly larvae eat cucumber beetle larvae and have come to nothing conclusive, but the National Wildlife Federation and The Schlitz Audubon Center have put some info out there that has me theorizing that the firefly may be playing a beneficial role in keeping the cucumber beetle population down. If anyone knows more about this - we love a learning opportunity!
Radish harvest with Greg, John, Ali, and myself
Radicchio isn’t very popular amongst Wisconsinites, but it has a special place in our hearts. Its growing habit is similar to a cabbage and butterhead lettuce. It is in the same family as dandelion and endive. Just like a dandelion leaf, the radicchio has a bitter flavor that softens with cooking. Radicchio is delicious grilled, roasted, sautéed, or eaten raw in thin strips. It tastes great drizzled with a mixture of honey or maple syrup and olive oil.
STORAGE: Store in a closed container or plastic bag in the fridge. Remove outer leaves if they begin to wilt or become yellow. The inner head can last up to a month.
recipes to try
Caramelized Radicchio with Grapes and Gorgonzola
Seared Courgette (Zucchini) Skewers
(I’m very sorry to exclude those who don’t use instagram but this recipe looked too good not to share and I couldn’t find it on a webpage - This is a similar idea, mostly for visual inspiration)