Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Join us This Thursday...

Italian Secrets of Preserving Tomatoes
There is nothing like New Jersey local tomatoes – especially when you combine them with age-old Italian home recipes. Phyllis Deering, our resident professional, will teach us her grandmother's secrets to making amazing tomato sauces at home. Now when the tomatoes are coming off the vine faster than we can count. As good as they are, we just can't eat them all, today. Join us on Thursday, August 27th at 1:00 pm.
The cost covers the professional, the organic ingredients and the jars. Join us at this pleasant afternoon social. For more info call 973-335-4469 or go to www.meetup.com/MountainLakesOrganicCoop. Please RSVP.

We have reached the mid-point of our season with Starbrite and I am working on some changes. Hopefully this basket will reflect some of those changes. Our Basic Basket members have generally wanted more basic vegetables rather than the full array. I have expressed this to John and we are working on it.

Excerpts from the Starbrite Newsletter
We have arrived at the mid point of the season. While it has been one of the most challenging years ever, I am fairly satisfied with what we have been able to provide thus far. I only hope that you, the shareholders feel the same. I strive to make each year better than the last as I learn from my mistakes and improve my soils and growing systems. In almost every year there are crops that flourish and others that fail.  Last year there were no sweet potatoes because I was unable to buy plants. This year we have planted about 2500 plants and they are doing well. Last year we had a bumper melon crop, in spite of problems with the crows drilling holes in many of them. This year I am sad to report that the deer have destroyed my entire main planting of melons. I have planting melons in the open, with no fencing for 12 years and have never had a problem until this season. We are beginning to harvest quite a few ground cherries, so depending on availability these may be in your share this week or next. These members of the tomato family are closely related to the tomatillo and share the paper husk that surrounds the fruit. Simply squeeze them out of their husk and eat them out of hand, in salads or make a sauce with them. They make great snacks for kids as they are quite sweet.
Enjoy!     Marnie