William and I would like to put out a great wave of appreciation to you, Bluebird Farm’s CSA members, for being such an important part of this farm. We like to think of you- your support and enjoyment of the farm, us, and the food when we are outside trellising the ever-growing tomatoes, picking beans, and sweating behind the hoe. This tangible connection to the food that is grown, harvested and eaten from this farm is a unique situation to have in this moment of conventional industrial agriculture. We have been receiving many thank you’s and notes of appreciation from you all. Let me tell you- we love to hear that! We also want to you to ask us questions, and give us feedback on any challenges or problems you’ve had (quantity, quality, variety, etc)

Our tomato trellises. Everything has grown so much, I guess its time for more photos

Here’s a brief excerpt from my favorite author, Barbara Kingsolver. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is a passionate narrative of a year’s journey of food on her farm. “This is why we do it all again every year. It’s the visible daily growth, the marvelous and unaccountable accumulation of biomass that makes for the hallelujah of a July garden…We gardeners are right in the middle of this with our weeding and tying up, our mulching and watering our trained eyes guarding against bugs, groundhogs, and weather damage. But to be honest the plants are working harder doing all the real production. We are management; they’re labor.” I would encourage you all to read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. It is a insightful, charming picture of the seasons of life and food on a farm.

Check out their website for wonderful recipes. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.

Disappearing Zucchini Pasta

This recipe is from Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and boy that zucchini disappears into a delicious cheesy pasta dish. The cheese and zucchini combine together to create a rich flavor. Mmm! Zucchini and squash are those vegetables that you miss when they are gone, but everyone loves to roll their eyes about. The plants can really get out of hand and over produce, but that's a good thing in the vegetable world. There are so many ways to create wonderful meals with zucchini and squash- especially the delicious heirloom varieties. They blend well with creative cooking! Just don't serve it to me plain and steamed!

Week 6

Swiss chard

Bok choy

Zucchini or Summer Squash

Cucumber

Basil

Large Shares only

Kale

A note on the cucumbers: The dark skinned cucumbers are sweet and delicious simply washed and sliced. However, we have discovered that the lighter skinned with whiter or yellower sections seem to have a bitter skin. Some are very mild, while others are very strong. At first we thought it was the size of the fruit, but that doesn't seem to make a difference. The good news is that peeling the cucumber makes it just as sweet as the others. Our current guess is that the bitterness is a result of the hot, hot weather we are getting.

Photo from http://www.stephencresswell.com/s/anchorago.html

Hooray to Bluebird Farm’s Insect Hero of the Week; Anchor Stink Bug, Pentatomidae family- our friend the beneficial Anchor Stink Bug feeds on caterpillars and beetle larvae (those squishy larvae love to suck juice from plants) Yet another great insect that would be obliterated by routine, broad spectrum synthetic insecticides that are used in conventional agriculture. The techniques used in organic agriculture help create safe habit for beneficial insects in the garden.

William Lyons and Marie Williamson
Bluebird Farm
4178 Bluebird Dr.
Morganton, NC

BluebirdFarmNC.com
BluebirdFarmNC.blogspot.com

BluebirdFarmNC@gmail.com
828.584.7359