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Welcome to Week 8 of the CSA season! 

Sweet Corn Pick Update:

We’re keeping a close eye on the sweet corn, and it’s coming along nicely. Right now, we’re aiming to start the corn pick sometime between August 20th and August 27th, but the exact timing will depend on how the crop progresses over the next several days.

As we get closer and have a better idea of the harvest window, we’ll send out another newsletter with all the details you’ll need to plan your visit. We appreciate your patience and are looking forward to a great corn pick this year.

From the Field: Picking Through the Tangle

Strong winds can be tough on sweet corn. When a storm pushes through and knocks the stalks over, it creates a whole new set of challenges for the harvest. Corn that’s standing tall can be picked quickly and efficiently because the ears are all at an easy height and orientation. But when the plants are leaning or lying flat, the work slows down. Each ear has to be found and freed from the tangle of stalks and leaves, and the picker spends more time bent over, moving through the field at a crawl instead of a steady pace.

Blown-over corn can also twist and lodge in different directions, which means you can’t simply work down a straight row. It takes more walking, more bending, and more lifting to get the same amount harvested. In wet soil, the footing can be tricky, and it’s easy to get bogged down. Equipment that works well on upright corn isn’t much help in these situations, so a lot of it comes down to hand labor.

Even with the extra time and effort, we do everything we can to get it out of the field quickly so it’s still fresh and sweet when it reaches you.  It’s a reminder that farming is never just about growing the crop. It’s also about adapting to whatever nature throws our way and finding a way to get the harvest done.

What’s in the box?

It’s a good lineup this week. The sweet corn is still coming in strong, and it’s just as sweet and crisp as the first picking. The ears are full and well-filled, a sign the plants have been getting exactly what they need. If you’ve been eating it right away, you already know why it’s the crop we look forward to all summer.

The bok choy looks great, with crisp white stems and tender green leaves. It’s perfect for a quick stir-fry or a light steam. Eggplant is also ready, with that deep purple shine that means it’s at its best. If you want to try something new, bok choy and eggplant work well together in a hot pan with a little garlic and soy sauce.

Cucumbers and green peppers bring a fresh crunch this week. The cucumbers are cool and mild, great for salads or snacking, and the peppers are firm and sweet. Green beans are tender now, so they don’t need much—just a quick blanch or sauté to keep their snap. And to round it out, red potatoes add something hearty and versatile. They roast well, boil quickly, and hold their shape nicely in potato salad.

It’s a lineup that works well on its own or mixed and matched into whatever you’re cooking.