CSA week #14... only two weeks left!

Look at that monstrous watermelon!

Guerilla gardening

So, I’m sure you are thinking to yourself… what the heck does that mean? Well, officially it is defined as “the illicit cultivation of someone else’s land” which I know may sound like something that would be illegal, but it’s not for the most part. All people involved are just improving the public land around them.
The term “guerilla” you may be familiar with but in a negative connotation, but not here. The reason why it is used to describe this type of gardening is that a lot of it is done without orders to do so, it may be at night, and it is usually a sneak attack. Some people do it during the day and just wear a safety vest so others will think that you are a worker sent to do the job.
But why would someone want to do such a thing, you might ask? Well, the idea of a garden is usually something that is personal or the garden belongs to somebody. The garden could be attached to a home or to a place of work, but usually it is someone’s intentional creation for it to belong to them. With guerilla gardening, you are letting the garden belong to everyone that walks past.
For example, you might put some seed in a bare spot in between the sidewalk and the road or around a road sign, really anywhere that is bare, and decide you want to walk past something beautiful everyday on your way to work. This could mean that you either plant seed or bulbs or you could even go so far as planting plants. There are some guerilla gardeners that just carry seeds in their pocket so that they can just sprinkle them in places as they walk.
Now, I am not saying that you should rip up someone else’s garden because if it is already planted, then the work is done for you. If your passion is gardening then you should check it out. There is a book that is available called On Guerilla Gardening by Richard Reynolds or you can go to their website at http://www.guerrillagardening.org/. When you sign up, you will receive a troop number and then let the gardening begin!

What’s included this week?

1. Honey fresh from bees on our farm- if it sits then it may crystallize, but don’t worry. That’s normal since it is fresh honey and there are no preservatives!
2. Watermelon- it’s supposed to be pink inside, so don’t think it’s not ripe… it’s delicious!
3. Salad greens
4. Bell peppers
5. Lemon basil
6. Onions
7. Okra

Recipe of the Week

Honey Vinaigrette Dressing

1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp Dry mustard
1/4 tsp Black pepper
1/4 tsp Lemon pepper or lemon juice
1 1/3 cup Oil
3/4 cup Honey
3/4 cup Cider vinegar or red wine vinegar

Shake all ingredients, except honey and vinegar, in a quart jar. Stir honey into vinegar until blended. Add to oil mixture and shake. Can be stored in refrigerator for several weeks. Taste to make sure it doesn’t need any extra salt or pepper. Serve on top of a bed of salad greens. Try adding some extra veggies or bacon and feta cheese, whatever you like extra on your salad!

The watermelon are sweet like candy so I think you will be excited. Don't forget though, this kind is supposed to be pink inside, not red! The okra can be battered by dipping in egg and then a combination of flour and cornmeal. The trick is to put it all in the skillet at once, in one nice layer and do not stir it around. Try to flip it all as one glob of okra. This will help the coating stick better to the okra and will cook it more evenly, leading to less goop inside. Or, if you don't want to fry it, you can stew it or sautee it with some other veggies and serve over rice, or make gumbo... no matter what it's great!

Thank you for your support,
Gretel and Steve