“Football is life!” – Dani Rojas, Ted Lasso
This past weekend we enjoyed some time off the farm together and the whole Rootbound Farm crew went to the Louisville FC soccer game. I feel rejuvenated and thankful for some fun and the chance to see my teammates in a new element – with clean clothes, a comfortable seat, bright shining tennis shoes, and friends, significant others and kiddos in tow.
Now that we’ve been farming more than a decade, we know to foresee the challenges that August always seems to bring. As summer throws its last hurrah at us, we need to dig deep and be proactive to have the energy to keep it all moving forward.
August heat never disappoints. We were so thankful for some oddly unseasonal cooler weather over the past few weeks – but we’ve also been peppered with a muggy sweltering sauna in the fields. Plants have been in the ground growing and producing for a long time now and some of the weeds in the crop fields reach challenging new heights (literal heights, like 7 feet tall in some cases). This time of year we always have to make difficult decisions as we look at the amount of work that needs to be done in the fields and measure that against our own human capacity. We have to walk away from some crops and let Mother Earth gobble them up as she has been trying so intently to do.
We work hard to combat August stress by keeping our work hours manageable, staying hydrated (adding Gatorade into the mix when water just isn’t cutting it), eating Watermelon every day, and most importantly just being kind to each other and extra aware of the responsibilities and stresses each of us are carrying. Thank you for all of your kind words and encouragement – it is really appreciated and we get a lot of energy knowing that the fruits of our labor are bringing some joy to your home.
Recipe Ideas for the Week:
Not sure what to do with okra? Try it roasted! It’s true, when cooked over low heat, the okra seeds let out a slimy texture. If the sliminess isn’t your thing, you may LOVE roasted okra. With just the right timing they are a crispy, salty snack that will be gone in 5 minutes.
Green tomatoes in the CSA this week! Everyone has their favorite way of preparing fried green tomatoes. I prefer a breading that is mostly yellow cornmeal with a touch of flour and salt and pepper – but breadcrumbs are also popular. If you have eggplant on hand you can fry eggplant with the same process – one of my favorites.
