Harvesting Garlic and Staying Cool

It is hot out there but work continues on the farm … with plenty of water and breaks in the shade. The dry weather this past week made for good conditions to harvest garlic in. So we have pulled the garlic plants from the ground and shook off the soil, they are currently drying out of direct sunlight.

Once the stem and leaves are brown and crispy we will cut those off, trim the roots, and store the garlic heads in netted plastic sacks. This curing process allows the garlic heads to last for a long time. How long it takes garlic to cure depends on the weather, both temperature and humidity levels. Given how dry and hot it has been we suspect the garlic will cure pretty fast this year. We hope to have garlic heads ready to go to market by the end of July.

Thanks to everyone that came out to last Saturday’s Easton farmers’ market even though it was a very hot day. We brought extra shade, a fan, and plenty of ice which made for a comfortable summer morning under the market tent. From April through December we attend every Easton market regardless of weather; we are there in the rain, shine, or extreme heat.

Hot days call for simple refreshing meals and our guacamole fits the bill. You can serve guacamole as an appetizer, a side dish to any summer meal, or enjoy straight out of the container as the perfect girl dinner during a heatwave. Each Friday evening we make our guacamole from ripe avocados, fresh cilantro, hand squeezed lime juice, kosher salt, and a bit of black pepper; that’s it no fillers or preservatives are added. This is truly what avocados dreams are made of!

This Saturday’s farmers’ market special will be our Chicken Mole Taco. We simmer succulent chicken in a rich smokey red mole sauce that is a bit spicy, it is served on a warm corn tortilla garnished with queso fresco.

Our greenhouse is still full of seedlings perfect for summer gardens. Right now we have peppers, basil, beans (including limas), flowers, greens, mint, onions, leeks, okra, butternut squash, and more. Head over to our online shop to see the full selection and place your order for pick up at the Saturday market.