Friday, February 20, 2009

Market Updates

Due to a miscommunication, we will not be selling at Byrd House this season. For those who were planning on pickup up CSA shares at Byrd House, we will be offering delivery instead. We are now looking into a space at the Bryan Park market for Tuesday afternoons.

We're still planning on Lakeside on Wednesdays and South of the James on Saturdays.

Looking forward to seeing everyone at the markets and talking produce!

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Book Recommendation -- The Heirloom Tomato

We have a couple varieties of tomatoes germinating in the greenhouse right now, and we're already coming down with tomato fever. We are coming up on the last of the tomatoes we canned and looking forward to eating fresh tomatoes to eat this summer. Last summer, we enjoyed reading The Heirloom Tomato: From Garden to Table by Amy Goldman. The book has gorgeous photos, good recipes, and, most interesting for us, detailed descriptions and histories of the world's best heirloom tomatoes. Featured in the book are the Black Plum, Great White, Yellow Pear, and Zapotec, all of which we're growing this season. Heirloom tomatoes are grown for flavor, not appearance--they won't look like the pictures on ketchup bottles, but they give you divine taste experience. We enjoy growing heirlooms because we love to cook and we love the natural variety we see in our tomato harvest. There's nothing like an eggplant parmesan made with heirlooms for the sauce.

Peppers, shares, and Sunday updates


Only 17 shares left in the CSA. They are selling fast, and we're excited about the produce and being able to see everyone as they come to the markets to pick up their bags. Looking forward to a good growing season.


The "little greenhouse that could" at RVA headquarters now holds 1800 sprouting seeds--mostly chiles (yep, it's gonna be a spicy summer, folks). If anyone needs chiles for medicinal use, we do have dried bhuts for CSA members. We also have early-producing tomatoes germinating (including a few hundred yellow pear tomatoes).


Saturday, February 14, 2009

CSA shares are selling fast!


We started with 20 shares in this year's micro-CSA, and they are selling fast! This year's CSA will feature a variety of seasonal produce--squash, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, beans, and greens, depending on the month. The CSA will be producing from April to November. Shares are priced at $500/whole and $250/half. Should be a great growing season!