Produce Notes:
Some hearty and gorgeous spinach hitting your plate this upcoming week. And just because I can eat a bag of them in 15 minutes, the grapes will be calling the Harvest Boxes home next week too.
Other than that, we are looking at more berries, greens, citrus fiesta, large and small tomatoes, heirloom potatoes, onions, and some avocados to round off your week. Fresh grass-fed beef in this week that is likely to disappear quickly. Have a fun weekend.
Is a Calzone the Italians attempt to recreate the glorious taco?? Let’s find out this week for dinner.
I have to share a story with you from our 1st Summer Camp this week that almost melted my big bear heart. I was walking with our long-time driver, John, and he looked up and saw a kiddo sitting on top of our 1940s tractor. He yelled “Hey Everett, I’ll see you later.” The young boy smiled and waved back so hard he almost fell off the tractor seat. I was like, “How do you know him?” John said that Everett waits for the delivery at his house and greets John every week to say hi and see what goodies are inside the cooler for the day. Just hearing that got me all choked up.
Every week I feel like I am reminded about the importance of what we are doing here at the farm. Stories from ranchers, from growers, and from young dudes who love their food. All of these stories keep me fired up and get me out of bed every morning to keep working towards a better food system for all New Mexicans. Thanks for supporting this mission.
And from that Feel-Good Hallmark card, I must transition into some nuts and bolts for this summer.
The summer, as we all know, is a crazy time. Period. The routines that we held to diligently during the school year seem to get run through a wood-chipper. Our days become a little less planned and menus are a little harder to think about in advance. This chaos leads to a summer dormancy in the food world. More going out to eat, less time in your kitchen.
This annual migration away from eating at home is nothing new. It happens every year and will continue to happen I bet. The unfortunate part about this change is that the summer is probably the Best time of the year to be eating and cooking at home. Summer is the time when flavors and diversity are at their peak. Fruits start ripening on the trees and it is a pretty darn good time to be a Localvore or a Locovore.
So I say all of this to just remind you of the flexibility that we have consciously woven into our business model. This business and home delivery model are designed like a flexible Yogi, able to bend without breaking.
I received an email from a member who wrote that she needed to tend to her own garden and so would not be able to be a member this summer. Reading that made me realize that maybe I need to clarify some things. I’ve been accused of not being the best communicator, believe it or not.
With that, I would have to say that this farm is no longer a one-trick pony. Our hearts have always and will always be rooted in bringing you the most amazing produce, But… we offer some pretty delicious other eats too.
About three years ago, we set out to find and bring the best ranchers of our state to you. And you know what? We have done an incredible job. Kind of even surprise myself with how great our proteins are. So if you are growing a huge garden, you can still support local producers with adding milk, honey, baked goods, eggs, and meats. You do not have to order a Harvest Box or any produce, just to receive a delivery.
Additionally, New Mexico is a very challenging place to grow fruit. I can honestly say that I have tried some pretty good fruit around here, none of it is memorable fruit though. It is not our fault. We have great growers here, but the geography of NM just does not develop the flavors like we get from our buddy Paul at Excelsior Orchards in Paonia, CO.
The western slope of CO is one of the best places in the U.S. to grow tree fruit. Better than CA and better than anywhere in the west. Fortunately for us, Excelsior is right up the road and we have a great partnership that brings us all of his harvest. Cherries, tart cherries, apricots, peaches, plums, nectarines, pears, and apples to name a handful. He has been a mainstay for our fruit needs these last 9 years. So keep your eyes peeled for some incredible fruit from Paul this season.
Let’s have a great summer. Things are looking very promising around here, so let us help you have a tasty summer. If there is something that we can do (or bring you) to make your life better, please let us know.
Happy munching, Farmer Monte