Rosh Hashana is around the corner, and this is the perfect time to remind you of all the joyful products you can add to your boxes before the holidays: apple and pear juices and alcoholic apple and pear cider from the Matsesa, assorted honey from Hadvash shel Tamir in the Golan or the Ein Harod beehive, delectable organic dates from the Arava in Samar or Neot Smadar (as well as grape juice, date honey and other yummy surprises from the latter), raw Tahina or Tahini from Kibbutz Netiv Halamed Hey or from Melo Hatene farm in Karmei Yossef, crackers from Lev HaTeva or crackers, chocolate and other yumminess from Shoreshei Tzion, cookies from Dani and Galit, dry fruits and “leather” from Melissa’s Mipri Yadeha and more!
And of course, the beautiful Shana BaGina calendar (A Year in the Garden) in various formats: hanging, tabletop or weekly diary
All these treats can be added to your boxes via our order system.
Shana Tova!
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Making (Heat) Waves
We’re somehow surviving the killer heatwave that just doesn’t let up. The high temperatures and humidity are not easy to farm in, to say the least. Sometimes we feel as if we’re toiling inside a hot, wet cloud, as we sweat nonstop and drink like there’s no tomorrow.
As difficult as it is to work outdoors these days, we are grateful for the relative protection we provide our vegetables, especially the growth houses protected by shade nets and the green beds covered by a shading net. And when the scorching heat becomes unbearable, we ourselves take a break and crawl into a cooler, more protected place. Our packing house, where the vegetables arrive before being placed in your boxes, is cooled by huge fans and water sprinklers that diffuse droplets throughout the hot air to lower the temperature just a bit. (Be thankful for small things.)
What about the vegetables? Surprisingly (or maybe not), the vegetables are doing just fine in this heatwave. Usually we need to use irrigation over the dry heat spells and protect the plants from the winds, though this doesn’t always prevent crops from being damaged and drying up. But this present heatwave is very different in that there are no winds and the humidity is so high. What makes our lives so hard is actually great for the vegetables, because the cloudy skies and haze allow for slower evaporation as the veggies delight in calmly lapping up the irrigation water. The radiation is not too strong, and the heat speeds up growth. Our summer vegetables who just love heat are enjoying a growth spurt these days, imagining they’re on holiday on some tropical island and living it up in the fun-in-sun climate.
Those winter vegetables already planted are having a tough time with the heat, but since we pamper them with a shade net and lots of irrigation, they don’t suffer so much and are impressively braving the heat. (How I wish we were just like them….)
Humidity does bring along its own problems: the Silverleaf whiteflies invaded us for a visit to the tomato hothouse, and we were forced to confront them by spraying mineral and capillary oil to keep these pests from climbing on the plants. Hopefully we’ve met this challenge, and other hardships will not accompany the continuing/upcoming heatwaves.
This very hot week is coming to an end with very high temperatures and humidity. In a normal year, we would probably complain about 35 degrees in September, but after these past two weeks we suddenly feel as elated as the family that brought a goat into the house.
Wishing us all a good week, despite the heat, humidity and any and all upcoming waves. May they wash over us gently.
Don’t forget to drink plenty of liquids!
Alon, Bat Ami, Dror and the Chubeza team
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WHAT’S IN THIS WEEK’S BOXES?
Monday: Bell peppers, lettuce/New Zealand spinach, corn, scallions/onions/leeks, cucumbers, tomatoes, popcorn, slice of pumpkin/butternut squash, basil/parsley, eggplant, lubia Thai yard-long beans/okra.
Large box, in addition: Potatoes, coriander, sweet potatoes/zucchini/cherry tomatoes.
FRUIT BOXES: Yellow apples, mango, purple plums, peaches.
Wednesday: Lettuce, basil/New Zealand spinach, corn, scallions/onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, slice of pumpkin/butternut squash, parsley/cilantro, eggplant, lubia Thai yard-long beans/okra. Small boxes: Bell peppers/potatoes
Large box, in addition: Leeks, sweet potatoes/zucchini, bell peppers and potatoes.
FRUIT BOXES: Yellow apples, mango, pears, peaches.