Second to last share this week.  With the season winding down the landscape at the farm is slowly starting to look very different.  There are certain fields we are planning to cover crop sooner than others so we've stopped planting new things in those areas and they look so bare at this point.  The weeds are trying to take over, but we're putting up a good fight (at least until it starts raining!).  We're excited about one field in particular that is going to stay productive through most of the summer if not all of it.  Just yesterday we transplanted over 200 okra babies.  Also featured in that field is lots of eggplant, ground cherries, summer cherry tomatoes (more like a tomato test because we aren't sure how they'll do), papaya and scallions.  We call this field The Island because it's a big island of growing space right in the middle of the property.  Besides the annuals I just mentioned it contains fruit trees (mulberry, keylime, banana) pineapples and a mini moringa forest.  Most of this stuff will go to chefs throughout the next few months to help support the farm financially during our "off season".  Fingers crossed.

Enough about the farm, lets see what's in the shares this week!
Purslane
Kholrabi
Bush beans
Mibuna
Turnips
Herbs, your choice between parsley, oregano, lemongrass and sage
Grape tomatoes

Large shares also get:
Asian eggplant

Kohlrabi is very hard to find in stores so enjoy your last taste of this unique vegetable.  The flavor is what I like to describe as a cross between broccoli and apples, weird I know.  People always ask what to do with kohlrabi and there are many recipes on the internet to give you ideas, but my favorite suggestion is to peel it and eat it like an apple.  The leaves are very nutritious so don't toss them; add them to soups or stews for extra green.

Mibuna is an Asian green we tried for the first time this season and we really love it.  It's super tender and the flavor is mild.  It's closely related to mizuna (hence the name), bit in person it looks and feels more like arugula (without the spicy bite).  Enjoy them raw or very lightly wilted, seasoned with an Asian inspired marinade (think miso, sesame, ponzu sauce, etc).

Grape tomatoes this week are coming from Teena's Pride, our local tomato experts!  As much as we'd love to be growing tomatoes for you ourselves, we haven't mastered that art yet.  We will continue to try so that hopefully next season we can fill your kitchens with Little River Cooperative tomatoes!

Asian eggplant are incredibly beautiful.  It's one of our favorite crops, not just for looks, but for flavor.  They tend to be smaller than the big ol' eggplant you find at the store, but they are less spongy and jam packed with flavor.  They also tend to be way less bitter so you can skip any prep steps suggested for a lot of eggplant recipes that call for soaking slices in brine or rubbing them with salt to remove bitterness.  Just cut and cook!  I love them roasted with a pinch of salt, paprika (smoked paprika to be exact) and loads of olive oil.  Enjoy!