Oak Slough Farm

Quest for the perfect tomato

Apparently, one of the other growers at the farmer’s market is “the tomato grower.”  I haven’t tried one of their tomatoes yet, but I’m sure they are excellent. We’d also like to be known as a tomato grower.  We’re doing our best to grow the best tomatoes possible.  It seems like there are so many variables.  Healthy soil plays a big part because it helps keep the plants heathy and bug- and disease-free.  Ours is pretty good because it is a fresh garden spot.  The right amount of water is also a big challenge.  We want to give the plants enough to stay hydrated, but not so much that the fruit cracks and gets soft and mushy.  The hot weather made doling out just enough water even more complicated. We also try to pick at the right time of the day, when it has warmed up some so the sugars are higher; but, not so hot that the fruit is cooking.  Of course, everything else needs picking around the same time.  Variety seems to make the most difference only to the customer. We grew a yellow saladette because they come on very early, but were waiting patiently for the Sun Golds; however, we have customers every week still asking for them!  My favorite tomato that we grow is Early Girl. For me, I like a smaller, firmer tomato that has a slightly acidic taste, rather than a deep tomato taste. 

Quest for the beautiful bouquet

If growing tomatoes and vegetables seemed challenging, growing flowers and making bouquets took it to the next level.  The flower enterprise is all Sadie, but we are trying to help as best we can.  I am slowly learning how to harvest them.  Each one has different characteristics she is looking for to make a perfect flower for harvesting.  For example, the sunflower can’t be too open, or it won’t last very long in the bouquet.  Kat, and sometimes Jess, helps Sadie put the bouquets together.  Each week, Sadie puts together a bouquet recipe based on what flowers are available.  Then they carefully work to put each bouquet together.  For me, making a nice tight bunch of carrots is difficult.  Trying to arrange the flowers so they sit well together seems beyond me.

Besides making the farm look really nice, the flowers also bring in pollinators.  It is really exciting to see both honey bees and native bees, and all sorts of other pollinators in the flowers.  The natives particularly like the sunflowers. The honey bees, the borage. And the butterflies love the zinnias.

Recipe – Smashed Cucumber Salad 

Sadie made this on one of last week’s broiling hot evenings.  It was a nice refreshing salad to go with a light meal. 

Lay a knife longwise on a whole cucumber (the Japanese cucumbers are great for this because they do not need to be peeled and are less watery than the slicers), and press firmly down til the cucumber begins to break. Cut the cucumber on a diagonal, like a baguette. For two cucumbers, mix together 2 tablespoons sesame oil, 3 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, a few cloves of garlic minced and 2 teaspoons of grated garlic. Toss your cucumbers in the dressing and let sit a few minutes to soak up the flavor before serving. Optionally, top with sesame and coriander seeds. 

Be well – Josh