Week 14 harvest: tomatoes, peppers (bell, mini sweet, serrano), cucumbers, basil, parsley, kale, carrots, turnips, beets, cabbage

We hope this letter finds all of you safe after the storms of this past week.  After talking to some of our friends that live along County Road 250 and our friend who lives in Boulder we consider ourselves to be overall pretty lucky.  However surveying the farm on Thursday morning was difficult.  As some of you have found out by now the farm was hit pretty hard last Wednesday.  The crop losses are too numerous to list, almost everything that was growing above ground is gone.  The leaves of our root crops and winter squash were ripped apart which will prevent them from finishing their last growth spurt.  Sadly the tender strawberry plants are barely recognizable at this point.  All is not lost, and while it hurts to not be able to provide you with an abundance of greens and strawberries, we still have yummy vegetables to fill your shares over the last three weeks. The root crops, winter squash, cabbage, and crops in our greenhouse and tunnels are still beautiful. We’ve decided that growing in tunnels is the only insurance against the elements and we want more of them!!

Most importantly we need to convey our thanks to everyone that has supported the farm after the storm.  From those who gave us their time harvesting the damaged tomatoes, pulling plants and making trips to cold storage, to the vendors like Zia’s that provided space in their cooler, and Seasons that purchased hail damaged crops. Most significantly we need to thank Linda Illsley, of Linda’s Local Food Café who mobilized the effort to salvage what was left of our farm on Thursday and who donated her precious time and certified kitchen to help process what was gleaned.  She is and will be forever in our debt.  The initial shock of seeing the farm on Thursday morning was met with wonder by Thursday afternoon as more than 50 people came out to help us recover.  On Friday another 25 people helped us pull plants and cut the winter squash from the vines. On Sunday and Monday, ten more arrived at Linda’s restaurant to cut and freeze the produce that will soon be turned into bloody mary mix, roasted sauces, and green tomato chutney. Despite the loss, the message from the town was clear: when local farms are in need, many people are there to help. We had the chance to meet so many people and even smile as many hands made the work less overwhelming. Now more than ever, we are so greatful to be farming in Durango.

One of our CSA members passed this recipe along saying it was the best cold soup she had ever had:

Peach and Tomato Gazpacho

• 1 1/2 lb tomatoes, chopped (4 cups)
• 1 lb peaches, pitted and chopped (2 cups)
• 1/4 cup crushed ice
• 2 tablespoons chopped shallot (1 medium)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup water

Purée two thirds of tomatoes and half of peaches with ice, shallot, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 2 teaspoons tarragon, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a blender until very smooth, about 1 minute. Force through a medium-mesh sieve into a large glass measure, discarding solids. Stir in water to desired consistency. Toss together remaining tomatoes and peaches with remaining tablespoon oil, remaining 1/2 tablespoon vinegar, remaining teaspoon tarragon, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a bowl. Serve soup in bowls topped with tomato peach salsa.