**Special Orders and the online shop are only visible to current members of the Summer Season. To join up, either signup online or reply to this email. **

Berry Season Continues

Our supply of raspberries is always hard to predict until the pickers get in. We get fresh supply daily as the shelf life is very short. Don't let these sit around. Eat them immediately!

If we get more than expected, we'll have them at the back of the truck.

Blueberries

Black Raspberries

Red Raspberries

And, one of our suppliers called yesterday saying he found a surprise area in his cherry block that has some cherries. Like little pockets that didn't freeze out. Not sure yet what that means, but we expect a few next week.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie - Last Call

Our signature homemade pies are back. It's "pie season" as we say. Fresh fruit is in and let's enjoy it!

We start with macerating our berries in a little organic sugar. The berry "liquor" that drains off is reduced and added back to the fresh berries and rhubarb to make a rich filling.

We bake it in our house made crust of organic whole wheat flour, butter, and lard. It's flaky and flavorful. The pie is topped with a crunchy and sweet crumb topping of oats, butter, and organic sugar.

Weekly Meats - 10% off

For those who need more or vegetarian shares needing the meat option.

Whole Pasture Raised Chickens

Smoked Kielbasa

Raw Sauerkraut (because what is kielbasa without kraut?)

Newskin Red Potatoes

Similar to this week's onion, this is an item you can't find in the grocery store. The newskin potato is extra tender and has a very thin, delicate skin. They honestly look ugly because the skin scrubs off when you wash them!

These potatoes will not store for months. They are intended to enjoy soon. Boil and serve with butter and fresh herbs. Slice thick and make a grill basket. Or make a homemade potato salad.

Our grower here went the extra mile by planting his potatoes in black plastic mulch (similar to the onion store below), then harvesting by hand early. By contrast, the typical fall potatoes are harvested after the plant dies back and the potatoes are allowed to "cure" in the ground. The curing process sets a thick skin and helps the potato store.

Green Onion Brats - 1# package - $8.50

We have always made our dinner brats into 1.25# packages. Then for some reason our processor ran them in 1# packages last week.

This is sure to spell disaster pulling orders in the near future. So we need to get rid of these now!

Zucchini Bread - $6

This is one of our customer favorites. This quick bread is made with fresh organic zucchini, organic flour and sugar, farm fresh eggs, and homemade applesauce - the secret ingredient for keeping it extra moist and reducing the amount of sugar.

Vacation Requests due by end of day Saturday

If you are traveling for the 4th and can't pick up at your usual spot:

1) Pick up at a different location. If you don't have a special order, no need to tell us. If you do have a special order, you can change the pick up location during the checkout process.

2) If you can't make it at all, put a vacation request in by this Saturday at midnight (see pic). Vacations can be entered on the "Vacations" tab of your account.

Otherwise, we'll pack a bag for you, and you cannot get a credit if you miss picking up.

Next Week's Hours

We will run our regular schedule next week, except for 1 small change.

Saturday, July 4 - Ohio City Provisions is closing at 5 PM. The Fresh Fork stop is therefore ending early and scheduled for 10AM to 5 PM.

Sweet, Fresh Bulb onions

The candy onion is a popular variety with the Amish growers. It produces a large, sweet onion. The ones this week are what we consider "fresh bulb" onions.

Typically onions are allowed to die off in the field and then hung out to dry. This allows the onion to form a skin and store for months.

Fresh bulb onions are harvested while the tops are still green. The grower cleans down the onions for a shiny bulb and edible green top.

Onion Growing Tricks

Andy, our onion grower this week, got these out extra early.

First, he starts his onions in trays in the greenhouse. An important step is to snip the greens (pictured). This helps the onion produce a larger bulb.

Second, he works his ground and lays black plastic mulch. Typically, commercial onions are planted in bare dirt and cultivated. Black plastic suppresses weeds and keeps the earth warmer, helping the onion mature earlier.

Next, he plants his onions and covers them with row cover in early season. Once the threat of frost is past, he uncovers them and lets them go.

The photo at the top of the newsletters is a field of onions on black plastic. This week, he'll pull the onions by hand and clean them up with a damp rag and many hands.

The final step - not often celebrated - is removing the black plastic mulch by hand and getting a cover crop in for the fall.

Good, Fast, or Cheap. Pick 2.

I feel like a broken record sometimes, but I love that saying. If it's good and fast, it isn't cheap. If it's cheap and fast, it isn't good.

Commercial onions fall into this. They are grown on a large scale, mechanically harvested, and bred for storage. Dry, low sugar onions store better and transport further than juicy, sweet onions. As a result, many folks think they don't like onion - it's pungent and strong. The candy onion is the contrary and a true treat in the kitchen. Enjoy!

Reply to this email to this to Start This Week!

We are still welcoming new members to the summer season. To get in this week, it's easy:

1) Reply to this Email

2) Tell us where you want to pickup and which bag (from the menu below).

** This is the end of asparagus for the season. We expect to probably get enough for Wed/Thurs, then we'll switch to tomatoes.