Appleton Farms Blog: Week 8: Harvesting Melons

It’s everyone’s favorite day of summer. The first melon harvest seems to happen during the most hot, humid week of the year when nothing could be better than a fresh melon. We usually slice a few open right in the field and marvel at how sweet and refreshing a warm melon can taste in late July! Then comes the toss. We harvest out of the same field over an extended time and so we try not to trample down the plants too much. So to harvest, one person literally tosses the melon from the field to the edge, where another person catches it and loads it into a bin. While normally everyone on the crew is eager for a turn to drive the tractor, that’s not the case during melon harvest! There’s too much fun to be had throwing melons.

The share this week:

Head lettuce
Escarole
Carrots
Beets
Fresh onions
Cucumbers
Yellow squash
Zucchini
Tomatoes
Eggplant
Canteloup
PYO flowers
PYO herbs
PYO beans

Despite our best efforts to keep a good stash of scissors for the pick your own field, every week many go missing. We encourage you to bring your own scissors if you plan on picking.

As a reminder, our hours for pickup have changed to Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 12:30-6:30PM. We are also open for pick your own on Saturdays, 8AM-Noon. Shareholders are free to pick up their share any day that best suits their schedule, and do not need to commit to the same day each week. Additionally, shareholders do not need to tell us which day they will be picking up.

Vegetable of the week!

Escarole is a type of chicory, similar to endive and radicchio, featuring flavorful and slightly bitter leaves. It is less bitter than other chicories. The inner, light colored leaves are suitable for salads and outer, dark leaves for cooked dishes. It is high in vitamin A, fiber, iron and calcium.

Wilted escarole

1 head escarole

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Vinegar of your choice

Cut escarole leaves into wide strips. Saute in olive oil, covered, until wilted and bright breen, a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add a splash of vinegar. Makes a great side dish!

Escarole and walnut salad

1 head escarole, sliced

2 tbsp sherry vinegar

2 tsp dijon mustard

¼ cup olive oil

⅓ cup toasted walnuts

Salt and pepper

Stir together vinegar and mustard, then whisk in olive oil. Toss escarole with vinaigrette and sprinkle with walnuts. Season with salt and pepper.

In the Farm Store

The store has Appleton milk from our own cows. Try whole, low-fat, or cream top. Cream top is whole milk that is not homogenized — most people shake it hard before serving. Please remember to bring back your glass bottles.

We also have Appleton cheese — 2 hard and 2 soft varieties — as well as an ever-changing selection of cheeses, meat products (from the farm), and gifts. You can also sign up for Farm events, right at the store!

Events on the Farm