Curing Butternuts and Harvesting Baby Greens

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• Farm Updates

September 9th, 2021

In order to prevent further damage from the squash vine borers, we decided to go ahead and harvest all of our butternut squashes. Upon harvesting, our butternuts were moved to the greenhouse in order to undergo the curing process. This allows the skin to toughen up so that these squashes can be stored for up to six months. It also allows the natural sugars present in the squash to concentrate, yielding a sweeter and more balanced flavor.

We made the first harvest from our fall crops this week in the form of our baby arugula, baby kale, and baby mustard greens. We also harvested some Tokyo Bekana (pictured above and below), a non-heading Chinese cabbage variety with buttery soft leaves and a mild flavor. Due to its soft texture and mild flavor, Tokyo Bekana can be used as a salad green. It would be particularly delicious in a mix with the baby arugula and baby kale. If you’d like to enjoy it cooked, try wilting it with a bit of garlic, soy sauce, and rice vinegar.

The first mature luffas were harvested this week! These luffas were allowed to fully ripen and dry out on the vine. Once they reach this stage, they’re easy to spot because they have turned brown. After harvesting, we can easily peel away the skin to expose the fibrous “skeleton”. The luffa can then be used as a natural sponge. At the end of their season, we’ll be harvesting some young luffa for you to taste! Young luffa can be cooked in a similar manner to summer squash and zucchini.