Last week, I mentioned beef from another farm, only to find out from Jeff that he has several cows ready for slaughter himself. I always give priority to our farm over other local producers, but what this clearly means is that there is plenty of local beef available in TN these days. If you want to order Long Hungry beef, it is being sold in quarters, meaning a quarter of the meat from one cow. The cost for LH beef is $3.50/lb, and the quarters are expected to weigh 50-60lbs. Most is ground beef, but each quarter also comes with a variety of cuts split evenly by weight and with consideration for the market price on each. For instance, if your quarter has filet mignon, you may get slightly less weight than a quarter with a chuck roast. If a quarter is too much for you personally, then I recommend finding a purchase partner to share the beef. I’ll send out more details as they become available.

The skinny on green beans
There are plenty of green beans planted, but for some reason, they just haven’t been producing. It could be the heat, but Jeff doesn’t know for certain. He reports that the bean plants look good and are flowering profusely. The recent rains add to the healthy look of the plants, but the food part has remained elusive. If they do come in, we could see a late flush. Until then, we may get a trickle here and there, and all of us bean lovers will just remain frustrated but full of hope.

Tomato talk
Tomatoes are really coming on right now. Like you, we hope that they last for a while longer, until everyone who wants to can, gets their chance. I am being a bit optimistic by including the canning recipe for salsa, 10 cups chopped is no small amount, but I can’t help myself. Last year it took more than 3 gallons of canned salsa to keep me supplied for the off-season. I am hoping to put away 4 gallons this year. As usual, I want to encourage you to try new techniques and preserve food for the off-season. I recommend skinning the tomatoes. To skin, cut a shallow ‘x’ in the bottom of the tomato, submerge in boiling water for 1 minute, then place tomatoes in ice water bath. Once cool, skins just peel right off! Seeding tomatoes cuts down on excess liquid, meaning less cooking time and a better end result. Enjoy!

This Week’s Harvest: Corn, Tomatoes, Summer Squash, Peppers, Cucumbers, Leeks, Potatoes, Beets, Watermelon, Basil, Parsley