This is the last delivery of the season.  It's been a wonderful summer and I want to thank you all for participating this year.  I have certainly learned a lot this growing season and I hope everyone has enjoyed the produce each week.

For the final share of the season you will be receiving the end of harvest squash that has been traditional in New England for generations.  You'll find butternut and spaghetti squash and full shares are receiving Blue Hubbard.
                       
                                              

You'll also find the last of the summer's leeks.  They will be delicious fresh this week, or you can store them in a cool dark place in a bucket full of soil.  If you choose to store them this way, you can bury them in soil in the bucket as though it were the garden.  Spread the roots on some soil and then cover them with more soil up to an inch above the roots.  Place them in your basement and check them frequently.  You can also keep them in the fridge but they won't last quite as long.
                                      
You'll also find red and gold chard, red Russian kale and everyone got an head of Early Jersey Cabbage.  See some of my earlier posts about cabbage for suggestions on preparation. 


Finally, you'll find something that I tried new this year.  Canoe Creek Colossal Melon.  It will be recognizable first of all because it will be the most unique thing in the bag that you haven't seen this season, but also by the ribbed shape with a cork texture.  I've shown a picture below.  You can see that preparation is quite simple.  Just cut the melon in half, remove the seeds and netting and then...eat.  I like to cut mine off the rind and then slice it into bight-sized pieces.  Some people like to eat it directly off the rind with a spoon.  I don't particularly care for that method because our spoons aren't sharp enough to make it easy.  Also, some people like to sprinkle sugar on their melon.  I can't imagine doing that with these.  Most people are doing that with store-bought cantaloupe which is grown who the heck knows where.  The taste has been bred out of those fruits as they've been bred to look uniform on the outside, be picked before they are fully ripe and last during shipping around the world.  No wonder people need to add things to them to make them taste edible.  These melons were grown in beautiful, Maine soil and were chosen on the basis that they are delicious and ripen in our northern climate.  If you want to put sugar on yours, by all means, but I would love to meet the fruit that can sustain your sweet tooth!  Haha.
                                         
Finally, I just want to thank everyone again for participating.  I can't begin to express the extent of my belief about the amount of change you have enforced in the world.  You have saved countless tons of carbon from being introduced into the atmosphere.  You have helped preserve a part of Maine's agricultural heritage.  You have supported more farmers than I because Parker Produce is committed to purchasing as many locally grown, organic seeds as possible.  You've helped strengthen your community by supporting a local farmer who makes it his business to support other local small businesses.  You've no doubt interacted with your family and loved ones around one of the things that separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom, namely the fact that we prepare and share our food with our families and neighbors.  You've influenced everything from immigration policy to the biodiversity of the planet.  Thank you.

I hope to stay in touch with everyone throughout the winter months.  We will begin work for next season within a couple of weeks and will be working throughout the winter.  I hope everyone had a great experience and will share information about Parker Produce with friends, colleagues, neighbors and family.  Imagine what we could change with more people participating in the local food chain!