CSA Week #14
THIS WEEK IN THE BOX - week of August 31st
VEGETABLE SHARE
1/2 lb. bag Lettuce Mix -or- 1 head Batavian Lettuce
1 bunch Parsley -or- Rosemary -or- Thyme
3 pc. Shallots
2 pc. Cucumbers (Tues & Wed)
1/2 pint Raspberries or Blackberries (Thurs)
3-4 pc. Zucchini
4-5 lb. Red Tomatoes
1 pint Cherry Tomatoes
1 small Cantaloupe Melon (Thurs) - Excellent new small variety that we're trying out this year. So far the ones we've tasted have been great! Picking melons is very tricky, so we've been very careful to pick ones that are just right-- but please let us know if you get a "dud". Tuesday and Wednesday groups will get melon next week as they're just starting to ripen.
FRUIT SHARE**
1 bag mixed Peaches/Nectarines & 1 bag Apples
1 container Raspberries (Wed ONLY - Replacement for moldy berries last week. The fruit farmer apologizes for the inconvenience.)
*The tomatoes have been sprayed with copper as a preventative for late blight fungus. This spray is certified for use in organic production and is harmless to humans, but must be washed off before eating. Also be sure to ripen completely on the counter before eating! They should be a deep red and slightly soft to the touch.
**Be sure to remove fruit from plastic bags immediately when you get them home. They can ripen out on the counter or in a paper bag. Store ripe fruit in the fridge.
BOX NOTES
The tomatoes are in! Most organic farms in the Northeast have lost their entire tomato crop this season due to late blight, so we should all be very thankful that we have plenty to go around. You can thank your very diligent farmers, Matt and James, for their careful monitoring and preventative actions that made this year's tomato harvest possible.
Shallots! These have been in the works for several years, and they're finally coming through very well this season on a trial basis. Shallots are not onions, but they are part of the Allium species. They have a mildly sweet onion flavor that some say also has hints of garlic. I like to use shallots in dressings and in place of onions in delicately flavored dishes. Let us know what you think! Should we grow more of them for next year's share?
We welcome you to explore our website to learn more about our farm and the wonderful things you can do with your weekly share. You may find our PRODUCE STORAGE TIPS page useful in figuring out how to maximize the life of your veggies, and our RECIPE section to search for ways to cook up your box! And maybe you need help identifying a particular mystery vegetable? Try our CROP GUIDE. THIS WEEK'S RECIPE SUGGESTIONS Baked Cherry Tomatoes with Parmesan Topping More recipes for all the week's produce can be found here on our RECIPES page.
Cucumber "Noodle" Ginger Salad