CSA 2017 - Week #13
It's round two for watermelons this week! These are an orange variety called "New Orchid" and I think I'm in love... We have cabbage again this week, chard is back and we're welcoming the first harvests of our red beefsteak tomatoes and peppers!
Last Friday's crazy rain and flooding was a surprise, but so far it looks like our crops weathered the storm pretty well. Farmer Matt had just seeded a round of carrots and beets the day before, so we're still not sure if they survived the flooding and will germinate. If not, we'll have to re-seed them again. The same thing happened last August, which is why some of our root vegetable crops were delayed. Otherwise, all is well here on the farm. It looks like a beautiful week of weather coming up!
SAVE THE DATE!
Bring your family and friends to visit the farm on Sunday, October 15th from 11am-4pm. You'll have an opportunity to tour the fields, learn how we grow your food, watch cooking demonstration, enjoy kids' activities and more! More details to come...
JOIN THE CSA MEMBER GROUP! Please share your Recipes, Cooking Tips & other ideas for getting the most out of your CSA on our FACEBOOK CSA MEMBERS PAGE! (It's a private group.)
This week in the shares...
Orange Watermelon - Quite possibly the very best watermelon in the world. I might be biased...
Storage: In the refrigerator! Uses: Raw. When to use: Now!
Red Tomatoes - The beefsteak tomatoes are here! These plants were seeded way back in May and it took all this time for them to grow and produce fruit. Enjoy!
Storage: On the counter. Uses: Raw/Cooked. When to use: Now!
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes - These little guys are perfect to pop in your mouth or throw in your favorite salad, Yum!
Storage: On the counter. Uses: Raw When to use: Now!
Zucchini - We're now harvesting from our last zucchini planting. Enjoy them while they last.
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Cooked. When to use: Within a week.
Peppers - These are green frying peppers. They are not hot! I love using them in stir-fries, but they are also great cut up and dipped in hummus, in salads, stuffed...
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw/Cooked. When to use: Within a week
Swiss Chard - The summer green is back! Have you been craving dark greens as much as I have? I still love it best gently steamed and served with olive oil and salt. But the garlicky recipe from the NY Times below is great too.
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Cooked. When to use: Within3 days.
Cabbage - One more week of cabbage this summer. They will store well in your fridge if you wrap them well. And if you're like me and you already have a head hiding in the back of your fridge, put it in soup! It's a great way to use it up and it's super delicious!
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw/Cooked. When to use: Within a week or longer if stored properly.
Red Batavian Lettuce - Thanks to the farmers for giving us lots of lettuce all summer long. It's hard to grow lettuce in this heat because it tends to bolt, which means that the center of the head shoots up and starts to go to seed... Timing the harvest is essential and not always easy.
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw. When to use: Within a week
FRUIT SHARE
Please be sure to remove the fruit from the bag immediately when you get them home. They should ripen sitting out on a platter or on a dry dish cloth.
Please remember just one bag per fruit share member.
1 mixed bag of Peaches & Apples (for fruit share members ONLY)
Recipes
Garlicky Swiss Chard
Cabbage & Cilantro Soup
Stir-Fry Peppers & Onions