Summer CSA 2023
Hey CSA members!
How was your week? I hope you had a lovely time using your veggies and getting creative in the kitchen. We had a good week out here at the farm. Lots of rain and storms blew through; it was such a welcome sound to hear rain pattering on the roof in the evening last night. Late summer is rolling our way!
This is the time of the season where the veggies in your box transition from big, leafy bunches to more heavy, loose items. I definitely recommend bringing some extra, smaller bags to pickup so you can sort and bag your CSA, if you choose. We only bag up the items when it is absolutely necessary (like for cherry tomatoes, microgreens, or leafy, loose greens) everything else we just place in your box.
I’m really racking my brain as to what happened on the farm that was of note this week! We’re deeply rockin’ and rolling in our summer rhythm at the moment. I wish I had more to report, but everything just seems to be chugging along smoothly, and sometimes that’s all you can ask for. 🙂
We’re currently in the middle of submitting all of our paperwork for our Organic Certification, which takes up so much time mid-season! That means lots of computer work and tracking down records so our certification goes smoothly. An organic certifier from MCIA will come inspect our farm and ensure we are in compliance with all the organic standards in the next few weeks. We certify so you can have the peace of mind that all your produce is grown in the best way possible!
Finally, next week I’ll be launching a NEW CSA CHALLENGE! This challenge will be all about the BEETS! You’ll be receiving more beets in your CSA next week, so if you want to save your beets this week for the challenge, feel free to do so. Beets (without the green top) store really well in a cool, humid environment. Best place for them: the veggie drawer in your fridge, wrapped in a ziploc bag (vented for airflow), or a damp towel or cloth bag. I can’t wait to launch the challenge next week!
Milo can’t wait for you to TURNIP the BEET next week!
Keep reading the newsletter so you can find out what’s in your share this week!
In your box….
Here are photos of what you’ll find in your box this week!
Large CSA
Green curly kale, summer squash, cucumber, tomatillos, jalapenos, dragon tongue beans, red beets, heirloom tomatoes, Italian spindle onion, cherry tomatoes, and mustard and arugula greens.
Small CSA
Green curly kale, Italian spindle onions, jalapenos, cherry tomatoes, red beets, tomatillos, cucumber, and arugula and mustard greens.
Some inspiration…..
This week everyone received a bag of fresh arugula and mustard greens. I have not had success growing these in the past, because of the raging flea beetle problem at our farm. They typically demolish any spicy brassica before I can even harvest them! This season, they seem to be slightly at bay, so I tried growing them again. And it was a success! Arugula speaks for itself, it’s a spicy and delicious leafy green that can be eaten raw or cooked.
The mustard greens are the purple and green frilly leaves. They, just like arugula, are spicy, almost mustard flavored, and AMAZING to eat raw or cooked. If you mix the mustard/arugula greens with the kale tossed in olive oil, you’re in for a mean salad base. Just top with cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced onion, balsamic and you’re good to go!
Here is a great resource if you want to learn more about how to cook with mustard greens:
Cherry tomatoes!
The cherry tomatoes are starting to pop off the walls! We grow 5 different varieties, listed above. You’ll be receiving mixed bags of cherry tomatoes as the season goes on, so use this as your guide and let me know if you have a favorite!
What are these beauties?!? These purple and yellow veggies are a tomatillo. They are in the nightshade plant family, closely related to tomatoes. They have a crunchy, very sweet flavor and are most commonly used to make salsa verde. With the onions and jalapenos in your share, I bet you could make an amazing salsa verde.
Here is an AMAZING Pozole soup recipe featuring tomatillos. This recipe was shared by one of our CSA members a couple years ago and has been a wildly successful way to use the tomatillos (and green onions and jalapenos) from your share!
Hope you have an INCREDIBLE week. Can’t wait to delivery veggies to you tomorrow!
Potatoes and zinnias,
Eleanor