Summer #9 CSA Newsletter Week July 28-Aug 3, 2024 “A" week
Piglets first day on pasture.
VEG SHARES
EOW = Big Sky, Odana Rd, LEUCC, Jacobs Way & SGFM
(Photo of the "Default" FULL Share below. See listings to see which share size has what, how much, along with info, guides, recipes.)
FULL VEG SHARE:
ARUGULA & TATSOI MIX (3 oz) - Peppery greens. Arugula is more perishable than lettuce and often only last about 4 or 5 days. This should be the first item you eat from your share. Store in the fridge. Arugula Guide & Recipes
ROMANO BEANS (Green 3/4 lb) - Also snap beans, these are flattened, rather than rounded. They are sometimes called Italian flat beans or Italian snap beans. To use Romano beans, snap or trim off the ends and rinse the pods to remove any dirt from the field. They can be eaten as is, lightly cooked to retain their crunchy texture, or cooked until they are extremely tender (a minute or two longer than regular snaps.) They have a very mild flavor and a tender texture. These beans are often braised with other summer vegetables and eaten as a side dish, and they can also be added to soups, stews, stir fries, and an assortment of other dishes. Freeze like other snaps. Guide & Recipes
SWISS CHARD (1 bunch) - Put it in a bag to store in the fridge. Use within a week. This crop technically falls into the category of “First Priority Vegetables” or ones with a short shelf life - use it within the week for maximum efficiency. To revive limp chard, cut a sliver off the bottom of the stems and soak in very cold water for a few minutes. Guide & Recipes
CHERRY TOMATOES (1 pint) - Store them on the countertop if you plan to eat them within a few days. For longer storage, put them in your fridge in a plastic bag. You should try to eat these within a week. They can be roasted or turned into sauce too!
MINI BROCCOLI (½ lb) - More tender with a milder flavor than standard head broccoli, all of the parts of the mini broccoli, also called baby broccoli, in your bag is edible. It can be steamed, sautéed, roasted, stir-fried, or even puréed into a sauce. And while it makes a good side dish when cooked, broccoli can easily be used raw in salads and crudités. Store in your fridge in a plastic bag for a week, although spears will go limp (still edible!) the longer you keep them. You can often revive them by soaking in very cold water for 10 to 20 minutes. Guide & Recipes
GREEN BELL or ITALIAN HORN PEPPERS (2) - Not hot! Store these in the fridge in a plastic bag. Stuff, add to stir fries, egg dishes, soups, tacos & burritos, pizza, etc. Peppers can also be flash frozen. Just throw them in a Ziploc bag (whole or chopped) and freeze!
CELERY (4 or 5 ribs or stalks) - Celery is a herbaceous plant, in the same family with parsley, carrots, dill, and fennel. It’s crunchy, juicy, and aromatic, with a grassy, sweet, spicy flavor, and is regarded as a so-called "aromatic" vegetable, like onions and carrots, and is widely used as one of the three components of mirepoix (along with onions and carrots). Celery is also combined with onions and bell peppers to make up the "holy trinity" of Cajun cuisine. These mixtures are generally sautéed or roasted, and form the flavor base of innumerable sauces, soups, stocks, broths, stews, and other dishes. Celery will go limp if it isn't refrigerated. Remove the band holding the bunch together, put in a plastic bag or wrap the bunch loosely in paper towels, and store it in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator for about a week or so. Alternatively, trim off the very bottom of the ribs and put them in a glass of jar with an inch of water. Store the glass in the refrigerator and replace the water every couple days.
GREEN TOMATOES - Tart, acidic, sometimes downright astringent, green tomatoes have a firm, almost crunchy texture and are less juicy than ripe tomatoes. Cooking mellows out the astringency. What do you do with them? Of course you can fry them (yum!) but they work great in baked dishes, like casseroles because their firmness means they hold up without turning mushy; as well as soups, chutneys, salsas, relishes, and pickles. They can even go in a pie - their firm texture and tart flavor of the green tomatoes is very similar to green apples! Another popular dish is green tomato pasta sauce or pomodori verdi in Italian and you can substitute green tomatoes for red in your favorite sauce recipes. Some variations that play on the "green" flavor add mint, dill, or arugula. They work great in sandwiches, such as BLT’s or in tacos, burritos, and egg dishes.
EGGPLANT, Globe - (2) Store in the fridge in a plastic bag and use within a week. Peel the skin before use. The inside will begin to change color as it oxidizes. That’s okay! (You can try putting lemon juice on the eggplant to prevent this). Some people say you can pull the bitterness out of eggplant by salting it first and letting the moisture come out. Rinse and dry. Guide & Recipes
BASIL - I’ve found the best way to store basil is to pretend they are cut flowers. Cut the bottoms of the stems off and put in a glass of water on your counter or table. (They make a pretty centerpiece until you are ready to use them!) Basil is great in pesto - - which can be frozen.
HALF VEG SHARE: (see Full VEG Shares above⬆ for info on each item)
KALE (1 bunch) RED RUSSIAN or DINOSAUR
MINI BROCCOLI (½ lb)
GREEN BEANS (1/2 lb)
BEETS with TOPS (1 bunch)
KOHLRABI - (2)
CUCUMBERS (3)
GARLIC (1 bulb)
2 OPTIONAL ITEMS this week:
Kohlrabi (2)
Basil (1 bunch)
Other items available in DESIGN MY SHARE:
KOHLRABI - (2) - Store in a plastic bag for up to a month. 6 Ideas for Use: 1. Slice in rounds or sticks for veggie platters, 2. Eat plain with a light sprinkling of salt, 3. Grate into salads or slaws, 4. Steam slices 5 to 10 minutes and drizzle with oil, lemon juice, and dill weed, 5. Slice or cube and add to stir fry or to a hearty soup/stew, 6. Grate and saute in butter with herbs or curry.
KALE (1 bunch) RED RUSSIAN - Store in a plastic bag (a Debbie Meyer Green bag if you have one) keep it in the fridge. Use within a week. This crop technically falls into the category of “1st Priority veggies” If you can’t use them in the next few days, freeze them. OR DINOSAUR - (Also known as Lacinto or Toscano.) Dino kale has an earthy, nutty flavor. It doesn't have the same strong bitterness as other varieties of kale, though it is still there. The sweetness helps offset that and makes it more approachable.This green can be used just like any other kale. Every part of the leaf is edible, though really thick ribs take longer to cook, so they're often discarded. The kale can be cooked whole, cut into thin strips, or chopped, depending on your recipe and use. Store in a plastic bag (a Debbie Meyer Green bag if you have one) keep it in the fridge. Use within a week. This crop technically falls into the category of “1st Priority veggies” to be used in the next week. If you can’t use it in the next few days, consider freezing it. Guide & Recipes
GREEN SNAP BEANS (1/2 lb) - Also called Snap Beans. Store these in the fridge and use within a week or maybe a little longer. Try trimming the ends off and then steam them for 6 minutes, dunk in an ice water bath, and serve with butter, salt and pepper. Guide & Recipes
SALAD TURNIPS (½ lb) - These popular white golf-ball or smaller size roots are juicy, sweet and less starchy than an average turnip, best eaten raw or barely cooked but can be used in a variety of ways. Use in salads, sandwiches, stir frys, sautes, scrambled eggs or sauces. Cut the white roots into wedges or slices. Try: Serve raw with dip in a veggie tray. Or grate and add them to a salad. Turnips are delicious when roasted with other root vegetables (like carrot, potatoes, rutabaga, garlic). Add a turnip or two to your favorite mashed potato recipe. Or add them into soups and stews. To freeze: Blanch for 3 minutes in hot boiling water. Cool in ice water for 3 minutes, drain and pack into freezer containers or freezer bags. Best used within 3-4 weeks but will keep a long time! Guide & Recipes
PARSLEY (1 bunch) - Snip the bottom of the stems off and store on the counter in a glass of water. Or if you plan to use it in the next day or so, you can store the bunch in a plastic bag in the fridge.
CHIVES (1 bunch) - Chives, with long, pencil-like, thin edible leaves with hollow centers and also edible purple flowers, belong to the allium family, making them relatives of onions, leeks, scallions, and garlic. They are typically chopped and are most often used as a garnish but are good on just about anything. Their flavor pairs well with any savory dish. and the bright green color adds visual appeal as well. Note: if added to a dish too early, they will wilt easily. Chives will keep a few weeks in the fridge in a plastic bag although quality will be better if used within a week.
SORREL (1 bunch) - Kind of a salad green & kind of a herb and in the same family as rhubarb, sorrel’s astringent citrusy flavor adds a little kick to your meal. And its rich in potassium, vitamins Q, B1, and C. A rule of thumb for using - anywhere you’d add a squeeze or two of lemon, sorrel would be good! When heat is added, sorrel breaks down nicely making it a great thickener for sauces and soups. It’s strong flavor pairs well with fatty meats & fish like salmon, creamy dishes, and cheeses. Great cut into thin strips and mixed with other salad greens to eat fresh. Other ideas include using it in soups, sauces, pesto, salads & dressings, potato toppings, hummus, quiches, omelets, crepe fillings, pizza, pasta dishes. 7 More Recipe Ideas Sorrel will last 1-2 weeks in a plastic bag in your fridge. If you wish to rinse or wash, wait until just before using to prolong shelf life.
GARLIC (1 fresh, not “cured” bulb) - Keep your garlic in a cool, drafty place, ideally out of direct sunlight. A porch, kitchen or garage are all possibilities. You can eat your fresh-pulled garlic whenever you want, but if you’d like to store it for longer than a week or so wait until the stalk is dried down and, you’ll have a “cured” garlic bulb that you can store as normal garlic.
GARLIC SCAPES - (1 bunch) These are the curlicue curiosities in your box. Store them in a plastic bag in your crisper. They’ll last about 2-3 weeks. You can trim off the bottom inch of the scape (if it’s woody) as well as the flowering tip (although that is also edible if you want to try it). Steam, saute, or grill them whole or chopped in pieces, similar to green beans, with some olive oil and salt/pepper. Or finely chop as a garlic substitute. Can also be sliced and included in fresh dishes - like you’d use green onions. Can also pickle or chop and freeze them in a Mason jar or Ziplock bag. Then you can use them all summer/winter as needed.
RHUBARB - (1 lb) - These tart green & magenta stalks this hardy perennial vegetable is generally thought of as a fruits. It’s mouth puckering goodness is often sweetened with a little sugar or honey and is used in dishes like crisps, compotes, and pies (from which it gets its second name, "pie plant"). Rhubarb also lends a fruitiness to savory dishes and pairs very nicely with pork and poultry. To use: wash and trim off any dry ends. Some peel the skin but there’s no need to do this and besides it holds lots of color and flavor. Store in loose plastic in the crisper drawer of the fridge, where it will keep for about a week or a little more. To freeze, cut the rhubarb stalks into 1-inch chunks and seal in an airtight bag and it will keep for up to a year
MES SHARES
Week 1 of the rotation so MES is for Big Sky, Odana, Jacobs Way, SGFM
FULL = 1 Chicken, 2 Ground Beef, 1 Breakfast Sausage, 1 pkg Pork Brats, 2 Dozen Eggs
HALF = 1 Chicken, 1 Ground Beef, 1 Dozen Eggs
EGG SHARE
WEEKLY = 1 Dozen
BIWEEKLY = 1 Dozen
RECIPES & Other Useful Kitchen Info:
Click links for a printable pdf.
Classic Fried Green Tomatoes
Simply slice green tomatoes that are fully sized but not yet ripened fully and coat each slice in egg and flour, cornmeal and breadcrumbs.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and then fry in a pan.
Enjoy this dish any time of day.
Variation: Heat it up with a little spice or hot sauce if you like more intense flavor.
News from Your Farm . . .
Here are a few photos of the field from this week.
The pole bean vines are loaded with Romanos!
The yellow wax beans are growing too and will most likely be in next week's share.
Sweet corn is tassling so we should be enjoying sweet corn in about three weeks.
The rows on the left are cabbage and those on the right are cauliflower. They're both a couple weeks out yet.
Potatoes are flowering.
Tomato vines are loaded with green tomatoes which will start turning color in the next week or two.
Canning tomatoes are just a few weeks away also!
We started a later planting of peas. And guess what? The snow peas are blossoming now!.
And shelling peas will be coming also.
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