CSA Newsletter – Week 10 – August 17, 2016
Today’s box is brimming with summer goodness. I hope you are hungry. Luckily most of what we gave you can be enjoyed raw or lightly cooked. It is supposed to get even hotter over the next few days and it might be hard to get excited about hanging out over the stove for too long. At most of our dinners we put out a cutting board with chopped up carrots, cucumber, sweet pepper, and kohlrabi. It is nice to have a raw, refreshing item at the table to balance all the cooked stuff.
Speaking of heat, we have been trying to get caught up on a bunch of work before Thursday and Friday roll around. It is supposed to be in the mid to upper 90’s. Yikes! Our crew usually works from 6:00-2:30 or 3:00, so we are able to retire to the shade or the river or whatever cools us. We bandied about the idea of starting at 5:30 so we could end early, but it is pretty dusky and hard to see at that time. Oh well. Wish us luck out there!
Hopefully the increase in heat will ripen that corn. It is soooo close! The tomatoes and peppers sure are responding. You all got some form of pepper and tomato.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX:
carrots
beets or chard
potatoes-Red Thumb
yellow onion-kinda sweet, kinda pungent
pickling cukes
slicer cuke or amiga cuke
lemon cuke
sungolds or red slicing tomatoes
lettuce
basil, parsley, or rosemary
an assortment of summer squash
red cabbage
green bell or sweet orange pepper
Italian or Japanese eggplant
VEGGIE DETAILS:
Pickling cukes: They are super tasty in their natural state, no need to pickle ’em if you don’t want to. They are a little sweeter than standard slicers and have more flavor. Occasionally they can be bitter, so do a little taste test before you commit them to that potluck dish! There is no need to peel any of the cucumbers we hand out.
Onions: These are called Zoey. They are not as sweet and watery as a Walla Walla, but won’t make you cry like a storage onion. Enjoy raw or cooked.
Red Cabbage: It’ll make a nice addition to salads, coleslaw, taco toppings, pad thai, etc.
Peppers: We grow several types of sweet peppers. You either got a classic green bell or a tapered orange one. Eventually we will have red tapered peppers and red, yellow, and orange mini bells.
Eggplant: You either got an Italian or a long, thin Japanese type. Eggplant has a subtle flavor but is an excellent sponge for sauces and herbs. Use either type in a curry, stir fry, or shish kabobs on the grill. Try this recipe for eggplant, tomato, and mozzarella rounds. Super fast and easy.
Summer Squash: Remember squash is really good raw. Add to salads, especially ones with marinades.
Rosemary: Ironically now that the tomatoes are coming on we have a gap in the cilantro. Rosemary will take its place in the herb rotation. If you don’t want to use your rosemary right away, hang it up in your kitchen to dry and enjoy it later.
CANNING AND FREEZING: We are still taking orders for pickling cukes, green beans, basil, tomatoes, and kraut cabbage. We can put you on the list and let you know when it is available.
Stay cool and eat well!
Jen, Jim, and the Rising River Farm Crew