CSA Newsletter – Week 6 – July 26, 2017

What’s In The Box:
carrots
beets or chard
green onions
shell peas
green beans
garlic
salad (aka large pickling) cucumbers
Amarosa fingerling potatoes
rosemary
Italian zucchini
yellow crookneck squash
sungold cherry tomatoes-large shares only

Summer is here as is evidenced by very hot weather, the sudden abundance of summer squash, and the arrival of cherry tomatoes and green beans. Both crops and weeds are growing by leaps and bounds. We are in a desperate race against the weeds and so far we are edging out ahead. This letter is getting out very late in the evening (sorry folks!) so I will just cut to the chase and give you suggestions on how to use all this yummy produce!

AMAROSA POTATOES: These are a fabulous fingerling that are red inside and out. They are super delish simply steamed and topped with butter. Or you can toss them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and chopped up rosemary and roast in the oven at 400-ish for 30-40 minutes. Or you can chop them into home-fry sized pieces and fry them with lots of garlic.

SALAD CUCUMBERS: These are just larger pickling cukes. Many people prefer theses to your standard slicer as they are sweet, crisp, and have a small seed cavity. They can occasionally be bitter, so give it a taste test before you whip up a cucumber salad to serve for company.

ZUCCHINI AND CROOKNECK: Use interchangeably. Invest in a $15 spiralizer at Target and make zoodles (squash shredded into long noodles-I’ll try to send a pic in next week’s newsletter.) Make zucchini bread or just dice up squash and add it to whatever savory dish you make. It is a nice sponge for herbs and sauces.

GREEN BEANS: Steam them, add to a stir fry or curry, or go to our green bean recipe page for some yummy ideas. I highly recommend the green beans with walnuts, balsamic, and honey.

FEEL LIKE CANNING?
We just started harvesting pickling cucumbers and should have them for at least the next 4 weeks. If you would like some dropped off with your CSA share let me know. You can also pick up at the Olympia and Proctor Farmers Markets. Go to our pickle page for sizing, pricing, and other info. I have a lot of orders in for mini and small cukes, so if that is what you want let me know soon. I almost always have an abundance of mediums.
We also periodically have beans, beets, and eventually tomatoes. Let me know if you are interested in any of those and I will put you on the list.

Enjoy your box!
Jen, Jim, and Crew