Yes, I know, it’s been a disappointingly long time since I have written a newsletter. Every week I plan to write a quick note and then every week there is a more urgent task that needs my attention. Like many small businesses in the area, we have been chronically understaffed this season. It has felt like a constant state of “catch up”. But today, I am going to just buckle down and write this thing! There are some new items in the box I want to tell you about and also just check in with you about what to look forward to as summer wains and fall creeps in.

Let’s jump right in to the box content:
carrots
curly kale
broccoli
potatoes-Bintje
sweet peppers-bells and bullhorns
slicing tomatoes
sungold tomatoes
crookneck or green zucchini
winter squash-Delicata
onions
dill or parsley
chard or beets (red and gold)

ELABORATIONS:
Kale: Our fall planting of kale is looking lush and abundant. We grow mostly Red Russian (you got that last time) and curly. We make valiant attempts to grow Lacinato (which is of course everyone’s favorite), but it is super fussy for us and the yield is never that impressive.
Broccoli: Holy cow! This new variety we tried is shockingly large and abundant. I was expecting to have to rotate broccoli around like usual, but I have been able to give it to everyone for the past few weeks.
Beets: If you got beets in your box this week, you will find that one of them is golden. The flavor is similar to the red ones, but they don’t bleed everywhere which is nice.
Winter squash: We are in the midst of harvesting the squash and will hand out a new variety each week. Don’t eat them right away, as they will sweeten up post-harvest. Use them as fall décor, while you wait. This week you are getting Delicata. They are my favorite squash. The flesh is sweet and creamy and the skin is thin and tender enough that you can eat it. The easiest way to prepare all winter squash is to cut in half, scoop out the seeds, and cook cut side down in a shallow baking dish with a half inch of water in the dish. Bake at 375 until the skin is fork tender. This can take anywhere from 25-40 minutes, depending on variety and size of squash. You can also steam them, but place them cut side up so they don’t fall apart when you lift them out of the pot. Steaming is quicker, for sure. You can even microwave them, but we don’t have one, so I can’t give you pointers. Thank goodness for the internet! Each squash has its own level of sweetness and varying texture and have their own “best use”. Check out the recipe section of the website for ideas.
Peppers: All the peppers you got are sweet. The red and green bell are actually the same variety, just at different stages of maturity. The red and orange bullhorns are different types. I know we gave you a lot of peppers this week. They will easily last a week in your fridge and they freeze well. Chop them into the desired size, put in a Ziploc, and freeze. Easy-peasy. No blanching required.

How many more weeks of delivery are left?
I have been getting this question a lot lately. This is week 14, so we have 4 more to go. I feel like we have one foot firmly planted in fall and the other one reluctantly stepping away from summer. Tomatoes and peppers are cranking out their final flush. The amount of both have been staggering, especially compared to last year.
I wish I could say that lettuce and beans were still in the picture, but the deer have been relentless. They have mowed the beans down and taken a bite out of 75% of the lettuce heads. Honestly I think we just planted those just for them. Most of the year the deer aren’t a problem so I really shouldn’t complain too much. As you will see, we will start shifting into fall crops like leeks, kale, and winter squash.

I hope you all have been enjoying your boxes so far this summer. Do forgive my lack of farm updates and recipes. It has been a hectic summer. Thank you for your support!

Jen

PS Thanks to Hannah, one of our long time employees, we managed to get a crew photo. Not everyone is pictured, but here is a glimpse of most of the folks who have been growing your food. Props to the crew!

CSA Newsletter - Summer - Week 14