CSA Wk 11, August 16

We are officially half way through our CSA for the year. This week brings new items, but also sees an end to others. The ebbs and flows of gardening :-)

It's raining outside as I type. The morning rain is always welcome to me. I love to wake up to the sound of the pitter-patter on the roof. We have had a very dry summer as you all know. Though we haven't complained much, because we all love the nice weather, we had only received under a tenth of an inch of rain this August so far. Things were really starting to dry out, as witnessed by many brown lawns. Our big problem hasn't been with keeping things alive, but we have not been able to get anything new to grow. Things we have seeded in the last few weeks have not germinated. Historically, fall is our rainiest time of the year, so perhaps in the coming month as we draw nearer to fall, we will have better luck :-)

We have been doing the picking on Sunday mornings as that has worked better with our schedules. Sometimes the bags may be ready Sunday afternoon if you happen to be driving by and want to check. We have been doing them here at my house too, and the shade of the big nut tree has been nice. We have a good time together doing this. Yesterday was hysterical as we were packing, as radishes were being rinsed in a kiddie pool and Chinese greens were laid on a beach blanket. I guess even the veggies were thinking of these last summer days and trying to soak them in :-)

This week's bags were very full!

1/2 size:
Scallions
Zucchini
Swiss Chard
Cukes
Beans
Broccoli
Romaine Lettuce Head
Beet Greens
Kale
Radishes
Peaches
Chinese Stir Fry Mix
Sage

Full Size:
Onions
Zucchini
Summer Squash
Swiss Chard
Cukes
Pickling Cukes (make a batch of pickles!)
Beans
Shell Beans (the pink/cream swirly things. You take these out of the pod and then boil them for about 30 minutes. They will turn grey, but don't be deterred by this. I like to add garlic to the pot while they boil. When they are about done, I transfer them to a saute pan with EVOO and the garlic. A summer delicacy not grown too often these days.)
Sugar Snap Peas (the last of them until/if we get a fall crop)
Broccoli
Broccoli Rabe (last for the year)
Romaine Lettuce Head
Beet Greens
Kale
Radishes
Peaches
Chinese Stir Fry Mix
Sage

A couple recipes we've found over the past couple weeks that maybe you would want to give a try. I love that you can find them in a real magazine, but then sometimes get them online too. Easier for sharing :-)

One with Zucchini from my sisters Rachael Ray magazine

A swiss chard tart from a Sept. 20101 Better Homes and Garden publication

A similar dish from a favorite cooking blog, Smitten Kitchen

Pickles are easy to make, don't take a lot of ingredients, and preserve the cucumbers for a later date. But you can also use zucchini to make pickles, and many other veggies for that matter. Here is a recipe for Bread & Butter Zucchini pickles I found on a blog recently that I may give a try.

As always, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to email or call. Have a great week.