CSA Wk 10, August 26

Short and sweet this week. On vacation, so the CSA pickup is on your own this week. Good luck finding your bags :-)

Summer Squash is in a big basket by the fridge - take what you like.

Medium Share:
Turnip/Rutabega
Beets
Corn
Napa Cabbage
Onion
Tomatoes
Cukes
Swiss Chard
Collards
Curly Kale
Fennel Herb Fronds

Large Share:
Turnip/Rutabega
Beets
Corn
Napa Cabbage
Onion
Tomatoes
Cukes
Swiss Chard
Collards
Black Kale
Purple Kohlrabi
Cauliflower
Savoy Cabbage
Fennel Herb Fronds

CSA Wk 9, August 19

Wow, we are half way through the CSA season. Things are looking good - this week we had a major haul of cabbage, with more to come. We are also planting another crop that will be late in the season, end of the year (when it's cold). You will probably be done CSA by then, but it's a good lead in to some exciting news on the farm. The stand has usually stayed open through the end of October, but plans are in the works for a Saturday morning "farmers market" to be held in our barn this fall/winter. It won't be an all out market with lots of vendors (maybe a couple of our good farmer friends), but we will offer cold storage crops, eggs, baked goods, and some other surprises we are working out.

Beans are on a stand by until the next crop comes in.

A lull in our corn production - hoping we will be back in swing next week, able to share some with you.

Tomatoes are starting to think about turning a pale pink - a few have shown their true colors this week, but nothing to share with CSA yet. Maybe next week, fingers crossed.

Here's what we found for you this week, with some product details and recipe ideas listed below. If you ever need help deciding what to do with something, shoot me an email or call! We do not want you wasting your shares, and there are so many great things to be done with your produce. Possibly someday I will hold cooking classes with the CSA to show you how to use the goods, but life sounds too busy for that right now :-)

Here are the lists:

Medium Shares -
Cabbage
Kohlrabi
Russian Kale
Cucumbers
Beets
Potatoes
Summer Squash
Onions
Garlic
Parsley

Large Shares -
Cabbage
Kohlrabi
Curly Kale
Yellow Romano Beans
Cucumbers
Beets
Potatoes
Coosa Summer Squash (light green)
Zucchini
Pepper
Onions
Garlic
Parsley

New Vegetables:

Kohlrabi. One in medium, two in large - starting you out easy. They are round, light green, bagged. It is a vegetable that is mysterious because not very many people actually know what it is. It’s a bulb that tastes amazing and has many different usages. It originated in Eastern Europe where it is quite popular. This is a very nutrient dense vegetable. It is sometimes described as a cross between a cabbage and a turnip or broccoli. It is worth eating! Besides being an excellent source of fiber, Kohlrabi is high in vitamin C and potassium. To preserve the vitamin C in this vegetable it is best to eat it raw. However there are some wonderful ways to cook it as well.
To use kohlrabi cooked you can dice it up, roll it in some olive oil, sprinkle some salt or herbs over it and roast in the oven. When they come out sprinkle some apple cider vinegar on them when they are still hot. Or add it to a root vegetable roast with carrot, potato, turnip, onion etc. all mixed up with some olive oil and roast on an open pan in the oven until tender and browned.
Peel, slice and steam it until tender and serve with a little butter.
Peel and slice and then add to stir fry.
Steam and then mash.
Raw, you can shred it, slice it, dice it...add to salads, make coleslaw with it shredded in etc.

Fennel - licorice tasting bulb, large shares received, white, a few in a bag. Very Italian. It seems a little coarse/rough, so we recommend roasting it or using in soup stock, or shaving it raw.

Here are some recipe ideas for both of these new veggies.

http://cedarcirclefarm.org/recipes/view/kale-fennel-kohlrabi-summer-slaw/

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cheese-Tortellini-Soup-with-Cannellini-Kielbasa-and-Kale-106143

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sauteed-Kale-with-Kohlrabi-354974




Enjoy!

CSA Wk 8, August 12

Greetings!

What beautiful weather this am - sunny & bright, but cool enough to keep the sweatshirt on. Love it! Feels like fall.....which is right around the corner.

We are about 1/2 way through the CSA season and going strong. We've been tackling some pests as of late, mainly with an organic biological spray. We've had what we think is a woodchuck eating greens of carrots (you will notice they look a little chewed) and a few other things. But all in all, a great year so far with more surprises to come.

We are anxiously awaiting for tomatoes to ripen, but they are taking their sweet old time. All are still very green. Pesky tomato horn worms have found some of the plants - these are an intensely HUGE (about the size of an adults thumb) fat green caterpillar that munch away at the plants. No cure for these other than hand picking. If any of you feel led to want to look for them when you stop by today, pluck away - the chickens love them :-)

Each weeks yield from the garden ebbs and flows, so this week there was not enough of everything to give out to everyone. You notice the difference in medium/large columns, and this is one of the reasons we do the two sizes, and why the price is different. We try to balance it out over time so that everyone gets to try everything. Just be patient if you see something you have not got yet on the other list - in due time :-)

Onto the shares.

Medium Shares:
Turnip
Onion
Carrots
Beans
Summer Squash/Zucchini
Broccoli
Collard Greens
Kale
Swiss Chard
Lettuce
Cucumbers
Cilantro

Large Shares:
Cabbage
Turnip
Onion
Carrots
Beans
Potatoes
Summer Squash/Zucchini
Broccoli
Collard Greens
Kale
Black Russian Kale
Swiss Chard
Lettuce
Cucumbers
Corn - our own!
Green Pepper
Cilantro

A few things to point out this week:

TURNIP - this variety should not be very bitter. It is known for its softer bite. The GREENS are not attached -they are in a wheelbarrow in the barn, for anyone who would like them.

BROCCOLI - some shares got regular broccoli, some got Romanesco, which is more "crowny" looking and cooks more like cauliflower

CARROTS - some may have black holes from a worm of sorts that likes carrots. Just cut around them. We gave you plenty this week so we wouldn't have to pick through them all as much :-)

CILANTRO - it has started to bolt, which means but out its flower/seed heads. The soft parts all along the stem are still very usable.

LETTUCE - this time of year, lettuce/spinach tend to bolt quickly, and it's hard to grow it - which is why you don't see a lot of it in the middle of summer. Also, because of the intense sun, it sometimes is bitter. If this is the case, I recommend a sweet dressing to help tame it down.

Thanks so much. Enjoy your week!

CSA Wk 7, August 5

We don't know how they do it on large farms, but here in New Gloucester, laying stuff on the lawn seems like a good choice. Beet bunches ready to be tied up.

Laundry baskets also work as great picking bins - redneck, we know :-)

I always think the produce looks so beautiful like this - so fresh.

When all the bins are full...

We stash them in the pickup.........

and drive them to the washing station (here at my house).

That's our CSA operation in a nutshell :-)

We got that rain this week we were hoping for, and just as imagined, it did wonders in the gardens. This week the broccoli just took off, and beans are coming out our ears. More cukes this week - still, not at peak though. And the first sign of peppers - yay! That was a crop failure last year, so good to see them this season.

A fun bag this week with lots of opportunities for fresh, delicious meals.

Baked goods shares got fresh bagels this week - you WILL notice the difference! If you do not plan to consume these within the next day or so, cut them in half and pop them in the freezer. The cookies are called snickerdoodles - a basic sugar cookie with mild spices.

Check out the stand for a great price on fresh corn 3/$1.00 - in another week or so we hope to have our own, but this is from Gillespies in New Gloucester.

If you have been enjoying the goat cheese, get it while you can - this may be the last of it. Dove will be on her way to a new home soon.

Still struggling with the egg supply. We just can't seem to keep them stocked, and the chickens aren't laying enough. In another month or so we hope to have more coming in so don't give up!

Medium Shares:
Cabbage
Cucumbers
Broccoli
Green Pepper
Kale
Stir Fry Mix
Beets - remember the greens are to eat too
Summer Squash
Radish
Bean Medley
Romaine Head Lettuce
Scallions
Dill
Garlic

Large Shares:
Cabbage
Cucumbers
Broccoli
Cheddar Cauliflower
Kale
Stir Fry Mix w/Daikon Radish
Beets - remember, the greens are to eat too
Golden Beets
Summer Squash
Red Potatoes
Radish
Bean Medley
Romaine Head Lettuce
Dill
Garlic

Have fun eating!