CSA Share Notes:

You can really see the crops transitioning out of warm summery crops and into the cool weather crops this week. Here’s your vegetable line up:

• Kale/Collard—Red Russian Kale for the large shares. Collard for the regular shares. A few folks received Curly Kale instead, as we ran short on both the collard and Red Russian. Curly kale makes a great substitute, though. Check our blog for kale recipes here.
• Zucchini—Tender and flavorful. With the big frosts coming this week, this crop is done! Enjoy this last little bit of it.
• Squash—Same as above. Sadly we won’t have squash until next June. Savor these last few.
• Squash Blossoms—Large shares received the very last of our lovely blossoms. We saw many of you made delicious frittatas with your blossoms last time! That’s our favorite.
• Butternut Squash—excellent roasted or in a soup.
• Spaghetti Squash—These are super unique. Cut in half and clean out seeds then roast upside down till tender in an olive oil greased pan. Scrape the stringy flesh out with a fork and use in place of pasta noodles, or as a side dish with herbed butter and salt. Delish.
• Garlic—More of our Heirloom Red Hardneck garlic.
• Radishes—everyone received French Breakfast radishes this week which are a super wonderful heirloom. They’re crisp and not too spicy.  The greens are edible too. Remove them from their roots, otherwise the roots will get rubbery sending nutrients up to the leaves.  Slice the radishes and place atop a piece of avocado smeared sourdough toast or butter spread rye bread and it makes a fantastic snack. Radish tops make a great pesto.
• Pak Choi—This great Chinese cabbage makes a fantastic slaw or kimchee, but is also wonderful in stir fry and coconut milk curry.

Veggie Storage tips:

The squash and zucchini will last at least a week in the fridge. The squash blossoms and the leafy greens like kale and pak choi will want to be kept really cold. Make sure they’re sealed up so they don’t get wilty. Garlic and winter squash prefer to stay at room temp.  Radishes will want to be cold, but both the greens and roots are edible, so sever the roots from the tops, and store separately. Everything will need a significant washing before cooking, but leave the dirt on until you’re ready to use them to prevent faster spoilage.

We’d love to hear stories and recipes of your culinary adventures this week. Send us a note or post a comment of how you’ve used your CSA share.

Your farmers,

Jess & Justin

Large Share

Large Share:  (left to right)  Pak Choi, French Breakfast radishes above spaghetti squash, butternut squash above the Zephyr squash and garlic, zucchini above the squash blossoms, and Red Russian Kale.

Regular Share

Regular share: (left to right) Pak Choi, French Breakfast radishes above spaghetti squash, butternut squash above the Zephyr squash, zucchini and garlic, and collard greens.