CSA Share Notes:

It’s the first full week of summer harvest and we’re so excited about all that we have coming out of the garden! Here’s this week’s vegetable line up:

• Sungolds— These are an incredibly sweet and tasty cherry tomato. We like to make panzanella salads with them, and this week we made a tomato peach salad that was heavenly.
• Slicer tomatos— Each share received a slicer tomato, and the large shares received 2! The very first yields of the season! The first fruits are sometimes a little blemished, so it yours has any damage, just eat it up quickly. And if yours is a little under ripe,  set it on the counter at room temperature to finish ripening. And while we can’t know this for certain for another couple of week, it looks like it’s going to be a really good tomato year.
• San Marzanos— These are our favorite tomato for salsas, sauces, and pico. They’re a lovely Italian heirloom that are very low in moisture. Allow them to finish ripening and enjoy.
• Eggplant—The Large shares received our Italian eggplant, perfect for a veggie lasagna or pasta dish. The Regular shares are receiving the lovely Fairy Tale eggplant, my favorite for use in a Thai curry. And Mini shares are receiving the slender purple Japanese eggplant.  All three varieties are super versatile so don’t be afraid to swap the the you received into your favorite recipes. Eggplant performs best with really high heat and a bit of char on it to bring out the sugars, so roast, grill, or griddle it.
• Basil—Large and Regular shares received a small bunch of Genovese basil. Here’s the most important thing to remember about basil: It does not want to be below 50 degrees. Storing it in the fridge will ruin your basil! Quickly get it out of your box and into a shallow glass of water and leave it on the counter away from direct sunlight.  Just change out the water and trim the stems whenever it needs freshening up and it’ll last you a week or more.
• Onions—Mostly red onions, with a few yellow for ya.
• Garlic—For the regular and Mini shares. This is our beautiful heirloom red garlic. Peel back the white papers and a beautiful red streaked skin appears. This garlic is super fresh and juicy. Enjoy cooking with it! We hope to send you lots over the coming months.
• Potatoes—Red new potatoes, freshly dug this morning for both the Large and Regular shares. This potato harvest is really a nice one this year, with lovely large potatoes. Next week watch for White Kennebec potatoes to be ready.
• Cucumbers—These are just beginning to mature so we only had enough for the Mini shares to get our baby pickling cucumbers this week. But there are tons on the vine, so look out for lots more in the coming weeks!
• Blackberries—Regular shares received a pint of beautiful  blackberries grown by Zillmer Farms of Lindale. His berries are available in the web store each week and after the rain we’ve had early in the week, next week the berries will be even tastier. He usually has blackberries available until August.We hope you enjoy them!
• Sweet Peppers—These are just getting started so we don’t have many of them yet, but hopefully in about 2 weeks we’ll have tons. The Large shares received a handful of bells and slender sweet Italian peppers. Some have a tiny bit of sun damage on them, but just cut those bits off and enjoy the rest.
• Squash—Large shares also are receiving the very first yields from our squash and zucchini plants! Two types of yellow squash may be in your box, one of which is called Zephyr and is half green-half yellow and is fantastic. Enjoy!
• Zucchini—2 different varieties of beautiful heirloom zucchinis went into the large share boxes this week. And there’s lots more coming for everyone soon.

Veggie Storage tips:

The eggplant, cucumbers, berries, peppers, squash and zucchini will keep longest stored in the fridge sealed up in produce bags.  The potatoes, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and basil all prefer to stay at room temperature.  Basil should never be kept below 50 degrees or it will turn black. Keep it in a glass of water on your counter and change out the water and trim the stems as needed to keep it fresh. If you’re not able to use it all up, hang it upside down to dry in a dark cabinet. Everything will need a gentle washing before cooking, but leave the dirt on until you’re ready to use them to prevent spoilage.

Your farmers, Jess & Justin

Regular Share

Regular Share top row, left to right: Basil, blackberries, sungolds, red potatoes, (2nd row) slicer tomato, red and yellow onions, garlic, and fairytale eggplant.

Large Share

Large Share top row, left to right: Basil, red onions, Italian Eggplant, sungolds, bell and Italian peppers, (2nd row) 2 red slicer tomatoes, one Orange Valencia or Chef’s Orange tomato, a handful of yellow squash, zucchinis, and red potatoes.

 Mini Share

Mini share  top row, left to right: Japanese Eggplant,  sungolds above a slicer tomato, pickling cucumbers above a red onion and a bulb of garlic, and several San Marzano tomatoes.