Share Notes 7-16-15

Share Notes 7-16-15

CSA Share Notes:

Welcome to the first summer CSA share!  We are so excited to get started with this season. We’ve got some great crops that I bet many of you have never tried!  I hope you savor each one.

 

Here’s your vegetable line up:

  • Slicing Tomatoes—These could be any number of our great slicing varietals.  You’ll get more info on the varieties we offer over the next few weeks. We tried to put tomatoes or varying degrees of ripeness in your box so you’d have them spread out for a few days, though most of them were quite ripe. Store your tomatoes shoulders down, bottom up. The shoulders are sturdiest and more resistant to damage. Don’t put them in the fridge but rather keep them between 60-80 degrees.
  • Cherry Tomatoes—Sungold variety. Guys, I am tellin’ you-these are vegetable candy! Just enjoy them fresh and raw.  Also, don’t store these in the fridge either, just keep them in a cool place out on the counter.
  • Carrots—Rainbow carrots of all different stripes. This is a delightful remnant of our spring garden. I cannot tell you how rare it is to have fresh carrots in July, much less late July, but I am so glad we do! Cut the tops off and discard (they’re normally edible, but these are a little ragged) and store the roots sealed in a bag in the fridge.
  • Yellow Onion—These little organic onions were also grown this spring, and you’ll recall how wet this spring was! They were a little stunted so our harvest was small, but we will give you a few per week until the supply runs out.
  • Potato—White Kennebec, a lovely pale yellow skinned, white flesh potato. These will store for several weeks, so long as you leave the dirt on and wash them right before you’re ready to use them. The dirt contains natural bacteria and yeasts that guard against decay.  Try them in a fresh and light potato salad, or just boiled and eaten with a high quality salted butter, or maybe some herb butter. Keep the recipes simple on these potatoes so you can enjoy their unique flavor.
  • Basil—This is the large leaved Italian Genovese variety. Excellent for caprese salad, pesto, pizza, whatever! If yours is wilty when you get it, trim the stems and place in a glass of cold water to perk back up, but don’t put it in the fridge. Basil begins to decompose below 55 degrees so it needs to remain out at room temp. Just store in a glass of water on the counter and change the water every couple of days. Use it up, cause you’ll be getting more all summer!
  • Hot Peppers—We have lots of cool varieties for you to try. See the photo below to help you identify. The cayenne are the hottest, the jalapeno and serrano are also fairly hot, while the biscane pepper is quite mild. Peppers don’t mind being stored at room temp or refrigerated, though they will start to get a little dried out and wrinkly in the fridge.
  • Sweet Peppers—Colorful bells of a wide variety.  Our color variations range quite literally across the whole spectrum, from red, to orange, yellow, green, and purple! (Kk, so blue is missing from the list. We’ll work on that for next year.)

Veggie Storage tips:

As a general rule, almost all summer crops can’t tolerate fridge temperatures in the 30s and 40s, so they should mostly be stored at room temperature.  Everything will need a gentle washing before cooking, but leave the dirt on until you’re ready to use them. As a general rule, wait to wash any veggies until you’re ready to use them to help retain nutrients and prevent spoilage from excess moisture. Any bruised or nicked produce should be eaten quickly as it will begin to spoil faster.

We’d love to hear stories and recipes of your culinary adventures this week. Post a comment of how you’ve used your CSA share, or tag us in your facebook and instagram posts! Show us how you’re using your share of the harvest.

Your farmers,

Jess & Justin

Large Share

large-summer-csa-share

Large share from top left: Sweet peppers, slicing tomatoes, Genovese basil, hot peppers (L-R: cayenne, biscane, jalapeno, and serrano), yellow onions, sungold cherry tomatoes, White Kennebek potatoes, and rainbow carrots.

Small Share

organic-summer-CSA-share

Small share from left: Genovese basil ans sungold cherry tomatoes, sweet peppers, slicing tomatoes and a couple of mini-yellow onions, White Kennebek potatoes, hot peppers (from top: cayenne, biscane, jalapeno, and serrano), and rainbow carrots.