Share Notes 7-27-17

Share Notes 7-27-17

 

CSA Share Notes:

It’s the week of tomatoes! We have so many tomatoes for you this week, of all different varieties. I hope you enjoy them all!

  • Sungold cherry tomatoes—Yay! Once again, we had enough for all small shares to receive a pint and all large shares, a quart.
  • Slicing tomatoes—Loads of great slicers for you this week. If yours are a bit under-ripe. Just set them on the counter, shoulders down, and they’ll be ready in a few days. Any cracked or bruised tomatoes should be eaten sooner. Remember, don’t store your tomatoes in the fridge!
  • Roma—These are an heirloom Roma called San Marzano and are totally fantastic roasted in the oven or sliced onto a homemade pizza. Also fantastic pureed into a tomato sauce, or simply chopped up into a salsa. You can’t go wrong with the San Marzano.
  • Heirloom—Large shares received one or two Striped German, Small shares received one or two Black Krim tomatoes. Savor these beauties and eat them very soon, they spoil incredibly fast! I’m hopeful they survived the journey ok.
  • Eggplant—Large shares received our long, slender Japanese eggplant once again. These little eggplant don’t store very long, so wrap them up in a plastic bag and put them in the fridge so they keep for a few more days. Have you tried them in a Thai coconut milk curry? Small shares received the ever beautiful Italian heirloom, Listada di Gandia. Again, here are our eggplant tips: For the best flavor and texture, cook your eggplant at fairly high heat until slightly browned or very lightly charred. You can get this effect by either roasting it in the oven around 425, grilling it, or blistering it in a nice hot cast iron pan on the stove. Then we toss it into our pasta/curry/etc.
  • Cucumbers—They plants are still holding out for you, but not producing much. We’re pleased to be able to send out one or two cukes to each member this week!
  • Onion—A bit of red onion and a bit of yellow this week.
  • Sweet Italian Peppers—These are a longer shape than a bell pepper, some are pointy at the end, and some are just oblong but a bit blocky. They’re wonderful raw, nice and mild. Chop them into a cucumber, heirloom tomato salad with a bit of feta. They’re also really great fried, they really sweeten up.
  • Bell Peppers—A nice handful of colorful bells, some of our unique varieties don’t look very bell pepper shaped, so you may confuse them with the Sweet Italians this week. Also, a quick note: as the weather warms, the fruits get smaller and smaller, so expect miniature peppers in the future.
  • Potatoes—Purple heirloom potatoes again! Enjoy some purple hash browns or mashed taters this week.
  • Cayenne—Large shares received a handful of cayennes. These are not as spicy as normal cayennes (I think because our summer has been a little more mild than usual) so don’t be intimidated. Enjoy like you would a jalapeño.

Veggie Storage tips:

Onions, potatoes, peaches, and tomatoes will all prefer to stay at room temp. Tomatoes especially will begin to get mealy if stored any colder than 55 degrees. The cucumbers, peppers, and eggplant like to be cool but not cold. They can be stored at room temp if you’ll be eating them in a couple of days, otherwise put them sealed up in the fridge if you won’t be getting to them for a few days. They last quite a long while in the fridge. Everything will need a gentle 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

 

We didn’t get shots of this week’s share this week, so there are no identification images! Give us a ring if you’re stumped on what is in your box.