Share Notes 8-3-17

Share Notes 8-3-17

CSA Share Notes:

Well we have some garden news! Every summer as median temperatures rise (average of daytime and nighttime) the crops eventually cease to create new fruit, as the flowers are sensitive to hot temperatures. The plants are still gorgeous and healthy, but they stopped reproducing new fruits a few weeks back, and at this point we have harvested almost all that is currently on the plants, with just a few fruits remaining to ripen.  We think we have one more week’s worth of produce on the plants that we can send your way, but the crops may need a week of recovery in-between before we harvest them again. What this means is that we will likely be taking next week off from CSA delivery, with hopes for another share the following week. We will make a decision about next week’s CSA delivery at the beginning of next week when we see what is out there to harvest and of course, we will keep you in the loop!

What is really interesting is that with this un-seasonable rainy spell we are getting, the plants will likely begin to flower again and will hopefully produce really well in the early fall. We expect to have a great crop to start off the Fall CSA, which is now open for you to get registered! Follow this link here to sign up.

In the fall season you can expect some summer-like crops early on, with loads of root crops, sweet potatoes, winter squash and leafy greens to follow soon after. It’s our most diverse season!

Ok, now on to this week’s vegetable line-up:

  • Eggplant—Large shares received our black beauty Italian eggplant, and small shares received the long, slender Japanese eggplant. Again, high heat is the way to go with eggplant, roasting, griddle frying, or grilling.
  • Cucumbers—A few nice, crip slicing cukes for everyone.
  • Onion—A nice handful of yellow and red onions.
  • Sungold cherry tomatoes—Don’t you love these? We dehydrated a big batch to be able to extend the harvest. We can’t get enough!
  • Slicing tomatoes—If you received any that are slightly under ripe, just set them on the counter, shoulders down, and they’ll be ready in a few days. Any cracked tomatoes should be eaten first. Remember, don’t store your tomatoes in the fridge, they hate cold temps.
  • 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. One of my favorite late summer treats is a savory tart made with roasted eggplant, San Marzanos, a variety of tasty cheeses like feta, chèvre, or mozzarella, and loads of eggs. This one‘s graced our table a time or two and doesn’t disappoint.
  • Potatoes—purple heirloom potatoes! We made some purple french fries this weekend that were pretty fun.
  • Cantaloupe!—Our friends at Fisher Family Farm grew us these delightful melons this season. Chill and enjoy.

Veggie Storage tips:

Onions, potatoes, 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, melon, and eggplant like to be cool but not cold. They can be stored at room temp if you’ll be eating them fairly soon, 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

Large Share

Large Share: (from top left) slicer tomatoes, yellow and red onions, sungolds, cantaloupe, Italian eggplant, cucumber, purple potatoes, and San Marzanos

 

Small Share



Small share: (from top left) Japanese eggplant, cantaloupe, sungolds, slicing tomatoes, purple potatoes, cucumber, San Marzano tomatoes, and yellow and red onions.