Summer CSA Newsletter: Week 12
Half - Share
WHATS IN YOUR BOX THIS WEEK AND HOW TO USE IT
CANDY ONIONS (red and white) - Store in the refrigerator crisper drawer for up to one week. You can peel off layers that become dry or slimy if used after one week. These won’t be quite as large as the goliaths we have sent previously. $1.50 x 2 (red
NEW POTATOES - Keep in a cool, dry place away from light, like a dark corner of the kitchen or in a cabinet. Also keep well ventilated. Do not store in a plastic bag but you can store in a basket or paper bag. $5 (1.75 Pounds)
CHERRY TOMATOES - Store tomatoes at room temperature for best taste. If tomatoes are refrigerated, remove them from refrigeration about 30 minutes prior to serving to regain some of their original flavor. $4
HEIRLOOM TOMATOES- The best way to keep summer tomatoes fresh and full of flavor, store them on the kitchen counter at room temperature and turn them shoulders-down. 60 to 65° is an ideal temperature for storing and we recommend placing your tomatoes out of direct sunlight. NOTE: Heirloom tomatoes are not as shelf stable as red slicers. They will be softer, which is okay, but they will go bag quicker than the others. We DO NOT recommend putting them in the refrigerator to try to prolong shelf life, they will lose flavor. 1.50lb $6
CARROTS - Store carrots in the refrigerator in a plastic bag or container. Cut tops off prior to storage. They can store for several weeks and sometimes even months $5
SWEET BASIL - Fill a jar, a vase, or a glass half-way or so with water and put the basil bouquet (trimmed-stems down) in the water. Make sure no leaves are in the water, or they will turn dark and slimy. Set on your counter out of direct sunlight. Should last several days, make sure to change the water occasionally. $2.50
PARSLEY - (full share ONLY) Trim a little off of the bottoms of the stems so that they can take in more water. Fill a jar or glass partially with water and set the parsley inside. An inch or two of the stems should be submerged. Cover the jar of herbs loosely with a plastic bag. Store in the refrigerator. Change the water when it becomes cloudy every few days $2.50
CUCUMBER/ZUCCHINI -Wash, thoroughly dry, then wrap your cucumber in a dish towel or paper towel, place in an unsealed plastic bag to allow some airflow and place them in the crisper drawer. Can store for up to 10 days. Storing zucchini in the fridge is a quick and simple way to keep zucchini fresh. Keep the zucchini whole until you're prepared to use it, avoid washing zucchini prior to storage. $1.50
HEMME CHEESE MOZZARELLA - Place in fridge. Best eaten fresh this week! $6 (NOTE: only one per family. Full-share folks, there will not be two of these in your bag, just the one!)
VEGGIE OF THE WEEK
HEIRLOOM TOMATOES
If you haven’t had an heirloom tomato, you are missing out on a truly delicious experience. Heirloom tomatoes are the ORIGINAL tomato, they have been passed down through generations. These tomatoes come in a wide range of colors, shapes, and sizes, making them a popular choice for home gardeners and chefs alike. One of the main reasons why heirloom tomatoes are so beloved is their exceptional taste. Unlike mass-produced hybrid tomatoes, heirlooms are bred for flavor rather than shelf life or uniformity. This results in a rich, complex taste that is hard to find in store-bought tomatoes.
Heirloom tomatoes may not look like the perfect round ones you see in the grocery store, but that's because they are supposed to be different. Their odd shapes and occasional cracks are part of their charm and authenticity. These tomatoes are delicate and require gentle handling, but the effort is well worth it. We LOVE them sliced on a sandwich, sliced with a little salt and pepper on their own or in Caprese Salad.
If you see these beauties at a farmers’ market, know that the farmer puts in a TON of work to get these on their table. They are not always the least expensive and they may not be perfect but, the next time you see an heirloom tomato at the farmers market, don't hesitate to buy them while they are in season. You won't regret it!
Photo Credit: Hemme Cheese
Photo Credit: Cooking Curries
So, we are hoping that you are surprised by the fresh Mozzarella Cheese in your box this week. Thank you to those of you for filling out your customer survey. We appreciate your time in doing that and we hope that you enjoy this summer treat along with the fresh basil and heirlooms. Of course, the obvious recipe to make this week is Easy Caprese Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes - Cooking Curries. This is such a delicious and easy recipe perfect for summer.
Another great treat we love with heirlooms is chunky salsa. Heirlooms add a great, less acidic flavor to salsa.
Fresh Pico de Gallo Recipe (inspiredtaste.net)
We also like using flatbread, pizza sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil and cherry tomatoes for an easy lunch or dinner.
Caprese Flatbread - thechowdown (thechowdownblog.com)
A few others to try:
Heirloom Caprese Pesto Toast – The Dancing Cookbook
Heirloom Tomato Pasta - Gimme Some Oven - this looks yummy!
Penne With Roasted Cherry Tomatoes Recipe (nytimes.com)
Week 12
Welcome to week 12. We hope that you enjoyed your bag last week and that you were able to utilize all the items we packed for you.
This week the excavators arrived. They moved loads and loads of dirt around. Fixed one of our large gardens, added a water way behind several of our tunnels and leveled the pad for the new high tunnel due to arrive in September. We also had our well given a small makeover allowing for more pressure to pump the water out to our crops that are the furthest away from the spickets.
We also attended the Saline County Fair this week with our middle son. He participated in 4H this year and he entered smoked and unsmoked hams he and his dad worked on together. He didn’t win grand prize but, he did get a blue ribbon. He sold one of his hams at the end of week sale and was able to get $400 for it! He was very excited and has already been talking about what he can invest in for next year’s 4H project with the money he raised at the sale.
Along with excavators, plumbers and county fair we have been diligently working on finalizing fall crops. Misting carrots seeds, flame weeding beds, pruning, leaning indeterminate tomatoes and we planted 6 new fruit trees. We are looking to the future of the farm, and we need more perennial options for long term success. Fruit trees seemed like the obvious choice!
As you all know we are at the end of our Summer CSA. We’re not sure if we’re sad it’s over or excited for the fall. We blinked and the 12 weeks is gone which, we say every year at the end of the season. Are you ready for a break or are you hoping the season would have just kept on going? Maybe with the break you’ll miss us so much you will be incredibly excited to see us at the start of the Fall CSA, lol.
We have expressed this before but, we want to say again, thank you so much for supporting our small family farm. Your support means the world to us and helps us continue doing what we love - providing fresh, locally grown produce to our community.
As a small family farm, every purchase makes a big difference in our ability to keep our farm running smoothly. We know you take a risk and place your trust in us in advance to deliver every week fresh, delicious produce and we truly strive to never let you down. We take pride in growing high-quality fruits and vegetables. Your support allows us to continue investing in our farm's infrastructure, ensuring that we can provide even more local produce in the future. We truly appreciate each and every one of our customers. Thank you for being a part of our journey and helping us grow!
IF ALL ELSE FAILS
If your week has been crazy and you haven’t had time to do a thing with items in your bag, focus on these tasks:
You can freeze onions. I love to chop them up and store in portions of zip lock bags. Perfect for winter soups, stews and etc. After freezing, the texture changes somewhat and they are softer so not great for fresh eating.
Freezing tomatoes is the easiest way to keep ripe tomatoes until you're ready to use them. You don't have to peel them first—in fact, the act of freezing them itself makes the tomatoes very easy to peel and you can freeze as many or as few at a time as you like. Visit this link for directions on how to do this, How to Preserve Tomatoes to Enjoy All Year
Greens such as carrot tops or other veggie scraps can be saved and used for homemade vegetable broth. Try this recipe: How to Make Vegetable Broth Using Saved Kitchen Scraps ~ Homestead and Chill
Cherry tomatoes, if you have these left, I’m not sure what to say because they are delicious! Just eat them like candy but if you must, try doing a small batch of sun-dried tomatoes. Oven "Sun-Dried" Tomatoes - Gimme Some Oven
Carrots and beets will store well in your crisper drawer with their tops off.
Zucchini can be shredded and frozen if you are unable to use it this week. How to Freeze Shredded Zucchini | Cooking School | Food Network
Wishing you a fantastic week ahead! We hope to see you at the farmers market or at our fall CSA.