Summer CSA Newsletter: Week 8
WHATS IN YOUR BOX THIS WEEK AND HOW TO USE IT
CARROTS- If your carrots have the tops on, take them off right away to avoid limp carrots. The tops like to suck the moisture from the root (carrot) which makes for lifeless carrots. Store carrots in the refrigerator in a plastic bag or container. They can store for several weeks and sometimes even months. $5
LARGE FRESH CANDY ONIONS - 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. $2.50 X 2
HERBS - Rosemary - You have a couple of options to store Rosemary. First, place the rosemary sprigs in a large mason jar or glass of water, just like you would with a bouquet of flowers. You can set this on the counter, and it will last a few days this way. Second, you can take a slightly damp paper towel and wring out any excess water (should be damp but not soaking wet). Wrap the damp paper towels around the rosemary sprigs. Put the paper towel wrapped rosemary sprigs into the Ziplock baggie and seal it, ensuring there is no air inside. Store the bag in the refrigerator and it can last for up to two weeks! $2.50
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. 1lb $4
FAIRY TALE EGGPLANT - store away from direct sunlight and use it as soon as possible after harvesting or buying. You can place it in a vented bowl, but avoid sealing it in a plastic bag, which can increase decay. Eggplant is not a cold loving vegetable but, if you want to keep it in the refrigerator do so in the warmest place in the refrigerator and keep lightly covered. Eggplant will remain fresh for 2-4 days. $5
CUCUMBERS -Wash, thoroughly dry, then wrap in a dish towel or paper towel, place in an unsealed plastic bag to allow some airflow and place them in the crisper drawer. (I used a thin, green grocery store produce bag for my tests.) Can store for up to 10 days! $1.50
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)
SWISS CHARD -Swiss Chard will become limp and lifeless very easily. Gently wrap unwashed greens in paper towels and store loosely in plastic bags. Keep moist and cool in the lower part of the refrigerator in the high-humidity bin. Store for up to 5 days. but, have no fear you can still use it in lots of things if chard becomes a little lifeless! $3 (small bunch)
VEGGIE OF THE WEEK
New Potatoes
Freshly harvested new potatoes are bursting with flavor and so tender. Their versatility allows for endless delicious possibilities in the kitchen. Last night, we enjoyed our first batch of new potatoes, which were both easy to prepare and incredibly tasty. During the initial weeks of the season, we prefer to keep our potato dishes simple. A drizzle of olive oil, a dab of butter, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and roast in the oven at 425 degrees. Pairing these flavorful potatoes with BBQ chicken, fresh sweet corn, and sliced tomatoes on the side makes for a great meal.
Last year, we were surprised to see our entire stock of 800lbs of potatoes sold out by August. This year, we have increased our production by 30%, and fortunately, a decent amount of rainfall from mother nature has led to, so far, a great harvest. Potatoes truly are a remarkable vegetable that appeals to even those who claim not to enjoy veggies. While indulging in fries and potato chips every day may not be the healthiest choice, potatoes themselves are nutrient-rich and make an excellent addition to any meal.
Iron Skillet New Potatoes
1 1/2 lbs small red potatoes (cut in half or quartered to make 3/4-inch thick pieces) I leave whole if small enough
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp chives or green onion, chopped, plus more to garnish
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Take a large skillet and add 1 Tbsp butter, 2 Tbsp olive oil. and add your Rosemary. Arrange potatoes in the skillet, cut-side-down in one layer. Cook uncovered and undisturbed for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown crust forms on the bottoms.
You can also try the following recipes with your new potatoes:
Boiled New Potatoes with Garlic - Spend With Pennies
Crushed New Potatoes Recipe - Little Sunny Kitchen
Additional Recipes This Week
Rainbow Chard and Onion Omelet — Katrina Runs for Food (katrina-runs.com) If you have any leftover parsley from last week, you can use it in this recipe along with your rainbow chard.
Roasted Fairytale Eggplant - Life's Little Sweets (lifeslittlesweets.com)
Grilled Fairy Tale Eggplant - BoulderLocavore.com
What to Do With Fairy Tale Eggplants (Those Adorable Small Ones) | The Kitchn
Crispy Air Fryer Eggplant - Foodess
WEEK 8
It’s late February when I write this and spring lambing season is happening. I returned back to the farm after my afternoon rounds of picking up kids from school and daycare and noticed two sets of twins were born sometime that day. It’s pretty amazing how animals labor on their own, give birth, clean up their young and are out grazing with their young all on the same day. Currently we have an all-black ram as our primary stud in the pasture and he has added some beautiful color to our herd. I’m excited to see over the next few weeks how many more lambs are born. (UPDATE: we had 25 lambs in all with most mothers giving birth to twins and one giving birth to triplets!)
If you didn’t know we do occasionally have lamb meat available. If anyone is interested to know when we have availability, please reach out to us via email or at the market and we can add you to the list.
This week, in late February, we are busy planting carrot seeds. We have carefully sown seeds in 3 beds, with each bed containing approximately 4-5 thousand carrot seeds. This will ultimately result in around 150-200 bunches or bags of fresh, delicious carrots for our customers. During our busy season, we harvest half a bed of carrots every week to keep up with demand. Luckily, spring is the perfect time to sow multiple beds at once, as the cooler weather allows carrots to stay fresh in the ground for weeks after they are ready to harvest. The carrots that you have been enjoying in your bags are all from the planting we did this week, as shown in the pictures below.
Seeding carrots
Broad forked, compost added, direct seeded, drip lines stretched back out!
Surprisingly, February 2024 was unusually warm compared to previous years since we relocated to Missouri in 2012. Typically, February is considered the coldest month of winter until the temperatures start to rise in March. We have been making the most of the warm weather by starting our early spring projects, while also hoping that the warmth doesn't last long. Excessive warmth could cause plants to bud prematurely, potentially leading to fruit loss if a sudden cold spell hits. We are keeping our fingers crossed that we can successfully make it through spring without this happening. I guess by the time you’re reading this we will already know, and I will post an update!
UPDATE: we thankfully had very little loss due to very warm to very cold swings. We did lose some strawberry blossoms that had prematurely budded but, for the most part we made it!! Apples are also still going strong for a fall harvest! The spring was certainly a very warm one and pushed us in our vegetable farming knowledge in seeding, transplanting, covering and protecting.
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:
Make sure the greens are removed from the root vegetables. Your roots will store for a good while, your greens from your root vegetables need to be used or lose them.
You can freeze green onions including the leafy green tops, the white bulb end, and the stem in between. After freezing, the texture changes somewhat. Stem and bulb portions become soft, while the green parts sometimes become tough
Rosemary can freeze. Wash sprigs thoroughly and dry them well. Leave the leaves on the stem and arrange the sprigs on a baking tray so that the individual stems do not touch − this prevents the stems from freezing together and makes it easier to remove individual sprigs later. Place the baking tray in the freezer for a few hours to freeze the rosemary sprigs. Once frozen, transfer the rosemary sprigs to a freezer bag and store them in the freezer. Frozen rosemary can be stored for a year or more. Frozen rosemary sprigs do not need to be defrosted before cooking
Oregano must be used quickly. Whether it's homegrown or purchased, oregano should be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to three days. If you place a slightly damp paper towel in the bag with the oregano and leave some air in the bag, it may extend the life up to one week. You may also extend the shelf life of fresh oregano by storing whole stems with leaves in a glass of water with a plastic bag loosely tented over the glass. Fresh oregano can also be frozen. Before doing so, though, wash and dry the fresh oregano sprigs. Strip whole leaves from stems and place in plastic bag loosely without crushing but remove all air.
Parsley wash and dry thoroughly. You want to make sure no excess water is present as that can cause freezer burn. Cut the lower part of the stems. Place cleaned and dried parsley in a large freezer bag and push it down to the bottom.
With any herb you can also make a compound butter and freeze. Try this link for recipes: Herb Compound Butter Recipe - Love and Lemons or this one: Herb Compound Butter - Downshiftology
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
You can store eggplant in the refrigerator in an airtight bag for up to 5-7 days. You can also freeze it but everything I have read recommends cooking the eggplant and some say to puree it. I haven’t tried this, but it may be worth your time to look it up.
NEXT WEEK’S POSSIBILITY’S
Your bag next week will include 6-7 of the following depending on availability and if it’s ready to harvest.
Carrots
Herbs
Fresh Onions
Tomatoes
Fresh large candy onions
Green Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Kale/Swiss
Mixed Lettuce (maybe)
Cucumber
Cabbage
Fairytale Eggplant
Potatoes
Onions
Wishing you a fantastic week ahead, see you next week!
As a reminder, please remember to bring back your black bags at pick-up. Thank you!