Summer CSA Week 6
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
SPRING 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
CUCUMBER - 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
HERBS - Parsley and Rosemary $2.50 each
Parsley -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
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!
BEETS or TURNIPS - cut off immediately. Store the roots in a bag in your refrigerator. Before use wash your beets., you can peel them with a knife or peeler, or you can roast them in foil or boil them, and the peels will come right off. Turnips do not require you to peel them, but you should use prior to use. $6
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. $5 - (1.25 pounds)
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)
VEGGIE OF THE WEEK
CARROTS
Before Matt and I became market garden farmers we did occasionally attend farmers markets and stop at roadside stands. There were certain vegetables that I would gravitate towards knowing they were much, much better fresh and local. Those were typically melons, fruit of any kind, red slicing tomatoes and sweet corn. When I watch what consumers leave with at the market I feel as if these are things most people naturally gravitate towards as well.
What I did not give enough credit to, and I don’t think most people do, is how much I would love fresh carrots. They’re not something I would regularly see at farmers markets and if I did, they were small and stubby, which is another reason I never bought them. Once we grew our first good crop of carrots I was hooked, the taste was so much sweeter than store bought. (A little farmer tip…. carrots are at peak sweetness in the spring and fall) Our kids will eat carrots right out of the field, but we have a couple great recipes that your kids are sure to love too!
I found this recipe on Instagram over the winter. We had 20lbs of leftover carrots after the Thanksgiving holiday and this has easily become my go-to recipe.
I have included this recipe below in case you don’t have Instagram.
Ingredients:
2 lbs carrots, peeled and cut to 1.5” in length and 1/2” thickness
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup honey
2 large cloves garlic, minced (I usually omit this, but it is up to you)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cumin (I usually half this or omit all together, but it is up to you)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 425
In a small jar, whisk together your honey, olive oil, spices, garlic salt and pepper
Add your carrots to a bowl and toss with your honey mixture
Add your carrots to a parchment-lined sheet pan, pouring any remaining honey mixture over top, and roast in the oven for 25 minutes, tossing once halfway through
Remove from oven, toss again, then service and enjoy!
Salad during the hot summer months? This one is very good and something we serve as a quick, healthy side dish or snack. I again included the recipe in case you don’t have an Instagram account. Also, I heard Kent’s Produce is going to be at the market tomorrow and will have fresh dill if you wanted to give this a try.
Ingredients:
* 1 large cucumber, shaved into ribbons
* 2 medium carrots, shaved into ribbons
* 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/4 cup dairy-free yogurt
* 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions:
Combine Ingredients: In a bowl, mix cucumber ribbons, carrot ribbons, chopped dill, minced garlic, salt, olive oil, dairy-free yogurt, and freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Gently toss everything together, ensuring all ingredients are well combined and coated.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes, allowing flavors to meld.
After chilling, give the salad a final toss, adjusting seasoning if needed.
Transfer the salad to a serving dish and garnish with extra dill and enjoy.
A few additional recipes:
My Favorite Carrot Cake Recipe - Sally's Baking Addiction (sallysbakingaddiction.com)
For my sweet tooth lovers, carrot cake. YUM
Parmesan Roasted Carrots Recipe - Cafe Delites
WEEK 6
We are HALFWAY through the season already; the time as always seems to be rushing by. The heat is turning up and it doesn't look like it will be slowing down anytime soon. Lots of water for us and the plants, specifically for less heat loving plants such as leafy greens and brassicas that are quick to bolt in the heat. Last season had less than favorable rainfall, but this season we have been plugging along with just a little bit too much rain. (I’m NOT COMPLAINING, promise!) Our outside plants are drinking in the rainfall and growing strong, which is what they will need to make it through the real heat that we all know is coming.
Cultivating our front garden, in my normal attire of overalls, messy bun and dirt for makeup.
Summer produce started to arrive last week and it's always a fun time of the year when your bags are a mash up of spring and summer crops, just like in the fall when summer produce mixes with fall produce. I’m hoping cherry tomatoes, and more cucumbers are starting to show themselves next week and new potatoes and candy onions are just starting this week. I do love a cold cucumber and sweet onion salad. I could make a whole shareable size bowl and eat it all myself!
As you all know I took a trip to Michigan last week. (I’ve included a few pictures from my trip below) I am originally from the mitten state, and I love going home when I can which, isn’t as often as I would like. When I was a kid, I couldn’t imagine why someone would want to move to MIchigan, but as an adult I realize what a mistake that is. I have lived in Ohio, Alabama, Missouri, Georgia and visited many others. Honestly, they all have their charm but, Michigan offers so much more. If you haven’t thought about visiting or taking a summer or winter vacation to Michigan, talk to me, and I can give you several reasons why you should.
My kids (the ones old enough to stay) go every summer for 3-4 weeks and bounce between grandparents and their uncle (my brother.) They visit their cousins, go to the amusement parks, water parks, zoo, movies, museums, splash pads, the beach, whatever fair or festival might be going on, camping and one of their favorites boating. My dad lives on a lake, and they spend hours behind the boat tubing, surfing or knee boarding. Sending them to Michigan will give them lifelong memories of summers and fun.
We appreciate your understanding while I was gone, and Matt was trying his best last week! He did a great job but, he was ready for me to come back to work.
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
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
Green Onions
Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes (big maybe)
Zucchini
Cucumber
Beets
Cabbage
Fairytale Eggplant
Potatoes
Onions
Wishing you a fantastic week ahead, see you next week!