BGF News - September 19, 2017-Vol. XXXIII, No.15

BGF News - September 19, 2017-Vol. XXXIII, No.15

Beautiful (and tasty) Swiss Chard

In this week’s box:

Arugula
Basil: sweet
Chard: Rainbow mix
Cherry Tomato Mix
Garlic: Northern White
Head Lettuce; asst.
Summer Squash: asst
Sweet Peppers: asst.
Tomatoes:  see descriptions in 8/1 newsletter
Turnips: baby Hakurei
And at least one of the following:    
Beans: Mix or Maxibel
Broccoli: Belstar
Mini Cauliflower: Pusa Megna and/or Giant Purple of Sicily
Eggplant: Orient Express or Orient Charm
Okra: Bowling Red
Spinach Mix
Tapestry Salad Mix

For those with the Egg option [full & half shares]: one dozen free-range eggs (assorted colors)

For those with the Herb option: Thai Magic basil, chives, bronze fennel

We were expecting small heads on the dwarf cauliflower

...but not quite this small

 Featured Recipes:  ** indicates a BGF favorite 

Chard Tomato Peasant Pasta **see below
Arugula & Cherry Tomato Pizza
Sweet and Sour Pan Roasted Turnips

What’s up on the farm?

Precipitation in the past week: 1.25 beautiful inches of rain since Saturday night!!

Rain, rain, glorious rain!! While we are no where near made up on our drought status, that rain was a huge help to our fall crops. The only things that weren't improved by it were the field tomatoes, which will show more cracking due to the surge of moisture and the basil, which is a bit dirty due to the splashing. Basil hates to be washed and then stored, so just needs a rinse right before you use it.  All the rest of us are thrilled with the rain especially the seeds we just put in the ground this past week. It's funny every time I think we are finished with fall field sowing we clear a spent crop and someone says, "Hey, we should put another sowing of *this* there." So true to course, we cleared some field beds and sowed some more salad mix, radishes and spinach this week. These will be greatly improved by the recent rains! We also weeded and cultivated some of the fall crops and cleared and transplanted crops in the high tunnel. Most of the high tunnel tomatoes were declining, so they were given one final harvest and then "retired."  One of our more interesting accomplishments was finally planting some big (2-3 gallon) jostaberry plants that we'd gotten last month via our friends at Genuine Faux Farm. We've never grown them before, but hope they will be a nice addition to our future jam inventory. The other big task was getting the bulk of the winter squash harvested. Once they cure a bit we will send another round of them out in boxes.

A wagon-load of winter squash, with more to come

Upcoming events:

Farm Crawl is Sunday, October 1st from 11am-5pm.  Details can be found at www.farmcrawl.com.  Every year we invite CSA members not only to come out and tour the farms, but also to be part of the BGF team. So here is your chance for 2017. In the past, individuals/families have helped out with greeting visitors, sharing information, helping out at the chickens, parking and other various tasks. And, even better, you can still "Do the Crawl"! We are asking for volunteers to come for a 2 hour shift, so there is still time to visit the other farms. If you (and/or your family) would be interested in helping out at the farm please let us know. If you join us, we will set you up with some very fine BGF gear.

Final Summer CSA delivery:
Our final delivery of the 2017 summer season will be Tuesday, October 24th

VegEmail sales begin: Tuesday, November 7th 

A little detail on your produce this week:

Basil hates the cold and will turn black with exposure. Keep long stemmed basil in a glass/vase of water on your counter top (out of direct sunlight). Stems that are too short (trimmings/tops) should be placed in a plastic bag, with a dry paper towel. Then put inside of a paper bag (for insulation) and put in the warmest part of your refrigerator (usually the door) or on the top shelf towards the front.

Broccoli: Wrap broccoli loosely in a plastic bag and keep it in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator for up to a week. Immediately before cooking, soak broccoli, head down, in cold, salted water (1 teaspoon salt to a 8 cups of water) for 5 minutes. Any [organic] critters will float to the top where you can rescue them or allow them to suffer a salty death. (Note: If you soak broccoli in salt water before storing, it will become too rubbery and wilted to enjoy.) Slice the juicy, edible stems and use them wherever florets are called for. Peel particularly thick skin before using.

Eggplant: Eggplant prefers to be kept at about 50° F, which is warmer than most refrigerators and cooler than most kitchen counters. Wrap unwashed eggplant in a towel (not in plastic) to absorb any moisture and keep it in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator. Used within a week, it should still be fresh and mild.  The shape of an eggplant determines how it is best prepared. Slice a straight, narrow eggplant into rounds for grilling or broiling, and cut a rounded, bulbous eggplant into cubes for stews and stir-fries

 

Okra: These lovely, dark red, horn-shaped vegetables are a warm weather treat. Extremely cold sensitive, store in their plastic bag in the warmest part of your fridge, or place the plastic bag in a small paper sack and store in the crisper drawer and use within the week. Traditional southerners will cut into rounds, bread in cornmeal and fry, but our favorite version is our dear friend Annie's method, "All I do is rinse off the pods and lay them in a saucepan with a little water in the bottom. Ten to fifteen minutes is all it takes...twenty if the pods are really big and "woody" feeling. I put salt on them and eat as finger food. It reminds me of young sweet corn."

Peppers: Place whole, unwashed peppers in a plastic bag, seal, and refrigerate for a week or more. Rinse peppers just before use. For sweet peppers, cut around the stem with a small knife and lift out the core. Slice down the side to open it up and then cut out the inner membranes. Store unused portions in a sealed bag or container in the refrigerator.

Turnips: keep best if separated from their greens.  Greens are stored in a plastic bag and can be cooked like mustard or collard greens (you can add them in with your Braising Greens Mix).  Trimmed roots can go into a lidded container or zip-close bag. These aren't your grandma's turnips. These are a sweet, Japanese salad variety that is particularly tasty for fresh eating. They will still work great in cooked dishes, but we love to eat them raw, often right out of hand, like an apple. One of the farm crew's favorite mid-field snacks.

A few other details: All of your GREENS will keep best if stored in a plastic bag, with the top folded over and placed in the produce drawer of your refrigerator.  

* NOTE: You will notice over the course of the season that some box contents listed above say "Perhaps one of the following..."  These are items that we can’t harvest in sufficient quantities for the whole CSA to receive at one time.  We do track who gets what and we will do our best to ensure that everyone eventually receives each item.  On some items this may take several weeks, so please be patient.

Is a weekly newsletter not enough for you and you want to read more about our daily adventures or see pictures of the farm?  Follow us on Facebook at Blue Gate Farm and/or share your recipes, experiences and questions with other BGF members at Blue Gate Farm Community.

That’s about it this week, if you have any questions or comments be sure to let us know. 

Best from the farm,

Jill & Sean (and Blue, Luci & Indigo)

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