BGF News - July 31, 2018-Vol. XL, No.9
In this week’s box:
Carrots:Mix
Cherry Tomato Mix
Cucumber: Diva/Marketmore (green, English), Suyo Long (long green, Asian)
or Lemon (round, yellow)
Eggplant: Orient Express (dk purple), Orient Charm (lavender) or Listada (striped)
Head Lettuce: Concept (dk green), Cherokee (red) or Nevada (bright geen)
Peppers: Ace (red bell), Islander (purple to orange bell) Quadrato D'Asti Giallo (yellow bell)
Purslane
Shallots: Ambition (tan) and/or Camelot (purple)
Summer Squash: Slik Pik (yellow), Zephyr (yellow & green), Golden Glory (yellow zucchini),
Patty Pan (saucer-shaped, green/yellow/white) or 8 Ball (round, green)
Tomatoes: asst varieties, see descriptions on the 7/24 post
and at least one of the following:
Bean Mix: Carson (yellow) & Empress (green)
Cantaloupe: Minnesota Midget (mini)
Okra: Bowling Red & Candle Fire
Watermelon: Sugar Baby (dk green stripe w/ red interior) or Cream of Saskatchewan (lt green,
striped with white interior)
Cream of Saskatchewan watermelon
For those with the Egg option [full & half shares]: one dozen free-range eggs (asst. colors)
For those with the Herb option: Sweet basil, chocolate mint, rosemary
Featured Recipes: ** indicates a BGF favorite
Cucumber and Mint Salad (can replace the red onions with shallots)
Purslane, Cherry Tomato and Cucumber Salad (I would mix this in with cooked pasta)
Roasted Ratatouille Pasta
Shallot Vinaigrette ** see recipe below
Carrots:Mix
Cherry Tomato Mix
Cucumber: Diva/Marketmore (green, English), Suyo Long (long green, Asian)
Cucumber: Diva/Marketmore (green, English), Suyo Long (long green, Asian)
Eggplant: Orient Express (dk purple), Orient Charm (lavender) or Listada (striped)
Head Lettuce: Concept (dk green), Cherokee (red) or Nevada (bright geen)
Head Lettuce: Concept (dk green), Cherokee (red) or Nevada (bright geen)
Peppers: Ace (red bell), Islander (purple to orange bell) Quadrato D'Asti Giallo (yellow bell)
Purslane
Purslane
Shallots: Ambition (tan) and/or Camelot (purple)
Summer Squash: Slik Pik (yellow), Zephyr (yellow & green), Golden Glory (yellow zucchini),
Patty Pan (saucer-shaped, green/yellow/white) or 8 Ball (round, green)
Tomatoes: asst varieties, see descriptions on the 7/24 post
and at least one of the following:
Bean Mix: Carson (yellow) & Empress (green)
Cantaloupe: Minnesota Midget (mini)
Okra: Bowling Red & Candle Fire
Watermelon: Sugar Baby (dk green stripe w/ red interior) or Cream of Saskatchewan (lt green,
striped with white interior)
 |
| Cream of Saskatchewan watermelon |
For those with the Egg option [full & half shares]: one dozen free-range eggs (asst. colors)
For those with the Herb option: Sweet basil, chocolate mint, rosemary
Featured Recipes: ** indicates a BGF favorite
Cucumber and Mint Salad (can replace the red onions with shallots)Purslane, Cherry Tomato and Cucumber Salad (I would mix this in with cooked pasta)
Roasted Ratatouille Pasta
Shallot Vinaigrette ** see recipe below
What’s up on the farm?
Precipitation in the past week: 0.00"
How tall is the corn, Hannah?
There is not much new and exciting around the farm this week. Still no rain, but the "Abnormally Dry" classification is still holding, no official drought here yet, but the line is just south of us and includes most of the bottom two tiers of Iowa counties. Despite the weeks without rain, the crops continue to do pretty well. we are using a huge amount of irrigation on most of them, but even the popcorn, which isn't irrigated is looking good. We harvested the first of the melons this week, which is always exciting. We are sending them out in about 1/3 of the boxes this week, with more to come soon. Be aware, if you cut open your watermelon and it is creamy-white colored, don't be alarmed. We grow an heirloom white-fleshed melon, which we think is one of the tastiest out there.Melons are a tough crop for us in multiple ways. They take up a lot of real estate, they have pretty strict growing requirements, they take up a lot of transport space and most concerning, you can never tell if a melon is actually going to taste good. There are tricks to help determine ripeness, but even with those, we can be fooled. So if you get a melon that isn't ripe or just plain tastes bad, let us know and we'll do our best to send you another one in the following weeks.
We finished up the last of the mid-season crop transplanting this past week, putting in a bit more chard, head lettuce and one last shot at edamame. We are finally getting serious about our fall crops this week (a little later than normal). We've sown transplants for chard, broccoli, cabbage, Napa and cauliflower, with kale and some more head lettuce still to go. We've been prepping beds in the field to start direct sowing crops as well, including turnips, carrots, daikon and beets.
Package recycling: To help keep down costs and reduce plastic use and landfill waste, we try to reuse as many packaging materials as possible. This includes the egg cartons (paper-pulp only, not styrofoam) and the pint containers for your small produce items. We are happy to receive back those those clean containers to reuse again.
A little detail on your produce this week:
Precipitation in the past week: 0.00"
 |
| How tall is the corn, Hannah? |
There is not much new and exciting around the farm this week. Still no rain, but the "Abnormally Dry" classification is still holding, no official drought here yet, but the line is just south of us and includes most of the bottom two tiers of Iowa counties. Despite the weeks without rain, the crops continue to do pretty well. we are using a huge amount of irrigation on most of them, but even the popcorn, which isn't irrigated is looking good. We harvested the first of the melons this week, which is always exciting. We are sending them out in about 1/3 of the boxes this week, with more to come soon. Be aware, if you cut open your watermelon and it is creamy-white colored, don't be alarmed. We grow an heirloom white-fleshed melon, which we think is one of the tastiest out there.Melons are a tough crop for us in multiple ways. They take up a lot of real estate, they have pretty strict growing requirements, they take up a lot of transport space and most concerning, you can never tell if a melon is actually going to taste good. There are tricks to help determine ripeness, but even with those, we can be fooled. So if you get a melon that isn't ripe or just plain tastes bad, let us know and we'll do our best to send you another one in the following weeks.
We finished up the last of the mid-season crop transplanting this past week, putting in a bit more chard, head lettuce and one last shot at edamame. We are finally getting serious about our fall crops this week (a little later than normal). We've sown transplants for chard, broccoli, cabbage, Napa and cauliflower, with kale and some more head lettuce still to go. We've been prepping beds in the field to start direct sowing crops as well, including turnips, carrots, daikon and beets.
A little detail on your produce this week:
Cantaloupe: If your cantaloupe seems a bit short of ripe, keep it at room temperature for a few days or until there is a sweet smell coming from the stem end. Once the melon ripens, store it in the refrigerator. It is best not to cut a cantaloupe until you are ready to eat it. If you need to return cut melon to the refrigerator, do not remove the seeds from the remaining sections as they keep the flesh from drying out. Use within 3-5 days.
Cucumber: Store unwashed cucumbers in a sealed plastic bag in the vegetable crisper bin for about a week. Keep cucumbers tucked far away from tomatoes, apples, and citrus—these give off ethylene gas that accelerates cucumber deterioration. You can do a lot of fancy things to the skin of a cucumber, but when it is young, fresh (and unwaxed), it really only needs to be thoroughly washed. However, if the skin seems tough or bitter you can remove it; if the seeds are bulky, slice the cucumber lengthwise and scoop them out.
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, then place in a plastic bag 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. Many people like to peel, salt, and drain their eggplant to draw out any bitter flavor; however, bitterness develops only in eggplant that has been stored for a while, so with farm-fresh specimens this is generally not necessary. Many recipes call for salting in order to make the vegetable less watery and more absorbent—much like draining tofu. Salting is not an essential step, but it can greatly enhance the taste and texture of your dish and is well worth the extra effort.
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.
Shallots: the "fancy" cousins of onions, shallots have a rich flavor that really shines in soups, sauces, salad dressings and egg dishes. Store like onions, in a cool, dark place with good air circulation.
Summer Squash/Zucchini: Refrigerate unwashed zucchini and summer squash for up to a week and a half in a perforated plastic bag or in a sealed plastic container lined with a kitchen towel.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.
Tomatoes:
prefer to reside on your counter and not in the refrigerator unless they have been sliced. A light "squeeze" is the best test for ripeness.
Watermelon: Handle watermelons carefully. When harvested at their peak ripeness, they can crack or split easily if bumped or roughly handled. Refrigerate watermelons right away. (Watermelons do not ripen off the vine and do not emanate a ripe smell.) Cut melon should be covered in plastic wrap, chunks or slices should be kept in an airtight container, and both should be refrigerated. Eat all melons within a week.
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 Luci & Indigo)
Shallot Vinaigrette
1/4 cup finely chopped shallot
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil (preferably French) or safflower oil
Cantaloupe: If your cantaloupe seems a bit short of ripe, keep it at room temperature for a few days or until there is a sweet smell coming from the stem end. Once the melon ripens, store it in the refrigerator. It is best not to cut a cantaloupe until you are ready to eat it. If you need to return cut melon to the refrigerator, do not remove the seeds from the remaining sections as they keep the flesh from drying out. Use within 3-5 days.
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.
Cucumber: Store unwashed cucumbers in a sealed plastic bag in the vegetable crisper bin for about a week. Keep cucumbers tucked far away from tomatoes, apples, and citrus—these give off ethylene gas that accelerates cucumber deterioration. You can do a lot of fancy things to the skin of a cucumber, but when it is young, fresh (and unwaxed), it really only needs to be thoroughly washed. However, if the skin seems tough or bitter you can remove it; if the seeds are bulky, slice the cucumber lengthwise and scoop them out.
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, then place in a plastic bag 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. Many people like to peel, salt, and drain their eggplant to draw out any bitter flavor; however, bitterness develops only in eggplant that has been stored for a while, so with farm-fresh specimens this is generally not necessary. Many recipes call for salting in order to make the vegetable less watery and more absorbent—much like draining tofu. Salting is not an essential step, but it can greatly enhance the taste and texture of your dish and is well worth the extra effort.
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, then place in a plastic bag 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. Many people like to peel, salt, and drain their eggplant to draw out any bitter flavor; however, bitterness develops only in eggplant that has been stored for a while, so with farm-fresh specimens this is generally not necessary. Many recipes call for salting in order to make the vegetable less watery and more absorbent—much like draining tofu. Salting is not an essential step, but it can greatly enhance the taste and texture of your dish and is well worth the extra effort.
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.
Shallots: the "fancy" cousins of onions, shallots have a rich flavor that really shines in soups, sauces, salad dressings and egg dishes. Store like onions, in a cool, dark place with good air circulation.
Tomatoes:
prefer to reside on your counter and not in the refrigerator unless they have been sliced. A light "squeeze" is the best test for ripeness.
Watermelon: Handle watermelons carefully. When harvested at their peak ripeness, they can crack or split easily if bumped or roughly handled. Refrigerate watermelons right away. (Watermelons do not ripen off the vine and do not emanate a ripe smell.) Cut melon should be covered in plastic wrap, chunks or slices should be kept in an airtight container, and both should be refrigerated. Eat all melons within a week.
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.
Summer Squash/Zucchini: Refrigerate unwashed zucchini and summer squash for up to a week and a half in a perforated plastic bag or in a sealed plastic container lined with a kitchen towel.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.
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 Luci & Indigo)
Shallot Vinaigrette
1/4 cup finely chopped shallot
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil (preferably French) or safflower oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil (preferably French) or safflower oil
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