BGF News - August 7, 2018-Vol. XL, No.10
In this week’s box:
Basil: sweet
Cherry Tomato Mix
Cucumber: Diva/Marketmore (green, English), Suyo Long (long green, Asian)
or Lemon (round, yellow)
Head Lettuce: Concept (dk green), Cherokee (red) or Nevada (bright geen)
Onions: Cipollini
Peppers: Ace or Revolution (red bells), Islander (purple to orange bell), Quadrato D'Asti Giallo
(yellow bell), Golden Marconi (long, pointed yellow) or
PASS (small, pumpkin-shaped, yellow ## see description below)
Potatoes: Red Gold
Summer Squash: Slik Pik (yellow), Zephyr (yellow & green), Golden Glory (yellow zucchini),
Patty Pan (saucer-shaped, green/yellow/white) or 8 Ball (round, green)
Sicilian Purple Cauliflower
Tomatoes: asst varieties, see descriptions on the 7/24 post
and at least one of the following:
Bean Mix: Carson (yellow) & Empress (green)
Broccoli: side shoots
Cantaloupe: Minnesota Midget (mini)
Cauliflower: Sicilian Purple
Watermelon: Sugar Baby (dk green stripe w/ red interior) or Cream of Saskatchewan (lt green,
striped with white interior)
For those with the Egg option [full shares]: one dozen free-range eggs (asst. colors)
For those with the Herb option: lemon basil, savory, sorrel
Featured Recipes: ** indicates a BGF favorite
Baked Eggs on Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Grilled Zucchini and Tomato Salad
Zucchini Butter
Crispy Smashed Roasted Potatoes
BGF Pesto **see recipe below
Basil: sweet
Cherry Tomato Mix
Cucumber: Diva/Marketmore (green, English), Suyo Long (long green, Asian)
Cucumber: Diva/Marketmore (green, English), Suyo Long (long green, Asian)
Head Lettuce: Concept (dk green), Cherokee (red) or Nevada (bright geen)
Onions: Cipollini
Peppers: Ace or Revolution (red bells), Islander (purple to orange bell), Quadrato D'Asti Giallo
(yellow bell), Golden Marconi (long, pointed yellow) or
PASS (small, pumpkin-shaped, yellow ## see description below)
Potatoes: Red Gold
(yellow bell), Golden Marconi (long, pointed yellow) or
PASS (small, pumpkin-shaped, yellow ## see description below)
Potatoes: Red Gold
Summer Squash: Slik Pik (yellow), Zephyr (yellow & green), Golden Glory (yellow zucchini),
Patty Pan (saucer-shaped, green/yellow/white) or 8 Ball (round, green)
 |
| Sicilian Purple Cauliflower |
Bean Mix: Carson (yellow) & Empress (green)
Broccoli: side shoots
Broccoli: side shoots
Cantaloupe: Minnesota Midget (mini)
Cauliflower: Sicilian Purple
Watermelon: Sugar Baby (dk green stripe w/ red interior) or Cream of Saskatchewan (lt green,
striped with white interior)
For those with the Egg option [full shares]: one dozen free-range eggs (asst. colors)
For those with the Herb option: lemon basil, savory, sorrel
Featured Recipes: ** indicates a BGF favorite
Baked Eggs on Roasted Cherry TomatoesGrilled Zucchini and Tomato Salad
Zucchini Butter
Crispy Smashed Roasted Potatoes
BGF Pesto **see recipe below
What’s up on the farm?
Precipitation in the past week: trace
There was an 80% chance of rain in the past 12 hrs, guess what? No rain on the farm. (insert sad, frustrated farmher face here). We continue to add and tweak our irrigation system and it is running almost continuously, but it just isn't the same as rainwater. The tomatoes continue to ripen very slowly and the beans are just piddling about. I'm afraid both of these situations will continue until our rain situation changes.
While we are hoping for rain, we took advantage of the dry conditions to harvest the rest of the early potatoes today. This rather strenuous task was greatly improved by our new-to-us potato plow. We bought it from a neighbor earlier this summer, but the handles were long gone so we had to wait for the new handles to arrive. Here she is all outfitted with fancy new hickory handles and ready to dig! And dig she did!
We've also been putting in lots of fall crops this past week including seeding beets, choi, salad mix, turnips, daikon, carrots, broccoli raab and kohlrabi. We also sowed kale transplants and put some more baby lettuces into the ground.
## We want to introduce you to one of our new crops this week, PASS peppers. The real name is Paradicsom Alaku Sarga Szentes, so you can see why we call them PASS! These are an heirloom Hungarian pepper with the fabulous flavor that peppers from Hungary are famous for. They are a small yellow, flat, pumpkin-shaped fruit with very thick, crisp and juicy flesh. They are coming on slowly so it will take a while to get some out to everyone in your mix of peppers but you should start keeping an eye out for them.
Paradicsom Alaku Sarga Szentes (PASS) peppers
Your farmHer hint of the day: If you are a fan of BLT's to celebrate the height of tomato season, try our favorite variation. Replace the lettuce (or add to it) a few leaves of fresh basil! It is delicious!!
Precipitation in the past week: trace
While we are hoping for rain, we took advantage of the dry conditions to harvest the rest of the early potatoes today. This rather strenuous task was greatly improved by our new-to-us potato plow. We bought it from a neighbor earlier this summer, but the handles were long gone so we had to wait for the new handles to arrive. Here she is all outfitted with fancy new hickory handles and ready to dig! And dig she did!
We've also been putting in lots of fall crops this past week including seeding beets, choi, salad mix, turnips, daikon, carrots, broccoli raab and kohlrabi. We also sowed kale transplants and put some more baby lettuces into the ground.
## We want to introduce you to one of our new crops this week, PASS peppers. The real name is Paradicsom Alaku Sarga Szentes, so you can see why we call them PASS! These are an heirloom Hungarian pepper with the fabulous flavor that peppers from Hungary are famous for. They are a small yellow, flat, pumpkin-shaped fruit with very thick, crisp and juicy flesh. They are coming on slowly so it will take a while to get some out to everyone in your mix of peppers but you should start keeping an eye out for them.
 |
| Paradicsom Alaku Sarga Szentes (PASS) peppers |
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."
Cipollini Onions: These lovely little italian onions are some of our favorites. Sweet & mild they are the perfect size for adding just a bit of onion to a recipe. The place they really shine though is in shush kabobs! Due to their flat shape, they are easy to skewer and cook faster. They are mostly cured now, so can be stored like regular onions, at room temperature with good air circulation. Sweet onions don't store as long as other onions though, so use within a few weeks.
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)
Blue Gate Farm
Pesto
2 Tbs Sunflower seeds-toasted (can substitute pine nuts)
Place sunflower seeds and garlic into food processor then
pulse several times. Add basil and sorrel, drizzle with half of oil. Pulse
several time s. Add remaining oil, tomatoes,
Parmesan cheese and salt if desired.
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.
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."
Cipollini Onions: These lovely little italian onions are some of our favorites. Sweet & mild they are the perfect size for adding just a bit of onion to a recipe. The place they really shine though is in shush kabobs! Due to their flat shape, they are easy to skewer and cook faster. They are mostly cured now, so can be stored like regular onions, at room temperature with good air circulation. Sweet onions don't store as long as other onions though, so use within a few weeks.
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.
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)
Blue Gate Farm
Pesto
2 Tbs Sunflower seeds-toasted (can substitute pine nuts)
2 cloves Garlic (garlic lovers can add more) green garlic
or garlic scapes are also good.
2 c. Basil (any variety, a mix is particularly nice)
1-2 leaves Sorrel (optional)
½ c. Olive oil
6-10 oz fresh tomatoes,
1 tsp Salt (if using pre-salted sunflower seeds, can
reduce salt amount)
½ c. Parmesan cheese, fresh grated (not the stuff in the
can)
Place sunflower seeds and garlic into food processor then
pulse several times. Add basil and sorrel, drizzle with half of oil. Pulse
several time s. Add remaining oil, tomatoes,
Parmesan cheese and salt if desired.
Pesto should be stored for a week or less in the
refrigerator in a sealed container. If
storing longer, freeze in snack-sized, zip-top bags (about 1 1/2 TBS per bag),
pressed flat. Once frozen, they can be stored upright in a larger plastic bag.
To use a little, just break off the amount needed and return the rest to the
freezer.
Also, if we are
making a large batch for the freezer, for best quality, we omit the cheese and
seeds. Freeze as is and then add those items in when we are ready to use.
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