BGF News - October 2, 2018-Vol. XL, No.18

BGF News - October 2, 2018-Vol. XL, No.18

In this week’s box:

Basil: Genovese or Italian Large Leaf (likely the final delivery)
Cherry Tomato Mix

Kale Mix

Scallions

Sweet Peppers: Ace or Revolution (red bells), Islander (purple to orange bell), Quadrato D'Asti 

            Giallo (yellow bell), Golden Marconi (long, pointed yellow) or PASS (flat, yellow)

Tapestry Salad Mix or Spinach Mix
Tomatoes: asst varieties, see descriptions on the 7/24 post

Turnips: Hakurei
Winter Squash: spaghetti

 and at least one of the following:

Beans: Mix
Broccoli: side shoots (entire shoot, including leaves, is edible)

Cauliflower: Sicilian Purple (purple) or Goodman (white)

Okra: Burgundy & Candle Fire (final delivery)

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: purple basil, lemongrass & rosemary

  

Featured Recipes:  ** indicates a BGF favorite 

Francis Lam's Ginger Scallion Sauce

Pasta with 15-minute Burst Cherry Tomato Sauce
White Bean and Kale Ragout
Tomatoes with Green Onions and Basil

What’s up on the farm?

Precipitation in the past week: 0.35"

It is a bit of a challenge to come up with inspired seasonal recipes when the seasons can't decide what season it is! It's a funny time of the year, when the farm crew starts the day with insulated coats, hats and scarves and then you can track their progress throughout the day by the trail of discarded clothing! The crops are feeling somewhat the same with the swings in temperatures. The warm weather crops are feeling the chill and the cool weather crops are stressed by the warmth of the day. The basil is usually the first to protest the dropping fall temperatures and this year is no different. The field basil is done, and even the high tunnel basil is showing some discoloration due to Saturday morning's low temperatures. That means one thing, time to stock up on pesto for winter use! This will almost certainly be our final delivery of basil for the year. However all is not "farewells" as we are welcoming kale, spinach and salad mix back into the rotation.

Kale is back!

Sometimes the peppers get sassy!

Much of our focus this week is on preparations for Farm Crawl, though we did manage to also clear the okra and one bed of high tunnel peppers and sow additional spinach, salad mix and arugula. It's looking like a rather rainy week ahead, so its a good thing we have mostly stayed on top of our cultivating this fall.

Upcoming events:

Farm Crawl is Sunday, October 7th 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 2018. 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 2018 CSA delivery: Our final delivery of the season will be Tuesday, October 16th

VegEmail sales begin: Tuesday, November 6th

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.

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.

Scallions (green onions)- are best kept upright in a glass with about 1" of water in it, more like flowers than vegetables. Loosely cover the tops with plastic and you will be amazed at how long they will keep. We like to throw a handful of chopped scallions into nearly any savory dish, right near the end of the cooking time.

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.  

Winter Squash:  Store winter squash in a cool, dry, dark place with good ventilation for up to a month, depending on the variety. Once squash has been cut, you can wrap the pieces in plastic and refrigerate them for five to seven days. To make it easier to prep winter squash for your recipe, try the prebaking method: pierce the squash to allow heat to escape while it is in the oven, then bake the squash whole at 350° F until it is just barely tender to the poke of the finger, 20 to 30 minutes. This softens the shell and makes cutting and peeling much easier.

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)