In this week’s box:
Basil: (Sweet) Genovese or Lettuce LeafCelery: Chinese Pink Garlic Scapes, curly green bundleGreen-top Sweet Onions: CandyHead Lettuce, assorted varietiesNapa CabbageSpinruts: young Hakurei turnips
and at least one of the following: (please see **NOTE after "A Little Detail..." below)
Broccoli:(Gypsy) small, early headsCauliflower: SongSnow PeasSugar Snap PeasSummer Squash: 8 Ball (round, green), Golden Glory (yellow zucchini), Patty Pan (green or yellow, round scallop), Slik Pik (lt. yellow, long), Zephyr (yellow & light green)
For those with the Herb option: chocolate mint, lemon basil, & dill
Featured Recipes:
Baked Onion Tops ** see recipe below
Cabbage Thing ** see recipe below
Celery: Chinese Pink
Garlic Scapes, curly green bundle
Green-top Sweet Onions: Candy
Head Lettuce, assorted varieties
Napa Cabbage
Spinruts: young Hakurei turnips
and at least one of the following: (please see **NOTE after "A Little Detail..." below)
Broccoli:(Gypsy) small, early headsCauliflower: Song
Snow Peas
Sugar Snap Peas
Summer Squash: 8 Ball (round, green), Golden Glory (yellow zucchini), Patty Pan (green or yellow, round scallop), Slik Pik (lt. yellow, long), Zephyr (yellow & light green)
For those with the Herb option: chocolate mint, lemon basil, & dill
Featured Recipes:
Baked Onion Tops ** see recipe below
Cabbage Thing ** see recipe below
Cabbage Thing ** see recipe below
What’s up on the farm?
Precipitation in the past week: 0.8"
Thanks to the rains over the past 2 weeks, we are finally giving our irrigation system a break. Whenever it is dry enough, we are cultivating as fast as we can to try and stay ahead of the rain-energized weeds. It's a substantial challenge, and we have to remind ourselves that it is a marathon not a sprint. Besides waging war on weeds, our big accomplishment this past week was installing the trellising for our tomato plots. The high tunnels are pretty quick and easy, but the field tomatoes are a significant project.
We install hundreds of posts and then run multiple layers of twine to support the tomatoes. Normally this involves a full day of really physical work, but the conditions were perfect and our crew is amazing, so we were done with time to spare...so we went and cultivated our El Norte plot. There might have been a few sore muscles the next day.
Baby cukes!
Now that summer has arrived in earnest, we are starting to see a change in the gardens as well. Early crops are finishing up and the mid-season crops are coming into production. We mentioned this last week, as we sent out the first of the summer squashes and more of those are going out in this week's delivery. We're also seeing fruit set on the cucumbers and the baby peppers, tomatoes and eggplants are growing in size. It will be several weeks before you see them in your boxes, but they'll be here before you know it. We do have some fun new things going into your boxes this week including Chinese Pink Celery, which we learned to love last year and a cool new cauliflower from China called 'Song'. This is a sprouting cauliflower, so it doesn't form a dense head like those you see in the grocery store. It forms little florets that are easy to cut apart and add into salads, stir-fries or as little nibbles on an appetizer tray. We think they are really cool, and hope you enjoy them in the coming weeks.
Cauliflower 'Song'
We're also sending out the first of many basil bouquets. They are on the small side right now, as the basil plants are still growing, but we think basil is one of the true joys of summer. You can expect to see it return to your boxes about every 2 weeks, unless you signed up for Herb Share. Those folks get basil every week!
Harvesting cherries
So what have we been doing with ourselves when the gardens are too wet for cultivating? Harvesting fruit! It's been a great year so far for mulberries, gooseberries, black raspberries and tart cherries. While we don't have enough of any of those crops to send in in CSA boxes, they are the stars of our jam business. We are thrilled to have lots of new and popular flavors back in our sales rotation. Check out our VegEmail orders if you are a jam-fan!
Crew Corner: Rebekah
"Blue Gate Farm: a place where
vegetables and employees alike, THRIVE!!"
It has taken me five seasons to come to terms with my wheel hoe. This tool has a huge impact on cutting down weeds and is easier on the crew than getting up and down from hands and knees.
A recent
adventure for the crew has been berry picking in the cool, shady recesses of
the forest area. It is a pleasant task that turns your fingers BRIGHT colors
(and a tasty snack for the dogs if the berries should fall). I am always amazed by the assortment
of jams which Jill makes from all the fresh fruits on the farm. Her customers are also quite
smitten with them, as the jars in stock never last long.
A little detail on your produce this week:
Precipitation in the past week: 0.8"
Thanks to the rains over the past 2 weeks, we are finally giving our irrigation system a break. Whenever it is dry enough, we are cultivating as fast as we can to try and stay ahead of the rain-energized weeds. It's a substantial challenge, and we have to remind ourselves that it is a marathon not a sprint. Besides waging war on weeds, our big accomplishment this past week was installing the trellising for our tomato plots. The high tunnels are pretty quick and easy, but the field tomatoes are a significant project.
We install hundreds of posts and then run multiple layers of twine to support the tomatoes. Normally this involves a full day of really physical work, but the conditions were perfect and our crew is amazing, so we were done with time to spare...so we went and cultivated our El Norte plot. There might have been a few sore muscles the next day. |
| Baby cukes! |
Now that summer has arrived in earnest, we are starting to see a change in the gardens as well. Early crops are finishing up and the mid-season crops are coming into production. We mentioned this last week, as we sent out the first of the summer squashes and more of those are going out in this week's delivery. We're also seeing fruit set on the cucumbers and the baby peppers, tomatoes and eggplants are growing in size. It will be several weeks before you see them in your boxes, but they'll be here before you know it. We do have some fun new things going into your boxes this week including Chinese Pink Celery, which we learned to love last year and a cool new cauliflower from China called 'Song'. This is a sprouting cauliflower, so it doesn't form a dense head like those you see in the grocery store. It forms little florets that are easy to cut apart and add into salads, stir-fries or as little nibbles on an appetizer tray. We think they are really cool, and hope you enjoy them in the coming weeks.
|
| Cauliflower 'Song' |
We're also sending out the first of many basil bouquets. They are on the small side right now, as the basil plants are still growing, but we think basil is one of the true joys of summer. You can expect to see it return to your boxes about every 2 weeks, unless you signed up for Herb Share. Those folks get basil every week!
|
| Harvesting cherries |
So what have we been doing with ourselves when the gardens are too wet for cultivating? Harvesting fruit! It's been a great year so far for mulberries, gooseberries, black raspberries and tart cherries. While we don't have enough of any of those crops to send in in CSA boxes, they are the stars of our jam business. We are thrilled to have lots of new and popular flavors back in our sales rotation. Check out our VegEmail orders if you are a jam-fan!
Crew Corner: Rebekah
"Blue Gate Farm: a place where
vegetables and employees alike, THRIVE!!"
A recent adventure for the crew has been berry picking in the cool, shady recesses of the forest area. It is a pleasant task that turns your fingers BRIGHT colors (and a tasty snack for the dogs if the berries should fall). I am always amazed by the assortment of jams which Jill makes from all the fresh fruits on the farm. Her customers are also quite smitten with them, as the jars in stock never last long.
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/Cauliflower: Wrap loosely in a plastic bag and keep it in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator for up to a week. Immediately before cooking, soak 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 soaked 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.
Celery: Store upright in a glass of water, loosely covered with a plastic bag, in the refrigerator.
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/Cauliflower: Wrap loosely in a plastic bag and keep it in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator for up to a week. Immediately before cooking, soak 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 soaked 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.
Celery: Store upright in a glass of water, loosely covered with a plastic bag, in the refrigerator.
Garlic Scapes: One of our favorite crops of the year. These curly green things are the emerging flower stalk from a hardneck garlic plant. We remove them to redirect more of the plant's energy into the bulb, but it also provides us with a delightful fresh garlic treat. These keep very well in a plastic bag in your produce drawer and can be used in any recipe calling for garlic. They would be perfect in last week's garlic salt recipe, make a great pesto and can be minced and added to room-temperature butter, which is then stored in log shape, in the freezer for a last minute dollop of goodness for vegetables, breads or meat.
Green-top onions: As you might note from their name, these are young, freshly pulled, uncured onions. They can be used as you would any onion, the difference is in the storage. Since they don't have a layer of dried skin to protect them, please store in a sealed bag or container in your refrigerator and plan to use within 2 weeks. As long as the greens are still fresh, you can use them like scallions, or try out the baked onion top recipe below!
Peas: We grow snow peas (flat pod with little bumps showing immature peas inside) and sugar snap peas (rounded pods with mature peas inside). Both have edible pods and can be used interchangeably in recipes. They are particularly good in stir-fries and salads, though we tend to eat them fresh as a snack. Peas keep best in their plastic container 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.
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. Large leaf greens can benefit by being wrapped in a linen or cotton towel inside the bag if excess moisture is a concern.
** 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? Do you want to read more about our life on the farm and see more pictures? Follow us on Facebook at Blue Gate Farm or on Instagram at bluegatefarmfresh. CSA members can also connect with other BGF members to share recipes or ask questions on our FB community page at Blue Gate Farm Community.
That's about it for now. If you have any questions or comments, be sure to let us know.Best from the farm,Jill & Sean (and the whole BGF crew)
Garlic Scapes: One of our favorite crops of the year. These curly green things are the emerging flower stalk from a hardneck garlic plant. We remove them to redirect more of the plant's energy into the bulb, but it also provides us with a delightful fresh garlic treat. These keep very well in a plastic bag in your produce drawer and can be used in any recipe calling for garlic. They would be perfect in last week's garlic salt recipe, make a great pesto and can be minced and added to room-temperature butter, which is then stored in log shape, in the freezer for a last minute dollop of goodness for vegetables, breads or meat.
Green-top onions: As you might note from their name, these are young, freshly pulled, uncured onions. They can be used as you would any onion, the difference is in the storage. Since they don't have a layer of dried skin to protect them, please store in a sealed bag or container in your refrigerator and plan to use within 2 weeks. As long as the greens are still fresh, you can use them like scallions, or try out the baked onion top recipe below!
Peas:
We grow snow peas (flat pod with little bumps showing immature peas inside) and sugar snap peas (rounded pods with mature peas inside). Both have edible pods and can be used interchangeably in recipes. They are particularly good in stir-fries and salads, though we tend to eat them fresh as a snack. Peas keep best in their plastic container 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.
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. Large leaf greens can benefit by being wrapped in a linen or cotton towel inside the bag if excess moisture is a concern.
** 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? Do you want to read more about our life on the farm and see more pictures? Follow us on Facebook at Blue Gate Farm or on Instagram at bluegatefarmfresh. CSA members can also connect with other BGF members to share recipes or ask questions on our FB community page at Blue Gate Farm Community.
That's about it for now. If you have any questions or comments, be sure to let us know.
Best from the farm,
Jill & Sean (and the whole BGF crew)
 |
| Indigo, Luci & Sky |
Baked Green Onion Tops
from friends of the farm, Wendy & Roberta
We eat them as appetizers with cheese or use as an ingredient in eggs etc. Super simple and yummy too !!!
Use scissors to slice the tops uniformly into rings so they cook evenly. Then coat the tops with olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Cook at 350 degrees for 10 - 20 minutes depending on the size and how crispy you want them. Enjoy
Cabbage Thing
4 strips of bacon, diced
2 celery stalks, thinly diced
Half of a head of cabbage (Napa or European) sliced somewhat thinly
half of a small onion, sliced
1 tbs sesame oil
2 tbs olive oil (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
In a frying pan, sauté the bacon. Cook thoroughly if
using uncooked bacon, or just warm if using cooked bacon.
If using cooked bacon, add 2 tbs of olive oil and 1 tbs of
sesame oil. If using uncooked bacon, just add the sesame oil.
Add the celery and
onion, sauté until softened.
Add the cabbage, and sauté for about 3-4 minutes, or until
softened.
Season with salt and pepper, and serve hot.
Recipe Source:
www.beingfrugalbychoice.blogspot.com
Cabbage Thing
4 strips of bacon, diced
2 celery stalks, thinly diced
Half of a head of cabbage (Napa or European) sliced somewhat thinly
half of a small onion, sliced
1 tbs sesame oil
2 tbs olive oil (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
Add the celery and onion, sauté until softened.
Add the cabbage, and sauté for about 3-4 minutes, or until softened.
Season with salt and pepper, and serve hot.
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