In this week’s box:
Baby Choi: Win-Win or Shanghai GreenBartlett Pears, just a little tasteCherry Tomato Mix *descriptions in 7/20 newsletterHead Lettuce: assorted varietiesPeppers: Sweet *descriptions in 8/3 newsletterSweet Onions: CandyTomatoes: slicers *descriptions in 7/27 newsletterWinter Squash: Acorn, Butternut or Spaghetti
and perhaps one of the following:Bean MixBroccoli: Belstar and/or ImperialEggplant: Orient Express (thin, dark purple, Asian-style), Orient Charm (thin, neon purple, Asian-style) or Listada De Gandia (purple/white striped, Italian-style)Red Okra: Burgundy and Candle FireSummer Squash: 8 Ball (round, green), Golden Glory (yellow zucchini), Slik Pik (lt. yellow, long), Zephyr (yellow & light green)
For those with the Herb option: basil, pineapple mint, chives
What’s up on the farm?
Precipitation in the past week: 0.01"
Just as we were embracing the shift in seasons, it seems we've shifted back to summer for a few days. The fall crops are not amused by this little reprise of summer so we are back to irrigating to help them make it through to cooler temps.
We seeded the next round of fall crops in the high tunnels this past week and with the help of multiple short cycles of our mini irrigation sprayers, they are already germinating. We also started clearing some of the spent summer crops. This is just the beginning of a huge task that will continue for the next month or so as more crops fade. We will probably bid farewell to the summer squash and eggplant next. As always, cultivation continues in all the new crops, trying to stay ahead of the fall weeds. Another ongoing task is cleaning garlic. While this is usually a great rainy day task, we haven't had enough rainy days to take advantage of, so we just shoehorn it in whenever we have a bit of extra time. There is still LOTS of garlic to clean and trim and we need to have the seed stock sorted out and ready to be planted in the next few weeks.
We are finally closing in on the end of fruit season on the farm. We are currently harvesting the final peach tree and while it's a relief to have the task completed, we will miss the sight and even more, the smell of sun-warmed ripe peaches rolling about on the breeze. While most of the fruit goes into our jam-making, we do like to share a bit with the CSA when we can, for a little extra treat. 
We are sending out the final such treat today in the form of a couple of Bartlett pears. We don't have enough for a big pear-based recipe, but just enough for everyone to get to savor the flavor of a tree-ripened fruit. The pizza recipe sounds like just the ticket! We hope you enjoy them. We're also sending out the last of the winter squash today. We didn't have enough survive the insect onslaught for everyone to get some of each type, so you will get either a spaghetti squash, butternut or an acorn squash and we'll all hope that next season is better for this crop.
Upcoming dates of note:
We seeded the next round of fall crops in the high tunnels this past week and with the help of multiple short cycles of our mini irrigation sprayers, they are already germinating. We also started clearing some of the spent summer crops. This is just the beginning of a huge task that will continue for the next month or so as more crops fade. We will probably bid farewell to the summer squash and eggplant next. As always, cultivation continues in all the new crops, trying to stay ahead of the fall weeds. Another ongoing task is cleaning garlic. While this is usually a great rainy day task, we haven't had enough rainy days to take advantage of, so we just shoehorn it in whenever we have a bit of extra time. There is still LOTS of garlic to clean and trim and we need to have the seed stock sorted out and ready to be planted in the next few weeks. |
Member Spotlight: Shannon KellyI invited Shannon to be our spotlight member this week because of his long history of being a go-to member/customer of the farm. He's done everything from volunteering at our market booth to being a second set of eyes when I need something proofed, but most notably, is his dedication to providing a photo shoot of the contents of nearly every one of our CSA boxes for the past few years. It is just about my favorite thing about CSA day, the opportunity to see the box through a member's eyes and in a more skilled fashion than I could ever achieve!
Hi there, folks! My name is Shannon Kelley. I
am a tax accountant by day and my passions outside of work include amateur botany, entomology and herpetology. In my free time I collect just the right
amount of houseplants (there is no such thing as too many), build terrariums
and recently started gardening with vegetables, herbs and native plants. My
wife and I moved to Des Moines in the summer of 2016 from St. Petersburg,
Florida. Our home is filled with inhabitants; we have a pet lizard (a brown
anole that we rescued from a local plant
shop after she arrived as a stowaway in an order of tropical plants from
Florida), three 'Costa Rican
Green and Black' dart frogs, three tadpoles from those frogs that are
awaiting their legs and, last but not least, three very spoiled cats.
I first met Jill at the Downtown Farmers’
Market shortly after moving to Iowa. The next summer I began volunteering at
the booth a few times each season and signed up for the CSA. Photographing my
weekly “haul” became a habit mainly so that I could share on social media with
my friends and family in Florida. Over time I have gotten more into it, finding
the best ways to use natural lighting and props to get everything into a
compact framing. It has become part of my weekly CSA ritual now and sometimes I
am already planning the layout in my head as I drive home! I have stuck with
BGF for the variety of produce they offer, and the great respect and love that
they show for the land and all of its inhabitants. I know it is a lot of work,
and sometimes heartache, to farm without the use of pesticides and I really
appreciate all the extra time and work BGF puts in to accomplish this. Participating in the
CSA has allowed eating in season produce to become a habit rather than
something I need to spend a lot of time thinking about and planning.
Eating in season and supporting local farms means less transportation, less
refrigeration and less hot houses. But it also means eating produce at it’s tastiest!
A challenge for us at the beginning was how to plan things
to use all of what we were given each week, especially things that were
unfamiliar. At first it was easy to get caught up in trying to plan a
new dish with every new ingredient. Eventually I learned that this wasn’t a
requirement for enjoying the food. Sometimes simple works just as well and it’s
okay to be too tired after work to do something elaborate. Greens will get
added to salads, stir frys and ramen. Squashes and root veggies can get chopped
up and thrown into a stew or a pasta sauce. Green beans get blanched and frozen
and I add them to stews all through winter. Tomatoes sometimes get canned and
sometimes are used as an excuse to have BLT’s for a week straight. This year I
came up with a pretty lazy galette and it became my go to way to utilize
squashes and eggplant. I will try to put my “recipe” into a usable form below
as a guide.
It’s a pleasure being part of the BGF community and I love
having fresh produce available to me year round with both the CSA and VegEmail
options. BGF is a big part of the life I have built here in Iowa, and I truly
love every part of being a CSA member. I love to hear about what's happening at
the farm, I love the friendships I have made and I love to see the recipes that
all of you share on the community page!
Summer
Squash/Eggplant/Whatever & Ricotta Galette!
●
2 Squash (yellow, green, zucchini, whatever) or 2
eggplant...or 3...or 1 and some onions, whatever
●
Garlic cloves, however many you want, go wild
●
½ c Ricotta cheese, or more, but no less
●
Handful of whatever other cheese you’ve got lying
around. Mozzarella and/or parm are my favorites with the ricotta
●
Salt & pepper
●
Fresh herbs if you got ‘em - thyme and basil are
both great options
●
1 egg, beaten
●
1 sheet of puff pastry - you can also make your own
pie dough or use any prepared pie dough but really, just use puff pastry
because it is tasty
Preheat the oven to 400. If using puff
pastry it will need to thaw enough to unfold and roll some, this takes around
30 minutes or so. Cut your squash and/or eggplant into thin rounds and lay flat
on a towel or paper towel and sprinkle with salt to draw out the moisture. Wash
and slice your herbs. If using basil I think it is best to add it on top in the
last 5 minutes of cooking to keep it fresh and just wilt it some, for others I
chop and add to ricotta mixture. While the squash sits for 30 min you can mix
your ricotta, random cheese, egg and any fresh or dried herbs and seasoning. If
you are using onion and garlic these can be finely sliced to layer on raw with
the squash but I usually saute them briefly in a small amount of oil. Once the
oven is preheated and the pastry can be unfolded you may want to roll it out a
bit more to give me more space to work with depending on how much filling you
have. Once rolled, spread the cheese mixture onto the pastry leaving about 1 ½ “ around the sides.
Pat squash/eggplant dry and arrange on top of the cheese. Have fun making it
artful or not but do make it somewhat evenly layered. Then fold the sides up
over the mixture and pinch into place. Bake the whole mess for 25-35 minutes,
until the pastry is puffed and golden. Let cool or just burn your mouth and
enjoy!
A little detail on your produce this week:
I first met Jill at the Downtown Farmers’ Market shortly after moving to Iowa. The next summer I began volunteering at the booth a few times each season and signed up for the CSA. Photographing my weekly “haul” became a habit mainly so that I could share on social media with my friends and family in Florida. Over time I have gotten more into it, finding the best ways to use natural lighting and props to get everything into a compact framing. It has become part of my weekly CSA ritual now and sometimes I am already planning the layout in my head as I drive home! I have stuck with BGF for the variety of produce they offer, and the great respect and love that they show for the land and all of its inhabitants. I know it is a lot of work, and sometimes heartache, to farm without the use of pesticides and I really appreciate all the extra time and work BGF puts in to accomplish this. Participating in the CSA has allowed eating in season produce to become a habit rather than something I need to spend a lot of time thinking about and planning. Eating in season and supporting local farms means less transportation, less refrigeration and less hot houses. But it also means eating produce at it’s tastiest!
A challenge for us at the beginning was how to plan things to use all of what we were given each week, especially things that were unfamiliar. At first it was easy to get caught up in trying to plan a new dish with every new ingredient. Eventually I learned that this wasn’t a requirement for enjoying the food. Sometimes simple works just as well and it’s okay to be too tired after work to do something elaborate. Greens will get added to salads, stir frys and ramen. Squashes and root veggies can get chopped up and thrown into a stew or a pasta sauce. Green beans get blanched and frozen and I add them to stews all through winter. Tomatoes sometimes get canned and sometimes are used as an excuse to have BLT’s for a week straight. This year I came up with a pretty lazy galette and it became my go to way to utilize squashes and eggplant. I will try to put my “recipe” into a usable form below as a guide.
It’s a pleasure being part of the BGF community and I love having fresh produce available to me year round with both the CSA and VegEmail options. BGF is a big part of the life I have built here in Iowa, and I truly love every part of being a CSA member. I love to hear about what's happening at the farm, I love the friendships I have made and I love to see the recipes that all of you share on the community page!
Summer Squash/Eggplant/Whatever & Ricotta Galette!
●
2 Squash (yellow, green, zucchini, whatever) or 2
eggplant...or 3...or 1 and some onions, whatever
●
Garlic cloves, however many you want, go wild
●
½ c Ricotta cheese, or more, but no less
●
Handful of whatever other cheese you’ve got lying
around. Mozzarella and/or parm are my favorites with the ricotta
●
Salt & pepper
●
Fresh herbs if you got ‘em - thyme and basil are
both great options
●
1 egg, beaten
● 1 sheet of puff pastry - you can also make your own pie dough or use any prepared pie dough but really, just use puff pastry because it is tasty
Preheat the oven to 400. If using puff pastry it will need to thaw enough to unfold and roll some, this takes around 30 minutes or so. Cut your squash and/or eggplant into thin rounds and lay flat on a towel or paper towel and sprinkle with salt to draw out the moisture. Wash and slice your herbs. If using basil I think it is best to add it on top in the last 5 minutes of cooking to keep it fresh and just wilt it some, for others I chop and add to ricotta mixture. While the squash sits for 30 min you can mix your ricotta, random cheese, egg and any fresh or dried herbs and seasoning. If you are using onion and garlic these can be finely sliced to layer on raw with the squash but I usually saute them briefly in a small amount of oil. Once the oven is preheated and the pastry can be unfolded you may want to roll it out a bit more to give me more space to work with depending on how much filling you have. Once rolled, spread the cheese mixture onto the pastry leaving about 1 ½ “ around the sides. Pat squash/eggplant dry and arrange on top of the cheese. Have fun making it artful or not but do make it somewhat evenly layered. Then fold the sides up over the mixture and pinch into place. Bake the whole mess for 25-35 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and golden. Let cool or just burn your mouth and enjoy!
Acorn Squash: Acorn squash can be stored at room temperature for up to one month. It is so easy to bake. After washing the outside, slice in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and fiber, and place face down in a baking dish. Add a little water to avoid drying out and to speed up the cooking process. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes, until easily pierced with a fork.
Beans: Fresh beans are an easy "store." Just leave them in their plastic bag and keep them in the produce drawer. Can last up to 2 weeks.
Broccoli: 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.
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.
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."
Onions: can be stored on the countertop for quick use or in a mesh bag in a dark spot with good air circulation for longer storage.
Pears: These fruits are fully ripe and ready to be eaten. Simply wash and enjoy...maybe standing over the kitchen sink, they are that juicy! Store them in the refrigerator and use in the next few days. They will become overripe very quickly, especially if left at room temperature.
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.
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.
Tomatoes: prefer to reside on your counter and not in the refrigerator unless they have been sliced.
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.
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)
** 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.
 |
| Indigo, Luci & Sky |
