In this week’s box:
Choi: Prize (bundled greens with white stems)Garlic Scapes (green, curly bundle)Head LettuceLemon Balm (small, green, lemon-scented bunch)Napa CabbageStrawberriesTapestry Salad MixVivid Choi: green bundle with pink & purple stems
and perhaps one of the following: (please see **NOTE after "A Little Detail..." below)Asparagus (last of the season)Snow Peas
For those with the Herb It! option: Herb share will begin in a couple of weeks as herbs mature
Featured Recipes:
Lemon Balm Simple Syrup (delicious on strawberries!)Sausage Egg Roll in a Bowl (tasty without the sausage too)BGF Summer Herb Spritzer (see recipe below)
Choi: Prize (bundled greens with white stems)
Garlic Scapes (green, curly bundle)
Head Lettuce
Lemon Balm (small, green, lemon-scented bunch)
Napa Cabbage
Strawberries
Tapestry Salad Mix
Vivid Choi: green bundle with pink & purple stems
Asparagus (last of the season)
Snow Peas
For those with the Herb It! option: Herb share will begin in a couple of weeks as herbs mature
Featured Recipes:
Lemon Balm Simple Syrup (delicious on strawberries!)
Lemon Balm Simple Syrup (delicious on strawberries!)
Sausage Egg Roll in a Bowl (tasty without the sausage too)
BGF Summer Herb Spritzer (see recipe below)
What’s up on the farm?
Precipitation in the past week: 1.10"
It appears that while last week's theme was rain, this week's is the HEAT! No one is excited about this one, not the farmers, the crew, the animals nor least of all the early crops! This is going to bring a quick end to many of our early greens, so we are packing your boxes with as many as we can as it will be the last or only chance for you to try them, at least until fall. This includes the salad mix, Prize choi and Napa cabbage. 
Bolting greens, at least they're pretty
We were hoping to get at least another week's growth on them, but they are already starting to bolt (or flower) which will end their use as a food crop.
Hilled potatoes starting to bloom!
This past week we have been clearing the last of the early crops from the big high tunnel and all of our warm-weather crops are now tucked in and growing, including the last of the basil and sweet peppers.
Cultivating kittens
Much of last week was focused on cultivating crops whenever it was dry enough to do so. As well as getting the potatoes hilled for the first time. We were pleased with the rain for the crops' sake, but the weeds sure do take advantage of it.
This week everything is growing like crazy, including our monster head lettuces! My secret use of them is to snack on them like potato chips, I just pull off whole leaves and dip into a nice dish of homemade vinaigrette (see recipe above). The big surprise last week was the sudden ripening of the strawberries, and while we do love strawberries, they take a lot of time to harvest so we are spending quite a bit of time trying to stay ahead of those. Luckily (and sadly) the season is short so be sure to enjoy them while they are here!
Precipitation in the past week: 1.10"
It appears that while last week's theme was rain, this week's is the HEAT! No one is excited about this one, not the farmers, the crew, the animals nor least of all the early crops! This is going to bring a quick end to many of our early greens, so we are packing your boxes with as many as we can as it will be the last or only chance for you to try them, at least until fall. This includes the salad mix, Prize choi and Napa cabbage.
We were hoping to get at least another week's growth on them, but they are already starting to bolt (or flower) which will end their use as a food crop.
|
| Bolting greens, at least they're pretty |
|
| Hilled potatoes starting to bloom! |
This past week we have been clearing the last of the early crops from the big high tunnel and all of our warm-weather crops are now tucked in and growing, including the last of the basil and sweet peppers.
Much of last week was focused on cultivating crops whenever it was dry enough to do so. As well as getting the potatoes hilled for the first time. We were pleased with the rain for the crops' sake, but the weeds sure do take advantage of it.
|
| Cultivating kittens |
A little detail on your produce this week:
Asparagus: Keeps best stored upright in a glass with about 1" of water, in the refrigerator. Delicious raw or cooked.
Choi (a.k.a. - pac choi, bok choy or pok choy) is a member of the cabbage family and is a traditional Asian stir-fry vegetable. Both the stems and leaves of choi can be used and are especially tasty in cooked recipes. If cooking them, separate the leaves and stems, and begin cooking stems first to avoid overcooking the more tender greens. You can also use the leaves like any green-leafy vegetable and the stems like celery. We tend to use choi leaves as a sandwich wrap, or just roughly chop the whole thing and sauté with garlic and/or onion. Cook until stems are tender and dress with a little seasoned rice vinegar. Store choi loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in your produce drawer.
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 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. We also enjoyed them tossed whole in olive oil and grilled as a side dish.
Herbs:
Asparagus: Keeps best stored upright in a glass with about 1" of water, in the refrigerator. Delicious raw or cooked.
Choi (a.k.a. - pac choi, bok choy or pok choy) is a member of the cabbage family and is a traditional Asian stir-fry vegetable. Both the stems and leaves of choi can be used and are especially tasty in cooked recipes. If cooking them, separate the leaves and stems, and begin cooking stems first to avoid overcooking the more tender greens. You can also use the leaves like any green-leafy vegetable and the stems like celery. We tend to use choi leaves as a sandwich wrap, or just roughly chop the whole thing and sauté with garlic and/or onion. Cook until stems are tender and dress with a little seasoned rice vinegar. Store choi loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in your produce drawer.
Herbs:
Napa Cabbage:
Napa Cabbage:
Store Napa whole wrapped in a cotton or linen towel then in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to a week. These Napa are fairly immature and wont have a large formed head but are still tasty and can be used in any cabbage recipe.
Store Napa whole wrapped in a cotton or linen towel then in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to a week. These Napa are fairly immature and wont have a large formed head but are still tasty and can be used in any cabbage recipe.
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.
Strawberries keep best in your refrigerator in a vented container. Use within 3-4 days.
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? 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)
 |
| Luci & Sky |
BGF Summer Herb Spritzer
Besides pesto, this is one of our favorite ways to use herbs during warm weather. It is deceptively simple and delightfully refreshing! All you need is:
1 sprig of your favorite herb. Our favorites for this are lemon balm, lemon basil, lemon thyme, mint and anise hyssop.
ice cubes
plain seltzer water
Glass jar with leak-proof lid (or a martini shaker)
Place washed herb in the jar, add ice enough to fill 1/3 of jar. Secure lid and shake it, shake it, baby! A few vigorous shakes will do it, you are just trying to bruise the leaves and release the aromatic oils, not pulverize them.
Remove lid and top with seltzer. Enjoy! You could add a bit of your favorite sweetener, but I've never found it necessary.
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