BGF NEWS - June 28, 2022 - VOL. XLVIII, NO. 4

In this week’s box:

Baby Leeks

Celery: Chinese Pink

Choi: Beijing Express

Garlic Scapes

Ginger Mint

Head Lettuce

Kale Mix  (large mixed leaf bundle)

Snap Peas

Snow Peas

 

and perhaps one of the following: (please see **NOTE  after "A Little Detail..." below)

Cauliflower: Song

Cucumber: Marketmore or Suyo Long

Summer Squash: 8 Ball, Golden Glory, Slik Pik, Zephyr or Patty Pan.

For those with the Herb It! option: Genovese basil, bronze fennel, lemon thyme

Featured Recipes:  
Kale with Leeks

Pea and Mint Pesto

Grilled Garlic Scapes and Summer Squash/

What’s up on the farm?

Precipitation in the past week: 1.2"

Rain, sweet rain, was the theme last week! We got just exactly what we needed, just as the crops were really starting to ask for it. Perfect timing though it made for a very soggy Friday harvest!

Since we talked about the crops last week that were about to make an appearance, this week they are doing just that! We harvested the first of the cucumbers, summer squash and cauliflower this week and are sending them out into as many boxes as possible today. There won't be enough for everyone yet, but we promise to keep track and do our best to ensure that everyone gets all the offerings over the course of the season. 

We're pretty excited about some of the other items going out today as well. Beijing Express, is a new choi for us and the seed company recommends its use as a replacement for romaine in Cesar salads, which I though was interesting. 

Another crop that has come along nicely is our Chinese pink celery. It is such a beautiful celery and tasty too! It isn't really the kind of celery that you stuff with peanut butter, as the ribs are so fine, but it is lovely sliced on a salad or sautéed in butter and cooked with eggs or other vegetables. We hope you enjoy these new appearances this week.

Besides harvesting, the main tasks this past week were cultivating, cultivating & cultivating! Trying to stay ahead of the weeds this time of year is a never-ending battle. We also started pruning the tomatoes ahead of trellising them. We got a little over half-way through the nearly 900 plants. We hope to complete that task later this week so we can start trellising early next week.

A little detail on your produce this week:

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.

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.

Cucumber: Store unwashed cucumbers wrapped in a cotton towel then 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.

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: Besides basil, most herbs keep best standing upright in a glass of water in your refrigerator with a loose plastic bag over the top. To use, simply pull a stem between your fingers and the leaves usually shear off. Chop with a sharp knife and add to your favorite recipes.

Leeks: Loosely wrap unwashed leeks in a plastic bag and store them in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator. They will keep for at least a week. Cut the leek about 1 inch above the white part, where the leaves begin changing from dark to light green. (Save the unused greens; they’ll give great flavor to your next vegetable stock.) Fan the leaves under running water to dislodge any dirt collected there, then pat thoroughly dry. You can julienne a leek by cutting it lengthwise, or slice it crosswise.

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.

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