In this week’s box:
Basil: Genovese or Lettuce LeafCarrots: Rainbow MixChoi: Beijing ExpressCucumber: asstGolden Oyster MushroomsGreen Top Onions: CandyHead Lettuce: asstPurslaneSummer Squash: asst
and at least one of the following: (please see **NOTE after "A Little Detail..." below)Beans: Provider (green) & Carson (yellow) MixBroccoli: Belstar or ImperialCauliflower: Snow Crown or SongEggplant: Orient Express
Okra: Bowling Red and CandlefireSnap PeasSnow Peas
Herb It! option: Basil: Sweet Thai, savory, garlic chivesBread Share: Tavern Fare
Basil: Genovese or Lettuce Leaf
Carrots: Rainbow Mix
Choi: Beijing Express
Cucumber: asst
Golden Oyster Mushrooms
Green Top Onions: Candy
Head Lettuce: asst
Purslane
Summer Squash: asst
Beans: Provider (green) & Carson (yellow) Mix
Broccoli: Belstar or Imperial
Cauliflower: Snow Crown or Song
Eggplant: Orient ExpressOkra: Bowling Red and Candlefire
Snap Peas
Snow Peas
Herb It! option: Basil: Sweet Thai, savory, garlic chives
Bread Share: Tavern Fare
What’s up on the farm?
Precipitation in the past week: 0.15"
Well, it certainly feels like July on the farm this week! We are spending lots of time watering all the things; plants, animals and humans alike. In between all that hydrating we've gotten some big seasonal tasks crossed off the list.
The tomatoes are finally all trellised, which starts by pounding in more than 700 posts. That isn't anyone's favorite day, but with some help by The Tall Farmer, we got it done! Then all the plants are woven to the posts with twine. We start with 2 levels of twine and add more as the plants grow taller. It's more work than using tomato cages, but we find it much easier to harvest and our plants are healthier with this method.
The other huge task was harvesting this year's garlic crop. All 3,600 heads are pulled by hand (or dug with a garden fork if they are stuck) and stacked in bundles of 10 in the field.
Then each bundle is wrapped with a twine loop and carried to the utility vehicle. Once full, we drive them to the packing barn and hang them from the rafters and loft railings where they will stay until they are fully cured. It's a huge amount of physical work in challenging conditions (the loft was about 115° yesterday) but mid-task popsicles help and the knowledge that we love garlic and only have to do this once a year!
Amid these big projects we've also been cultivating, clearing spent crops, harvesting and sowing fall crops like: turnips, carrots, daikon, choi, lettuce and more broccoli. The transplants we sowed a couple of weeks ago are growing like champs (all except the broccoli, which is why we sowed more). Most will be ready for planting in another week or so.
You'll notice in the box contents at the top of the newsletter, the list of "Perhaps one of the following..." is getting really long. That is an indication of the new mid-season crops starting to produce, but we aren't getting enough to include in all the boxes yet. We are excited this week to add beans and broccoli to the list. We look forward to both of those crops producing for many weeks to come! We learned a new recipe this past weekend from our friend Dana at Scattergood Friends School. She tossed cauliflower florets in olive oil with a bit of salt and oven roasted them until they were moderately browned and tender. As they came out of the oven, she sprinkled them lightly with a good natural cheese powder. They were absolutely delicious! I think the same could be done with broccoli with equally tasty results. Give it a try!
Precipitation in the past week: 0.15"
Well, it certainly feels like July on the farm this week! We are spending lots of time watering all the things; plants, animals and humans alike. In between all that hydrating we've gotten some big seasonal tasks crossed off the list.
The tomatoes are finally all trellised, which starts by pounding in more than 700 posts. That isn't anyone's favorite day, but with some help by The Tall Farmer, we got it done! Then all the plants are woven to the posts with twine. We start with 2 levels of twine and add more as the plants grow taller. It's more work than using tomato cages, but we find it much easier to harvest and our plants are healthier with this method.
Then each bundle is wrapped with a twine loop and carried to the utility vehicle. Once full, we drive them to the packing barn and hang them from the rafters and loft railings where they will stay until they are fully cured. It's a huge amount of physical work in challenging conditions (the loft was about 115° yesterday) but mid-task popsicles help and the knowledge that we love garlic and only have to do this once a year!
Amid these big projects we've also been cultivating, clearing spent crops, harvesting and sowing fall crops like: turnips, carrots, daikon, choi, lettuce and more broccoli. The transplants we sowed a couple of weeks ago are growing like champs (all except the broccoli, which is why we sowed more). Most will be ready for planting in another week or so.You'll notice in the box contents at the top of the newsletter, the list of "Perhaps one of the following..." is getting really long. That is an indication of the new mid-season crops starting to produce, but we aren't getting enough to include in all the boxes yet. We are excited this week to add beans and broccoli to the list. We look forward to both of those crops producing for many weeks to come! We learned a new recipe this past weekend from our friend Dana at Scattergood Friends School. She tossed cauliflower florets in olive oil with a bit of salt and oven roasted them until they were moderately browned and tender. As they came out of the oven, she sprinkled them lightly with a good natural cheese powder. They were absolutely delicious! I think the same could be done with broccoli with equally tasty results. Give it a try!
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.
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 & 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 you soak broccoli or cauliflower in salt water before storing, it will become too rubbery and wilted to enjoy.)
Carrots: These "mid-season" carrots are a little different than the candy-sweet gems of cool weather carrots. They are a little more strongly flavored, a little earthy. This makes them perfect for cooking and more complicated recipes, as some might not love them for fresh eating. Remove the leafy green tops, leaving about an inch of stems. Refrigerate dry, unwashed carrots in a plastic bag for two weeks or longer. Peel carrots or scrub carrots well with a stiff brush just before using. Trim off any green spots, which can taste bitter. When slicing or chopping carrots for cooking, be sure to make all the pieces relatively the same size; this will ensure an evenly cooked dish. Greens can be added to soup stock for flavor.
Cucumber: Store unwashed cucumbers 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.
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. Many people like to peel, salt, and drain their eggplant to draw out any bitter flavor; however, bitterness develops only in eggplant that has been stored for a while, so with farm-fresh specimens this is generally not necessary. Many recipes call for salting in order to make the vegetable less watery and more absorbent—much like draining tofu. Salting is not an essential step, but it can greatly enhance the taste and texture of your dish and is well worth the extra effort.
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 you soak broccoli or cauliflower in salt water before storing, it will become too rubbery and wilted to enjoy.)
Carrots: These "mid-season" carrots are a little different than the candy-sweet gems of cool weather carrots. They are a little more strongly flavored, a little earthy. This makes them perfect for cooking and more complicated recipes, as some might not love them for fresh eating. Remove the leafy green tops, leaving about an inch of stems. Refrigerate dry, unwashed carrots in a plastic bag for two weeks or longer. Peel carrots or scrub carrots well with a stiff brush just before using. Trim off any green spots, which can taste bitter. When slicing or chopping carrots for cooking, be sure to make all the pieces relatively the same size; this will ensure an evenly cooked dish. Greens can be added to soup stock for flavor.
Cucumber: Store unwashed cucumbers 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.
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. Many people like to peel, salt, and drain their eggplant to draw out any bitter flavor; however, bitterness develops only in eggplant that has been stored for a while, so with farm-fresh specimens this is generally not necessary. Many recipes call for salting in order to make the vegetable less watery and more absorbent—much like draining tofu. Salting is not an essential step, but it can greatly enhance the taste and texture of your dish and is well worth the extra effort.
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."
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.
Purslane: Considered an invasive weed in many gardens, purslane is a valued green in many parts of the world.
The plant is rich in vitamin E, vitamin C and beta carotene, and quite high in protein. Most noteworthy of all, it is considered a better source of essential omega-3 fatty acids than any other leafy plant. Enjoy raw or cooked in any recipe calling for greens. Store in a paper towel-lined plastic bag in your crisper drawer and use within a week.
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. These do not need to be peeled to use, just slice them up and go!
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.
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.
The plant is rich in vitamin E, vitamin C and beta carotene, and quite high in protein. Most noteworthy of all, it is considered a better source of essential omega-3 fatty acids than any other leafy plant. Enjoy raw or cooked in any recipe calling for greens. Store in a paper towel-lined plastic bag in your crisper drawer and use within a week.
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)
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| Luci & Sky |
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