BGF NEWS - August 29, 2023 - VOL. 50, NO. 12

IN THIS WEEK’S BOX:

Bean Mix: Empress (green) & Carson (yellow)

Cucumbers: Corinto, Generally, Lemon, Marketmore, Nokya or Sashimi 

Edamame: Chiba Green

Garlic: Northern White

Hot Peppers: Wenk's (small bag)

Jubilee Cherry Tomato Mix: see 8/1 newsletter for descriptions

Kale: asst.

Onions: Red

Peppers: Sweet, see 8/15 newsletter for descriptions

Tomatoes: So many tomatoes! see 8/1 for descriptions. 

 

and perhaps one of the following:

Okra: Bowling Red & Candle Fire

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

Herb It! option: Sweet Basil, Roselle, Parsley

Bread Share: Tomato Basil

Featured Recipes:

Edamame Salsa

Fresh Tomato Salsa

Roasted Tomato Salsa

Okra Corn Salsa

Mezair (Cutting Board Salsa) BGF Favorite **see below, 

BGF Balsamic Tomato Salsa, new BGF favorite **see below

WHAT’S UP ON THE FARM?

Precipitation in the past week: 0.08"

Welcome to our annual Salsa Box! Or Sauce Box if you prefer. Every year when the tomato harvest is at it's heaviest, we "stuff" as many of them into the boxes as possible to give folks the opportunity to stock up on some salsa or sauce. We try to include recipes to appeal to lots of difference salsa tastes, but always include our favorite: Mezair (a fresh Kurdish salsa).  As many of you may know, the "FarmHer-in-charge" isn't particularly fond of cilantro so we always substitute parsley/par-cel or mint and sometimes sorrel in our salsa recipes. If you have the same issue, we encourage you to try one of these alternatives. If you do like cilantro, well, that's ok too.

We are very thankful for cooler temperatures this week, last week was a bit rough on the farm with the temps hovering around 100°. 

The farm crew was sent home early most of the week and what time we did have was largely taken up harvesting and trying to keep everything/everyone alive. We did get some spent crops cleared and some of the fall crops cultivated.  The irrigation system ran nearly non-stop.

This week we have gotten most of the remaining field fall crops transplanted and the next series of seeded crops sown. The "to-be-planted" list is getting shorter and shorter!

We weren't the only ones offended by the high temps, as predicted, the heat pretty much finished off the cucumbers and summer squash for the season. They produced admirably throughout a challenging season, so we can't complain too much, but we are sorry to see them go. 

The harbingers of fall are starting to appear around the farm, The trees have lost their vibrant greens and are now looking faded and almost hazy. The fall yellows are blooming throughout the countryside, native sunflowers and goldenrod, often topped with the dance of butterflies and other pollinators. 

But the real standout sign for me was sighted a couple of days ago, the first blooms on the New England Aster. My grandpa always called these "frost flowers" and claimed that the first frost was due 2 weeks after the first frost flower bloomed. I'm hoping this was just a "scout" for the local aster population and that we are still many weeks away from first frost, but you just never know. 

Speaking of fall milestones, I've started getting questions about the end of the CSA season. We are now on week 12 of a 20 week season. We anticipate the final delivery of the season will be Tuesday, Oct 24. Don't worry, we won't leave you trapped at the mercy of grocery stores after that. VegEmail continues throughout the winter to ensure you have access to local foods throughout the year!

A LITTLE DETAIL ON YOUR PRODUCE THIS WEEK:

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.

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.

Edamame: (vegetable or green soy beans): Store beans on or off the branches in a bag in the crisper drawer and use within 1 week.  To use, separate beans from branches and cook in salted, boiling water in the pods or shelled, depending on how you plan to use them. In case this is a new vegetable for you, the pods of edamame are not edible, so be sure to shell them before eating. The traditional way to enjoy them is to pull the cooked pod through your teeth, popping the beans into your mouth.

Garlic & Onions: Fully cured garlic and onions don't require refrigeration. For longest storage, keep in a dark place with good airflow. Once cut, store in the refrigerator.

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."

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. These do not need to be peeled to use, just slice them up and go!

Tomatoes: always store whole tomatoes at room temperature, out of direct sunlight. Once cut, store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

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)

Mezair

(Cutting Board Salsa, from Kurdistan)

1 lg clove garlic

2 to 3 jalapeños, seeded (or other hot peppers)

½ c. lightly packed, chopped flat-leaf parlsey

3 to 4 tbs chopped fresh mint

1 pound ripe tomatoes

¼ tsp salt

juice of 1 lemon

On a large cutting board, mince the garlic and the peppers. Add the parsley and mint and chop. Slice and then chop the tomatoes, adding them to the other ingredients. Mix as you continue to chop by turning the salsa with the flat of your knife or cleaver. Mix in the salt. Transfer the salsa to a small serving bowl and blend in the lemon juice, The salsa will be quite runny.

Makes approximately 2 cups salsa.

Recipe source: Flatbreads and Flavors by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid

BGF Balsamic Tomato Salsa

3-4 tomatoes
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 medium clove garlic, minced

1 small shallot, minced

1 Wenk's Yellow Hot pepper, seeded and minced
1 tsp finely chopped fresh oregano
2tbs finely chopped fresh basil
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Stir it all together for a chunky salsa, but I really love it pureed right in the mixing bowl with my immersion blender. You can use a blender or food processor as well. I think this version really melds the flavors beautifully. 

Recipe source: BGF, based on the Balsamic Tomato Salad recipe from Smitten Kitchen 

BGF NEWS - August 22, 2023 - VOL. 50, NO. 11

IN THIS WEEK’S BOX:

Basil: Sweet

Bean Mix: Empress (green) & Carson (yellow)

Carrots: Rainbow Mix

Chard: Rainbow

Cucumbers: Corinto, Generally, Lemon, Marketmore, Nokya or Sashimi 

Eggplant: Orient Express, Asian Delight and/or Listada

Jubilee Cherry Tomato Mix: see 8/1 newsletter for descriptions

Peppers: Sweet, see 8/15 newsletter for descriptions

Scallions

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

Tomatoes: see 8/1 newsletter for descriptions

 

and perhaps one of the following:
Cantaloupe: Hannah's Choice

Okra: Bowling Red & Candle Fire

Watermelon: Sugar Baby (red) or Early Moonbeam (yellow)

Herb It! option: Purple basil, garlic chives, lovage

Bread Share: 7-Grain

Featured Recipes:

Simple Garlic Basil Carrots

Ginger Soy Glazed Beans and Peppers

Easy Panzanella Salad

Roasted Ratatouille Pasta

WHAT’S UP ON THE FARM?

Precipitation in the past week: 0.00"

You probably won't be surprised to hear that it's HOT on the farm this week...and all over the Midwest. Our recent temperatures coming into this week have been so pleasant that it rather ruined us for 90°-100° weather. Ah well, it is late August and as of the end of this month, the average temperatures do start to drop, so there's hope! The fall crops that we've been working so hard to get planted would really appreciate some cooler temps, as would the other crops, crew,  animals, farmers and everyone else, I'm sure. We are back to our irrigation rotation for sure and just trying to keep everyone alive out here.

The heat will probably be the death knell for some of the crops that were already slowing down like cucumbers and summer squash. While we're sad to see them go, they have stuck around longer this season than they do many years, so we appreciate that. The current crop of lettuce is definitely offended by the weather and has been added to the "clear it" list of crops along with the early turnips. The early bean crop is done and was cleared last week, but the later successions are going strong for now. 

We made an early morning push to get all the carrots and beets harvested over the past few days to be sure they would be tucked happily in the cooler for the hottest weather.

The new crop of cantaloupe is sadly failing fast. There are just too many stresses on it right now, but the watermelon is going crazy! 

All the sudden they are ALL ripening at the same time! We'll do what we can to get them out to you as soon as possible, but it is a bit of a logistical challenge moving nearly 50 watermelons to our pick-ups along with the CSA boxes. Time to roll out the cargo van again!

The one thing that is LOVING this heat is the popcorn! Most of the ears were done filling, so it's growing season is done and now we move to drying time and this is the weather for it! I swear you can almost see the husks turning brown. Looks like it will be an early popcorn harvest this year.

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.

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.

Cantaloupe: If your cantaloupe seems a bit short of ripe, keep it at room temperature for a few days or until there is a sweet smell coming from the stem end. Once the melon ripens, store it in the refrigerator. It is best not to cut a cantaloupe until you are ready to eat it. If you need to return cut melon to the refrigerator, do not remove the seeds from the remaining sections as they keep the flesh from drying out. Use within 3-5 days.

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.

Edamame: (vegetable or green soy beans): Store beans on or off the branches in a bag in the crisper drawer and use within 1 week.  To use, separate beans from branches and cook in salted, boiling water in the pods or shelled, depending on how you plan to use them. In case this is a new vegetable for you, the pods of edamame are not edible, so be sure to shell them before eating. The traditional way to enjoy them is to pull the cooked pod through your teeth, popping the beans into your mouth.

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. 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. The shape of an eggplant determines how it is best prepared. Slice a straight, narrow eggplant into rounds for grilling or broiling, and cut a rounded, bulbous eggplant into cubes for stews and stir-fries.

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."

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. These do not need to be peeled to use, just slice them up and go!

Tomatoes: always store whole tomatoes at room temperature, out of direct sunlight. Once cut, store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Watermelon: Handle watermelons carefully. When harvested at their peak ripeness, they can crack or split easily if bumped or roughly handled. Refrigerate watermelons right away. (Watermelons do not ripen off the vine and do not emanate a ripe smell.) Cut melon should be covered in plastic wrap, chunks or slices should be kept in an airtight container, and both should be refrigerated. Eat all melons 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)

BGF NEWS - August 15, 2023 - VOL. 50, NO. 10

IN THIS WEEK’S BOX:

Bean Mix: Empress (green) & Carson (yellow)

Celery: Tango

Cucumbers: Corinto, Generally, Lemon, Marketmore, Nokya or Sashimi 

Edamame: Biei

Eggplant: Orient Express, Asian Delight and/or Listada

Garlic: Northern White

Head Lettuce: asst.

Jubilee Cherry Tomato Mix: see 8/1 newsletter for descriptions

Peppers: Sweet, see descriptions below

Potatoes: Kennebec

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

Tomatoes: see 8/1 newsletter for descriptions

 

and perhaps one of the following:
Cantaloupe: Minnesota Midget

Okra: Bowling Red & Candle Fire

Herb It! option: Cardinal basil, peppermint & rosemary

Bread Share: Giant Cinnamon Rolls

Featured Recipes:

Greek Potatoes and Celery

Thai Sesame Edamame

Balsamic Tomato Salad (FarmHer recommended!)

WHAT’S UP ON THE FARM?

Precipitation in the past week: 0.05"

Week 10! It's hard to believe we are half way through the CSA season already. It always comes as a bit of a shock to me but here we are!

This week was ALL about potatoes! Well, not really, but it felt like it. We pushed hard to get all the remaining potatoes harvested before the rain, and then it didn't rain. Oh well, at least the crop is in, and what a crop it is! Given the drought and the fact that we don't irrigate potatoes we really expected a disappointing harvest. We were pleasantly surprised and honestly a little alarmed at what came in. Not only did the potatoes look good but we brought in 2,990 pounds, beating last year's total by 800 pounds!!  Holy potatoes, Batman! So needless to say, we are sending out potatoes this week, just so we don't have to store them all :)

We also harvested all of the onions and shallots for the season. Those weren't all quite as prolific as the potatoes, but it was a solid showing during a tough season. Now we just have to get them all cured so that we can store them.

We're pleased to report that the peppers are recovering from the hailstorms and we started harvesting ripe sweet peppers a little over a week ago. It's always a bit of a slow start but now that they are rolling it's time to meet the sweet peppers:

Ace- green to red bell, thin walled
Carmen-green to red Italian pepper (long, pointed)
Delite Mix-red, orange and yellow mini peppers

Escamillo-green to yellow Italian pepper (long, pointed)
Golden Star-big, thick-walled, blocky green to yellow bell 

Islander- purple to reddish-orange bell

Red Knight-large, thick walled green to red bell
Snowball-Ivory to red bell

The tomatoes, however, are still suffering from the hailstorms. 

You will likely notice cosmetic damage on the them again this week. We are sending out the best fruits we have, and this is it. Sadly the plants are showing disease stress from all the earlier hail damage so it will probably be a short tomato season. Enjoy them while you can!

A couple of other fun things heading out in boxes this week include edamame and celery! This is the best looking crop of edamame we've had in years and although they take a bit of work on your end, we hope you enjoy them. It's the first time we've grown traditional celery and we are very pleased with it so far. We think the taste is really wonderful, not the wishy-washy stuff you get in the grocery store, but also not so strongly flavored that you can't enjoy it plain as a snack. Don't forget that the leaves are useful too, use in place of parsley or cilantro in recipes.

A little detail on your produce this week:

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.

Cantaloupe: If your cantaloupe seems a bit short of ripe, keep it at room temperature for a few days or until there is a sweet smell coming from the stem end. Once the melon ripens, store it in the refrigerator. It is best not to cut a cantaloupe until you are ready to eat it. If you need to return cut melon to the refrigerator, do not remove the seeds from the remaining sections as they keep the flesh from drying out. Use within 3-5 days.

Celery: Separate leaves and stems for best storage. Leaves (with thin stems) can be stored like herbs in a glass of water in your refrigerator or in a zip-top plastic bag. Main stems keep best wrapped in aluminum foil and placed in your crisper drawer.

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.

Edamame: (vegetable or green soy beans): Store beans on or off the branches in a bag in the crisper drawer and use within 1 week.  To use, separate beans from branches and cook in salted, boiling water in the pods or shelled, depending on how you plan to use them. In case this is a new vegetable for you, the pods of edamame are not edible, so be sure to shell them before eating. The traditional way to enjoy them is to pull the cooked pod through your teeth, popping the beans into your mouth.

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. 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. The shape of an eggplant determines how it is best prepared. Slice a straight, narrow eggplant into rounds for grilling or broiling, and cut a rounded, bulbous eggplant into cubes for stews and stir-fries.

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."

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.

Potatoes: Keep unwashed potatoes in a cool, dark, dry place, such as a loosely closed paper bag in a cupboard. They will keep for weeks at room temperature, longer if you can provide their ideal temperature of 40 to 50 degrees. Beware: the low temperature of your refrigerator will convert the starch to sugars. So refrigerated potatoes should be brought to room temperature for at least 24 hours before using. Moisture causes potatoes to spoil, light turns them green, and proximity to onions causes them to sprout. (You can still use a potato that has sprouted, however; simply cut off the “eyes” before use.) Scrub potatoes well and cut off any sprouts or green skin. (Clean delicate new potatoes gently.) Peeling is a matter of preference. Cut potatoes according to your recipe. If baking a whole potato, be sure to prick the skin in at least a few places to allow steam to escape.

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!

Tomatoes: always store whole tomatoes at room temperature, out of direct sunlight. Once cut, store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

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)

BGF NEWS - August 8, 2023 - VOL. 50, NO. 9

IN THIS WEEK’S BOX:

Bean Mix: Empress (green) & Carson (yellow)

Beets: Cylindra

Cucumbers: Corinto, Generally, Lemon, Marketmore, Nokya or Sashimi 

Eggplant: Orient Express, Asian Delight and/or Listada

Fennel

Head Lettuce: asst.

Jubilee Cherry Tomato Mix: see 8/1 newsletter for descriptions

Onion: Candy

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

Tomatoes: see 8/1 newsletter for descriptions

 

and perhaps one of the following:
Cantaloupe: Minnesota Midget

Okra: Bowling Red & Candle Fire

Herb It! option: Sweet Basil, Sage, Lemon Verbena

Bread Share: Honey Oat

Featured Recipes:

Beet Fennel Salad

Roasted Beet and Fennel Hummus

Quick Pickled Cucumbers & Onions (and other veg)

Roasted Cherry Tomato Pasta

WHAT’S UP ON THE FARM?

Precipitation in the past week: 1.6"

What a difference a week makes, again! The temps have dropped, we got another shot of rain and crops and everything seems to be putting on a growth spurt. The crew got a lot of the fall crops transplanted this past week including cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, kale and chard. There is still more to go, but we need to clear out some more early crops to make space for them. The beets we are sending out this week are part of that rotation. They are taking up space we need for fall broccoli (and they are QUITE large enough) so out they go! We know they are ridiculously large, but they are still tender and delicious, so we hope you enjoy them. We also started seeding some of the fall crops for the high tunnels this week. It's hard to believe that it's time for those sowings, but the calendar insists it is so.

Amid fall crop chores, we are trying to stay ahead of the mid season harvesting. The tomatoes have really started pumping out the fruits and we are coming to the end of the hail damaged ones, though you will likely notice some cosmetic damage on some of them in your boxes yet this week. 

The cucumbers are slowing down a bit as the high temps a couple of week's ago sterilized their pollen. That and the cucumber beetles are definitely making a dent. The summer squash too are slowly phasing out, so remember to enjoy them while they are here! The peppers seemed to be unfazed by the heat and have finally started ripening. They will likely start appearing in boxes next week. 

The mini cantaloupe seem to have finally peaked. I think this is the most we've ever had at one time. We'll send out what we have and look forward to the next variety which isn't quite ready yet. We did harvest the first watermelon today and the crew deemed it acceptable. Both of the melons are probably still 1-2 weeks away from any significant harvest, but they are coming!

While we are celebrating the return of the rain, it would be extra helpful if it could avoid raining any more on our potatoes and onions. Those crops are finished growing (for the most part) and really need to be harvested. The soil is too wet to dig potatoes, but we were able to get some of the onions and shallots harvested and hung to dry. Hopefully we will dry out enough to dig potatoes later this week.

A little detail on your produce this week:

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.

Beets- Cut off greens, leaving an inch of stem. Refrigerate the unwashed greens in a closed plastic bag and use with your chard mix as beets and chard are closely related. Store the beet roots, unwashed, with the rootlets (or “tails”) attached, in a plastic bag in the crisper bin of your refrigerator. They will keep for several weeks, but their sweetness diminishes with time. Just before cooking, scrub beets well and remove any scraggly leaves and rootlets. If your recipe calls for raw beets, peel them with a knife or vegetable peeler, then grate or cut according to your needs baby/young beets usually don't need to be peeled.

Cantaloupe: If your cantaloupe seems a bit short of ripe, keep it at room temperature for a few days or until there is a sweet smell coming from the stem end. Once the melon ripens, store it in the refrigerator. It is best not to cut a cantaloupe until you are ready to eat it. If you need to return cut melon to the refrigerator, do not remove the seeds from the remaining sections as they keep the flesh from drying out. Use within 3-5 days.

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: 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. The shape of an eggplant determines how it is best prepared. Slice a straight, narrow eggplant into rounds for grilling or broiling, and cut a rounded, bulbous eggplant into cubes for stews and stir-fries.

Fennel: Cut off the stalks where they emerge from the bulb. To use the feathery foliage as an herb, place the dry stalks upright in a glass filled with two inches of water, cover the glass loosely with a plastic bag, and store in the refrigerator for up to five days. The unwashed bulb will keep in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for at least a week. To use, remove any damaged spots or layers. Cut the bulb in half lengthwise and check the inner core. If it’s tough, remove it with a paring knife. Fennel should be washed carefully, because dirt can lodge between the layers of the bulb. Chop or mince the leaves.

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: Now mostly cured, these onions can be stored on the countertop for quick use. For longer storage, keep in a dark location with good air circulation, but don't refrigerate until cut open. 

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!

Tomatoes: always store whole tomatoes at room temperature, out of direct sunlight. Once cut, store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

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)