IN THIS WEEK’S BOX:
Beets: Cylindra
Cherry Tomato Mix: see 8/1 newsletter for descriptionsGround CherriesHead Lettuce: asstKale: asst.Peppers: Sweet, see 8/15 newsletter for descriptionsScallionsTomatoes, the last hurrah!Watermelon Radish
and perhaps one of the following:
Broccoli Florets (with edible leaves)Okra, the last hurrah!
Herb It! option: Sweet Basil, Parsley, Tarragon
Bread Share: Cinnamon RollsBroccoli Florets (with edible leaves)
Featured Recipes:BGF Favorite Kale Salad **see recipe below
WHAT’S UP ON THE FARM?
Precipitation in the past week: 1.3"
A couple of rain showers over the past week made a big difference for our fall crops. We can keep them alive with irrigation water, but natural rain is a whole different element in the life of a plant.We took the soggy opportunity to retire the remaining pepper crops from the big high tunnel and replace them with a variety of greens including arugula, salad mix, tatsoi and choi. 
There's just one more bed in the big tunnel and 2 in the small tunnel that need to be rotated to winter crops, but as 2 of those beds are basil, we are loath to pull them out yet. It's tough to remove crops that are still producing, even if slowly, but if we don't do it in a timely manner, it means the following crop will be delayed.
This will likely be the final delivery of slicing tomatoes. They've been on borrowed time for weeks now and it's time for them to go. We expect to be able to send out cherry tomatoes one more time before we bid tomato season farewell.
A couple of fun additions to the CSA boxes this week include a little taste of ground cherries, one of our favorite fruits and a little preview of watermelon radishes. The ground cherries really struggled this year and so we haven't had enough to send out until now, and even this is just a small container, but we wanted to share them, even if it's only a snack size. Our favorite way to eat them is just to pull back the husk and bite the fruit off with our teeth. The watermelon radish is normally a late fall crop for us, but the seeds germinated so well that the bed needed to be thinned, so we're sending them out to you. They are packing a little more heat now than they will when the weather cools down a bit more, but you can reduce the heat by peeling and or cooking them. We also like them as a quick pickle in the fridge.
Upcoming Dates to Note:Tues, Oct. 24: Final CSA deliverySat, Oct. 28: Final Saturday VegEmail delivery Tues, Nov. 7: Fall VegEmail schedule begins, delivery every 2 weeks.
Featured Recipes:
Precipitation in the past week: 1.3"
A couple of fun additions to the CSA boxes this week include a little taste of ground cherries, one of our favorite fruits and a little preview of watermelon radishes. The ground cherries really struggled this year and so we haven't had enough to send out until now, and even this is just a small container, but we wanted to share them, even if it's only a snack size. Our favorite way to eat them is just to pull back the husk and bite the fruit off with our teeth. The watermelon radish is normally a late fall crop for us, but the seeds germinated so well that the bed needed to be thinned, so we're sending them out to you. They are packing a little more heat now than they will when the weather cools down a bit more, but you can reduce the heat by peeling and or cooking them. We also like them as a quick pickle in the fridge.
A LITTLE DETAIL ON YOUR PRODUCE THIS WEEK:
Beets: 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.
Broccoli: Wrap broccoli loosely in a plastic bag and keep it in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator for up to a week. Immediately before cooking, soak broccoli, 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 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.
Ground Cherries: These are a husked fruit, related to a tomatillo. The husks and fruit start out light green and ripen to a golden/apricot color inside when ready to eat and the husks will be completely dry and papery. They store for several weeks to a month on the counter if the husks is still sealed, and they wont ripen outside of the husk. To enjoy, remove husks and eat as a snack, in salads , desserts or combined with cherry tomatoes in a pasta dish.
Beets: 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.
Broccoli: Wrap broccoli loosely in a plastic bag and keep it in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator for up to a week. Immediately before cooking, soak broccoli, 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 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.
Ground Cherries: These are a husked fruit, related to a tomatillo. The husks and fruit start out light green and ripen to a golden/apricot color inside when ready to eat and the husks will be completely dry and papery. They store for several weeks to a month on the counter if the husks is still sealed, and they wont ripen outside of the husk. To enjoy, remove husks and eat as a snack, in salads , desserts or combined with cherry tomatoes in a pasta dish.
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.
Radishes: Store best wrapped in a cotton towel or in a plastic bag. Peel if skin is tough or to reduce the heat a bit. Otherwise just wash and enjoy.
Scallions (green onions)- are best kept upright in a glass with about 1" of water in it, more like flowers than vegetables. Loosely cover the tops with plastic and you will be amazed at how long they will keep. We like to throw a handful of chopped scallions into nearly any savory dish, right near the end of the cooking time.
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's Favorite Kale Salad
Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings
2 tablespoons fresh roselle calyxes (seeded and chopped) or dried cranberries or cherries5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided
3 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 bunches kale (about 1 pound), center ribs and stems removed, leaves thinly sliced crosswise
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds, (if using salted, cut down on the 1tsp salt above)
Parmesan cheese shavings
Place cranberries/cherries in small bowl; add balsamic vinegar, seasoned rice vinegar, honey oil and salt and allow to soak several hours (overnight is even better). If using roselle, you can skip this step and use without soaking. Just combine dressing ingredients and set aside.
Place kale in a large bowl, add cranberry mixture (or roselle & dressing mix) and toss to coat. Let marinate 20 minutes at room temperature, tossing occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cheese shavings and sunflower seeds just before serving.
Recipe Source: adapted from an epicurious recipe by Dan Barber
BGF's Favorite Kale Salad
Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings
2 tablespoons fresh roselle calyxes (seeded and chopped) or dried cranberries or cherries
5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided
3 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 bunches kale (about 1 pound), center ribs and stems removed, leaves thinly sliced crosswise
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds, (if using salted, cut down on the 1tsp salt above)
Parmesan cheese shavings
Place cranberries/cherries in small bowl; add balsamic vinegar, seasoned rice vinegar, honey oil and salt and allow to soak several hours (overnight is even better). If using roselle, you can skip this step and use without soaking. Just combine dressing ingredients and set aside.
Place kale in a large bowl, add cranberry mixture (or roselle & dressing mix) and toss to coat. Let marinate 20 minutes at room temperature, tossing occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cheese shavings and sunflower seeds just before serving.
Recipe Source: adapted from an epicurious recipe by Dan Barber
3 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 bunches kale (about 1 pound), center ribs and stems removed, leaves thinly sliced crosswise
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds, (if using salted, cut down on the 1tsp salt above)
Parmesan cheese shavings
Place cranberries/cherries in small bowl; add balsamic vinegar, seasoned rice vinegar, honey oil and salt and allow to soak several hours (overnight is even better). If using roselle, you can skip this step and use without soaking. Just combine dressing ingredients and set aside.
Place kale in a large bowl, add cranberry mixture (or roselle & dressing mix) and toss to coat. Let marinate 20 minutes at room temperature, tossing occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cheese shavings and sunflower seeds just before serving.
Recipe Source: adapted from an epicurious recipe by Dan Barber
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