In this week’s box:
Celery: Chinese PinkChard: RainbowCherry Tomatoes: Jubilee MixGarlicHead Lettuce: Asst.Peppers: Asst. sweet (see 8/13 newsletter for descriptions)Potatoes: KennebecRoselleTomatoes: slicers (see 7/30 newsletter for descriptions)
Herb It! option: Cardinal Basil, Lemongrass, Rosemary
Featured Recipes:
What’s up on the farm?
Precipitation in the past week: 0.00"
Just a reminder, this is the final delivery of the season.
Well, I knew it was coming, but it still sneaks up on me every year. This is indeed the final delivery of the 2024 CSA season! Twenty weeks have come and gone and a LOT of produce has passed between us during that time. Thank you for joining us on this veggie adventure, we couldn't do it without you! And remember, this isn't farewell for the year, we hope to see you at the bi-weekly VegEmail deliveries throughout the winter and spring (see the Upcoming Dates list at the end of the newsletter).
As you can see from the recipe list, the farmHer has decided it is SOUP SEASON! The 36° start to the day today really brought it home. Besides tomato season, soup season is my favorite food time of the year. The falling temperatures really set the stage for hearty soups and other comfort foods. I love putting roselle greens in my potato soup, it's very reminiscent of French Potato Soup, which features the similarly flavored sorrel. So when I saw the recipe for potato soup with roselle and lemongrass, I just had to share it. 
Final roselle harvest
Roselle is one of the crops that I am passionate about and I love to share it with our members and customers. We pushed to get one final harvest of it in this week before we lose it to the cold. Oh, and going back to the potatoes, please excuse their unfortunate appearance. They are perfectly good to eat, they're just ugly. It's extra depressing after last year's beautiful potato crop but all we can do it work through what we have and look forward to a better crop next season.
Last week we started installing the row cover for fall crops in the field. If you aren't familiar, row cover is BIG pieces of fabric that we use to protect our fall field crops as the temperatures start to drop to damaging levels. We got the majority of the remaining fall crops covered Monday and are hoping to have a bit of time on Tuesday after harvesting to finish things up before the real cold hits on Wed morning.
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| Final roselle harvest |
The freeze forecast for mid week will set the stage for big changes on the farm. Next week we'll clear the tomatoes (big job!) and the rest of the warm-season crops. Once that is done we'll prep garlic for planting and then plant and mulch it for next year's crop. Getting the garlic planted is one of our biggest tasks of the season.
Another big shift will happen at the start of November when VegEmail moves to deliveries every other Tuesday evening. In DM we're at SingleSpeed Brewing Co and in Knoxville we are at the Grand Theater. Another shift you'll see in November will be our monthly newsletters throughout the winter to keep you up on all the fun news from the farm.
In December, we'll kick off the sign up for next season's CSA. As our veteran members, you have the priority for available membership spots. We won't open any remaining CSA spots to the public until mid to late January. So watch your email in December for those announcements.
Finally, we want to thank you again for being such a huge part of the Blue Gate Farm family. The CSA is truly the foundation of our farm and we want to be sure you know how important you are to us. The dedication you show by investing in the season upfront and then showing up for 20 weeks is awe inspiring! We love knowing that we're helping to feed you and your families and that you trust us to do so.If you have friends, family members, coworkers, (whoever!) whom you think might be interested in the CSA or VegEmail, we'd be so thankful if you'd share our information with them. It takes a BIG community to support a farm and you are our best ambassadors!
If you ever have questions or suggestions, don't hesitate to let us know! See you soon!
Upcoming Dates to Note:
Tues, Oct. 15: Final CSA deliverySat, Oct. 26: Final Saturday VegEmail deliveryTues, Nov. 5: Fall VegEmail schedule begins, delivery every 2 weeks on Tuesdays 4-6pm.
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 glass or plastic container 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.
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 glass or plastic container 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.
Celery: Store upright in a glass of water, loosely covered with a plastic bag, in the refrigerator.
Herbs: Generally, except for basil, set unwashed bunches of fresh herbs (with stems) upright into small jars filled with 1 to 2 inches of water, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to two weeks. Rinse fresh herbs right before use. To release their scents and flavors, rub them between your hands before mincing or chopping. If you have no idea what to do with fresh herbs, there is one great default answer "compound butter." Finely mince leaves and knead them into a stick of room temperature butter. Roll the butter into a log in plastic wrap and store in the freezer. Then simply slice off the amount you need to add delicious, ready-to-use flavor to vegetables, bread or meats.
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.
Roselle: For space saving, strip leaves and calyxes from stems. Discard stems. Store leaves in a cloth or paper towel-lined plastic bag in the produce drawer of your refrigerator and use within a week. Store calyxes in a glass or plastic container. Greens can be used fresh or cooked alone or with a combination of other greens. Can be a replacement for French sorrel. To use calyxes, remove soft, red outer portion and reserve. Can be used fresh or cooked in place of cherries or cranberries. Discard large seed in the center.
Tomatoes: always store whole tomatoes at room temperature, out of direct sunlight. Once cut, store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
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.
Roselle: For space saving, strip leaves and calyxes from stems. Discard stems. Store leaves in a cloth or paper towel-lined plastic bag in the produce drawer of your refrigerator and use within a week. Store calyxes in a glass or plastic container. Greens can be used fresh or cooked alone or with a combination of other greens. Can be a replacement for French sorrel. To use calyxes, remove soft, red outer portion and reserve. Can be used fresh or cooked in place of cherries or cranberries. Discard large seed in the center.
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, photos 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)
** 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, photos or ask questions on our FB community page at Blue Gate Farm Community.
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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