BGF NEWS - June 27, 2023 - VOL. 50, NO. 4

IN THIS WEEK’S BOX:

Basil Tips: assorted varieties

Cabbage: Farao

Garlic Scapes
Head Lettuce: asst var.

Kale Bouquet: asst var.

Sugar Snap Peas
Snow Peas
Summer Squash: 8 Ball, Golden Glory, Slik Pik, Zephyr
Turnips: Hakurei

and at least one of the following: (please see **NOTE after "A Little Detail..." below)
Bean Mix: Empress (green) & Carson (yellow)

Broccoli: Gypsy
Cauliflower: Song (Japanese cauliflower)

Cucumbers: Covina

Herb It! option: will start next week
Bread Share: Tavern Fare

Featured Recipes:
Cabbage Hash Browns

Summer Squash Basil Pasta

Lime Cabbage Salad **BGF Favorite (see recipe below)

WHAT’S UP ON THE FARM?

Precipitation in the past week: 0.35"

Just a reminder, there will be No CSA delivery on July 4th. Don't worry, it doesn't mean fewer vegetables for you, we'll tack an extra week on to the end of the season.

Well again, we did get rain this week but even less than last week. All the crops definitely appreciated the little moisture we got and it was enough to trigger a few more winter squash seeds to germinate but wow, it is crazy dry out there.

We rigged a pipe to our outside wash station this week to capture all our waste water in a mobile tank so that our fruit trees and bushes can be watered. When a drought gets this deep it affects even the deeply rooted plants. 

Most of the crops continue to look pretty good despite the drought due to the nearly non-stop irrigation running. 

Our first sowing of beans is maturing nicely and we are sending the first small harvest out in a few boxes today. 

Our second sowing of beans is struggling to germinate, so we'll have to see what happens with them. The main crop of napa cabbage succumbed to the challenging weather conditions and we had to send it to the compost pile unharvested.  The tomatoes and peppers are setting their first fruits, but we are still about a month away from harvesting those. Our basil has finally started putting on some growth and needed to be pinched back, so everyone is getting a little taste of basil this week, just to get you excited about basil season! One of the high tunnel cucumber varieties is fruiting and has sized up enough to send a few of those out this week as well.

This is the time of the year that our main focus moves to harvesting. Many of the current crops need to be harvested at least 3-4 times a week to keep them in prime condition. Luckily we are in pretty good shape with our weeding efforts that we should be able to maintain good field conditions with less time and effort now. But the crew would probably tell you that the cultivating tasks never end. 

It's hard to believe, but this past week our calendar said that it was time to start the fall crop transplants. So far, we've sown broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, head lettuce and kohlrabi. Soon we'll add Napa and more head lettuce to the mix, followed by  leafy greens like kale and chard. These are crops that we plan to harvest in October and November. Sometimes it feels like a merry-go-round of crops around here!

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.

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 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.

Cabbage: Store dry, unwashed cabbage in the refrigerator, preferably in the vegetable bin. The outer leaves may eventually get floppy or yellowish, but you can remove and discard them to reveal fresh inner leaves. Cabbage can keep for more than a month. Once it’s cut, seal it in a plastic bag and continue to refrigerate for several weeks. Rinse the cabbage under cold running water just before use. Peel away a few of the outer leaves, then cut the cabbage according to your needs with a big, sharp knife, and then chop, sliver, or grate.

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.

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 would be perfect in last week's garlic salt recipe, 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.

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

Turnips: keep best if separated from their greens. Greens are stored in a plastic bag and can be cooked like mustard or collard greens (you can add them in with your Braising Greens Mix). Trimmed roots can go into a lidded container or zip-close bag. These aren't your grandma's turnips. These are a sweet, Japanese salad variety that is particularly tasty for fresh eating. They will still work great in cooked dishes, but we love to eat them raw, often right out of hand, like an apple. One of the farm crew's favorite mid-field snacks.

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)

Lime Cabbage Salad

1/2 cabbage, finely shredded
2 limes, freshly squeezed
large pinch of sea salt
1/4 tsp cumin seed
1/4 tsp toasted sesame oil

Toss together & serve as a side salad or top with a saucy or spicy meat, like left over BBQ beef or pulled pork.

Recipe Source: Blue Gate Farm friend, Dana F.