IN THIS WEEK’S BOX:
Basil: Genovese, Prospero Large or Lettuce LeafBean Mix: Empress (green) & Carson (yellow)Broccoli: Covina or ImperialCabbage: Wakefield BeautyCarrots: Rainbow Mix
Cucumbers: Corinto, Generally, Lemon, Marketmore, Nokya or Sashimi Eggplant: Orient Express, Asian Delight and/or ListadaUgly Head Lettuce: asst var.Onions: CipolliniSnow Peas-probably the last timeSummer Squash: 8 Ball, Golden Glory, Patty Pan, Safari, Slik Pik, or Zephyr
and perhaps one of the following: (please see **NOTE after "A Little Detail..." below)
Okra: Bowling Red & Candle Fire
Herb It! option: Lemon basil, pineapple mint, par-cel
Basil: Genovese, Prospero Large or Lettuce Leaf
Bean Mix: Empress (green) & Carson (yellow)
Broccoli: Covina or Imperial
Cabbage: Wakefield Beauty
Carrots: Rainbow Mix
Cucumbers: Corinto, Generally, Lemon, Marketmore, Nokya or Sashimi
Eggplant: Orient Express, Asian Delight and/or ListadaUgly Head Lettuce: asst var.
Onions: Cipollini
Snow Peas-probably the last time
Summer Squash: 8 Ball, Golden Glory, Patty Pan, Safari, Slik Pik, or Zephyr
and perhaps one of the following: (please see **NOTE after "A Little Detail..." below)
Okra: Bowling Red & Candle Fire
Herb It! option: Lemon basil, pineapple mint, par-cel
Bread Share: Italian Herb
Featured Recipes:
WHAT’S UP ON THE FARM?
Precipitation in the past week: 2.60"
What a week! At the delivery last week I had a similar conversation with quite a few CSA members saying that even with the severe drought, our crops were really looking very good, possibly the best we've ever had. Approximately six hours later at 2:30 am we were woken by a hailstorm. It felt like it went on forever but it probably wasn't more than five minutes. The hail was nickel to quarter-sized and while it could have been much worse, it did a lot of damage. The heavy rains that came along for the ride should have been welcomed given our drought struggles, but it was too much, too fast. Crops that were damaged by the hail, then sucked up all that rain and many burst. 
Then Monday morning, we had a replay while we were harvesting. More hail (though a bit smaller this time), more rain. We've now had a second afternoon cutting and disposing of hundreds of exploded cabbages, stressed out and damaged broccoli, fractured peppers, shredded greens and topped tomato plants. It's incredibly frustrating. All isn't lost, I think many crops will grow out of the damage and put on new fruits and some crops didn't seem all that offended by the weather events. But it will certainly delay some and at the least, shorten their seasons, so enjoy that summer squash while it's here, I'm afraid it will be gone sooner than we'd like. Also, you will likely notice more cosmetic damage on your produce than in the past. We hope you will accept that it's the best we have right now. It shouldn't make any difference in how you use your produce, but be aware that you may find some items won't store as long as they normally do, so please don't delay in using them.
The recent air quality from the Canadian wildfires has just added to our challenges this week. At least a couple of us on the farm crew are running short of breath more than we'd like. So more mandatory breaks are on the schedule and hopes for a resolution for our friends to the north who are undoubtedly feeling the strain of the fires and smoke more than we are.
Enough grumbling. We have been doing some things other than storm remediation in the past week. Retiring crops have been cleared, new fall crops are going in and the weeds are relishing all the new soil moisture. The cucumbers are also starting to ramp up and many of them seem to have been protected from the hail by their trellis (and the pea vines) or by the high tunnels. We are growing a number of new varieties this year towards the goal of improving our cucumber offerings. So it's time to make some introductions. We're really hoping to pare it down to maybe four varieties for next year, so feel free to share any feedback as they appear in your boxes.
Here's to better weeks ahead!
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.
Carrots: 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: 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."
Green-top onions: As you might note from their name, these are young, freshly pulled, uncured onions. They can be used as you would any onion, the difference is in the storage. Since they don't have a layer of dried skin to protect them, please store in a sealed bag or container in your refrigerator and plan to use within 2 weeks. As long as the greens are still fresh, you can use those like scallions.
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!
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)
Featured Recipes:
WHAT’S UP ON THE FARM?
Precipitation in the past week: 2.60"
What a week! At the delivery last week I had a similar conversation with quite a few CSA members saying that even with the severe drought, our crops were really looking very good, possibly the best we've ever had. Approximately six hours later at 2:30 am we were woken by a hailstorm. It felt like it went on forever but it probably wasn't more than five minutes. The hail was nickel to quarter-sized and while it could have been much worse, it did a lot of damage. The heavy rains that came along for the ride should have been welcomed given our drought struggles, but it was too much, too fast. Crops that were damaged by the hail, then sucked up all that rain and many burst.
Then Monday morning, we had a replay while we were harvesting. More hail (though a bit smaller this time), more rain. We've now had a second afternoon cutting and disposing of hundreds of exploded cabbages, stressed out and damaged broccoli, fractured peppers, shredded greens and topped tomato plants. It's incredibly frustrating. All isn't lost, I think many crops will grow out of the damage and put on new fruits and some crops didn't seem all that offended by the weather events. But it will certainly delay some and at the least, shorten their seasons, so enjoy that summer squash while it's here, I'm afraid it will be gone sooner than we'd like. Also, you will likely notice more cosmetic damage on your produce than in the past. We hope you will accept that it's the best we have right now. It shouldn't make any difference in how you use your produce, but be aware that you may find some items won't store as long as they normally do, so please don't delay in using them.
The recent air quality from the Canadian wildfires has just added to our challenges this week. At least a couple of us on the farm crew are running short of breath more than we'd like. So more mandatory breaks are on the schedule and hopes for a resolution for our friends to the north who are undoubtedly feeling the strain of the fires and smoke more than we are.
Here's to better weeks ahead!
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.
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.
Carrots: 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: 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."
Green-top onions: As you might note from their name, these are young, freshly pulled, uncured onions. They can be used as you would any onion, the difference is in the storage. Since they don't have a layer of dried skin to protect them, please store in a sealed bag or container in your refrigerator and plan to use within 2 weeks. As long as the greens are still fresh, you can use those like scallions.
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!
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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