In this week’s box:
Broccoli: heads or florets with edible leaves
Cabbage: Farao
Carrots: Rainbow Mix
Cucumbers: Corinto, Generally, Marketmore or Dragon
Carrots: Rainbow Mix
Cucumbers: Corinto, Generally, Marketmore or Dragon
Eggplant: Orient Express, Purple Shine or Listada
Fennel: Preludio
Garlic: Northern White
Head Lettuce, assorted varieties
Summer Squash: Golden Glory, Patty Pan, Safari, Slik Pik, or Zephyr
and at least one of the following: (see **NOTE below)
Beans: Yellow & Green Mix
Cauliflower: Japanese
Cherry Tomatoes: Mix
Fennel: Preludio
Garlic: Northern White
Head Lettuce, assorted varieties
Summer Squash: Golden Glory, Patty Pan, Safari, Slik Pik, or Zephyr
and at least one of the following: (see **NOTE below)
Beans: Yellow & Green Mix
Cauliflower: Japanese
Cherry Tomatoes: Mix
Okra: Candle Fire and Bowling Red
Peas: Snow or Sugar Snap
Herb It! option: Sweet Basil, Garlic Chives, Pineapple Mint
Peas: Snow or Sugar Snap
Herb It! option: Sweet Basil, Garlic Chives, Pineapple Mint
and at least one of the following: (see **NOTE below)
Beans: Yellow & Green Mix
Cauliflower: Japanese
Eggplant: Orient Express
Peas: Snow or Sugar Snap
Herb It! option: Sweet Basil, Garlic Chives, Pineapple Mint
Featured Recipes:What’s up on the farm?
Precipitation in the past week: Trace
Featured Recipes:
What’s up on the farm?
Precipitation in the past week: Trace
We hope everyone got through last night's storms without serious issues. Luckily it was a non-event on the farm, with only some moderate breeze and no rain. The previous few days of hot weather were much more of a challenge. It's tough to keep crops, animals and crew happy and healthy in temperatures like that. There were lots of water and shade breaks for the crew and animals and a rotation of irrigation for the crops. 
Most things seemed to get through without too much issue. The exceptions so far have been the beans, which were still offended from the last heat wave and some of the summer squash. We can't really blame the heat for the squash though, our insect nemeses, cucumber beetles and squash vine borers are the real cause of the plant die off, the heat was just the final blow for some of them. Never fear, they aren't all dead and we have another planting in a separate field, but they too will likely have a shorter season than we'd like. So celebrate it now and we'll send out summer squash as much as we can for as long as we can. The beans are just sulking as their pollen was sterilized from the heat and they are slow to rebloom. There are two more successions of beans coming along in the field so we expect many more beans in the coming weeks.
Yesterday, ahead of the forecast storm we pushed to get another round of trellising on the tomatoes, in hopes that more support would help them survive the winds. Luckily we missed the wind and now the plants are well supported and looking really good. The first fruits are just starting to ripen. So far there's just been a handful of cherry and mini romas that we are sending out today but there are more to come soon!
Besides keeping up with the tomato plants, watering and harvesting we were able to get more weeding and cultivating done this week. In general things are looking pretty good in the field. The local deer marauders found the edamame and my prized Purple Peruvian corn but hopefully we can keep the hungry beasts from finishing them off. Finally, we got another round of fall crops sown including chard, kale, beans, turnips, beets and daikon. A good week, despite the heat!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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, 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)
Most things seemed to get through without too much issue. The exceptions so far have been the beans, which were still offended from the last heat wave and some of the summer squash. We can't really blame the heat for the squash though, our insect nemeses, cucumber beetles and squash vine borers are the real cause of the plant die off, the heat was just the final blow for some of them. Never fear, they aren't all dead and we have another planting in a separate field, but they too will likely have a shorter season than we'd like. So celebrate it now and we'll send out summer squash as much as we can for as long as we can. The beans are just sulking as their pollen was sterilized from the heat and they are slow to rebloom. There are two more successions of beans coming along in the field so we expect many more beans in the coming weeks.
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.
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.
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, 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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