In this week’s box:
Basil: Sweet
Beans: Yellow & Green Mix
Beets: Cylindra
Choi: Black Summer
Cucumbers: Corinto, Marketmore or DragonHead Lettuce, assorted varieties
Scallions
Summer Squash: Golden Glory, Patty Pan, Safari, Slik Pik, or Zephyr
and at least one of the following: (see **NOTE below)Broccoli: heads or florets with edible leaves
Cauliflower: Japanese
Eggplant: Orient ExpressPeas: Snow or Sugar Snap
Herb It! option: Thai Basil, Bronze Fennel, Savory
Featured Recipes:BGF Summer Garden Pasta **see recipe below**
What’s up on the farm?
Precipitation in the past week: 1.5"
Basil: Sweet
Beans: Yellow & Green Mix
Beets: Cylindra
Choi: Black Summer
Cucumbers: Corinto, Marketmore or Dragon
Scallions
Summer Squash: Golden Glory, Patty Pan, Safari, Slik Pik, or Zephyr
and at least one of the following: (see **NOTE below)
Cauliflower: Japanese
Featured Recipes:
What’s up on the farm?
Precipitation in the past week: 1.5"
What a lovely weather week on the farm! The temperatures have been fabulous, the rains have been timely and gentle, the farm crew got a full day off for the 4th AND we made good forward progress in the fields. We'll take it!
This is the time of the season when we start to shift more hours towards harvesting than field maintenance (though the crew would probably argue there are still TOO MANY hours cultivating.) Regardless of our other tasks, crops like summer squash, cucumbers, beans and okra have to be harvested every other day. This keeps the fruits at their peak quality and cues the plants to keep producing.
Speaking of beans, we were shocked when we harvested Friday and yesterday that there were so few beans to pick. We were expecting a big yield after last week's opening set. But there was almost nothing. After a little head scratching we looked back at the farm calendar and noted that 3 weeks ago we had that stretch of 90°+ degree days. Bean pollen is sterilized at those temperatures so although our plants are nice and healthy, none of the blooms during that time produced any fruits. They are blooming now, but we will have a pause in our bean production while the plants get going again. So enjoy those smaller bags of beans this week, it will be a couple of weeks before we are in full bean production again.
Besides harvesting, our big tasks this week were getting the first couple of lines installed on the tomato trellises (and tucking in all the plants), clearing all the spent early greens and more cultivating. The recently sown fall transplants have germinated and moved out to the high tunnel to grow up a bit before they are planted in the fields. More fall crops will be sown this week.
Now with the whole farm in production we are seeing lots of visitors arrive to enjoy our progress. Some of them are valued team members, some fun guests and some are just obnoxious party crashers that no one wants to find. I'll let you guess who is who!
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.
Beets: Cut off greens, leaving an inch of stem. Refrigerate the unwashed greens in a closed plastic bag and use with your chard mix as beets and chard are closely related. 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.
Choi (a.k.a. - pac choi, bok choy or pok choy) is a member of the cabbage family and is a traditional Asian stir-fry vegetable. Both the stems and leaves of choi can be used and are especially tasty in cooked recipes. If cooking them, separate the leaves and stems, and begin cooking stems first to avoid overcooking the more tender greens. You can also use the leaves like any green-leafy vegetable and the stems like celery. We tend to use choi leaves as a sandwich wrap, or just roughly chop the whole thing and sauté with garlic and/or onion. Cook until stems are tender and dress with a little seasoned rice vinegar. Store choi loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in your produce drawer.
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.
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.
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.
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)
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.
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 Summer Garden Pasta
Small bunch young beets, assorted colors with greens1 tbs Olive Oil1 tsp garlic, minced or garlic scapes, chopped1 cup fresh beans or peas, stemmed and snapped into bite-sized pieces2 tbs Dried Tomatoes, chopped or 2-4 Small fresh tomatoes, choppedFeta Cheese. crumbled1 tbs Balsamic vinegar1 tbs fresh basil, cut into a chiffonadePenne pasta
Prepare pasta according to directions.While pasta is cooking, separate beets from greens (discard stems), cut beets into quarters or eighths and cut beet greens into a chiffonade.Place dried tomatoes into a small heat-proof dish. When pasta is about half done, take 2 tbs of pasta water and pour over dried tomatoes to re-hydrate.Place olive oil, garlic, beets and beans into a sauté pan over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Remove dried tomatoes from liquid (reserving liquid) and add tomatoes to sauté pan along with beet greens. Cook until greens are wilted and bright green. Remove from heat.Place pasta in a serving bowl, add sauted vegetables, fresh tomatoes and feta cheese. Sprinkle with reserved water from dried tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and basil, toss gently.Tasty served warm or at room temp.
This recipe serves two as a main dish, but is easy to multiply to feed any number.
Recipe source: Blue Gate Farm
BGF Summer Garden Pasta
Small bunch young beets, assorted colors with greens
1 tbs Olive Oil
1 tsp garlic, minced or garlic scapes, chopped
1 cup fresh beans or peas, stemmed and snapped into bite-sized pieces
2 tbs Dried Tomatoes, chopped or 2-4 Small fresh tomatoes, chopped
Feta Cheese. crumbled
1 tbs Balsamic vinegar
1 tbs fresh basil, cut into a chiffonade
Penne pasta
Prepare pasta according to directions.
While pasta is cooking, separate beets from greens (discard stems), cut beets into quarters or eighths and cut beet greens into a chiffonade.
Place dried tomatoes into a small heat-proof dish. When pasta is about half done, take 2 tbs of pasta water and pour over dried tomatoes to re-hydrate.
Place olive oil, garlic, beets and beans into a sauté pan over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Remove dried tomatoes from liquid (reserving liquid) and add tomatoes to sauté pan along with beet greens. Cook until greens are wilted and bright green. Remove from heat.
Place pasta in a serving bowl, add sauted vegetables, fresh tomatoes and feta cheese. Sprinkle with reserved water from dried tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and basil, toss gently.
Tasty served warm or at room temp.
This recipe serves two as a main dish, but is easy to multiply to feed any number.
Recipe source: Blue Gate Farm
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