BGF NEWS - September 17 , 2024 - VOL. 53, NO. 16

In this week’s box:

Basil: Sweet

Beans: Yellow & Green Mix
Beets: Cylindra

Cherry Tomatoes: Jubilee Mix
Choi: Shanghai Green or Prize

Cucumbers: Corinto, Generally, Marketmore, Dragon or Lemon (yellow, round)
Garlic

Head Lettuce, assorted varieties
Peppers: Asst. sweet (see 8/13 newsletter for descriptions)

Tomatoes: slicers (see 7/30 newsletter for descriptions)

and perhaps one of the following: (see **NOTE below)

Okra: Candle Fire, Bowling Red & Okinawa Pink

Herb It! option: Cardinal Basil, Lemongrass, Sage

Featured Recipes:

Roasted Beets with Basil

Roasted Beans with Lemongrass

Choi with Lemongrass and Chili Butter

Stir-fried Choy with Basil Lemon Sauce

What’s up on the farm?

Precipitation in the past week: 0.00" 

There has been a bit of grumpiness on the farm this week as our hearts and minds have moved ahead to fall but the weather is firmly insisting it is still summer. The crops aren't sure what to think. We haven't had measurable rain in about two and a half weeks so we are running irrigation pretty regularly trying to get newly sown seeds to germinate and to keep our fall plantings from being over-stressed. 

There are certainly stresses to be seen. Despite the recent heat, the basil is again showing some cold damage from the below 50° temperatures a couple of weeks ago. This is largely cosmetic, so don't be alarmed by some purple marking on some of the leaves. However, the plants are stressed enough that this may be the final time they appear in boxes this season so make that pesto while you can!

We have been struggling with fungal diseases in several crops this season, one of the challenges of being chemical-free in a year with more plentiful rain. We continue to see some evidence of that in our current lettuce plantings but now our fall nemesis the Tarnished Plant Bug has arrived and it loves lettuce as much as we do. Between the fungal issue and the bugs, we may not be able to keep up our goal of lettuce in every delivery but we'll do our best. If you see a bit more damage on your lettuce than usual, you'll at least know the causes. The crop is still perfectly safe to eat, just not as pristine as we prefer.

And speaking of disease, we knew we had some issue in our fall turnips as the leaves were getting spotty, but as we started to harvest them last week we discovered that the disease was much more widespread and advanced than we thought and the whole crop had to be pulled and sent to the neighbors pigs. This was a huge disappointment as turnips are a popular fall and winter vegetable for us. We've sown a late replacement crop in another field with hopes that we have time to get some yield from them for winter deliveries but sadly, they won't be ready before the end of the CSA season. 

But never fear, there are many more crops to come and not all is doom and gloom (it's just fall and we're tired). This time of the year also brings out so much of nature's glory. The leaves are changing and the morning and evening light is amazing. It seems like we have more unexpected animal kingdom sightings around this turn of the calendar as well. The big fall bird migration season is on and the skyways are filled with a variety of winged creatures, including butterflies. The caterpillars are sizing up and getting ready to pupate so they are more visible. And the frogs! It seems like they are popping out of everywhere in the fields. It's a good time of the year to stop, take a deep breath and just see what you can see.

Upcoming Dates to Note:

Tues, Oct. 15: Final CSA delivery

Sat, Oct. 26: Final Saturday VegEmail delivery

Tues, 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.

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.

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.

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 & 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. Green top alliums (scallions, shallots, garlic and onions) should be stored in the refrigerator, upright in a glass with a bit of water or wrapped in plastic in your produce drawer.

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.

Okra: These lovely, horn-shaped vegetables are a warm weather treat. Extremely cold sensitive, wrap with a dishcloth or paper towel and 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."

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.

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)