BGF NEWS - June 11, 2024 - VOL. 52, NO. 2

In this week’s box:

Choi-Beijing Express
Daikon
Garlic Scapes (the green, curly things)
Golden Oyster Mushrooms
Head Lettuce, assorted varieties
Lemon Balm
Peas- Snow or Sugar Snap

Swiss "Cheese" Chard
Tapestry Popcorn

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

Herb It! option: will start in a few weeks as the annual herbs mature

Featured Recipes:  

Napa Cabbage & Mushrooms (use Beijing Express & oysters)

Garlic Scape Refrigerator Pickles

Vietnamese Pickled Carrots and Daikon 

The Great Chard E'Scape **see recipe below**

What’s up on the farm?
Precipitation in the past week: Trace

It's been a week of progress on the farm! 

I feel like we touched every inch of crop soil that is under cultivation this year.  On Wednesday the crew cleared the big high tunnel of early season crops and replanted to warm weather crops like cucumbers, basil, peppers and celery. 

We also got the last of more than 400 dahlia tubers planted, plus sowed more beans, edamame and fennel. After that we grabbed our cultivating tools and hit all the planted fields. Thousands of weeds were evicted from the crop ground (insert villainous laugh here). We finally look more like a vegetable farm again and less of a weed farm. We even managed to get the potatoes hilled twice.

Hopefully we will get at least one more hilling before they get too tall. Speaking of potatoes, we've also been scouting the potato plot every few days for the dreaded potato beetle larva, and boy, have we found them! This is about the worst that we've had them in recent years. Since we are chemical-free, the way we manage them is to pick them off by hand and drop them into soapy water. We have about 3,500 row feet of potatoes, so it takes some time to inspect every plant, but it's worth it!

Gross, nasty things!

They ate every leaf off this plant

We managed to miss all the rain last week, which is how we were able to get so much field work done, but it also means we had to start irrigating our crops. We only have part of the system in, since we hadn't needed it earlier, and the unirrigated crops are getting jealous and threatening a walk out. So we'll spend some time later this week getting the rest of the lines run and giving everyone a good soak. Maybe we'll also get lucky and it will rain!

A couple of notes about things in your box this week. You may have noticed in the box contents list above that we included Swiss" Cheese" Chard. No, it isn't an actual cheesy vegetable, our chard plants were damaged in a hail storm earlier this season. The leaves are perfectly good, they just have cosmetic damage (hail holes) so we hated to just compost them so we decided to send them out and hope you can forgive their "holiness". 

On a more fun note, we are also sending out popcorn this week. This is the first time we've included our Tapestry Popcorn in the CSA delivery, but we had a record-breaking harvest last fall and wanted to share the bounty. It's been in cold storage all this time, so it pops beautifully. It's one of our favorite crops (and treats) and we hope you enjoy it! 

And finally we are sending out the first of the broccoli and cauliflower in some boxes this week. The early season weather was hard on the plants and they are heading out while the plants are still too small. This means the heads are also small, especially on the broccoli. Never fear, there should be more to come.  We grow a variety of cauliflower that may be unfamiliar to some of you, it's a Japanese variety and it's form is more open than traditional cauliflower, making it a cinch to cut into small florets. It's also extra tender and sweeter than other varieties. We love it and hope you do too!

A little detail on your produce this week:

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.

Daikon: Trim the tops and roots. Peel if you like (though not necessary). Daikon will last up to 2 weeks stored in the fridge in plastic bag or wrapped in damp towel in fridge. 

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.

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.

Oyster Mushrooms: To maximize the shelf life of raw mushrooms, refrigerate them in a paper bag; do not wrap in plastic or store in airtight container, as this will speed spoilage. Properly stored, raw whole mushrooms will usually keep well for 4 to 7 days in the fridge. To use, trim off the stems as they are tough and either discard them or save to make a vegetable stock. Please be sure to cook all mushrooms before consuming.

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.

Popcorn: Good for microwave, stovetop or air popper (stovetop is our favorite). Store at room temperature in an airtight container for 3-6 months or in the freezer for up to a year.


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)






The Great Chard E’Scape
1 big bunch Swiss chard
1 tbs olive oil
5-6 fresh garlic scapes (or more to taste) or 1-3 cloves minced garlic
Sea salt
Optional: Seasoned Rice Vinegar

Cut garlic scapes into bite-sized pieces. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic scapes. Trim large stems from chard leaves. Cut stems into 1” pieces. Add stems to skillet. Stack chard leaves and roll into a tube. Cut into ½” strips. As scapes and stems just begin to soften, add leaves to skillet. Cook until leaves wilt. Sprinkle with salt to taste. A little shake of seasoned rice vinegar over the top is very tasty!

Great served over pasta with red sauce or as a side dish. Leftovers are tasty in eggs the next day.

Recipe Source: Blue Gate Farm

BGF NEWS - June 13, 2023 - VOL. 50, NO. 2

In this week’s box:

Beijing Express
Chard

Collards

Garlic Scapes (the green, curly things)
Head Lettuce, assorted varieties

Lemon Balm

Scallions

and perhaps one of the following: (please see **NOTE after "A Little Detail..." below)
Cauliflower: Song (Japanese cauliflower)
Snap Peas
Snow Peas

the first few broccoli and baby summer squashes might also make an appearance in a couple of boxes this week.

Herb It! option: will start in a few weeks as the annual herbs mature
Bread Share: 7-Grain Bread

Featured Recipes:
Garlic Scape and Mess-o-Greens Pesto

Garlic Scape & Lemon Balm Pesto

Pickled Garlic Scapes

Chard Wrapped Grilled Mozzarella (a BGF favorite!)
Grilled Scallions *see recipe below (a BGF favorite!)


What’s up on the farm?

Precipitation in the past week: 0.15"

While Kermit the Frog would tell you that it's not easy being green, your farmer will tell you that at this time of the season it's very easy, in fact almost everything we are harvesting right now is green. Leafy greens, green onions, green peas, green garlic, green...green...green!

That's just the way it goes eating seasonally in the spring. I personally LOVE greens but not everyone is my household does so we try to find easy ways to use lots of them. Salads are a cinch, but what about greens that are better cooked? My go-to response is "saute them in garlic and olive oil. We also add lots of them to eggs and pasta, or use them in place of lettuce on a sandwich, sliced finely and added to chicken or egg salad. They are tasty on tacos or in burritos and we always use them as the base when we serve beans and rice! And there is always pesto! 

The Beijing Express we are sending out today is a favorite new green (both with us and the bugs!). Technically a choi it makes a great replacement for romaine lettuce in salads. A big, beautiful, deep green, upright variety with sweet, tender choi flavor. Delicious raw in salads, added to smoothies or cooked in any of your favorite greens recipes. Check out a couple of the linked recipes for some detailed inspiration there. And I promise, there are lots of great things to come, in addition to the greens.

Cauliflower is making it's first appearance this week in some of the boxes. This earliest variety is our favorite and it's a little different than your typical grocery store version. "Song" cauliflower is from Japan and it's a little sweeter and more tender than others. It's form is more open and it's much easier to cut apart into florets. And don't automatically compost the stem, many times it's tender enough to enjoy sliced along with the "curds." We're pretty excited about our Japanese scallion variety too. It was a discovery last year and we think they are amazing!

We were SO hopeful about last week's rain chances, and it did indeed rain on the farm, but it didn't last long and didn't add up to much. May and June are supposed to be the rainiest months, but it just isn't happening for us. We are trying to till as little as possible right now to conserve as much soil moisture as we can. The conditions are perfect for cultivating so our weed pressure is probably the lowest it's ever been. Hooray!! The irrigation system is the only thing keeping many crops alive right now. We don't typically irrigate our winter squash but the seed has been in the ground for nearly a month and there has been little germination due to the lack of moisture, so we may have to add some drip lines if we don't get rain by the end of the week.

Besides cultivating, we started clearing some spent spring crops this week. It was frustrating to pull out crops that hadn't been fully harvested (or harvested at all) but they had sped from "not yet ready" to past "harvestable" before we had a chance to use them. Sometimes, when conditions are challenging, that's just the way it goes. So, see you in the fall, Arugula and Vivid Choi!

But again, not all is gloom and doom! The main pea plantings are going gangbusters which is exciting because we love peas and they are also adding nitrogen to the soil for us. The cabbages are starting to head and look really good and the summer squashes and early cucumbers are setting fruits. There are SO many good things to come!

Finally, Farmyard Fancies still has openings for Bread Share! Cost is $120 (if paid with cash or check) or $125 (if paid with PayPal. Please email Angie at (farmyardfancies@gmail.com) to sign up . If you need one more temptation, Angie will be sampling bread in DM at today's delivery.

A little detail on your produce this week:

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.

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.

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 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)

Grilled Scallions with Sesame Oil

Serves 2

8 scallions, greens trimmed to 5 inches, cut in half lengthwise

toasted sesame oil

salt

freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the broiler or lightly oiled grill to medium-high heat. Arrange the scallions on a shallow baking sheet or aluminum foil.

Use a pastry brush to coat the scallions with a thin layer of sesame oil. Season with salt and pepper. Broil or grill until golden

brown on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes.

Recipe Source: “The Real Dirt on Farmer John Cookbook”

BGF NEWS - June 14, 2022 - VOL. XLVIII, NO. 2

In this week’s box:

Choi: Prize (bundled greens with white stems)

Garlic Scapes (green, curly bundle)

Head Lettuce

Lemon Balm (small, green, lemon-scented bunch)

Napa Cabbage

Strawberries

Tapestry Salad Mix

Vivid Choi: green bundle with pink & purple stems

 and perhaps one of the following: (please see **NOTE  after "A Little Detail..." below)

Asparagus (last of the season)

Snow Peas

For those with the Herb It! option: Herb share will begin in a couple of weeks as herbs mature

Featured Recipes:  
Lemon Balm Simple Syrup (delicious on strawberries!)

Garlic Scape Pesto

Strawberry Vinaigrette

Sausage Egg Roll in a Bowl (tasty without the sausage too)

BGF Summer Herb Spritzer (see recipe below)

What’s up on the farm?

Precipitation in the past week: 1.10"

It appears that while last week's theme was rain, this week's is the HEAT! No one is excited about this one, not the farmers, the crew, the animals nor least of all the early crops! This is going to bring a quick end to many of our early greens, so we are packing your boxes with as many as we can as it will be the last or only chance for you to try them, at least until fall. This includes the salad mix, Prize choi and Napa cabbage. 

Bolting greens, at least they're pretty

We were hoping to get at least another week's growth on them, but they are already starting to bolt (or flower) which will end their use as a food crop.

Hilled potatoes starting to bloom!

This past week we have been clearing the last of the early crops from the big high tunnel and all of our warm-weather crops are now tucked in and growing, including the last of the basil and sweet peppers. 

Cultivating kittens

Much of last week was focused on cultivating crops whenever it was dry enough to do so. As well as getting the potatoes hilled for the first time. We were pleased with the rain for the crops' sake, but the weeds sure do take advantage of it. 

This week everything is growing like crazy, including our monster head lettuces! My secret use of them is to snack on them like potato chips, I just pull off whole leaves and dip into a nice dish of homemade vinaigrette (see recipe above).   The big surprise last week was the sudden ripening of the strawberries, and while we do love strawberries, they take a lot of time to harvest so we are spending quite a bit of time trying to stay ahead of those. Luckily (and sadly) the season is short so be sure to enjoy them while they are here!

A little detail on your produce this week:

Asparagus: Keeps best stored upright in a glass with about 1" of water, in the refrigerator. Delicious raw or cooked. 

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.

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 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. We also enjoyed them tossed whole in olive oil and grilled as a side dish.

Herbs:

 Besides basil, most herbs keep best standing upright in a glass of water in your refrigerator with a loose plastic bag over the top. To use, simply pull a stem between your fingers and the leaves usually shear off. Chop with a sharp knife and add to your favorite recipes.

Napa Cabbage: 

Store Napa whole wrapped in a cotton or linen towel then in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to a week. These Napa are fairly immature and wont have a large formed head but are still tasty and can be used in any cabbage recipe.

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.

Strawberries keep best in your refrigerator in a vented container. Use within 3-4 days.

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)

Luci & Sky

BGF Summer Herb Spritzer

Besides pesto, this is one of our favorite ways to use herbs during warm weather. It is deceptively simple and delightfully refreshing! All you need is:

1 sprig of your favorite herb. Our favorites for this are lemon balm, lemon basil, lemon thyme, mint and anise hyssop.

ice cubes

plain seltzer water

Glass jar with leak-proof lid (or a martini shaker)

Place washed herb in the jar, add ice enough to fill 1/3 of jar. Secure lid and shake it, shake it, baby! A few vigorous shakes will do it, you are just trying to bruise the leaves and release the aromatic oils, not pulverize them.

Remove lid and top with seltzer. Enjoy! You could add a bit of your favorite sweetener, but I've never found it necessary.

BGF NEWS - June 1, 2021 - VOL. XLVII, NO. 1

In this week’s box:

Asparagus

Choi: Joi (white stems), Shanghai Green (lt. green stems) or Vivid (purple stems)

Golden Oyster Mushrooms (in plastic clamshell)

Green Garlic

Kale Mix  (large mixed leaf bundle)

Lemon Balm

Spinruts: Hakurei (baby Japanese salad turnips)

Tapestry Salad Mix

 and perhaps one of the following: (please see **NOTE  after "A Little Detail..." below)

Snow Peas

For those with the Herb option: Herb share will begin in a couple of weeks as herbs mature

Featured Recipes:  
Bok Choy and Oyster Mushroom Stir Fry

Roasted Sweet Turnips with Thyme

BGF Favorite Kale Salad (see recipe below)

BGF Summer Herb Spritzer (see recipe below)

What’s up on the farm?

Precipitation in the past week: 0.2"

Welcome to the first delivery of the 2021 CSA season and the start of weekly newsletters!  The boxes feel a little light at this time of the season and you will notice the abundance of greens and not quite as much variety as we expect later in the season.  This is part of the joy of eating fresh, seasonal foods.  As the season continues the weight and variety of the contents will increase with the arrival of heavier crops including beans, tomatoes, potatoes and squash.  One thing that does remain somewhat consistent is the presence of some cosmetic damage caused by our local insects.  This is an indication that we are truly a chemical-free farm.  We try to keep the insect population under control, but they are simply a fact of life in a naturally grown system.  We hope you can overlook some minor leaf damage and we will do our best to keep it to a minimum.  Also we do our best to provide you with clean produce, but you may find a little dirt here and there or, yikes, possibly an insect.  We do wash the produce and sort it to the best of our ability, but we are processing a significant volume and it is possible that at some point you will find a little “nature” in your box.  If and when it happens to you, we apologize ahead of time and hope you will forgive the oversight.  Remember, while we do clean the produce, it is always good practice to wash your vegetables before using.

A bit on our efforts be more mindful producers. Over the years we have tried to minimize our use of plastics and single-use products both in our field practices  and in the packing shed/kitchen. We use long-term reusable totes for your CSA deliveries both for sanitation and low waste. You'll notice they have the name "Grinnell Heritage Farm" stamped on the sides. When our friends from GHF "retired" from farming last year, we purchased their CSA totes. They met a need that we had, filled a need that GHF had and allowed us to not buy new plastic. We are continually looking to reduce our plastic bag use  and we've switched over to twist-ties or rubber bands on products that we used to bag like chard, kale, herbs and lettuce bouquets. We haven't yet found a good solution for our baby greens like salad mix and arugula or things like green beans but we're always looking. So how can you help us on this journey?

Clean & Return to Us

Plastic pint/quart containers

Plastic or paper berry boxes

Half pint, pint and quart glass canning jars

Please don't return plastic produce bags or twist ties, we can't reuse those in the packing shed but we encourage you to wash and reuse them in your own home. The less waste we create, the less we have to clean up later. Do you have questions or suggestions on our use of packaging materials (or anything else)? Please let us know!

A big thank you to our pick-up site hosts: Peace Tree Brewing Co - Des Moines and the Grand Theater in Knoxville.  Over the course of the season please consider supporting these independent, local businesses who offer us a great place to deliver your produce.

So what have we been up to this week in addition to preparing for CSA delivery #1? Mostly digging out from our abundance of weeds! While we needed last week's rains, the weeds took the opportunity to throw a party. That meant scrambling to get the fields back under control once the soil dried out (almost) enough. When it is that wet, the most we can do is edging and hand weeding, which is the least efficient method of weed control, but sometimes that's what is available to us.

We were able to finally get some cultivating done and even got the first round of hilling done on the potatoes.
More crops were transplanted including flowers, summer squash, hot peppers, additional cabbage and basil. We also did some replacement seeding in our beans and edamame which didn't germinate well.

We've recently been battling a pest in our tomato plot which is mowing down tomato plants at an alarming rate. I thought it was voles, but my farmer friends suspect cutworm. 

We spent time today placing wire flags up against each plant stem so the critters have a harder time chewing through them and then we surrounded the stem with cayenne pepper. Here's hoping they don't think they're invited to a party! 

A bright spot to our recent moisture has been a huge flush of golden oyster mushrooms in our timber! This is the 4th year we have been able to offer mushrooms as part of the CSA and we hope you are as excited about them as we are. 

 We hope you enjoy this first delivery and are looking forward to this season as much as we are.

We hope you also enjoy the weekly online newsletter. One of the goals for this format is so you can go to the blog/newsletter at any time and search for specific vegetables, that should allow you to see any archived recipes for that item. It also allows us to include photos and links to more recipes and information. As we mentioned in the recent newsletter, in addition to the regular BGF Facebook page, we also have a Facebook page for CSA members. You can find it here: Blue Gate Farm Community. If you have a Facebook account we encourage you to post recipes, photos and questions about your weekly produce box adventures. If you don't have an account, don't worry, you can still see/read anything on the page, but you won't be able to post anything. We will keep an eye on the page and try to answer questions in a timely manner, but really this is to encourage the "Community" aspect of CSA and to provide you all a venue to share and connect with each other.

A little detail on your produce this week:

Asparagus: Keeps best stored upright in a glass with about 1" of water, in the refrigerator. Delicious raw or cooked. 

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.

Green Garlic: is immature or "teenage" garlic and should be stored in the refrigerator, where it will keep for 5-7 days. Wrap the green garlic in a damp paper towel and place it in a plastic bag; or for a non-plastic alternative, stick the green garlic in a tall glass with some water in the bottom. You can use all of the tender white and light green parts in recipes calling for fresh garlic. Dark green leaves can be frozen and saved for stock, or used to add flavor to a soup (pop them in whole, like a bay leaf).

Herbs: Besides basil, most herbs keep best standing upright in a glass of water in your refrigerator with a loose plastic bag over the top. To use, simply pull a stem between your fingers and the leaves usually shear off. Chop with a sharp knife and add to your favorite recipes.

Oyster Mushrooms: To maximize the shelf life of raw mushrooms, refrigerate them in a paper bag; do not wrap in plastic or store in airtight container, as this will speed spoilage.  Properly stored, raw whole mushrooms will usually keep well for 4 to 7 days in the fridge. To use, trim off the stems as they are tough and either discard them or save to make a vegetable stock.

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.

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)

Indigo, Luci & Sky

BGF's Favorite Kale Salad  

Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings

2 tablespoons dried cranberries or cherries
5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided
3 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
a big bunch of kale (about 1 pound), center ribs and stems removed, leaves thinly sliced crosswise
2 tablespoons sunflower  or pumpkin seeds, (if using salted, cut down on the 1tsp salt above)
Parmesan cheese shavings

Place cranberries in small bowl; add balsamic vinegar, seasoned rice vinegar, honey oil and salt and allow to soak several hours (overnight is even better).

Place kale in a large bowl, add cranberry mixture and toss to coat. Let marinate 20 minutes at room temperature, tossing occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cheese shavings and sunflower seeds just before serving.

Recipe Source:  adapted from an epicurious recipe by Dan Barber

BGF Summer Herb Spritzer

Besides pesto, this is one of our favorite ways to use herbs during warm weather. It is deceptively simple and delightfully refreshing! All you need is:

1 sprig of your favorite herb. Our favorites for this are lemon balm, lemon basil, lemon thyme, mint and anise hyssop.

ice cubes

plain seltzer water

Glass jar with leak-proof lid (or a martini shaker)

Place washed herb in the jar, add ice enough to fill 1/3 of jar. Secure lid and shake it, shake it, baby! A few vigorous shakes will do it, you are just trying to bruise the leaves and release the aromatic oils, not pulverize them.

Remove lid and top with seltzer. Enjoy! You could add a bit of your favorite sweetener, but I've never found it necessary.