CSA for Tuesday, July 31st!

Before the 'sharing': how many, how much?

We need rain....oh, boy do we need rain!  We're just starting to see some evidence of drought-effects, especially in parts of our fields where the soil is extremely sandy.  In areas where we've managed to improve the soil with compost, things are looking better - for now.  The potato field, about four acres, was newly tilled last year after being in an alfalfa/grass mixture for many years.  It turned out to have big patches of chalky, sandy soil and the effects of high heat and little moisture are showing first there.  The dugout, our one source of water, is already down by about three quarters, but we have no reasonable way to get water to the potato field, as is.  Fortunately, we plant tons of potatoes (that's probably literally, as well as figuratively), so we can bear to lose a few!  The lettuces, which looked poorly last week, are just toasted this week and beyond all hope.  Young pea pods are kind of 'crisping' up.  The onions, carrots and beets, in full sun on a slope, continue to just 'not thrive' - rather a surprise to us!  They're okay, but not growing well enough to dig yet.

The summer squash is the one crop seemingly enjoying the heat!  As the bounty continues, try a few new things!  Check out Thursdays' CSA blog post for links for chocolate zucchini cake, muffins and loaves.  We'd love you to freeze some zucchini for your winter use!  How about zucchini fritters or hash brown?  Shred it, press out excess moisture, spice it to your taste: garlic/salt/pepper, oregano/rosemary/basil or maybe something a wee bit Oriental with coriander/five spice.  Here's a great recipe for fritters from the ever-delightful Smitten Kitchen!

As the Patty Pans get bigger - try stuffing them!  Because of their firm texture, they stuff well and hold their shape.  You can serve them out in cute little slices.  Here's a link for a meat and quinoa stuffed Patty Pan (not familiar with quinoa? It's in the rice aisle at the grocery store, as easy to cook as rice and very, very good for you!).  How about a vegetarian version with spinach?  One of Farmer Man's favorite versions is onion, cream cheese and crab meat - when he's feeling a little decadent!  You can use any recipe that you might use to stuff a tomato or pepper!  One of my other favorite new ideas I've seen on the Web, which I'm trying real soon, is pickled Patty Pans!  Wouldn't that be cute with tiny ones?

The really awesome news:  Menno and Evelyn's tomatoes seem to be loving this heat.  They didn't originally think last week that they'd get enough of a harvest to share with everyone today - but they did!  If you've never tried one of their organic, greenhouse-grown, vine-ripened tomatoes....you're in for a treat!  I was hoping to find enough fresh basil for everyone - I cut it pretty hard for Thursday's tomato treat!  It didn't happen but I got enough for 2/3's of you and everyone else will get oregano (also very Italian and great with tomatoes) or mint.  Herbs will be on a first come-first serve basis! Also a surprise today: first pick on cucumbers, the lovely long English cukes.  There was enough for the Full Shares, until I stepped on one.....so the Part Shares get first pick today and Jes and I had a part of a cucumber for lunch!  Yummy!  One of the few times we eat something before our CSA families!

We wanted to make sure the Single Shares got some peas, so this week it's Edible Pod Peas for you guys.  Full Shares had those last week, so they've got a wee treat of shelling peas this week.  Part Shares get none, but they get the cucumbers, so we're okay with that!  Everyone is getting beans galore - super pick today!  You all know that the purple bean, Royal Burgundy, turns dark green on cooking, right?  Rather always been a disappointment to me that they don't stay purple.

So, for the FULL SHARES: 3 lbs. Warba white potatoes, 1/2 lb. shelling peas, tomatoes, bunch of herb, Crookneck squash, Romanesque squash, Papaya Pear squash, Patty Pan squash, 2.5 lbs. mixed yellow and purple beans, pint of Red Mammoth raspberries.

PART SHARES:  2 lbs. Warba white or Norland red potatoes, English cucumber, tomatoes, bunch of herb, Moroccan or Mediterranean squash, zucchini, Patty Pan squash, 1 1/5 lbs. mixed yellow and purple beans.

SINGLE SHARES:  1.5 lbs. Norland red potatoes, edible pod peas, tomatoes, bunch of herb, Crookneck squash, zucchini, Patty Pan squash, 1 lb. mixed yellow and purple beans. 

CSA for August 16, 2011

Patty Pan Squash

Ground Cherries, aka Cape Gooseberry

It's hard to believe we're half way through August.  Perhaps because we got such a late, slow start to the season that it doesn't feel like we've really been at it for very long.  Yet, the first Friday Night Farmers Market at Shoppers Mall was a full two months ago!  We're hoping the rain forecast for this morning holds off so we can get a good harvest, but we could really use a good rain on the gardens.  What was forecast for last night never happened (again), 90% chance of rain - sure, sure.....

Summer squash is on big time!  Everyone is getting a couple of zucchini in their boxes.  We will have a whole crate of extras for you all to take as much as you'd like.  Here's a recipe for a zucchini pancake we're excited to try!  We've done something similar with spaghetti squash and it was very yummy.  This pancake can be done sweet with syrup, savory with salsa or as a side dish with just some sour cream or Greek yogurt.  Very simple.  Everyone is also getting a couple of Patty Pan or Scallopini, one of our favorite summer squashes.  The Patty Pan's are firmer and denser than zucchini.  When larger, they are awesome for stuffing, then you can serve out a 'slice'.  Here's a southern recipe for a stuffed Patty Pan with rice and spinach.  Or how about a bacon and cheese stuff Patty Pan?  You simply slice the bottom a bit so that the flying saucer-shaped squash sits nice.  Cut out the top, scoop out the inside seed cavity and some meat but leave a good wall.  Farmer Man's favorite stuffing is a can of crab meat and a small block of cream cheese, with a little minced garlic and dill!  Just bake or BBQ until the skin is soft enough to pierce with a fork.  Here's also a great link to sauteed Patty Pan's - some great flavor combinations!  Grated summer squash also can be frozen for the winter.  Many people grate it, squeeze out extra moisture (not really necessary with the Moroccan types, Patty Pans or Papaya Pears) and freeze it in the measured quantity for a recipe like zucchini muffins or zucchini chocolate cake.  If you are canning, how about Sweet and Spicy Zucchini Relish?  Even if you don't can, you could make this recipe in a small batch and keep it refrigerated for at least a few days to 'marry' the flavors before using.

Everyone is getting a bag of beans: a variety of Dragon's Tongue, purple or green.  There wasn't enough of any one kind to give everyone, but if you got green and would rather purple, you can probably trade out at the Farmers Market table.  There was a tiny pick of peas, but if you want to trade for those you had better get there early!

Everyone is getting 'All Red' potatoes today.  This is a rarer variety where the flesh is pink; yes, the inside is pink like the skin.  This is a great dense, meaty potato - excellent mashed potatoes (they're pink, don't forget), excellent for baking or doing in foil packages on the BBQ.  Farmer Man loves doing scalloped potatoes with a layer of the 'All Red', just for fun!  There will be some white and some fingerling on the Farmers Market table, but you really should experience the 'All Red' potato.

First little pick on the ground cherries or Cape gooseberry.  This is an interesting little fruit related to tomatoes, but more closely related to tomatillos.  Inside the papery little husk is a little berry:  pineapple-like when golden, more of a lime kick when the berry is greener.  Just enough for a taste for the Full Shares today, but they are coming along nicely!

So, for the FULL SHARES:  'All Red' potatoes in a 3 lb. bag, two zucchini, two large Patty Pan summer squash, cucumber, tomatoes, bag of beans, garlic, small bag of ground cherries, large bundle of chard, bundle of carrots.

For the PART SHARES:  'All Red' potatoes in a 2 lb bag, two zucchini, two Patty Pan summer squash, cucumber, tomatoes, garlic, beans, small bundle of chard, carrots.