2013 CSA week 7
August 28, 2013
Okay, I might be hiding in here, but I really need a nap.
Week 7 July 17th, 2013
Hello, Another last minute box note as the saga of the two farm summer continues. The best laid plans……..I find myself not wanting to or able to leave either operation in any semblance of a timely fashion. (I confess to having to turn around three times last night heading back to the Noti farm for one last thing I’d forgotten or one last addition to the list of things for the crew to do.) We are blessed to now have two farms with able bodied crews more than capable of managing the day to day despite my now less frequent meddling. The cloudy cool mornings of the last couple of days have brought a welcome respite from the heat and the pace of the morning harvests has been less frantic. The window of time from knife to walk in refrigeration is a small one when the summer heat is on and any morning cloud cover can help alleviate that stress. Imagine trying to finish a cherry tomato harvest in a 150 foot long greenhouse as the temperature starts to climb! Each season brings with it different challenges, successes and failures and as a farmer each can be worn like a badge of honor or a lasting scar. Some seasons can help the healing as the onion crop this year has done. Onions it seems for us are either a bumper crop or a complete failure, very rarely anything else. Both our overwintered sweet onions and the spring planted crop have done well. Many of our peers that come out to the farm are greeted with a resounding “Just look at that corn!” as our first planting closest to the barn is nearing harvestable size! Compared to last years weather challenged meager stand it is truly a sight to behold and will start to appear in the boxes in the coming weeks. The field house beefsteak tomatoes are showing some color and we will get into some sizable harvests soon. The heirloom tomatoes in the field are looking healthy and starting to set large clusters of fruit. Melons are sizing up and the biweekly walkthrough begins and the hunt for the first ripe melon of the season is on. This job usually falls to the kids, but with them up at the new farm now I can see the crew eying the patch with mouths watering. The task of inventorying the nursery stock at the new farm will begin soon and then the monumental task of selling of much of it will begin. We are hoping to host an open house for you to come out and see the new site soon. While all of the vegetables are currently growing at the Noti farm we are hoping to clear enough ground for soma fall and overwintering plantings in the coming weeks and months. Thanks to those of you that pointed out my grammatical slip last week, a good reminder that spell checker only works if you spell ass wrong not if you meant something else entirely.
Dave, Lori and the crew
Logistics: 2nd payment due. For those of you with your second $300 payment still due on your CSA share, now’s the time. You can either mail us a check to: Creative Growers 88741 Torrence Road Noti, OR 97461 OR Go to Paypal.com and initiate a payment to csa@creativegrowers.com. Thank you.
Please remember that our pick up site hosts generously provide space for us and we ask that you keep the area neat and tidy. You can either ‘grab and go’ with the tote or transfer to your own bag or box and leave the empty in a neat stack.
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In The Box:
1 Lettuce Parris Island Cos Romaine
1 bunch Basil
1 bunch Baby Fennel or 1 Large Fennel
2 lb New Potatoes
½ lb Green Beans
1 or 2 Sweet Red Onion
1 or 2 Zucchini or 1 Red Cabbage
1 lb Cherry Tomatoes
1 lb Broccoli
Crop Notes and Recipes:
Everything in your box this week will store best in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
GREEN BEANS WITH TOMATOES AND BASIL From Asparagus to Zucchini, Madison Area CSA Coalition
1 1/2 pounds green beans, cooked
1 garlic clove, diced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tomatoes or 1/2 basket of cherry tomatoes, coarsely chopped
salt & pepper to taste
1 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
Cut beans into 1‑inch lengths; set aside. Saute garlic and onion in oil in skillet until soft. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper, and cook 2 minutes. Stir in basil and green beans. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in parlsey, and serve immediately. Makes 4‑6 servings.
Click this link for this recipe – WOW! Baked Green Bean Fries with Basil Aioli
FINISHING TOUCHES FOR BEANS
The Victory Garden Cookbook by Marian Morash
After steaming or blanching, try one of these:
‑ With Butter & Lemon Juice: toss beans with butter in a hot frying pan. Sprinkle with lemon juice, and season with salt & pepper.
‑ With Onions: lightly brown chopped onions in butter, add beans, and toss until thoroughly coated in butter and onions.
‑ With Oil and Garlic: Heat 2 tablespoons oil per pound of beans, add 1 clove finely shopped or pureed garlic, cook 30 seconds, add beans; toss until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
‑ With Mushrooms: Saute 1/4 pound sliced mushrooms per pound of beans in butter until lightly browned. Add green beans and heat through.
Blanched Broccoli with Basil Pesto and Cherry Tomatoes
adapted from Pasta e Verdura by Jack Bishop
1 pound broccoli
salt to taste
1/2 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves
1 medium cloves garlic, peeled
1 Tbs. pine nuts 3Tbs. olive oil
1/8 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 pints cherry tomatoes
1 pound pasta (such as shells, or other open shape)
Bring 4 quarts of salted water to boil in large pot for cooking the pasta. Bring several quarts of water to boil in another pot. Chop the broccoli into small, bite-sized pieces. Add the broccoli and salt to taste to the boiling water. Cook until broccoli is tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and set aside the broccoli. Place the basil, garlic, and pine nuts in the work bowl of a food processor and process, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until smooth. With the motor running, slowly pour the oil through the feed tube and process until smooth. Scrape the pesto into a large bowl. Stir in the cheese and additional salt to taste. Cut the tomatoes in half. Add the tomatoes to the bowl with the pesto and toss gently. Add the broccoli to the bowl and toss gently. Taste for salt and adjust seasonings if necessary. While preparing the sauce, cook and drain the pasta. Toss the hot pasta with the broccoli sauce. Mix well and transfer portions to pasta bowls. Serve immediately.
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