Week 10 - Hold Me Closer Tiny Carrot (August 28th, 2013)

We have all installed intravenous saline drips on our bodies to keep from getting dehydrated this week.  No we actually didn’t do that… But we have changed our working hours to the EARLY morning and have been paying extra attention to the amount of WATER we all drink.  It doesn’t take much to work up a good sweat in this heat.  The heat loving plants are not complaining though!  Eggplant, tomatoes and peppers are thriving and we will load you up with them while the getting is good. 

We will be having a CSA Potluck and Farm Tour on Sunday, September 15^th from Noon-3pm!  We will be sending a reminder card in your next CSA box so be on the lookout.  Bring a dish to pass and a plate and utensils.  We’ll supply the refreshments and hopefully some entertainment! 

WHAT’S IN YOUR BOX THIS WEEK:

Broccoli
Cucumbers
Hot Peppers
Sweet Peppers
Carrots
Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Sweet Corn
Edamame (soy beans)

 

Our sweet corn did great this year.  The coon fence worked like a charm and since we planted the corn right into the winter squash, it didn’t take up any additional space.  We will definitely plant our corn in a similar fashion next year.  ½ of the corn we started in flats and ½ we direct seeded.  The direct seeded corn didn’t germinate very well so we bought in some from our friends at Fairview Farms so that we could give everyone a decent amount.        

The cabbage worms have been prolific in the broccoli this year.  They are the little green caterpillar looking things in the picture.  We always hydro-cool the broccoli (meaning we pick it and immediately put it into a cooler full of cold water) to help it keep crisp and also to get rid of any bugs living inside the heads.  We also bang it out and this year have even gone through each head with tweezers and picked out any cabbage worms we could see.  It’s just part of organic farming.  We recommend that you make sure you cut the broccoli up before cooking it and if you want to be really sure you don’t get any bugs in your dinner you can soak the broccoli in some cold salt water before cooking. 

RECIPES WE THOUGHT YOU WOULD ENJOY:

Caprese Salad

Fresh tomatoes
Fresh basil
Fresh mozzarella
Balsamic Reduction
Olive oil
Sea Salt

Reduce the balsamic vinegar by putting 4 times the amount of balsamic you want to end up with in a saucepan.  Bring it to a boil and then let it simmer for about 5 minutes.  Shut off the heat when you get to ALMOST the thickness that you want as it will reduce more as it cools. 

Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella and arrange them on a plate.  Chiffonade the basil and place it liberally on top of the tomatoes and mozzarella.  Drizzle on the balsamic reduction and olive oil and top with sea salt.  Devour.

 Edamame

Soak the edamame in salt water for about 15 minutes.  Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook beans for 5-6 minutes with the lid off.  Remove from water and sprinkle with coarse salt.  To eat pull the beans out of the shell with your teeth.