Hello All, Jasen here! This is my first CSA letter of the year. I used to write these all the time with Farmer John's plot, ah yes a trip down memory lane...anyway! Welcome to the second half of the summer season, 8 weeks remain for summer shares. The crops are looking pretty good going into the late summer season. Summer Lettuce Blend is back, as well as head lettuce. If you wanted an overload on leafy goodness because you missed it so much, you get our A-OK! Kale and chard always going strong. We harvested lots of cherry tomatoes and green BEANS today, our newer summer squash is starting to come on strong. Also new this week is Edamame, a new crop for us. Chicken update: We move chickens on Monday mornings to fresh grass. The move takes about 45 minutes of taking down fences, moving the coop and two "chick-shaws", setting back up the fence, hooking up the solar charger, filling the feeders, moving hoses for water, and then letting them out. It always makes us so happy to see their reaction to a new spot. Many start foraging on grass and bugs while others are headed right for the easy meal . The chickens are laying about 100 eggs per day the last few days, and ever increasing. We will have a lot pullet (smaller) eggs available for sale at CSA pickup tomorrow, $6.50/dozen. We feed the chickens Organic certified grain from Lakeview Organic Grain in New York. They seems to do an amazing job as they grow much of what they put into their feeds. Last week we did a good amount of transplanting, some weeding, planted a lot of fall carrot beds, trellised tomatoes, and organized some areas of the farm. Please remember to bring back granola jars, pint and quart containers, rubber bands and black plant sale pots. We will reuse!
CSA Pickup Important Reminders Pickup is from 3pm-5:30pm at Nubanusit Neighborhood and Farm, Peterborough, NH, 03458. If you are unable to make it to CSA pickup, please let me know! We have options. Please bring a reusable bag to pack your share into. We wash most of our produce before distribution but its always a good idea to give everything a rinse before you eat it. Our veggies can last weeks if stored properly! Click the document below for tips on storing your produce. Vegetable_Storage_Tips.pdf
Keep scrolling for recipes ideas...
What's in my share this week?
This week may include: **As always we sometimes don't know until harvest day what will be ready and of good quality. Sometimes deer eat an entire planting in ONE night. **
Sweet Peppers/Lunchbox peppers- These small peppers are SO SWEET and super fun to grow. There will be a combination of colorful ripe frying and bell peppers, small ripe lunchbox peppers, and green bell peppers this week. One of Jasen's favorite things to grow and eat. Onions- Not sure if Elsbeth has mentioned the horrible onion year we're having but I have to say its BAD. However, we do have one bed of mixed onions, including Red Long of Tropea onions. These funky shaped onions are small but they are still really good. Use just like any onion. Store these fresh onions with the tops removed and bagged in the fridge until use. Kale - chop leaves and stems and sauté with oil, salt and pepper. Swiss Chard - beautifully rainbow and so tender. Head Lettuce - Red heads mostly Beets - red, gold and chiogga. We love roasting with oil salt and pepper or shaving into a salad. The chiogga are white and pink striped inside. Carrots - small, sweet, fresh eating carrots. Cucumbers - best eaten fresh with a sprinkle of salt. I made a simple dill, yogurt, lime and salt dip for and it was a hit. Garlic Scapes - a seasonal favorite. Scapes are the top growth point from each garlic plant that must be harvested for a garlic clove to fully form. Use as you would garlic or onions or make a delicious pesto (see recipe!) Summer Lettuce Blend- Guess whats back?! It's been a long few weeks since lettuce has been in shares. The rain really killed the last planting. This new planting finally looks great. Green Beans - long, sweet green beans, great eaten fresh or steamed. Cherry Tomatoes - mixed pints of colorful cherries. Early season we all know the best way to eat these...on the way home! Full Size Tomatoes - we have red, yellow, purple and yellow striped. See recipe below for GH's famous (and seriously delicious) tomato sandwich). Cabbage - purple or green. Perfect for cole slaw or my favorite way, sautéed with oil, salt, pepper and curry powder. Edamame - GH LOVES these things. He could probably go on for days about them! And they are yummy. We are planning on harvesting whole plants as you can see in one photo. You can take the whole plant home or take off the pods before you go. See the super basic recipe I've included down below. After cooking and seasoning, peel the pod off and eat the young, tender beans inside.
Summer Squash - yellow and some green zucchini. Great chopped and sautéed with oil, salt and pepper. Available for Pick Your Own -
Basil
Parsley (flat and curly)
Mint
Lemon Balm
Oregano
Sage
Tulsi
Chives
Lavender
All flowers
Recipes Ideas: Edamame in the Shell- New York Times
Step 1
To boil: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it generously. Add the edamame, return to a boil and cook until bright green, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain. Step 2
Sprinkle with a teaspoon of salt and a little or a lot of black pepper. Toss and serve hot, warm or chilled with an empty bowl on the side for the pods.
We have officially entered tomato season which means tomato sandwiches! GH's Famous Tomato Sandwich: 1. Toast three slices of sourdough or french bread. As you wait, cut the largest, ripest tomato you can find into 1/2" thick slices. Optionally, cut some sharp cheddar cheese as thin as you can manage. 2. Once your bread is lightly toasted, spread a thick layer of Vegenaise or mayonnaise on each piece. Place a tomato slice on each piece and top with salt and pepper. Optionally add cheese and nutritional yeast. Sandwiches are open-faced (only one piece of bread). 3. Time to eat! Your first tomato sandwich of the season should not include cheese. Our cucumbers are also producing well and I have been enjoying this dip I made up: Elsbeth's Yogurt Dill Dip Mix yogurt, lemon juice, salt, pepper and dill in a bowl. I just did quantities by look and feel and adjusted to taste. Dip cucumbers right in. Refreshing and delicious. I highly recommend Dishing Up The Dirt website for recipe inspiration. She is a farmer and separates recipes by vegetable. Send us your recipes if you tried something and loved it! THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! We are excited to be growing for you.
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