What's in the box?

broccoli and/or cauliflower
cabbage
head lettuce
summer squash/ zucchini (large and medium)
carrots
rainbow chard
scarlet turnips (large and medium)
green onions
fennel (large and medium)

Notes on the box.

So last week it was looking like we were going to have a break from broccoli and cauliflower, but the plants had other ideas and our next planting decided to jump ahead and put on some heads. And the sideshoots (little broccoli that grows on the plants after the main head has been harvested) looked too good to pass up. Broccoli and Cauliflower is one that people don't seem to have trouble eating all of from week to week. And it's super easy to blanch and freeze if you are getting behind on it.

Carrots and turnips will store best with tops removed. This will be the last of the scarlet turnips. Not sure if we will be growing these in the beginning of the season again. The flavor wasn't as good as they had been in the fall of last season. They are pretty good braised, though. Or you can grate them and they add a nice color to coleslaw along with the carrots, especially nice in an asian slaw.

Fennel may be new to some of you. The bulb is the main edible part and it can be sliced thin and eaten in salads, or it can be roasted or even grilled. The fronds are edible, too. I saw a recipe for fennel frond pesto, though I've never tried it. The stalks can be cooked with the bulb. My favorite thing to do with the stalks is to chop them and make them into a bread and butter pickle.

Rainbow chard may also be new to some. It can be used much like spinach for cooking. The beautifully colored stalks are edible and can be sauted before the leaves since they take longer the cook. The leaves wilt down super quickly, but the stalks need more time. Store the chard in a plastic bag in your crisper.

Cosmic Wheel Creamery Cheese Shares.

This week we have cheese curds and some Garlic Scape and Dill Quark. I've been making this flavored quark for the farmers market and people seem to REALLY like it. I generally like to give CSA members plain cheese so that you can fix it up however you want (I know you are doing a lot of cooking and meal prep!) But sometimes it's nice to have something that you can just spread onto your cracker and munch away. I hope you enjoy it! It was the last of the garlic scapes and the dill came from our friends at Steady Hand Farm. We planted dill in the greenhouse early in the season, but it was ready before CSA delivery started. It's good on crackers, as a spread on a sandwich, dabbed onto scrambled eggs or salmon right when they are finished cooking.

Recipes.

Fennel Slaw
To make dressing mix 1 1/2 tsp sugar, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tsp spicy or dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp salt. Slice fennel bulb as thinly as possible starting at the bottom of the bulb. Use a mandolin for slicing if you have one. You may also slice in stalks. Mix in one thinly sliced green onion and a tablespoon of minced mint. Mix with dressing and allow to mainate for at least one hour. The dressing really balances out the licorice flavor of the fennel, but if you'd like to make it even less pronounced, you can double the dressing and add in some thinly sliced cabbage for a fennel cabbage slaw.

Spaghetti with Cauliflower and Chard Gremolata

5 Coleslaw Variations There are about a million different options for coleslaw. We can't get enough of it during the summer and tend to eat some spin on clowslaw with just about every meal. Here's a few suggestions to start!

On the Farm.

We've put a postcard into your CSA box about our friend and neighbor at Red Clover Apothecary's herbal CSA share. Nancy at Red Clover does an amazing job and we love her herbal teas, tinctures, and salves. They are truly some of the best we have found. If you order an Herbal CSA share, we will deliver it to your drop site along with your veggies. Click on the link to learn more and to sign up for an herbal CSA share.

a note to our meat share and eat like a farmer members: the first delivery will be at the beginning of August. We got the broiler chickens started later than we had anticipated and they are slow growing , but it will be worth the wait (see pictures below). The first delivery will include chicken and beef.