What's in the box?

mint
new potatoes
tomatoes! and heirloom tomaotes
bell peppers
summer squash/ zuchinni
sweet onions
broccoli
sweet corn
braising mix/ baby kale
green top beets (large and medium)
watermelon

Notes on the box.

Please note: veggies are hydro-cooled and rinsed, but we suggest doing a final wash at home before eating to remove any remaining dirt.

Store potatoes and Tomatoes outside of the fridge. Watermelon doesn't have to be stored in the fridge. Everything else can be stored in the fridge.
This year, like last year, we had a disease in our watermelon (and cucumbers this season). So unfortunately this looks like it will be all for watermelon. We test the melons for readiness based on a few clues from the plant (checking tendrils to see if they have dried) but the disease affects the plants and so sometimes some of the melons that we thought to be ripe may not actually be. It's a big disappointment to have another bad melon season this year. We moved to a raised bed system after last season hoping that would help, but it didn't. We will be looking into different varieties of melons and hopefully find one that is naturally more resistant to this disease and will do better in our soil for next season. The good news is that the cantaloupe is looking nice!
For beets, some folks got a variety called Cylendra that is a longer tapered beet. We really like how easy it is to peel. Other people got golden beets. The beet greens are edible and can be used in place of chard or spinach in recipes. Remove tops from beets and store in a plastic bag in your crisper.
Sweet corn should be stored in the husk in your fridge. The sooner you eat it, the better! The sugars start to turn to starch after it's picked, so eat soon for the best flavor.
Sweet onions are not cured and should be kept in your fridge. They are so nice and mild. Perfect for potato salad, piled onto hamburgers or BLTs, or if you are Otto or Sadie, you can eat the whole thing like an apple!
Store tomatoes with stem side facing down on your counter. The flavor and texture changes if you store them in the fridge, so we suggest storing on your counter. If you don't get to some of them and they start getting too ripe, I will usually put those tomatoes in the fridge and use them for cooking.

Cosmic Wheel Creamery Cheese Shares.

With all the tomatoes this week, I had to try pulling fresh mozzarella for everyone. Enjoy it ASAP. We like it very simply sliced and eaten with sliced tomato with a drizzle of good olive oil and maybe some balsamic vinegar and salt. Fresh basil is nice if you have it around.
The aged cheese this week is Deneb with is our Gouda style. It is aged 9 months and has a natural rind (gouda is usually waxed). We made the summer squash pizza from last weeks blog and used the Deneb in that recipe and it was quite good.

Recipes.

Watermelon Mint Sorbet
Seed, cube, and freeze your watermelon. When it is frozen, put it in your blender or food processor with the juice of 1-2 limes (you can add the zest, too) and a few sprigs of mint. Blend, scoop, and serve!

Corn, Bacon, and Parmesan Pasta from Smitten Kitchen

Roasted Beet Hummus

On the Farm.

A HUGE THANK YOU to Haley's mom Diane! She has been working with us all week! So generous and adventurous. She's done an awesome job keeping up with the crew, even in the heat! We now know where Haley gets her strength, great attitude, and all around lovliness!