Week 5; July 24, 2014
What's in the box?
head lettuce
broccoli!!!
green cabbage
cucumber
summer squash/ zucchini
green and dragon tongue beans
cauliflower
lacinato kale
red scallions
salad mix
green and dragon tongue beans
summer squash/ zucchini
cucumbers
red scallions
lacinato kale
broccoli!
Notes on the box...
Well, we planted a lot of broccoli and staggered the plantings so that we would have a couple of pounds of broccoli for each member over several weeks. Then we had nice cool weather that had it growing beautifully, then some really hot days and BAM! all the broccoli is ready to pick all at once! So we put a lot of broccoli into the boxes this week. YUM! And if you get the sense that there's no way that you will be able to get through the amount of broccoli that you have in your box, it is amazingly easy to freeze for later use (this link includes using the stalks since they are edible and really delicious which is why we cut them long!)
With all the broccoli, there wasn't enough room this week in the single shares for cabbage. We will include red cabbage next week in the single shares. The full shares got another wonderful week of green tendersweet cabbage. This cabbage can be cooked, but it really shines eaten raw. If you can't eat it in a week, rest easy as it will keep for several weeks in your fridge (although the flavor and texture isn't as superb!) Cabbage is great for coleslaws, of course, but also in stir fry or shredded and used as a stand in for rice or you can use large outer leaves to make wraps.
Cauliflower is a vegetable that many people think that they don't like until they try it really fresh and in season. This cauliflower is wonderful (and I really don't like the stuff if it's not fresh from the farm!). We should have more for you next week as well.
Recipes...
Roasting Vegetables brings out their flavor and keeps a nice nexture, especially for those that don't like "mushy" veggies as can happen when steaming at times. In the box this week broccoli, cauliflower, and green beans are all super tasty as roasted veggies. Here's a link to veggie roasting 101 with times and tems and other suggestions. Really, if you haven't tried roasted broccoli, now is the time to do it!
Crispy Cauliflower Tacos with Mango Salsa (this recipe uses cauliflower as a stand-in for fish)
Quinoa Cauliflower Patties (this recipe looks so good! We haven't tried it yet, but we will be soon!)
Kale Noodle Bowl with Avacado Miso Dressing
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On the farm...
We are starting to transition out here from spring crops to summer, these transitions are always a little tricky. too hot for spring crops, and not warm enough for summer crops to mature quickly. Falls crops are going in now as the window for planting for the fall is starting to close. More broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, etc. to be ready when the summer crops come to an end. But that's still tomatoes and corn and melons away... On the farm the years are like days, and the months are hours in the day. We always seem to be looking forward onto the next task that needs to get done right away. It can be hectic to be sure, but sometimes a nice breeze will come, or a particularly beautiful sunrise, or we bite into a crisp greenbean still cool from the morning air and damp with dew and we are suddenly nowhere but in that moment. take a deep breath and soak it in... then off we go again!
We have had a lot of great positive feedback this season, but we've also had a member voicing concern that the value of the boxes aren't adding up. We want to address it so that anyone else who is feeling the same way but hasn't contacted us knows what's going on. The early season boxes are often "light and leafy" but more often than not the value averages out over the course of the season, and surely over many years your investment into a farm will be worth it. Things are looking nice out in the fields, though the fruiting Summer crops are coming along a little slower than normal with the later planting and cool temperatures. We've had some plants die off in lower spots in the fields because of excessive rain again this Spring. We also had washout of some direct seeded crops early in the season, so we had to replant carrots and beets and a few other things that should have been in boxes at this point. But we are staying on top of the weeds (for the most part!), getting plants fed in the short term and working on soil fertility for the long term. We remain optimistc and think we will get a good value into the boxes over the course of the season.
One very important thing Community Supported Agriculture is about is connecting with where your food is coming from... So, we are excited to invite you and your family out for a Summer cookout on August 16th at the farm. We will be grilling and hope you bring a dish to pass. There will be farm tours and plenty of time and space for kids and adults to explore, sample goodies straight from the field, get to know your farmers, breathe some fresh air, and get the wiggles out! We'll plan on dinner at 6 PM, You can come a little early to explore the farm (around 4 or 5) and feel free to camp out overnight if you'd like. Please let us know if you plan on attending! We are on google maps, just search for Turnip Rock Farm
Our Harvest Party will be September 20th. Another potluck! Mark your calendar! pumpkins to pick, and fall colors.
potatoes, sweet corn, carrots, sweet onions, peppers are all right around the corner.
Now... go get to eating some broccoli!
