CSA Week 6
***Please note: final installment payments are due August 15 for those on the 3 installment plan! Payments are $130 half/$195 full. Send or bring us a check, or pay online here. ***
In your share week 6:
New Potatoes
Zucchini
Cippolini Onion
Baby Turnips
Broccoli
Basil
Cherry Tomatoes
Peas (Full shares) or Cucumbers (Half Shares)
Full shares only
Salad Mix
Tomatoes
August is here, and that means the farm is in full swing. We are working hard to keep everything harvested and happy, and our cooler is in constant rotation as we bring in fresh crops, find them homes, and then bring in more. It’s an exhausting time of year but also rewarding, as we get to see the fruition of everything we’ve been working on since January. Our crew has been fantastic on the farm and at market, and they are doing a great job of keeping your veggies coming.
Peas are on their way out, sadly, this will likely be the last you’ll see of them in your shares. They will soon be replaced by green beans, though, which we’ve just started picking. These two crops tend to dovetail each other, which is a good thing since we simply don’t have time to pick both of them! We all miss the peas when they go, though, they are short and sweet!
We’ve got a couple of new items this week. Baby turnips are a popular veggie that you can’t usually find in stores, they have become one of our most popular vegetables. These aren’t your grandma’s turnips: also called salad turnips, they are sweet and creamy rather than spicy and starchy. I mostly eat them raw, with hummous or on a salad. They’re also delicious roasted or in soup. Turnip greens are especially delicious and especially nutritious, and can be used like spinach. I prefer them cooked, especially lightly steamed or sauteed with a little white wine and garlic, but they can also be added raw to salads and sandwiches. Turnip greens are one of my favorite vegetables.
We’ve switched up your onions today, giving you a lovely bunch of cipollini onions. These are a bit sweeter than our yellow variety, making them fantastic for caramelizing or roasting. I find them to be extra tasty onions, and I use them in all kinds of dishes. Remember, you can eat the stem and greens as well as the bulb, and I really recommend doing so!
Zucchini is now coming in hard and fast, and we’re at the point in the season where I wonder if I planted too much. For many crops, if we want to have a good supply early and late it means having a little too much in the peak of the season. In a few weeks, these plants will slow down their fruiting and we’ll be glad to have the larger patch, but for now it’s a bit overwhelming. I’ve given you a good helping today, great for making soups, desserts, or zucchini noodles (zoodles).
Broccoli is a feature this week, with some getting a bunch of our non-heading broccoli and others getting a head of the more familiar hybrid type. I know this is a favorite of our CSA members, and we had a great pick to share with you this week! Speaking of great picks, we also had a record cherry tomato pick, so we’ve got cherry tomatoes for all to enjoy.
A couple of storage reminders: we find that basil stores best on the counter in a plastic bag, and I’d still keep those new potatoes in the fridge for a few more weeks until the skins harden off. This week’s potatoes are a mix, but mostly the yellow waxy carola variety.
Our flowers are also exploding this week, with huge harvests of dahlias and lots of fun blooms coming in. I’ve been especially enjoying the statice, which is an everlasting flower in shades of pink, apricot, and blue that adds a lot of texture and air to the bouquets. I also love the frosted explosion grass, which looks like a fiber optic wand. The rudbeckia (black eyed susan) are coming into their own, and we’re harvesting the first of our Dara ornamental queen anne’s lace. Not a flower member but want to try it out? We’re taking a few more members for the remainder of the season: 5 weeks of flowers, picked up or delivered with your CSA share, for $75. Sign up here.
Guilt-Free Garlic Parmesan Zucchini Noodles Pasta Recipe
From Inspired Taste blog. Make this with 100% zucchini noodles or swap half of the zucchini for regular spaghetti for a heartier meal. Makes 4 Servings.
4 medium zucchini (about 2 pounds)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 to 4 cloves)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, depending on how spicy you like the pasta
2 medium tomatoes, chopped, see note (about 12 ounces)
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1 cup basil leaves, torn into pieces
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons cold water
Salt, to taste
Prepare Noodles:
Trim and spiralize the zucchini, or you can use a julienne vegetable peeler, regular vegetable peeler, mandoline, or a box grater on its side. Cut extra long noodles so that they are about the length of spaghetti.
Add olive oil, garlic, and the red pepper flakes to a large, deep skillet. Turn to medium heat. When the oil begins to bubble around the garlic, add the zucchini noodles. Toss the noodles with pasta tongs and cook until al dente — they should be wilted, but still have a crunch; 5 to 7 minutes. Do not let the noodles cook any longer or else they will become mushy. As they cook, keep tossing so that all the zucchini noodles have a chance to hit the bottom of the skillet.
Stir in the tomatoes, basil, and parmesan cheese. Cook for one minute.
Use pasta tongs to transfer the noodles, tomatoes, and basil to a serving dish. Leave the liquid in the skillet.
To Finish
Bring the liquid to a simmer. Combine cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl then whisk into the simmering liquid. Cook, while whisking, until the liquid thickens to a sauce; about 1 minute. Taste the sauce and season with salt.
Pour the sauce over the zucchini, tomatoes, and basil. Finish with more parmesan cheese on top and serve immediately.
Zucchini and Rosemary Soup
Recommended by member Anna Russo, she says this delicious soup is easy to make and is a great way to use up lots of zucchini. From the June 1995 issue of Bon Appetit.
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
6 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt broth
1 potato, peeled, sliced
3 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Croutons
Chopped green onions
Melt butter with oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Mix in garlic and rosemary. Add stock and potato; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add sliced zucchini; simmer until tender about 15 minutes.
Working in batches, puree in blender (or use an immersion blender). Season with salt and pepper.
Cook cubed zucchini in saucepan of boiling salted water for 30 seconds. Drain. Rewarm soup over medium heat. Ladle into bowls. Top with zucchini and croutons. Sprinkle with green onions.