Boi washes and counts fennel for this week’s box. The frilly tops are fragrant and lovely.
What should you do when on vacation?
Let’s review how to reschedule a CSA box. This is the same information we offered in our CSA Handbook this spring. Please send complete info when you ask to reschedule a box. It’s a big help. Madison members with Honeybee bread shares, please contact Mary directly to reschedule your bread.
Tipi Vacation Policy. We understand that members go on vacation. You have three options:
1. Cancel your box. Please give us one week advance notice.
2. Have a friend pick up the box for you. Make sure he/she knows how to get the box. Give him/her the instructions for your site (see 5/9/14 email from us) so they have the directions and hours, and know how to contact your site host.
3. You can reschedule up to two boxes per season. We need one week advance notice. You must choose the replacement date at the time that you cancel the box. Send us an email with …
– the *primary name for your share
– your pick-up site
– your share type (weekly or EOW/green or EOW/purple)
– the date you want to postpone
– the new date you would like to reschedule for.
*The primary name for your share is the first name listed on the check-off sheets.
Weekly members, you will receive two boxes on the rescheduled date.
Virtual tour of our two strawberry u-picks
During every farm event, I start chatting and forget to take photos. Fortunately, you folks took pictures and are willing to share. Thank you! Here is a sampling. We were lucky that the weather stayed clear during both u-picks. As you can see in the first photo, storm clouds blew in just as the first u-pick ended.
Veggie List and Veggie Notes (7/10/14, week #8, purple EOW week)
You’ll notice a switch to summer vegetables. We hope you enjoy this box. We think it’s an especially nice one.
Cabbage, 2 to 3 lb
Swiss chard, 1 bunch
Snap peas, 3/4 lb
Snow peas, 1/4 lb
Both types of peas are in one bag.
Fennel with tops, 1
Zucchini & summer squash, 2 to 3 lb
Cucumbers, 3
Red bibb lettuce, 1 tiny
Walla Walla onion, 1
Parsley, 1 generous bunch
Next week’s box will probably contain beets with greens, carrots, peas, Walla Walla onion, zucchini, cucumbers, kale, herbs and more.
Cabbage – This is another head of salad-type cabbage. These have thinner, more tender leaves than the usual green cabbage. Great in salads and slaws but can also be cooked.
Fennel (large vegetable with a fat bulb and lacy fronds) – Fennel is a ‘swing vegetable’; it can be used raw or cooked. Clean well and slice as thinly as possible for use in raw salads. It is good simply prepared with olive oil, lime or lemon juice, salt and shaved parmesan cheese. Cooking softens and sweetens fennel, and mellows its anise flavor. Both the bulb and leaves are edible. Here are ideas from Alice Water of Chez Panisse about how to use fennel: ‘It’s strong anise characteristic seems to suit fish particularly well. … We use fennel all the time. We add the feathery leaves to marinades for fish and to numerous salads, sauces and soups and we use them as a garnish, too. … The bulbs are sliced and served raw in salads in various combinations with other vegetables, parboiled for pastas; caramelized and served as a side dish; braised whole; or cooked in vegetable broths & fish stocks.”
Red bibb lettuce – These heads are tiny but very nice. We harvested them young because it’s risky to leave them in the field in wet weather. They should be useful in a mixed salad or as a bed for marinated vegetables.
Walla Walla onions – These are sweet onions, like Vidalias. Wonderful raw or lightly cooked. This week’s onions are unusually plump for this time of year.