Folks, this was a productive week but I did not have time to sit down and write a real newsletter for you all. Lots of farm work plus the local 4H fair runs this week. (Our son earned a blue ribbon in woodworking.) I will be away from the farm next week, visiting family with our kids. Steve and the crew will keep the farm running, and we will resume more substantial newsletters after I return. Beth
What does “OR” mean?
Often our weekly veggie list includes something like “watermelon OR muskmelon.” What does that mean? Sometimes our crops are overwhelming (get ready for tomatoes in August). At other times they ripen in fits and starts, eg. eggplant and the first harvest of almost any crop. When there are small amounts, we split them up among the sites. We make sure that all the boxes at a site are uniform so we can track who gets what. That lets us follow up to deliver muskmelons in future to the people who got watermelons this week, and vice versa.
When our list says “xxx OR yyy” please don’t open CSA boxes searching for your preference. All the boxes at your site are the same. Take your box off the top of the stack. When you open other members’ boxes, their produce warms up. No one wants that. Thanks for your help.
Veggie List and Veggie Notes (July 30/31, 2015, week #11, purple EOW)
First watermelon harvest this week. From left, Ari, Billy, and a slew of melons.
Watermelon OR muskmelon
Cherry tomatoes, 1 pint
Slicing tomatoes, 1.25 – 1.5 lb
Swiss chard, 1 bunch
Bell peppers, 2
Carrots, 2 lb
Walla Walla onions, 1 jumbo
Zucchini and summer squash, 2 lb
Cucumbers (4) OR pickles (2.5 lb) OR Silver Slicer cukes (2.5 lb)
Dill, 1 bunch
A few sites will receive Japanese or globe eggplant this week.
Next week’s box will probably contain melon, sweet corn, green beans, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, onions, and more.
Watermelon OR muskmelon – Everyone gets one melon.
Bell peppers – Some sites will receive 1 green + 1 red, some sites will receive 2 green peppers.
Cucumbers – You will receive either slicing cucumber OR pickles OR white Silver Slicer cucumbers. All can be used for salads or for refrigerator pickles.
Eggplant – A few sites will get globe eggplant (round, purple) or Japanese eggplant (long, purple). Globe eggplant need to be peeled. Japanese eggplant have thinner skin and are traditionally left unpeeled in Asian cooking. When grilling Japanese eggplant, I find it useful to remove a little skin from the outside slices, as they grill or sauté best when the flesh is exposed.
Dill – We’re sending dill this week in combination with abundant cucumbers so you can make refrigerator pickles. The flower heads are my favorite for pickles but you can use both the flowers and the ferny leaves.
Dill flowerheads
THIS WEEK’S RECIPES
Comforting Classics
Chilled Muskmelon Soup
Ground Beef, Shredded Carrot and Bell Pepper Tacos
Swiss Chard and Zucchini Frittata with Dill and Fontina Cheese
Rustic Roasted Peppers and Tomatoes with Ziti
Carrot Hummus with Zucchini and Pepper Crudité
Refrigerator Dill Pickles
Outside the Box Recipes
Sriracha Spiked Watermelon Pepper Salsa
Thai Fried Rice with Summer Squash, Carrot, Bell Pepper, and Shrimp
Wheat Berries and Swiss Chard with Pomegranate Molasses
Cucumber, Tomato and White Bean Salad
Japanese Quick Pickled Carrots and Peppers
Cucumber and Peanut Salad
Kitchen Sink Recipe
Feel free to add more vegetables to this rice dish. Perhaps shredded carrot, diced zucchini, bell pepper and/or eggplant.
Braised Chickpeas, Tomatoes and Chard on Brown Rice
Quick and Easy Dinner Idea
Chard Pesto Pizza with Grilled Zucchini