August in the farm store and CSA Week 9

Last week flew by in a flurry of harvesting, weeding, and irrigation.  Weeding and thinning the fall carrots and beets was a project we returned to daily after the harvest was complete. While the tractor can help clear weeds from between the rows of roots, within the row of seedlings requires hand weeding. While we are at it we take out extra seedlings that would make the growing vegetables too crowded to make it to full size.  So far we have done this for 2400 feet of carrots and over 1800 feet of beets with more to go.  In addition to hand weeding around the farm this week the crew used hoes to clear space for our growing broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts in our fall brassica field. It's not just maintenance yet! We are still planting and seeding for the fall as well- lettuce, celery, carrots, and greens all went in the ground last week with more successions still to come.  Signs of summer are a bit more obvious on the farm. The slicing and cherry tomatoes, watermelon, sunflowers, eggplant and peppers seem to say it all for us- Happy August!

In the Vegetable CSA:

• Tomatoes- The slicing tomatoes are starting to come in! This first variety is called Defiant. They are generally on the small side but are particularly small due to our current dry conditions. 
• Watermelon- These small "icebox" watermelon are the first of the season! The variety is called Starlight. We set up some elaborate fencing and netting to keep out crows and coyotes, so we had to "break in" to harvest these.
• Celery- Best for cooking as there has not been enough water for it to fill out so it is packed with flavor! Our favorite use is in the green gazpacho recipe below. 
• Fresh Onions: Red Long of Tropea or yellow onion bunches available. Unlike storage onions, these should be kept in the refrigerator.
• Peppers: Green, purple, and potentially the first of our orange and yellow varieties
• Eggplant 
• Cucumbers
• Summer Squash
• Zucchini
• Nicola Potatoes: Yellow skin and centers. The potatoes are small due to drought and Colorado potato beetle pressure, but they are tasty!
• Chard
• Lettuce

CSA PYO:

• Cherry tomatoes - Sungold, Jasper, Red Pearl (grape), Yellow Mini, Cherry Bomb, Sunpeach, Black Cherry,  and Bumblebee. Mountain Magic, a slightly larger cherry tomato is also starting to ripen. 
• Hot peppers - Jalapeno and Serrano.
• Sunflowers - There will be lots of sunflowers available this week! Two beds are in full bloom including our Buttercream variety with light yellow petals and procut gold (pictured above).
• Green beans- A new planting is now open!
• Purple beans- The planting from last week is still producing. 
• Basil - there are 3 varieties - Thai, lemon and Italian. The basil looks beautiful, so it's a good time to make pesto!
• Dill flowers
• Cilantro

Pick-your-own Flowers: All of our flower varieties are now blooming - it's a great time to pick!

In the store: Everything available in the CSA will also be available in the store. In addition, we'll have the first tomatillos of the season, heirloom tomatoes, cabbage, kale, mushrooms if available from Fat Moon Farm and sweet corn from Verrill Farm.

Farm Store Hours:

 Tuesday and Thursday  11am -6 pm  

Wednesday and Friday 2pm - 6pm

Saturday 10am - 3pm

A CSA Member passed on this great recipe that was a big hit in her family! 

Spring Onion and Zucchini Rigatoni

By Lindsey and Taylor at Love and Olive Oil

Quick and easy to prepare with minimal ingredients, this lightly creamy pasta features sweet spring onions and buttery zucchini squash.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound rigatoni pasta
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup thinly sliced red spring onions (about 3 small onions, you can also substitute 1 medium red onion)
• 3 medium zucchini, halved and thinly sliced (3 1/2 cups sliced)
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 1/4 cup half and half
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• grated pecorino cheese, for topping

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Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add rigatoni and cook to just barely al dente, usually about 1 minute less than what the package says (it will finish cooking at the end).
2. Meawhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add onion and cook for 2 minutes until translucent; add zucchini and cook for 3-4 minutes until zucchini is just tender; don't overcook or you'll end up with zucchini mush at the end.
3. Drain pasta and add to skillet with zucchini and onion and toss to incorporate. Add half and half and stir until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Divide among serving bowls and top with a generous sprinkle of pecorino cheese as desired; serve warm.

Read more at http://www.loveandoliveoil.com/2016/06/spring-onion-zucchini-rigatoni.html

Green Gazpacho

Adapted from “Plenty,” by Yotam Ottolenghi

• 2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
• 2 green peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
• 3 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
• 1 mildly spicy chili (such as jalapeño), roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/2 cups walnuts, lightly toasted
• 1/4 pound spinach (or Yukina Savoy!)
• 1/2 cup basil leaves
• 1/4 cup parsley
• 1 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Freshly ground white pepper
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 cups water
• Ice cubes

Combine the celery, green peppers, cucumbers, chili, garlic, sugar, walnuts, spinach, basil, parsley, olive oil, sherry vinegar, salt, pepper and 1 cup water in blender and puree until smooth. Check seasonings, and add more water if you feel it needs it. Let chill in refrigerator. To serve, divide into six bowls, and garnish each with a dollop of Greek yogurt, two ice cubes and a drizzle of olive oil.