CSA Week 9 and Farm Stand Updates

We are relieved to trade in the heat and humidity from last week for some beautiful sunny and cooler weather for a few days. Overall, this has been a much cooler and wetter summer than last year, so we haven’t had a chance yet to build up our tolerance for truly steamy days! It should come as no surprise that weather patterns impact the growing season, but this season has been a clear contrast with last season. Many of our lettuces and greens have fared well (when they aren’t getting eaten by deer and flea beetles!), and we’ve seen some nice lush growth on most of our field crops. We’ve also seen some very lush and healthy weeds as a side effect! Without as much heat, the fruits of plants like tomatoes, peppers, squash and eggplant have matured slightly slower than last season. We’ve also had trouble getting into some fields because they were too wet (an uncommon occurence with our sandy soils!), and we’ve seen more plant diseases. However, while there may be some drawbacks for crop production with this weather, we are well aware that our working conditions this season are more comfortable than last year’s, and are certainly far more comfortable than what many farm workers (and other outdoor workers) in other parts of the country have been enduring this year!

In the CSA this week:

• Tomatoes - We are excited to have tomatoes this week, but want to remind folks that, just like in prior seasons, for the first few weeks of tomato season, availability is limited. This week we’ll have 1 per membership, but we expect to have more in the coming weeks!

• Watermelon - Red flesh with seeds.

• Peppers - Mostly green, but we may also have a sprinkling of purple peppers as well.

• Celery

• Uncured garlic

• Fresh Onions - Ailsa Craig or Red Long of Tropea varieties.

• Beets

• Carrots

• Zucchini

• Slicing cucumbers

• Pickling cucumbers

• Kale or Cabbage

• Lettuce

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

• Cherry tomatoes - There will be several varieties to choose from, including Sungolds, Cherry Bomb, Sunpeach, Yellow Mini and Red Grape. We still have a few other varieties to look forward to, including some of the popular larger “cocktail” varieties.

• Snap beans - Both green and purple.

• Sunflowers

• Herbs - Sage, thyme, oregano, chives, parsley, and basil

In the farm store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will have flower bouquets, summer squash, seedless cucumbers, eggplant and later in the week, colored peppers. In addition we will have sweet corn from Verrill Farm, mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm and eggs from Pete and Jen’s.

We accept credit card, cash, check and EBT in the farm store. The farm store is open Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm and Saturday 9am - 3pm. We also continue to take online pre-orders for Wednesday and Friday pick-up. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering currently opens at 6pm on Tuesday for Wednesday pick-up and 6pm on Thursday for Friday pick-up.

PYO Flower CSA

The PYO Flower garden is open to both Flower CSA members and to the general public. Varieties available include snapdragons, zinnias, marigolds, gomphrena, strawflower, celosia, statice, ammi, rudbeckia, scabiosa, cosmos and amaranth. Please pick flowers above branching points so that we can enjoy the plants for the next 2 months. Picking hours are during any farm store hours: Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. We recommend bringing your own pruners or scissors as well as water for transporting your flowers home.

Sautéed Zucchini and Cherry Tomatoes

By Jennifer Segal from Once Upon A Chef

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 small red onion, diced

• 1 pound zucchini (2-3 medium), cut into ½-inch chunks

• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil, plus more for garnish if desired

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large sauté pan. Add the red onions and cook, stirring frequently, until very soft and pale purple in color, 7-8 minutes. Do not brown.

2. Add the zucchini, tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, for 3-5 minutes, or until the zucchini are cooked but still crisp and the tomatoes have started to collapse, creating a little sauce. Stir in the fresh basil, then taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with more fresh basil if desired.

Green Gazpacho

Adapted from “Plenty,” by Yotam Ottolenghi

INGREDIENTS

• 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 tender green like baby spinach

• 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

DIRECTIONS

Combine the celery, green peppers, cucumbers, chili, garlic, sugar, walnuts, greens, 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.