CSA Week 3 and Farm Stand Updates

We survived the heat last week and after devoting most of our non-harvest time to irrigation, we got some very timely rains at the end of the week! We sent our crew home early on the hottest days for everyone’s safety. It’s a tough time of year to not be able to get out in the fields with a big group, so this week we will be playing some catch-up on weeding, fencing, putting down landscape fabric, trellising tomatoes and trellising and pruning cukes, tomatoes and peppers in the high tunnels. We also now have some time-consuming and heavy squash, zucchini and cucumber harvests to contend with, but that’s a good kind of problem!

For our CSA members, we wanted to just give a few gentle reminders about filling your CSA bag and PYO containers. The bags and PYO containers that we provide are the measuring tools for your CSA share. Bags can be filled up to the top of the bag, but should not go above that (the exception would be some of our taller items - it is okay if carrot tops come out the top of the bag as long as the carrots themselves are completely inside the bag). With PYO, we have examples of what bunches or filled pints and quarts should look like. Following these guidelines will help ensure that members who come at the end of the day or week can still have a pleasant picking experience. Memberships are sized for one household, so if you are sharing a CSA membership with another household and would like more produce, shopping in the store is a great way to support the farm!

In the CSA this week:

• Zucchini

• Summer Squash

• Thin-skinned seedless cucumbers

• Slicing cucumbers

• Carrots

• Garlic Scapes

• Radishes

• Salad turnips

• Mini daikon radish

• Kale

• Swiss chard

• Lettuce

• Salanova lettuce mix - This cut leaf mix is a little crisper than a mesclun mix and therefore keeps well for longer!

• Arugula

• Mustard greens

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

• Herbs: cilantro, dill, parsley, basil, mint, oregano and sage

In the farm store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will have:

• Beets

• Pickling Cucumbers

• Scallions

• Seedlings

• Flowers

• Mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm - Certified organic

• Double B Honey - From hives on the property! Not certified organic

• Baer’s Best Beans - Black Turtle variety is organic, the other varieties are not.

• Eggs from Codman Farm - Not organic.

Mushroom CSA:

It is the last week of the 8-week Spring Mushroom CSA. Stay tuned for information on how to sign up for the fall edition!

Cucumber Salad

By Ali Slagle, NY Times Cooking

Ingredients

• 1 pound cucumbers

• Salt

• 3 tablespoons vinegar (red or white wine, rice or Sherry)

• 1½teaspoons honey or granulated sugar

• ½small red onion, thinly sliced and rinsed under cold water

• 2 tablespoons chopped dill

• Black pepper

Preparation

1. Peel the cucumbers in alternating strips and trim ends. If desired, halve lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Thinly slice, then transfer to a colander set in the sink. Toss with 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ½ teaspoon fine sea salt and set aside to drain at least 5 minutes or up to 30.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together the vinegar and honey until the honey is dissolved. Shake the cucumbers in the colander to get rid of any moisture, then transfer the cucumbers, red onion and dill to the bowl. Stir to combine, then season to taste with salt and pepper.