The lovely weather last week allowed us to tackle a lot of different projects. Among other things, we thinned and weeded 3 beds of carrots, finished trellising all of our high tunnel peppers, finished trellising all of our field tomatoes, and started planting next year’s strawberries. Of course with the drought there was a lot of irrigating as well (while the one rainy evening was nice, the puddles evaporated pretty quickly). This week we expect to weed our last bed of carrots, which always feels like a huge milestone. Somehow it feels like everything is (mostly!) under control once that massive project is finished. We are also looking forward to bringing in more of our winter squash harvest this week. We no longer have the quantities of watermelon out in the field for harvesting into a bulk crate on a tractor, but we will get to enjoy that fun type of harvest with our winter squash this week!
In the CSA this week:
Garlic - The garlic we are distributing this week has been curing for about a month and should be stored in a dry place like a pantry or kitchen counter (not a refrigerator).
Celery - While we have been irrigating the celery, we are in the midst of a drought, so the celery is smaller and the flavor is stronger and less watery than what you get in the grocery store.
Spaghetti Squash - Only available in the Regular CSA.
Asian Eggplant - From Silverwood Farm in Sherborn, MA. Certified Organic.
Colored peppers
Green Peppers
Tomatoes
Slicing Cucumbers or Zucchini - Even though it’s only August, these classic summer veggies slow way down in production, so this is likely the last week either will be available in the CSA.
Watermelon
Scallions
Lettuce
Endive - The endive variety we grow has curlier leaves than Belgian endive and we don’t blanche the heads, so they actually look much more like frisee.
Mustard Greens
Arugula
CSA Pick-Your-Own:
Cherry tomatoes - Varieties available include Black Cherry and Midnight Pear (purplish with green shoulders), Pink Champagne (pink grape), Yellow Mini and Apple Yellow (yellow), White Cherry and Moonbeam (pale yellow), Citrine, Nova, Clementine and Sungold (orange), Jasper, Cherry Bomb, Red Pearl and Mountain Magic (red), and Indigo Cherry Drops (purple/black shoulders with rosy red undersides - this variety is high in antioxidants!)
Hot peppers - choose from Jalapeño, Aji Rico, Cayenne, Hungarian hot wax and Fresno peppers. The cayenne and Hungarian hot wax are at the back of the hot pepper bed and there are lots to choose from! We also have some habañero ripening, which is what we’ll use to make hot sauce again this year!
Herbs: parsley, dill, dill flowers, sage, thyme, mint, and basil.
Sunflowers - Likely Wednesday only (the Goldy Doubles may be past their prime by Saturday, but we may not yet have a new variety ready by then).
In addition, Regular memberships may choose 2 of the following, and Small memberships may choose 1 of the following:
Husk cherries - These small fruit in papery husks are related to tomatoes and tomatillos and have a somewhat tropical flavor.
Shishito peppers - These mini green peppers are great for searing and then sprinkling with a little salt - a very tasty snack or appetizer! Please note that while they’re mostly mild, you will come across the occasional spicy one.
Tomatillos - They should be picked when the fruit fills our the green husk around it.
Green beans
In the farm store:
Farm store hours are Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. We plan to have:
The following items that are also in the CSA: Asian eggplant from Silverwood Farm (starting Wednesday), colored peppers, green peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, slicing cucumbers, garlic, scallions, lettuce, endive, herbs, hot peppers and tomatillos.
Summer squash
Pickling and thin-skinned cucumbers
Beets - from Picadilly Farm in Winchest, NH or Clark Farm in Carlisle. Both are Organic.
Flowers - sunflowers, wrapped mixed bouquets and snapdragons.
Peaches (starting Tuesday afternoon)- From Carver Hill in Stow, MA (not organic). They are harvested firm ripe, so they can keep refrigerated for a week and taken out to soften on your counter a day or two before you want to eat them.
Sweet corn from Verrill Farm (not organic)
Mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm - Certified organic
Double B Honey - From hives on the property! Not certified organic
Applesauce from Long Run Produce in Boxborough, MA. Certified Organic.
Baer’s Best Beans: 1 pound bags. Grown in South Berwick, Maine. Certified Organic varieties available include: Cannellini, Black Turtle, Italian Cranberry and Light Red Kidney. Not organic: bumblebee, marfax, and flageolet.
PYO Flower Field
The flower field is open to both PYO Flower CSA members and the general public for picking by the jar. Please check in at the farm stand before picking. Flowers available for picking this week include: zinnias, snapdragons, gomphrena, ageratum, celosia, ammi, rudbeckia, verbena, amaranth, cosmos, decorative grasses, decorative basil and strawflower. There are also some sunflowers starting to bloom in the PYO Flower field!
White Bean, Feta and Quick-Pickled Celery Salad
by Hetty Lui McKinnon, from NY Times Cooking
Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
4 celery stalks, trimmed and thinly sliced (our celery can be more compact than the grocery store, so you may need more than 4 stalks)
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
¼ cup white or red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cumin seeds (optional)
Salt and pepper
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed
7 to 8 ounces crumbled feta
1 cup chopped tender herbs, such as mint, parsley, cilantro, dill or a mix
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Preparation
Place the celery and red onion in a large bowl. Add the vinegar, sugar, cumin seeds (if using) and about ½ teaspoon of salt. Toss well to combine, then set aside to pickle for 15 minutes.
Add the cannellini beans, feta and herbs to the celery and red onion. Drizzle with the olive oil, season well with salt and pepper and toss well to combine. Serve at room temperature. (The salad can be prepared and refrigerated up to 1 day in advance.)
Gochujang-Glazed Eggplant With Fried Scallions
by Eric Kim, from NY Times Cooking
Ingredients
1 pound Asian eggplant (about 3), halved lengthwise and cut into 4- to 5-inch segments
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons gochujang
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 packed teaspoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
½ cup olive oil
4 scallions, trimmed, cut into 3-inch segments, then very thinly sliced lengthwise, white and green parts separated
Preparation
Place the eggplant in a colander set inside a large bowl or the sink. Sprinkle with the salt, toss to combine and let sit for 30 minutes to remove excess moisture.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, add the gochujang, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil and garlic. Whisk to combine, then set aside.
To a large nonstick skillet, add the olive oil and the white parts of the scallions. Turn the heat to medium and fry the scallions, stirring often, until crispy and evenly browned, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried scallions onto a paper towel.
Reserve a small handful of raw scallion greens for garnish, then fry the remaining scallion greens in the oil until crispy and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer fried scallion greens onto a paper towel.
Remove the skillet from the heat and carefully pour the hot scallion oil into a glass container or measuring cup.
After the 30 minutes of salting, dry the eggplant segments with a paper towel. Place the skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of the reserved scallion oil.
When the oil starts to shimmer and you see a wisp of smoke, add half the eggplant, cut sides down, and fry until browned and starting to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip once and cook another minute on the other side. Transfer to a plate, add 2 more tablespoons of scallion oil back to the pan, and repeat to fry the second batch of eggplants. (If you are lucky enough to have any scallion oil left, use it to fry eggs or to dress a salad.)
Finally, sauce the eggplants: Add the first batch of eggplants back to the pan alongside the second batch. Reduce the heat to medium-low and pour the reserved gochujang sauce over the eggplants. Toss until evenly coated and the gochujang starts to caramelize, about 1 minute.
Plate the eggplants on a large platter and garnish with the fried scallions and the reserved raw scallion greens. Serve immediately. (To store for later, transfer to a resealable container and keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. This dish tastes great cold, straight out of the fridge, or at room temperature.)