Welcome to week 3! Future harvest forecast: Bok Choi and broccoli are getting really close!
Because the summer heat delayed the fall season so much, we’re running up against the low light conditions causing the plants to slow down in their growth rate (although by the looks of the kale and collards, you’d never know it. Those babies are enourmous!) In the low light conditions of fall and winter, we often have to transition to harvesting every other week to allow the plants enough time to re-grow, but a lot of that rides on how much UV we get, and how warm the weather is. I’m not announcing a plan here, just letting you know what you might expect down the line.
We’ll not harvest the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas, so you can mark those off the calendar.
Additionally, we think the harvests for this season will extend into the new year, so we are not launching a winter CSA this year. Everything is at least a month behind schedule, so we think we’ll have cabbage, carrots, broccoli, beets, spinach, lettuce, and more, all the way into winter to satisfy this Fall CSA cohort. Whatever’s in store, it’s sure to be delicious and nutritious, and we’re glad to have you along for the ride.
Here’s this week’s vegetable line-up:
Radish — Crisp, mild Red Rover radishes to the Large shares only
Turnip — Hakurei salad turnip for everyone! This turnip is a fresh-eating turnip, although you certainly can cook them if you like. They are crunchy, mild, and a bit nutty. So wonderful for salads, snacking, or to use with any dip.
Kale/Collard — Large shares received Collards, Regular shares received Red Russian kale, and Mini shares received Winterbor kale.
Swiss Chard — This crop went to the Regular shares this week. It’s absolutely delicious and one of the most visually striking crops we grow! Fantastic sauteed or braised, and also lovely mixed in with your arugula in a salad.
Arugula — A nice big bag for everyone, to enjoy fresh salads all week. My favorite salad is arugula with parmesan, toasted pecans, and dried cherries with a poppyseed or lightly sweetened maple dijon vinegarette.
Mustard Mix — a bag for everyone. Now this salad blend packs some flavor! It’s a mix of textures and colors and has become a CSA favorite. This green can also make a wonderful saute or braise, especially with an olive oil, pepper vinegar, and crumbled crispy bacon.
Bell Peppers — one or two per share this week. These are slowing down a lot!
Sweet Italian Peppers — For Regular and Large shares. There’s the pale green Goddess pepper, and the darker green Carmen pepper. Perfect for a homemade Pizza or a salad topper.
Hot Peppers — fat, juicy jalapenos, for everyone, and a handful of super spicy cayenne for Large and Mini.
We’ve got local Sweet potatoes for you for the next few weeks! Yields were very small this year from the drought, but we’re glad to have some for now. Grown by our friend right down the road, the sweet potato boss: Tony Philips. While he does not follow the organic program standards like we do, these tubers are dug up from healthy soil with no fungicides or pesticides. Also, these are simply rinsed with water post-harvest. No anti-sprouting chemicals are added, as is standard in commercial tater production. And those anti-sprouting chemicals are really terrible for the endocrine system. We’re grateful to be able to supply you with a cleaner local option!
Veggie Storage tips:
Counter storage: Sweet potatoes.
Fridge storage: Everything else! Seal them up in a bag or container to retain moisture for longest storage life
Everything wants to be washed well before cooking, but keep the dirt on till then, to prevent faster spoilage.
We’d love to hear stories and recipes of your culinary adventures this week. Tag us on Instagram or Facebook, showing us how you’ve used your CSA share.
– Your farmers, Jess & Justin
Regular Share
Regular Share top left to right: Hakurei turnips, arugula, mustard mix, and Red Russian kale (2nd row) jalapenos, Italian peppers, bell peppers, Swiss Chard, and sweet potatoes.
Large Share
Large Share top left to right: Hakurei turnips, mustard mix, arugula, and collards (2nd row) Italian peppers, jalapenos, cayennes, bell peppers, (3rd row) Red Rover radishes and sweet potatoes across the bottom.
Mini Share
Mini Share top left to right: Hakurei turnips, mustard mix, arugula, and winterbor kale (2nd row) sweet potatoes, a bell or italian pepper, cayennes and jalapenos.