CSA Share Notes July 30, 2026
Summer season, week 8
Whew, this heat is really stressing out the crops. Am I sounding like a broken record yet? The crops that have been doing quite well are starting to put on smaller and smaller fruits. Even the flower crops are making smaller flowers. It’s a normal stress response- they know they’re nearing potential death from the conditions, and they want to produce the future generation of seeds as quickly as possible to ensure genetic survival. Smaller fruits, smaller flowers, and less vegetative growth are ways of conserving energy for survival.
We do not know how long this CSA season will last. We’re hoping to have nice harvests all the way to the end of August, providing for approximately half of the members each week, but a lot of that is riding on how the late beans, cukes, and squash plantings work out. They’re close to ready. Probably next week. With that plan, everyone could expect 2 more boxes before we wrap up, with everyone receiving a grand total of between 7-8 boxes in all for the season, but we shall see. Things are very tentative right now.
Your farmers also could really use a break. We’re going to get up to northern Arkansas in Mid August for a splash in some cold mountain streams with our daughters. We’re so ready for it.
Here’s this week’s vegetable line-up:
Eggplant — Grill it, and fry it, and make and freeze a batch of veggie lasagna to enjoy on a busy week night when you don’t have time to cook! The Large and regular shares received heirloom Italian types and regular shares also received and the cute speckled fairytale eggplant. Mini shares received long slender Japanese eggplant.
Important note: The long Japanese eggplant still have some sunburn on them. You can read more about that in prior share notes. Just grab your veggie peeler and peel off the sun-scald areas and enjoy the rest. This is a critical part of the CSA experience! Pretty much any season, the farm will have some crops sustain damage from various adverse conditions, but the crop is still edible, just not easy to sell. The CSA is the perfect place: ugly-but-still-tasty veggies are able to find a kitchen and a stomach to enjoy them.
We always cook our eggplant on very high heat: roasted in a 450 degree oven or on the grill, or on a blazing hot cast iron. It’s excellent with just a little bit of char on it to bring out the sweetness and reduce the “squeak” factor folks sometimes dislike. Also, this eggplant is super fresh, so you don’t have to “sweat” it if you eat it up soon.
Fresh Basil — Remember, don’t refrigerate it!
Okra — A small helping for everyone this week. This heirloom Hill Country Red was developed in Kerrville Texas and it so fantastic. Even the large pods stay deliciously tender. Okra goes bad very quickly, so make a plan to use this up within the next couple of days. We recommend roasting or grilling. High heat is the way to go!
Bell Peppers — Everyone received a few of our Bell peppers this week.
Hot Peppers — A great big helping of cayenne, and jalapenos. If the heat is too much for you, this is a perfect item to gift.
Squash — Everyone received several squash.
Zucchini — Large shares received a nice zucchini.
Onions — For everyone!
Veggie Storage tips:
Counter storage: Onions, and basil. Store your basil bouquet style, in a fresh glass of water. Trim the stem every couple of days and enjoy fresh basil leaves all week.
Fridge storage: Peppers, squash/zucchini, eggplant, okra. 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
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Regular Share
Regular Share top left to right:
Jalapenos above cayennes, squash, bell peppers, basil (2nd row) okra, onions, Italian heirloom and Fairytale eggplant
Large Share
Large Share top left to right:
Jalapenos above cayennes, zucchini, squash, bell peppers, basil (2nd row) okra, onions, Heirloom Italian eggplant
Flower Share
Bouquet share:
Loads of zinnias and basil with a handful of lovely marigolds, gomphrena and verbena!
Mini Share
Mini Share top left to right:
Jalapenos above cayennes, squash, bell peppers, basil (2nd row) okra, onion, Japanese eggplant