CSA Newsletter: 2010- Summer Week 6

 In CSA Newsletter

From the Fields: – This week has been a good one.  We’re feeling mostly caught up and in the summer groove. Most all of the plants we intend to harvest have been planted.  Some additional successionals, like basil, beets, and lettuce will still get planted, but the crazy push to get everything in the ground is over. Phew! July is a time to get in the swing of daily harvesting and keep up on weeding as we wait for some of the warmer season crops to come in. We’re looking ahead now and getting excited for the tomatoes, peppers,  and melons that will come next. While sweet corn should be in next week, you can expect a temporary slow-down in new items until August.

Share News: We do still have some new items this week:  Japanese eggplant, red cabbage, and curly parsley. Red cabbage is just so beautiful when growing in the field, and equally beautiful in dishes. Of course it’s great for slaws and putting on salads. Apples and red cabbage compliment each other well and there’s all kinds of ways to do this either cooked or raw. (See this week’s recipe). Curly parsley can be used just like the Italian ” finely chopped and used in sauces, dips, and main dishes. This might be a good week to try some tabouleh with all your cucumbers. Still thinking of what to do with cucumbers? Well you HAVE to try the cucumber limeade from last week. At first we followed the recipe and served it over ice, but then we started blending the ice in. So refreshing!!! We also cut the sugar and used a little local honey. Even our neighbors, who think we’re crazy with all the different veggies we eat, loved the drink. I’ve been making it every day when we come in from the fields. We’ve also been trying recipes to used mucho zucchini. See this week’s Zucchini Mac & Cheese recipe. Four zucchini in one meal! Members also sent us some wonderful recipes that I will share with you all over the next weeks. If you have favorite recipes using seasonal ingredients, please send them our way!

Community News: We’re happy to have Alex back with us this week. With Douglas having joined us, we’re really getting to be a big crew! Gosh we’ve grown a lot. In 2007 it was just Mike, myself, and Isaiah. Now we barley all fit at the lunch table ” seven us on Tuesdays (plus Zea)!  Sometimes Tuesday lunch is extra fun when our baby-sitter shares share a meal with us too. On Tuesday mornings, two moms (Jess and Julie) come out to the farm with their toddlers (Skylar and Bri, respectively) and look after our daughter (Zea) and our employee’s (Eva) daughter (Asha) in exchange for vegetables. Catch all that? Moral of the story is that on Tuesday mornings there are 4 babies on the farm! It’s so fun. While all of us work just as hard as usual, everything always feels a little more fun and alive when there all little ones around. Some days the babes go explore the fields, other days they hang out in the barn. The best days are when they decide to splash around near the wash sheds. How can you not smile when little babies are laughing with delight as they splash around naked in little bucket-lids of water?! I promise to start taking pictures and sharing this cuteness with you.  It really is hard to have a bad day when the kiddos are around.

Speaking of community, we wanted to begin reminding you all about the next farm event. We know everyone is always so busy in the summer, but we hope you can make it! As a member of Primrose, you are part of this farm community too. Come out and meet other folks who are part of Primrose. Bring a dish, share recipes, let your kids roam, and celebrate in the summer and local food! The next event is a potluck and corn boil at our home farm in Cross Plains. It’s from 3-5 pm on Sunday, August 8th.  Mark your calendars!

Sincerely, Mike, Cassie, Zea and Crew

In the Box:

  • Beets
  • Broccoli
  • Carrots – EOs
  • Chard, Rainbow or Green
  • Cucumber
  • Eggplant, Japanese
  • Garlic
  • Parsley, Curly ” REGs
  • Parsley, Italian ” EOs
  • Pearl Onions “ REGs
  • Purplette Onions – EOs
  • Peas, Snow OR Sugar – REGs
  • Red Cabbage ” REGs
  • Summercrisp Lettuce ” EOs and some REGs
  • Thyme – EOs
  • Zucchini, Gold and/or Green

REGs = regular shares only
EOs = everyother shares only

This Week’s Recipes:

Summer Week 6: Wednesday, July 14th – Everyother Group B