CSA Newsletter: Summer CSA 2010 – Week 20

 In CSA Newsletter

Many Thanks: Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your support this season! We are

Colleen, one of our crew members, carved this beauty for the party.

honored that you chose us to grow food for you. This season was the most difficult we have ever experienced in terms of disease and crop losses. Our ecological model of planting in diversity really helped, however, as we were still able to keep your boxes nice and full despite fewer tomatoes and eggplant than you hoped for.  There is only so much we can control as organic farmers; farming is risky! You make it much less so through your membership. A million thanks!  If you haven’t already, please take a moment to answer a few quick questions on our survey so that we can continue to improve your membership experience: click here.

Community News :

1. The harvest party was SUPER fun! About 80 members came out for the event. We had just beautiful weather. Folks wandered the fields, and enjoyed cider and  the delicious dishes. There was beautiful music, a kickball game, and even hula hooping!  Really fun. Zea even decided that she would start walking on Saturday  €¦. show off J. We’re already scheming for next year’s harvest party!

2. On Sunday night, Mike, Zea and I were treated to a fantastic meal at the Underground Food Collective’s new Kitchen.  If you haven’t heard of Underground, they are extremely skilled at and dedicated to using locally grown food in their menus. Two of the collective’s owners, Ben & Jonny Hunter, have been friends of ours and the farm for years. Mike & Jonny were housemates when Mike started Primrose (and also when he and I met).   The Hunter home was our first CSA drop-site. Underground catered our wedding. As the farm has grown and the Hunter’s catering business took off, Underground has used lots of Primrose veggies in the amazing meals they create. This will likely continue with their new Kitchen. Their grand opening Sunday night was full of Primrose veggies like winter squash, kale, red leaf lettuce, broccoli raab, and leeks. They took our veggies and turned them into amazing dishes ” like a shaved kale salad with hazelnuts and ricotta. Yumm. The Kitchen will be open on Tuesday ” Saturday nights. Their restaurant is located on 127 E. Mifflin, where Café Montmartre used to be. Check out their website for more information: www.undergroundfoodcollective.org Please support restaurants who support local farmers!

From the Fields: This week we are working to finish our garlic planting and begin the process of harvesting many of the root crops intended for long-term storage. Root crops out in the fields currently awaiting harvest are carrots, beets, beauty heart radishes, celeriac, rutabaga, daikon radish, & parsnips. We will harvest these crops into large pallet bins, and then transfer them to storage in our new packshed at the home farm. Over the next two months, we will pull them from storage and wash and pack them for wholesale and our winter shares.

Your Share: New this final week are kennebec potatoes. These white potatoes are very versatile ” roasting, mashing, soups, etc. They’d definitely be great paired with rutabaga in a casserole ” see this week’s recipe. Speaking of rutabaga, this is new to everyone this week as well. Store it in a plastic bag in your fridge until you are ready to eat it. Rutabaga are great mashed & roasted.

Enjoy your veggies this week! Thanks for a great season!

Sincerely, Mike, Cassie, Zea and crew

In Your Share

  • Beets
  • Broccoli
  • Butternut
  • Carrots – EOs
  • Garlic
  • Green Chard
  • Green Romaine – EOs
  • Parsley – EOs
  • Potatoes (Kennebec)
  • Red Leaf – REGs
  • Rutabaga
  • Scallions
  • Spinach
  • Yellow Onion

This Week’s Recipes:

Summer Week 20: Wednesday, October 20th – Everyother Group B – FINAL WEEK