Quilted Fields from Above: Summer CSA ‘2011 – Week 11
My Dad, Mark
Meet my Dad, Mark. He is one of the smartest people you’ll ever meet. He’s not only smart, but he likes to figure things out and has a hell of a work ethic. The result is a man in his early sixties who still has the sparkle of a little kid whenever a new project is at hand.
A dentist by trade, he has renovated somewhere on the order of a dozen office spaces in his career. He took a break from dentistry and started to brew beer. He then hand-built an entire brewery, mostly all from recycled and reclaimed materials. He welded his own mash tanks and everything. Eventually he started a brewery. (His beer was really good – I miss it, even in home brew rich Wisconsin). These days my Dad works as a principal investigator of studies that test the effectiveness of dental products. On the side he is building (again by hand) his own airplane. He’d shoot me if he knew I can’t remember the name of the plane model, but basically it’s the equivalent of a Harley with wings. It’s little and super fast. I like to call it a luge with wings. He’s not quite done with the plane yet, so when he does fly (which he learned how to do in 1976), he flies an old Cessna.
Recently my Dad flew up to Oshkosh in his Cessna to go the EAA show. On his way home to Cincinnati, he stopped here via Murray Airport in Middleton. He took me up in the sky, and we flew over the farm. Isn’t it beautiful?
Primrose Aug. 2011
The tidy, diverse strips of crops, kept so beautiful by Mike’s tractor work, remind me a lot of the quilts Mike’s mother makes.
Out of those beautiful strips of green come a variety of gorgeous vegetables for you. Your box will look very similar this week as it did last. Melons again, yes, but remember, they won’t last forever. Try your best to savor them, even though you might feel like you are swimming in melon! If you’ve never tried grilling eggplant, it’s fantastic. Simply slice into rounds and brush with oil before putting on the grill. Yum. Tomatoes are starting to really come in good number now. The best way to store these is to take them out of the plastic bag and store them on a plate on your counter. New this week are potatoes. These Red Norlands are perhaps the most beautiful crop we’ve ever had. The pink skin is just amazing. We’re bulking you up with 5 pounds. The best way to store these is in a paper bag in a dark cabinet. They can go in the fridge in a plastic bag too. These potatoes are best suited for roasting or boiling in soups (though you can use them as you would any potato). Leeks will be in your box this week too. Even though it’s August, it is cool enough in the evening for soup. Potato leek is a classic.
Enjoy your share this week! Sincerely, Mike, Cassie, & Zea
In the Box:
- Broccoli
- Cabbage, Red – EOs
- Cucumbers
- Eggplant
- Garlic
- Jalapeno Pepper
- Leeks
- Muskmelon
- Onion, Sweet
- Potatoes
- Sweet Corn
- Tomatoes, Red Cherry “ REGs
- Tomatoes, Sungolds – EOs & various REGs
- Tomatoes, Slicers
- Watermelon
- Zucchini
REGs = Regular members only
EOs = Everyother members only
This Week’s Recipes:
Summer CSA Week 11 – Wednesday, August 17th- Everyother Group A
