Greetings Country Valley Farm Members,
This is week 9 of the season. We are thankful for the great summer weather we have had so far. The crops are growing so well and looking very happy, it is a joy to tend to them and watch the daily changes. Each day and week is unfolding in a great way and it is only getting better. We hope that everyone is enjoying their farm share boxes and using this as a time to focus on healthy eating. Food is a simple pleasure and we all deserve to make the most of it. Try new things, enjoy old favorites, share food with neighbors, friends, family. Take some time to put your chef hat on and cook up some deliciousness in your kitchen. While we are working in the fields, or packing the shares, we think about you our members. It is our honor to serve you. We take great pride in doing the best we can to make the CSA membership share program experience positive and rewarding.
A bit about what is going on the farm:
We harvested a bit of garlic bulbs this week and they are looking really good and have nice size. Our plan is to harvest all of the garlic on Tuesday. We like to dry and cure it for a few weeks right after harvest so it is solid and can stay good into the winter. But we will include some fresh garlic bulbs in next week’s shares because the Genovese basil will begin harvest and we know many folks want to make traditional style pesto.
We got all of the fall greens transplants into the ground this week. We actually just finished planting the broccoli this evening in the nice warm rain. It is a great sign when rain falls during or soon after planting.
We harvested much of the onions this week and will bring in the rest in the week to come.
The dill is primo condition and growing really fast now – it will be in the shares this week.
The basils are happy, we will start with Genovese basil this week and then will rotate through other basil varietals in weeks to come (lemon basil, thai basil. Purple opal basil, tulsi/holy basil).
Fresh coriander seed is really setting well and will also be in the shares next week.
The sage will be ready to cut soon enough. Our thyme beds are having some challenges – it is unclear what happened but most of the plants did not regrow after the winter and many that did flowered and then disappeared soon after. We have a lot of space allocated to thyme and are hoping that the crop will recover, as it is our personal favorite culinary herb.
The mini sweet peppers will be in the shares next week.
It looks like tomatoes will start harvest the week after.
The potato plants are looking healthy and vibrant, we are waiting to harvest as there is no rush and the longer they grow should mean more yummy potatoes overall.
This week’s small shares contain the following items:
- Dill – 1 big bunch from our farm
- Purple top turnips – 1 pint from our farm
- Yellow onions – 1 pint from our farm
- Red new potatoes – 2 quarts from Cinzori Farm
- Cousa summer squash– 1 pint from Cinzori Farm
- Green zucchini summer squash– 1 pint from Cinzori Farm
- Medium shares will receive an extra pint of cousa squash, an extra pint of zucchini, and a quart of Yukon gold potatoes
- Large shares will packed as 2 small shares.
Some preparation and cooking tips:
- Dill – fresh dill is aromatic and delightful. You can use it raw in a salad or make a homemade salad dressing with it. It is also great cooked into many recipes. We are thinking a potato salad with dill sounds about right. A potato and dill soup would also be a great idea.
- Purple top turnips – we like to say that turnips represent tangy flavor among the root vegetables. We’ve been shredding and adding to salads as well as including in stir frys. Another great way to get this healthy root veggie into your diet is to cook it with the potatoes and make a nice mash. They are easy to peel or can be eaten with the peel left on.
- Yellow onions -these are a nice standard item that can be used anywhere you need an onion.
- Red new potatoes – the skins are still not fully set on new potatoes, but as the potatoes are so fresh and firm they usually don’t need to be peeled. Simply wash and scrub a bit and chop away. We are thinking potato salad with the fresh dill for this week, but we also love to roast potatoes for breakfast.
- Cousa summer squash – aka grey zucchini. You can use these anyway you would use green zucchini. There are some traditions where the cousa are hollowed out and stuff with a rice and meat mixture and stewed with tomatoes and onions. They also go great on the grill.
- Green zucchini summer squash – a standard among summer squashes. If you haven’t tried raw zucchini, now is the time because these are fresh and tender. Also as it is summer time, these are easy and tasty on the grill.
Check out our website and peruse old newsletters for additional cooking tips and recipe ideas: https://countryvalleyfarm.com/newsletter/
That’s all for now. Looking forward to seeing everyone soon.
Adam Mitchel
Country Valley Farm