August - CSA Box #5

Can you believe it’s August? We can’t! The summer is flying by and we are already starting to plan for fall crops, end-of-year harvests, and next year’s seed purchases and garden plans. This box is a delight due to such a wide variety of items being available and ripe for picking. We were also blessed with milder weather for the days that we were harvesting.

• Potatoes - Somehow these slipped our minds in the last blog post so they are first to be mentioned in Box #5! We harvested several varieties already this year so we wanted to share the French Fingerling (red) and the larger Satina Potato (yellow). The Satina in particular is known to store well and be perfect for potato salads, or being mashed or roasted due to the smooth satin texture of the flesh and skin. The French Fingerling is a beautiful variety that we’ve grown for the first time. It has smooth red skin and a yellow inside dappled with red. They are great roasted, boiled, or in soups.

  • Crispy Smashed Rosemary Garlic Fingerling Potatoes

• Onions - This is the first of our cured onions! This just means they are dried and prepared for storage. The remainder of our onions this year will be cured. To be honest, we tried to carefully document the placement, planting, and storage of all of our varieties but it was a little tricky to keep these all labeled and separated. That being said, we are fairly certain these are the Yellow of Parma which are a rare and hard-to-find Italian variety.

• Garlic - This is the first of our cured garlic which has been dried and prepared for storage. We decided German Extra Hardy isn’t the coolest name for these purple-striped bulbs but they are damn pretty. Growing garlic is a thing of beauty and starts in October just as the rest of the garden is being put to rest. We’ve already sorted our seed garlic from the lot in preparation for fall, and are looking forward to tucking them in for the long winter again soon.

• Tadorna Leeks - This year we grew two varieties and these were probably our favorite. They are stocky and dark green. Perfect for roasting with potatoes, making soups, and adding flavor to a host of dishes. Given the opportunity, we will be spoiling our CSA members with some leek butter samples in the near future.

  • Potato Leek Soup

  • Tomato and Goat Cheese Crostata

• Chioggia Beets are back and gorgeous as ever. We really love the mild flavor and candy-striped interior. We haven’t attempted the below recipe but we plan on making some experimental batches of pickled beets very soon!

  • Pickled Beets

• Chantenay Carrots - These are the same as previously received only slightly larger. We love roasting carrots with honey or maple syrup as a side dish throughout the year. As you are already aware, carrots are incredibly versatile so we know you won’t struggle to find ways to use these up. We’ve planted a few more varieties that we are looking forward to sharing later this season and early next year.

  • Carrot Fries with Spicy Mayo Dipping Sauce

• Squash

  • Patty Pan - These are not your typical-looking squash. They are pale green (almost creamy white) in color and have scalloped edges but taste delicious sauteed. Use them just like any other summer squash you are used to.

  • Zucchini - We grew a lot of different varieties in hopes of narrowing down our favorites, but this year in particular has been more difficult due to pest issues. We currently have Nimba, Black Beauty, and Golden in the garden. These have been slow to start but we have a feeling you will be overwhelmed with summer squash by the end of the growing season.

• Eggplant - Not many people seem to be super familiar with these purple beauties so we hope we can introduce a few new varieties to you. They are more versatile than you think. Eggplant parmesan isn’t the end of the line. They are amazing in curries and stir-fries and can make a mean bruschetta (see below). Many of you likely received a different variety. Next year we hope to grow more of some of our favorites so everyone gets the same kind at once. We will do our best to make sure you get to sample all of these throughout the season this year though!

  • Nagasaki - Supposedly this Japanese fruit is tender and never bitter which makes it great to eat raw! These are known to tolerate heat and humidity well, which we can attest to since these are consistently grown in our hoop house which can reach temperatures well over 100 degrees in the summer.

  • Piccolo - these adorable oval fruits are variegated and striped purple and white. They almost don’t look real. They are great for stuffing or slicing and frankly pretty to look at.

  • Ping Tung - brightly colored and elongated, these look similar to the Nagasaki but have a vibrant fuschia color. These are one of the best Chinese eggplants on the market and are known to be sweet and tender.

    • Eggplant and Charred Pepper Bruschetta

    • Japanese Eggplant Tempura

• Suyo Cucumbers - We can’t stop these babies from producing like crazy! These also grow in our hoop house and they LOVE life! Constant flowers and clipping of smaller fruits and we are still swimming in gargantuan cukes when the harvest days roll around. We never tire of cucumbers so we hope you don’t either. Bored? Infuse your water, hell your vodka! Put some on your peepers! Whatever you got to do to put these to use, we support it.

• Lacinato ‘Dino’ Kale - This is a favorite since it lasts so long. You’ve likely witnessed this firsthand. It’s an easy green to chop, massage with oil, and eat all week. It also freezes well if you are running short on time or ideas, and can be thrown into smoothies or pasta.

• Frisée - We planted a full raised bed of this gorgeous bitter green and were amazed with how well it did. It has a nice crunch to it and pairs well with fats and creamy dressings. The below recipe is a classic way to blow through this green. It’s also great on sandwiches and can be eaten cooked.

  • Salade Lyonnaise

• Tomatoes - Finally we are seeing the joys of tomato season. There’s no more low-hanging fruit for the vermin to devour. This pint is full of many different varieties. One of our favorites is the ‘Sunrise Bumblebee’ which is a red and yellow tinted tomato we are growing in the hoop house. Below are some of the others we have in addition to a few that have crossbred over the years to form something new:

  • Black Cherry

  • Moondshadow

  • Sweetheart Cherry

• Pickles - Everyone knows a Clausen pickle is the best…Right!?! This is our first attempt at making a refrigerated pickle (and definitely not our last). These are made with Chicago Pickling Cucumbers which was first introduced in 1888 and are still one of the most popular today. These pickles still have CRUNCH! Please store in the refrigerator. Good for up to 6 months. Let us know what you think!

  Herbs

• Basil - Sorry, not sorry. We know you've been getting hit hard with basil lately but our plants are robust and it's caprese season so embrace the flush. We're all rich! Bask in the glory of the green and make some more pesto. 

• Rosemary - Our first flush of rosemary is oh so fragrant and sticky with oils. Perfect for potatoes or garnishing a cocktail for a nosefull of herbaceous goodness.  

• Thyme - Another great herb for potatoes or cocktails. Use it up! Indulge.

This week’s bouquets featured: Gladiolus, Dahlias, Honeywort, Zinnias, Chocolate Lace Flower

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