Week 15

Hi everyone,

Wow, Week 15 already! I've had a few people ask me how long the CSA will run, and we plan on a total of 22 weeks, so plenty more to come. The summer squash and cucumbers are winding down, so there will only be a trickle of them from here on, but the tomatoes, peppers and beans are still doing great. And then all the heavy end-of-season stuff is still on its way. Potatoes, onions, winter squash, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower, kale and leeks... lots of great things to look forward to.

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This week you have:

Carrots

Summer Squash

Cucumbers

Mixed Basil

Salad Mix

(making sure you wash the lettuce is especially a good idea this time of year - the caterpillars are out in force. They seem to know cooler temperatures are coming and they're in a race against time)

Beans

Onions (variety: Ailsa Craig- as close to a Vidalia as we can grow here!)

Tomatoes

Cherry Tomatoes

Green Cabbage (an early small-ish variety called Gonzales)

Sweet Corn​​

​​If you have a lot of cucumbers piling up, why not try making refrigerator pickles? You can make them in very small batches, and you don't have to worry about any water-bath canner or making sure they seal properly. It's really quite simple and not very time-consuming.​​

​​Here's a couple of recipes for making refrigerator pickles (any of the cucumbers you've received in the CSA will work fine):

1) Small batch of Refrigerator Dill Pickles

2) Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles

(my personal favorite :>)

3) Beef and Cabbage Stir-Fry with Peanut Sauce

I don't eat a lot of meat, but this recipe caught my eye as a tasty way to use cabbage and carrots.

4) Fresh Green Beans, one way

And here's a tasty looking recipe for green beans, copied from The Pioneer Woman blog. If you like, she includes a lot more pictures, descriptions and commentary on her page.​​

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 30 Minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 pound Green Beans

2 Tbsp Bacon Grease (can substitute 1 Tbsp Butter And 1 Tbsp Olive Oil)

2 cloves Garlic

1 cup chopped Onion

1 cup Chicken Broth

1/2 cup chopped Red Bell Pepper

1/2 tsp (to 1 tsp) Kosher Salt (can substitute regular Table Salt; use 1/4 To 1/2 Teaspoon)

Ground Black Pepper to taste

Preparation Instructions

1. Snap the stem ends of the green beans, or cut them off in a big bunch with a knife if you’d like. Just don’t tell Granny.

2. Melt bacon grease in a skillet over medium low heat. Add garlic and onions and cook for a minute. Then add green beans and cook for a minute until beans turn bright green.

3. Add the chicken broth, chopped red pepper, salt and black pepper. Turn heat to low and cover with a lid, leaving lid cracked to allow steam to escape. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until liquid evaporates and beans are fairly soft, yet still a bit crisp.

4. You can add more chicken broth during the cooking process, but don’t be afraid to let it all cook away so the onions and peppers can caramelize.

Have a wooden spoon handy to protect your fair share.

All the best,

Sarah VanNorstrand

for Lucky Moon Farm

#cucumbers #pickles #greenbeans #onions #cabbage #stirfry