Week 11

Hi everyone,

We've got some more beautiful vegetables for you this week! The packing area of the barn was kind of crazy this afternoon. So many bins of beautiful vegetables ready to go into bags! Every surface was covered with fresh-picked produce ready to be distributed.

Things are going well on the farm. At the moment, the eggplant is far and away the production leader. Each plant is loaded with eggies! It's kind of amazing how much food they can make. So you can expect eggplant fairly regularly. If you're feeling overwhelmed by eggplant, making Eggplant Parmesan is a great way to use a lot of it at once. I'll try to post an eggplant-related recipe each week, but remember to check out the Recipe Archive on the website for more options.

HELP US RE-USE CONTAINERS & PLASTIC BAGS

Oh, and now that you're getting tomatoes regularly, if you can return the green cartons every few weeks or so, that would be great. We try to reuse as much as possible, so we'll happily take them back. Also, if you don't want the heavy plastic bags that we packed the romaine lettuce in, we'll take those back too! The flimsier produce bags are sometimes reusable, but they tend to tear more easily. Thanks for your help in keeping us sustainable!

NO CSA NEXT WEEK

Also, just a reminder that we won't be having the CSA next week. Sue & Claude are taking a long overdue vacation to Alaska next week! In 25 years of farming, this is the first time they've taken a trip during the CSA season. It's not totally ideal timing, but Alaska isn't so great in November... So this is a chance to catch up on some of those veggies in the fridge and we'll be back with veggies the following week. So no pickup on 8/22 or 8/24 (Tuesday & Thursday next week). But we'll be back to the usual schedule on 8/29 and 8/31. We'll be adding a week on the end of the season, so you will definitely get the full 20 weeks of vegetables.

VISIT OUR FARMSTAND

If you somehow find yourselves out of veggies, feel free to stop by the farm this weekend! I'll be there holding down the fort, and we'll have plenty of veggies at the Farmstand. The hours are Friday - Sunday, 9AM to 6 PM.

If you have any questions, give me a call at 315-663-6432. Thanks!

In your bag this week:

Romaine Lettuce or Salad Mix

Swiss Chard

Summer Squash

Cucumbers

Beans

Mixed Onions

Eggplant

Tomatoes

Cherry Tomatoes

Cilantro

Hot pepper (either Poblano, Hungarian Hotwax, Jalapeno or Czech Black)

Sweet Pepper (purple, green or yellow)

Here are some pictures to help you identify your hot peppers. They are all mild to medium heat. If you want a hotter flavor, don't remove the seeds. And remember, wear gloves or at least use caution when cutting up any kind of hot pepper. And don't touch your eyes! It's not a pleasant experience....

In order (clockwise from top left): Poblano peppers, Hungarian Hotwax peppers, Jalapeno peppers, Czech Black peppers

Plenty of meals to make from this haul! Here are some things that come to my mind:

1) Summer Vegetable Lasagna

I love lasagna. Especially when you make it at the height of summer with all of the incredible fresh vegetables perfectly ripe and in season! This recipe will use a bunch of your produce, if you're looking to get it out of your fridge and into a meal...

2) Heirloom Tomato and Cucumber Salad

A classic pairing- and when it's done with lovely heirloom tomatoes and tender cucumbers, it's quite a summer treat!

3) Baingan Bharta

I love Indian food, and I really love what they do with eggplant. This is a great dish full of warm, satisfying flavors.

4) Marinated Green Beans with Cilantro and Garlic

Here's a nice green bean side dish.

5) Summer Squash Enchiladas

This is a recipe from last week, but I thought I'd post it again, since it uses veggies from this week as well, and now you have fresh cilantro, too!