2018 CSA ~ Week #5

July 3, 2018

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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Since this is the July 4th holiday week, many of you have re-routed your shares to new locations….please be sure to remember to grab your share on the day, and at the location you have switched to. Give your site host a call if you will be later than the 7pm deadline or not able to come so they can either hold, or share your food. Thanks!

WHAT’S IN YOUR SHARE THIS WEEK:

  • Kale
  • Carrots
  • Basil
  • Lettuce ~ Romaine
  • Onion
  • Napa Cabbage
  • Spinach
  • Strawberries

RECIPES:

Napa Cabbage& Carrots w/Rice Wine-Oyster Sauce

Carrot-Spinach Soup w/Dill

Carrot-Cake Thumbprint Cookies

Chilled Carrot Soup

Spicy Sichuan Vegan Potstickers

Calzones w/Chorizo & Kale

Napa-spring-rolls

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Happy 4th of July to you all! Since the holiday falls in the middle of the week this year, folks are celebrating on both weekends, judging by the requests I’ve received to either hold or re-route the shares….we hope that whatever you’re doing for the holiday that you have a wonderful, and safe time.

Even though it’s a holiday week, we’ll be on the farm doing our thing….if only veggies took a day off! We’ll all be gathering after our day at my house for a little BBQ, swimming in the river, playing horseshoes and badminton, eating really good food,and enjoying time off the farm together, which we don’t get to do too often….I think I heard a rumor that there might even be some fireworks….

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This week in your box you’ll find Napa Cabbage. The awesome versatile veggie has so many uses….coleslaw, stir-fires, in salads, rolled with goodies inside, sauerkraut and of course, we can’t forget KimChi. It will store well in your fridge in the crisper drawer for a up to a month. Just peel any outer leaves that need peeling off, and enjoy in your favorite recipe, or try one of the ones I’ve given above. It’s hard to go wrong with this gem.

Napa Cabbage (Brassica rapa), also called Chinese Cabbage, is a Chinese leaf vegetable, commonly used in Chinese cuisine. It has been cultivated for over 6,000 years and the seeds of the Napa Cabbage have been found in a jar at the excavated New Stone Age settlement at Banpo. In Korea, it is a staple vegetable for making Kimchi. It’s very low in Cholesterol, is a good source of Niacin, Calcium and Potassium, and a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Folate, Iron, Zinc, Copper and Manganese. Napa Cabbage is grown widely in Asia, and made its way to America in the late 19thcentury with Chinese immigrants. Like other members of the brassica family (crucifer/cabbage/mustard) this vegetable is full of disease-fighting compounds

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Jesse washing our Romaine for your boxes this week.

The heads of romaine in this week’s share are out of control! This head should handle any greens addiction very well! I can usually eat a head of lettuce per day, but this one might take me two days!

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Nicholas and Kevin washing and retying carrot bunches

I handed out the Farmer Profile forms to our crew today, so hopefully we’ll start sharing who they are and where they came from with you all soon…this is Nicholas, our newest crew member. When one of our hires for this season suddenly couldn’t make it, Nicholas’s inquiry for employment came in the same day! Talk about serendipity…he’s a great addition to the crew.

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Erik, Joey, Levi and Jordan bagging Spinach

Cutting, washing and bagging Spinach has to be one of the most time consuming crops we grow. The “boys” are making light work of the task, usually with lots of humor involved…and yes, they did wash their hands first!!

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Mr. Jimi putting on his implements to take the tractor out for a spin

We hope you all have a wonderful week, and that you all enjoy your time off, if you get some, by playing in the sunshine someplace, or taking a nap in the shade, or whatever suits your fancy…so glad our food can be a part of it all!

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Linda and all of your farmers