CSA 2014 Week #5

• Lettuce
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Sweet onion
• Chard

Some sites only:

• Green onions
• Kale
• Broccoli
• Zucchini
• Spinach
• Strawberries

Special Announcements:

It’s blueberry time! We are excited to be working with Sunset Valley Organics again this year to bring you blueberry pints in your box! Sunset Valley Organics is a family run blueberry farm located in Corvallis. You can read all about their farm and agricultural practices on their website here, or check out their blog here. We will have the blueberry pints available for you for the next two weeks, starting this Friday, July 11th and again on July 18th for the Friday and weekend CSA members. We will have them available on Tuesday, July 15th and July 22nd for the Tuesday/Wednesday CSA members.

We will be able to offer bulk flats for you as well. The cost of the bulk flat will be $38.50 for a 10# flat and the variety is Blue Crop. If you would like to order a flat, you will need to call to reserve your flat on the Friday morning before your next scheduled delivery for Tuesday/Wednesday deliveries (July 11th & July 18th) and by the Wednesday morning prior to delivery (July 9th & July 16th) for Friday/Weekend deliveries. Please use the [email protected] email address to place your order, or call the farm office directly. Thank you!

Vegetable Storage and Preparation Tips

CABBAGE (green): Remove outer leaves, trim the stem end, and halve or quarter the head for easier handling. Store in plastic in the crisper drawer of your fridge. Cabbage will keep for 2 weeks (and well over a month at cold temperatures and high humidity). Chop or grate raw cabbage and add to salad or slaw. To steam, cut 2-3 inch wedges off the core and steam about 10 minutes. Serve with lemon, butter, salt, and pepper for a simple yet delicious side dish.

ZUCCHINI (SUMMER SQUASH): To clean summer squash (or zucchini), rinse or wipe with a damp cloth (peeling is not necessary). Store in the refrigerator in a closed plastic bag to prevent dehydration. Use within a few days of harvest.

Summer squash is very versatile. Try it raw, steamed, baked, broiled, fried, grilled, sauteed or stir-fried. Slice thinly for a great pizza topping, oven fry in sticks, or try in quiche or omelets. Grated squash mixes beautifully into your favorite chocolate cake or muffin recipe. A simple way to prepare squash is to half, top with minced garlic, herbs & olive oil, sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top, and bake until tender.

BROCCOLI: Wrap Broccoli loosely in a plastic bag & keep it in the veggie bin of your fridge. Don’t use an airtight bag, as broccoli continues to respire after being harvested & needs room to breathe. It will keep for over a week, but is firmest & tastiest if used within a few days.

Part of eating organically involves tolerating a few bugs on your produce. Broccoli sometimes comes with a few friends tagging along in its depths. Immediately before cooking, soak broccoli, head down, in cold, salted water for 5 min. Any critters will float to the top for you to do with as you like.

Broccoli can be steamed, stir-fried, or eaten raw. For salads or veggies platters, try blanching in boiling water for 1-2 min, then chill. Add to soups and stews in the last 10-15 min. of cooking time.

Recipes!

Shredded Green Cabbage Salad With Lemon and Garlic from Food and Wine

World’s Best Braised Cabbage from nomnompaleo.com

The Best Broccoli of Your Life from The Amateur Gourmet

News From the Field

I was amazed to be out in the fields this week and see how much everything has grown! With this hot weather, long sunny days, and our irrigation manager DJ running around the farm making sure everything is watered well, the plants are growing before our eyes!  I remembered that I had taken a photo of the sweet onions when they were first planted late winter, and now we are harvesting them for your boxes now, it’s pretty amazing how fast they grow…

The corn is knee high, the tomatoes in the field houses are coming on, and the tomatoes in the field are loving this warm weather! The broccoli and zucchini are starting to come on, so if you didn’t get some this week you can look forward to more coming on the next few weeks. Tyson made a lovely photo collage of the cabbage harvest yesterday that I will leave you with. I hope you all stay cool and enjoy the overflowing bounty in your box this week!

-Sara