Blackbrook Farm CSA Box #8!! (please click on "Continue Reading" to see our whole newsletter!)

Hello Members! (Please click on "Continue reading" to read the whole newsletter from us!):

This week on the farm, we will be harvesting garlic! Expect garlic in your boxes in a week or 2. Yum! We are just starting to really see fruits ready to harvest on our tomatoes, peppers and eggplant. Everyone will get tomatoes and everyone will get 2 peppers- despite your label maybe not saying that. I have to create the estimate many days before we go out to harvest, and a lot changes in a few days, and also it is hard to know exactly how many are out there just by looking until you harvest. I always need to be on the conservative side in the case that there is not enough so the label does not say there is something in there that is not...so you all get tomatoes and peppers! Woo-Hoo!

We planted our last transplants in the ground last week. Other than some quick growing crops like arugula, lettuce and spinach, radishes, etc... we are pretty much done planting. Now, we just need to keep things weeded and harvest, harvest, harvest!

As always, here are a few things for you to remember about the CSA and the boxes:

If you ordered meat, PLEASE RETURN YOUR FOIL PACKS TO US!

PLEASE RETURN YOUR BOXES ASAP! WE ARE RUNNING OUT, WHICH MEANS FOLKS AREN'T RETURNING THEIR BOXES!

ALWAYS take the box with your name on it that is from BLACKBROOK FARM! If someone is picking your box up for you, please tell them to take the box with your name on it from BLACKBROOK FARM! This is very important.

IF you can't pick your box up on THURSDAY, please communicate with me about this so I can arrange for it to be kept at the dropsite instead of donated or used.

Please return your box either the same week (bring a bag to empty your veggies into) or the following time you pick up your box. Please collapse your box and neatly stack it or put it where the other boxes are.

If you are half share, your box is delivery every other week ( unless you have rearranged your schedule with Harvie). Please remember to check if this is your week or not. Full shares are delivery every week. When your box is delivered on Thursday, a delivery email is sent out. EVERY one at that dropsite gets that email, even if you do not get a box that week. So it is important for you to know which weeks you pick up. Please email me with questions. Here is information on how to access when and where to pick up your box

We also have 100% pastured Pork extras for SALE! If you order pork from us in your share we put it in a foil pack very frozen and deliver it to you in your box. It will either be partially frozen or very very cold when you receive it. We also have Pastured Pork Packages for sale that we home deliver to your door. This is a great way to load up on all the cuts of a hog and get your good healthy fats! You can find our sign up share for that on our website or our Harvie site under shares. Let us know if you have any questions! Raising animals is a large part of what we do at Blackbrook Farm! You can also buy Pork Shares from us and we do free home delivery! This is a one-time share that you can sign up for anytime, and the price a little reduced depending on the size of the share you choose.

This is what may be in your box this week:

Green Beans- A nice mix of dragons tongue (purple with stripes and green snap beans). we love these lightly steamed and than seared with soy sauce and sesame oil!

Green Top Carrots- These are very sweet and keep best when topped and put in a container or plastic bag in the fridge. Wash again is advised.

Salad mix- salanova lettuce mix this week. This is a good keeper. Wash again!

Dino Lacinato Kale- We like dino kale for a fresh raisin, feta and kale salad (Click on Link)

Cucumbers-2 or 3 this week. Keep well in a plastic bag in the fridge. Great sliced thin for a crunch on a sandwich.

Summer Squash/Zucchini Mix-A couple/ few this week. They are not coming on as strong as the last few weeks, so you might see a dip in the quantity. Still it is a great idea to freeze them for winter baking.

Baked Parmesan Yellow Squash (Click on link)

Fresh Bunching Onions- Purple Torpedos or Ailsa Craig onions. These are crunchy, fresh and oh so delicious. Keep in the fridge, as these are not cured. Can use the whole thing, greens and all.

Cauliflower- It usually takes some time for a large enough harvest to give everyone a cauliflower. This is the week! We usually have to rotate it around. Cauliflower is a favorite around here!

Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini Sauce (Click on Link)

Cauliflower Rice (so good!) (Click on link)

Broccoli-A little less this week and we are in between successions. We plant about 6 successions of broccoli to ensure we most always have some to give!

Thyme - A nice herb to hang and dry for winter. but also great to use fresh in a marinara sauce, or with roasted veggies. Thyme- Roasted Carrots (click on link)

Hungarian Hot Wax/Jalapeno Pepper-Everyone should be getting about 3 hot peppers, a mix of the medium Hungarian Hot Wax and green Jalapeno. These will store for weeks in the fridge. Great in a fresh bell pepper, tomato salsa. Also gives a good kick to any stir fry or roasted veggies dish.

Tomato- We just did our first big picking this week of tomatoes and got more than we thought we would! Most everyone will get either a pint of cherry tomatoes or a tomato or 2 in the box this week, even if your label doesn't say it! We grow over 12 different kinds of tomatoes and 8 different types of cherry tomatoes, so there is quite the variety out there. The red ones start earlier usually than the heirlooms. There will be much more where these came from!

Bell Peppers- 2 peppers for everyone, even if your label doesn't say it! We grow purple, yellow, orange and reds varieties. The purple and yellow peppers start out purple and yellow, while the red and orange varieties start out green. So, in the box this week you will either have purple, yellow or green peppers, as none have changed to red or orange yet. That is later on in the season.

Eggplant - These have been hit pretty hard by the Colorado Potato Beetle, which like Eggplant more than it likes potatoes! So, Our yields are not great. Some folks got an eggplant this week, either a long skinny Ping Tung Asian or a typical dark globe type.