Good evening everyone!
These past two days seem to be a hint of the fall to come! It has been a nice relief from the heat extremes of the past month.
I will repeat part of the newsletter from last week for those who are receiving every other week shares. Cabbage season is soon upon us! We started with Napa Cabbage, and this week we will start to put round cabbages in some of your shares! Cabbage is always the start of some very good fall veggies! Cauliflower, brussel sprouts, more varieties of cabbage and winter squash await us in the coming weeks! Oh, and leeks! Only a few cabbage ready this week, but it is exciting to see the fall veggies start to mature!
Next is the repeat info from last week for those who are every other week subscribers.
I want to let you know that our broccoli has shown some sign of heat stress. It is called brown bead. A portion of the head, usually the center, does not open and is brown. It is not rot, or a pest, it is a response to heat stress, or stress of being grown in too wet of conditions. In this case, the heat is surely the issue. If you received a head with some brown beading, I am sorry. It is edible. You can cut it out, or eat it with the rest of the broccoli. We are doing the best we can with the heads, and don't want to waste a large head of broccoli over a brown portion.
A few people have asked how to fix floppy greens. If your greens have gone floppy, you can cold shock them. Cut off the end of the stem to open a fresh cut end. Place the entire stems in a bowl of cold water, very cold. The bowl can sit in your fridge overnight, and in the am, your greens should be crisp again. Greens like to be stored in plastic, cloth, or net bags. We try to limit how many bags we are giving you because we are trying to limit the use of excessive plastic. When you receive the greens in your share, you can place them in a plastic, fabric, or net bag and store them in your crisper. Some people add a damp paper towel to help keep the greens crisp. If they have gone floppy by the time you get them home, try the cold shock. All veggies are harvested within 48 hours of you receiving them. Some the same day. They should last at least a week for you in your fridge.
Summer squash is really picking up. You may get zucchini, patty pan, straight neck yellow, or yellow crook neck squash. All are delicious, another veggie I have been anxiously awaiting! I love the patty's scooped out and loaded with meatballs, then baked with a little marinara on top. It is definitely on this week's menu!
Blackberries are coming in early, and very sweet! If they were not in last week's share offerings, they will be in this week's for you. With moving away from re-usable boxes for shares with COVID-19 protocols, it is difficult to pack berries in the pulp baskets and have them survive the pack and looking good for you when you get home. This year we are trying some paper soup cups. Compostable cups and lids. We will pack the berries the day of your pick up. When you get them home, you should at least take the lid off of the berries. Berries need air around them or they will mold and or go mushy. This seems to be the best solution for the packaging options this year.
Stephanie is offering some Calendula flowers for edible petals, nasturtium flowers and leaves as edible flowers, and a few holy basil bunches. Here is her info on calendula.
Greetings CSA members! This week ready for harvest are fresh calendula flowers at $5.00 per pint. Calendula flowers are edible and highly medicinal golden disks full of healing properties ranging from cosmetic to first aid uses, and can be used internally as well as externally. Calendula flowers are lovely to sip upon in tea, to infuse into oil for body care uses or to eat in a nourishing meal. As well as calendula flowers, the edible nasturtium flowers and leaves are available this week at $5.00 per pint and 6 bunches of fresh holy basil or tulsi at $3.00 per bunch. Stay tuned for more herbal harvests!
Finally, Clare from Perigee Farm is adding a "bucket of blooms" this week- 35 stems of flowers for $30.00. Bring your own bucket.
Have a great week everyone. We really appreciate, you, our members. Because of your support of organic regenerative agriculture, we get to provide healthy vegetables to our community!
Claudia, Jim, Madeline and Emily
