THE HAUL: AUGUST 9th

CSA DELIVERY WEEK 11

Your shares will be available for pickup from 5pm – 7pm.  Come for your share, and stay for Alewife’s trivia night.  CSA members get 10% off drinks on Tuesday pickup days!  Please remember to bring sturdy bags to carry your produce home.

 
WHAT’S IN THE BOX / NOTES FROM THE FARM :

Freshly dug potatoes, tomatoes, green beans….summer is in full swing here on the farm!  When it gets hot, I try to get my cooking done in the morning and I make big batches of hearty salads to last us through the week.  This week’s menu includes fresh potato salad, green bean salad, swiss chard and tomatoes and a lightly dressed arugula salad…

Fresh, “New” Red Potatoes – These are freshly dug, beautiful new potatoes. You’ll notice that they cook much more quickly than potatoes you find in the store because they have a higher water content.  If you boil them, check their tenderness with a knife every few minutes to avoid over-cooking.  We noticed that some parts of the field had potatoes with some cosmetic skin blemishes (rough scab spots).  These can be removed by peeling in those spots.  But most of them look gorgeous, so no need to peel!
Storage: In a cool, DARK place.  Do not store in plastic bags.  Store in paper bags or loose. Uses: CookedWhen to use: Within 5 days.  These won’t store well – use them right away!

Tomatoes – The red beefsteaks are coming in nicely!
Storage: On the counter until they are a deep red.  At that point, eat them right away or if you must, put them in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw/CookedWhen to use: Right away when deep red.

Red Long Onions – More of these beauties…great in salsa! If you want to save them to use later, just be sure to leave the stems attached and store somewhere cool and dry OR in the fridge.  They need airflow or they will rot. Don’t expect them to last too long, but a few weeks is reasonable.
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw/CookedWhen to use: Within 5 days.

Green Beans – Please note that these need to be refrigerated right away — you can store them in the bag they come in.  Also be sure to wash them before cooking. These are super fresh and should be steamed gently for just a few minutes until fork tender.  DO NOT OVERCOOK THEM or they will turn green-gray and taste mushy.  Watch them carefully and check them every minute or two in the steamer.  I love them steamed with butter (or olive oil) and a bit of salt, but there are lots of wonderful green bean recipes to try.
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: CookedWhen to use: Within 5 days.

Arugula – You’ll notice some cosmetic holes on the leaves from beetle damage when it was young – it looks a bit like Swiss Cheese!  We considered not including it in this week’s share, but decided it would be a waste to turn it in since it tastes just fine! Ugly veg is still yummy veg, right?!
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Best RawWhen to use: Right away! Within 3 days

Swiss Chard – The “summer green”…enjoy it now because the cooler weather greens will be back next month.  Try this week’s recipe with tomatoes in a quick saute.  Delish!
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Cooked When to use: Within 5 days.  

Zucchini or Summer Squash – We thought we had finished harvesting these last week, but there were a few more out in the field…consider this a bonus item.
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw or Cooked, Baked When to use: Within 5 days.  

RECIPES

Swiss Chard & Potatoes
Red Potatoes with Olives, Feta & Mint
Green Bean & Potato Salad with Salsa Verde
Swiss Chard Saute with Tomatoes and Chickpeas
Roasted Tomato Salsa – a family favorite!

Bon appetit! xoMaggie

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FRUIT SHARES HAVE BEGUN!

FRUIT SHARE Pick-up Instructions
• Starting this week (August 9th) you will notice plastic crates at your site.  Unlike the vegetable shares which are pre-packed per share in cardboard boxes, the fruit shares are packed in bulk in the crates.

• If you have paid for the fruit share, it will say “FRUIT” next to your name on the check-in list.  We only send the exact number of fruit shares for those who have  “FRUIT” listed next to their name on the sheet.  For example, if only 13 people have a fruit share at your site, we send 13 portions of fruit.  There are no extras.

• Fruit Share members ONLY may take one bag of fruit per paid fruit share.

IF SOMEONE IS PICKING UP YOUR SHARE FOR YOU (A SPOUSE, FAMILY MEMBER OR FRIEND), YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR INFORMING THEM OF THE PROPER PICK-UP PROCEDURE FOR THE FRUIT SHARE.  IF YOU ARE NOT A FRUIT SHARE MEMBER, PLEASE REMIND THEM NOT TO TAKE THE FRUIT.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Fruit Share
I’m not a fruit share member.  Why do I need to pay attention to this notice?
It’s the non fruit share members that most often cause problems at the pick-up site by taking fruit that they haven’t paid for.  This usually occurs when a new person (spouse, family member or friend) picks up the share for you and doesn’t understand the procedure.

Why is it so tempting for people to take fruit when they haven’t paid for it?
We wish we knew…we have been struggling with fruit theft (or paid fruit share members taking too much) for years.  The worst part is that the members picking up at the end of the day are the ones who go home empty handed.  This is extremely frustrating for us as it undermines the entire CSA process.  We count on our members to uphold their end of the farmer-consumer relationship by following instructions and conducting themselves properly (on the honor system) at the pick-up sites.

How long does the fruit share run?
The fruit share will run for exactly 15 weeks from the starting week.  The value of the fruit is $6.40 per week (for a 3-4lb bag) and at the end of the season, you will receive exactly $96 worth of fruit.

– Your Farmers at the Golden Earthworm Organic Farm and Briermere Farm (the fruit farm!)

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SAVE THE DATE!

Golden Earthworm Organic Farm’s Harvest Festival will take place on Sunday, October 16th from 11 to 3.  Put it on your calendars!  It’s a lovely day with farm tours, cooking demonstrations, kids activities and more!

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Lewis Waite Farm

Delivery is next week. Future deliveries will be made every other Tuesday to Alewife.  LWF strongly encourages orders to be placed by the Thursday (midnight) before the following delivery date.  

Lewis Waite Farm CSA Extras program strives to connect small farms and producers to consumers within our region. We offer a single platform for you to gain access to a wide variety of farm fresh, all natural, artisanal, and organic products. Between our Extras service and your CSA share, you can eliminate (at least greatly reduce!) the weekly trip to the grocery store.
We partner with small, family run operations. If you have questions, we can ask the person who grew or made your food. Our producers take great pride in their products, and we take pride in offering them to you. Orders are placed via our online platform. You pay as you go, and order only what you want. Free delivery to your CSA!
Lewis Waite Farm CSA Extras can offer you pasture raised meat and poultry (10 kinds of meat), fresh eggs and bread, grass fed butter, yogurt and ice cream, artisan cheese from sheep, goat or cows’ milk, including aged raw milk cheeses. We offer many pantry staples, too, all local and naturally made: granola, fresh stone-ground organic flour, dried organic beans and grains, natural jams and chutneys, natural sweeteners, locally roasted organic coffee, sugar free apple sauces, and more. You can see a complete list on our website, www.csalewiswaitefarm.com.

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Lewis Waite Farms: http://csalewiswaitefarm.com/register?csa=fc6f57e492f063c86abe88df66b02999

Do you have a favorite recipe using items from this week’s produce? If so, please share on our FB page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/hunterspointcsa/

Speaking of recipes, GEOF’s website has tons of great ideas! http://goldenearthworm.com/cropswegrow/