THE HAUL: SEPTEMBER 20th
CSA DELIVERY WEEK 17
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 :
If you’re wondering where all the fall greens are…(think kale & collards)…I’ve been wondering the same thing! Farmer Matt sent me the picture below this afternoon showing us the status from the fields. Way back in the summer when we were in the middle of a massive drought, we weren’t able to get into the fields to transplant. Why, you ask? Usually it’s too much rain that keeps us out of the fields and delays the plantings. Well, dry weather can do the same thing. When the fields are too dry, tractor work will create massive dust clouds. That’s not a good thing for the farmers or for the fields. So we have to carefully schedule our transplanting dates for when we get some rain, or for when we’re able to irrigate the fields first. This summer we were so busy irrigating to keep the plants in the ground alive that we didn’t have extra time (or hands on deck) to get the fields irrigated on time. That’s what caused the delay in planting and the delay we’re experiencing now. In the end, this is not particularly bad news… the fall greens are coming and they’re looking beautiful, but it’s going to be another few weeks before they appear in the shares. I thought you’d like to know…
On a happier note, we wanted to bring your attention to our beautiful onions this year! If you’ve been a member in the past, you’ll know that we don’t usually include so many beautiful high-quality onions in the shares. Onions are hard to grow because they are small plants that are very difficult to keep weed-free. This year they are exceptional. I don’t know about you, but I use onions in practically every recipe and I love not having to run out to the store to supplement this year!
YOUR REPLACEMENT Red Leaf Lettuce – This Red Leaf Lettuce is your replacement for the less than perfect Romaine that we sent out last week. Our apologies again for the leaf tip burn. These should be beautiful inside and out!
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw When to use: Within 5 days.
Romaine Lettuce – This Romaine Lettuce looks perfect, so you should have no quality issues…
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw When to use: Within 5 days.
Saladette/Cocktail Tomatoes/Cherry Tomatoes
Storage: On the counter until they are a deep red/yell0w/orange. At that point, eat them right away or if you must, put them in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw/Cooked When to use: Right away when deep colors.
Red Beefsteak Tomatoes
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/Cooked When to use: Right away when deep colors.
Acorn Squash – I like to cut in half lengthwise and then scoop out the seeds. You can either put these halves in a steamer and cook until the flesh is tender, or rub with olive oil and set the halves face down in a baking dish. Sometimes I pour a few tablespoons of water around them and bake in the oven at 350F until soft. Scoop out the flesh and season with salt and a little butter (or olive oil) and enjoy!
Storage: Winter squash should be stored at room temperature – and dry. Keep in paper bags or baskets out of direct sunlight and they will up to a month. Uses: Cooked When to use: Within a month
Festival Sweet Dumpling Squash – Eat these right away! They are not good storage squash. These unusual looking squash have a rich (& sweet!) flavor. Cook like acorn squash – see above.
Storage: Winter squash should be stored at room temperature – and dry. Uses: Cooked When to use: Within a week.
Zucchini/Summer Squash – These plants are almost finished, but we do have 1 piece per member this week. I wanted to address an issue that was raised in our survey by some members who were not happy about receiving just one of something… I know it’s not always easy to come up with a recipe for one zucchini, for example, but one is better than none, right? Try to think of it as a great addition to a recipe instead of the star. You can throw in a zucchini to most soup and stir-fry recipes, or mix it with shredded potatoes in zucchini & potato pancakes – see below. When a crop is just starting to produce, or just winding down, you’ll likely find just one in your shares. I hope our decision to include it in the shares instead of letting it rot in the fields is one that you would agree with!
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw or Cooked, Baked When to use: Within 5 days.
Red and Yellow Onions – Great in all your recipes…
Storage: In a cool, dry, well-ventilated place. Uses: Cooked or Raw When to use: Within a month
Swiss Chard – To please all the greens-loving members…. See pic above to prove that other greens are coming!
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Cooked When to use: Within 5 days.
RECIPES
Zucchini & Potato Pancakes – 1/2 this recipe to use up your 1 zucchini this week!
Swiss Chard with Garlic & Lemon – A CSA-member favorite!
Swiss Chard, Feta & Mozzarella Bake – Another CSA-member approved recipe!
Bon appetit! xoMaggie
_________________________________________
HOORAY FOR FRUIT SHARES!
Please remember to only pickup a fruit share if you have already registered, paid, and it says “FRUIT” next to your name on the check-in sheet.
- 1 bag mixed Gala Apples & Peaches
_________________________________________
WINTER SHARES – WE NEED TO HEAR FROM YOU!
The details of our winter share have been finalized! We need to hear from your group so we can figure out how many shares to allocate per group in Queens and on Long Island. Please let us know if you would like to participate (or not) by October 15th. ***Please note that our vegetable share box is significantly smaller this year (with a lower price reflected). Feedback from winter share members in years past indicated that the poundage was way too much to consume and that it was a negative aspect of the problem. We got the message and we’ve lightened it up! Please make sure that your members know this.*** Anyone who would like more quantity should order multiple shares.
Winter Organic Vegetable Share – 10 lb box (nearly 1/2 the size as previous years) x 4 deliveries = $80
Winter Apple Share – 4 lb bag x 4 deliveries = $26
Winter Cider Share – 1/2 gallon jug x 4 deliveries = $18
Winter Share Delivery Dates (Tuesday or Thursday depending on your site. We have linked up with the deliveries from Lewis Waite Farms on Tuesdays.)
Delivery 1 – December 13 & 15
Delivery 2 – January 10 & 12
Delivery 3 – February 7 & 9
Delivery 4 – March 7 & 9
Thanks,
GEOF
_________________________________________
SAVE THE DATE!
Golden Earthworm Organic Farm’s Annual Harvest Festival will take place at the farm in Riverhead on Sunday, October 16th from 11 to 3. It’s open to all CSA members and their guests! Farm tours, Q&A with your farmers, cooking demonstrations, kids activities, live music. It’s a really lovely day of farm fun and an opportunity for you to see where we grow your food and connect with other members. Stay tuned for more details coming soon…
_________________________________________
LEWIS WAITE FARM
Delivery is September 27th. 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.
_________________________________________
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/
OR… Try GEOF’s new Community Facebook page! Share recipes, cooking tips, thoughts about your shares…find friends, build community! Post away!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/660605760780758/
Speaking of recipes, GEOF’s website has tons of great ideas! http://goldenearthworm.com/cropswegrow/
Hunters Point CSA 