If you have been following our blog or social media posts this week, you will know that the farm got hit hard by heavy rain and wind on Monday night. Time will tell how the veggies will fair but we really didn't want/need any more rain after some of the heavy downpours last weekend! Alas, we are used to the fickle weather gods and will adapt!
Despite the rain, we have a number of new treats to share in our CSA boxes! Our peas are ready and there is truly little on earth better than fresh garden peas! My personal opinion is the best way to eat them is standing in the garden....however, a close second would be simply eating them raw (shelled or pod and all) as soon as you get them home! Our shareholders will find a snack of peas in their box this week!
Potatoes are ready to go and with all the rain we are a bit concerned that they will rot in the ground if we leave them, so the boxes contain some tasty nuggets!
New potatoes are small and sweet. (their sugar has not yet been converted to starch). They don't have thick skins and rarely need to be peeled. Simply give them a scrub and pop in the pot to boil. Served with butter and salt or even cooled and tossed into a salad... a new potato is unlike the potato that you will get in the fall - so experiment!
Lastly I wanted to share with you a tip or two for extending the life of the greens that you find in your box each week (or that you pick up from the store). As most are packed wet after rinsing, they can become mushy if not tended to when you get them home. In our house, we often use the ziplock produce bags that you can get at the grocery store. I find that they are worth in the investment (and we re-use them over and over). However, if you don't have these special bags, other plastic bags will work... the trick is to ensure that the greens are as dry as possible. Therefore, I recommend that you take the greens out of the bag/pail and lay them out on papertowel and then roll the whole thing up like a jelly roll. Storing the greens inside the papertowel in a plastic bag ensures it lasts a much longer time!
So in summary... What's in the Box this week?
- Rhubarb
- Lettuce (mixed greens in bag)
- Zucchini
- Carrots
- Peas
- New potatoes
- Spring turnips (turnip greens are edible too!)
- Broccoli (for full shares only)
- Peppers (spicy)
- Beets
- Herbs in the red cup:
- Oregano
- Chives
- Parsley
- Cilantro
- Basil
Notes to our CSA Share holders:
We pick the vegetables within 24 hours of the box being delivered. We do rinse the produce but it would be important to wash all vegetables before you eat them. Keeping the herbs (ends) in a cup of clean water will keep them fresh longer.
Please return your empty box along with all re-usable containers (pails, cups, bags etc) so that we can reuse them all over again.
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