This week you’ll find in your share:
Tomatoes
Beans
Onions
Sweet Peppers
Collard Greens*
Swiss Chard
Edamame*
Potatoes
Coriander
Parsley?
Next week you might find in your share:
• Tomatoes
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Chard or Collard
• Onions
• Potatoes
• Peppers
• Garlic
• Beans
• Herb or Cut Flower
From Your Farmers…
First off, huge thanks to Randy and Whitney for getting shares out without me. I’ll be heading out Thursday for a visit to the fam and the Shawnee Forest. Now for the good stuff…
New to everyone:
Coriander: cilantro seed- used for seasoning, often found in Indian dishes. Yes, we grew it ourselves from our earliest planting of cilantro, and just let it grow until the seed was ready. More info in recipes.
Edamame: This is a fresh soybean, great in Asian dishes, or as a snack. Edamame also makes a great appetizer. I like it raw, as is. Most lightly boil in heavily salted water and enjoy. See recipe options below.
Collard greens: are tasty. Some leaves are giant. We suggest treating them as a cooking green, or using them as a wrap. Option: lay out a big collard leaf, top with some hummus, sliced sweet pepper, diced tomato, shelled edamame, and a drizzle of yogurt. Roll it up. MMhhmmm.
We will REUSE the cherry tomato boxes. Please return them with your share bags.
Food For Thought…Fall Gardening
It seems to me that when people think of having a garden, they think of planting in late spring and tending through the summer. And then the garden is done. Sure, summer crops are delicious, but summer can be a pretty miserable time to be outside. Hot, dry, sunburn, mosquitoes. I’m a fan of the fall growing season. Summer crops can still be enjoyed without the spring risks, and the bounty and variety are endless…tomatoes may end but broccoli begins. Leaves and roots come back to us, and a quiet September evening calm is a place I could live day. So if you keep a garden, consider a fall, or even winter grow. Cool weather crops are a joy to grow in the fall because you can let them grow and pick them when you want, rather than race the heat of late spring. But it all starts now.
The bulk of this week was spent getting ready for fall…and we’re a few weeks behind schedule. Last week we started seeds for transplanting, this week was the sowing of carrots, beets, peas, and loads of other deliciousness. We’re looking forward to the season of jacket mornings, t shirt afternoons, and butternut bisque and sage evenings.
Recipes of the Week: Summer Made Easy
Save it for later: Edamame
If you aren’t able to use your edamame within a week, here is a storage tip for freezing from healthyeating.com.
- Fill a large, deep pot with water. Stir in approximately 1 tablespoon of salt for every gallon of water. Heat to a rapid boil.
- Fill a large bowl with water and add ice. Lay a towel flat on the table or counter-top near the bowl. Label gallon- or quart-sized zip-top freezer bags with the date using a permanent marker or pen.
- Place the fresh edamame into a strainer, colander or cooking basket. Immerse the strainer with edamame into the boiling water.
- Leave the edamame in place for approximately three minutes. Begin timing as soon as the beans are in the water, not when the water returns to a boil.
- Take the strainer of edamame out of the boiling water and immediately plunge it into the bowl of ice water. Remove the strainer and shake off excess water.
- Empty the edamame onto the towel. Use paper towels to dry the beans as quickly as possible.
- Put the desired amount of edamame into each labeled freezer bag. Place into the freezer immediately
Use it up quick: Edamame
Similar to the instructions above, you can give your edamame a quick steam for a fast snack or last minute addition to any dish
- Fill a large, deep pot with water, and add lots of salt to enhance the flavor of the beans. Heat to a rapid boil.
- Place the fresh edamame into a strainer, colander or cooking basket. Immerse the strainer with edamame into the boiling water.
- Leave the edamame in place for approximately three to five minutes. Begin timing as soon as the beans are in the water, not when the water returns to a boil.
- Take the strainer of edamame out of the boiling water and shake off excess water.
- Shell the beans by hand or simply slide the pod through your teeth and the beans will magically appear in your mouth! You can add more salt, soy sauce, or toss edamame into a fresh pasta, wrap, or salad and enjoy.
Upcoming Events:
Saturday, August 10 Whitney will be hosting our second Open House. Come have a tour of the farm, help your food along, and have some delicious farm fresh goods before you go. The Open House is very casual, just come when you can, leave when you need to- no previous experience is necessary. This month’s theme: reclaim. RSVP to me at 566.8643 or Whitney at WSewell@caastlc.org.
CAASTLC's Seeds of Hope Farm 