Summer CSA Newsletter: Week 7
WHATS IN YOUR BOX THIS WEEK AND HOW TO USE IT
FRESH CANDY ONIONS - Store in the refrigerator crisper drawer for up to one week. You can peel off layers that become dry or slimy if used after one week.. 1lb $3.50
NEW POTATOES - Keep in a cool, dry place away from light, like a dark corner of the kitchen or in a cabinet. Also keep well ventilated. Do not store in a plastic bag but you can store in a basket or paper bag. $5 (1.75 Pounds)
TOMATOES -The best way to keep summer tomatoes fresh and full of flavor, store them on the kitchen counter at room temperature and turn them shoulders down. 60 to 65° is an ideal temperature for storing and we recommend placing your tomatoes out of direct sunlight. 1lb $4
CARROTS- If your carrots have the tops on, take them off right away to avoid limp carrots. The tops like to suck the moisture from the root (carrot) which makes for lifeless carrots. Store carrots in the refrigerator in a plastic bag or container. They can store for several weeks and sometimes even months. $5
BEETS - cut off tops immediately. Store the roots in a bag in your refrigerator. Before use wash your beets., you can peel them with a knife or peeler, or you can roast them in foil or boil them, and the peels will come right off. $6.50
GREEN TOMATOES - The best way to keep green tomatoes is one of two ways. You can store them on the kitchen counter at room temperature and turn them shoulders down. 60 to 65° is an ideal temperature for storing and we recommend placing your tomatoes out of direct sunlight or stick them in the fridge. You are not losing flavor with green tomatoes by putting them in the refridgerator like you would ripe tomatoes. 1lb $3
ZUCCHINI/SUMMER SQUASH MEDLEY - Storing zucchini in the fridge is a quick and simple way to keep zucchini fresh. Keep the zucchini whole until you're prepared to use it, avoid washing zucchini prior to storage. $1.50 x 2
VEGGIE OF THE WEEK
Green Tomatoes
I know green tomatoes are not always a treasured summer favorite…. well, they are for me and as my CSA customers you must love them too!!
Green Tomatoes believe it or not can be a versatile ingredient. They can be used for fried green tomatoes - my number one reason to love them, in salsa, and chutney. They can also be pickled or roasted for a unique twist on classic recipes. Green tomatoes are rich in vitamins A and C, which promote healthy skin and immune system function, as well as a good source of fiber.
I think some of you know that Matt and I previously lived in Georgia for a number or years before moving back to his hometown, Marshall. Matt was in the military when we met and I relocated after we were married. It would seem like a long coming dream to get out of the military and away from the “city” and the hot south Georgia weather. I remember thinking of days where the military wasn’t in quite so much control of our lives. Don’t get me wrong, we liked our lifestyle but, being closer to family was important and Georgia wasn’t our favorite.
During the time we were dating, Matt and I used to travel back and forth to visit each other. I was a college student in Ohio, while he was stationed at Ft Benning, GA. Whenever I would visit Georgia, Matt would take me to different local restaurants. One particular memory that stands out is when he took me to Ruth Ann's cafe. It was a quaint little cafe with a predominant focus on fried food, as is most things in the south.
I vividly remember looking at the menu and deciding to try the fried green tomatoes. It was something I had never tried before, but I fell in love with them. The tomatoes were freshly fried to perfection, with a seasoned crispy golden-brown crust. I dipped them in spicy ranch sauce, and I knew right then and there that I would be a lifelong fan of fried green tomatoes.
I later brought my mother to Ruth Ann's cafe when she came to visit, and she shared the same enthusiasm for their fried green tomatoes.
I know we are trying to promote healthy eating through our CSA but, just do it… fry the green tomatoes.
Photo Credit: Caitlyn Bensel and Rebecca Cummins
Fried Green Tomatoes Recipe (southernliving.com)
A few others to try:
Easy Green Tomato Chutney Recipe • Lovely Greens
Green-Tomato Chutney Recipe (nytimes.com)
Green Tomato Salsa Verde Recipe (nytimes.com)
Reduce Food Waste! How to Freeze Kale - Budget Bytes - if you’re not using the kale from previous weeks, FREEZE it.
Authentic Pico De Gallo Recipe - NatashasKitchen.com - a good summer salsa recipe. I use lemon juice instead of lime but, to each their own. You can omit the cilantro as I know not everyone loves it. Also, I know there is at least one vendor that jalapeno’s if you choose to add those as well.
Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes {Easy to Make!} - Spend With Pennies - use those leftover herbs with this one.
Cast iron Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary - this recipe is yummy!
Week 7
Welcome to week 7.We hope that you enjoyed your bag last week and that you were able to utilize all the items we packed for you.
We are just now starting to tip-toe into tomato season. It feels like tomatoes have taken FOREVER to start to ripen this year. A cooler month of May has left our loaded plants green for far too long. I think in total we have close to 900 tomato plants in the ground in various stages of growth. . We are getting ready to transplant our 4th succession of 100 plants. We harvest for 4-6 weeks and then rip them out and that’s it we are on to the next succession.
While we haven't been as heavy into tomato season as we would like, we are prepping for a heavy harvest of potatoes and onions next week as well as turning those beds over to replant the first round of fall crops. We have several hundred broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage plants and I seeded 800 winter squash plants due to go out in about 2 weeks.
Also, if you haven’t seen our barrel washer in action, that I posted on our stories last week. You can watch below! We use this tool to wash potatoes, carrots, beets and turnips
A note to mention for next week. Matt will be having outpatient surgery on the 25th of June. Due to this it is very likely there will NOT be a full newsletter next week. We have a lot to prep in the next 9 days before his surgery as he will have several limitations for 4-6 weeks after surgery, which of course falls right smack dab in the middle of our busy season. We apologize for not getting out our full newsletter next week but, we will be back at it for week 9.
IF ALL ELSE FAILS
If your week has been crazy and you haven’t had time to do a thing with items in your bag, focus on these tasks:
You can freeze onions. I love to chop them up and store in portions of zip lock bags. Perfect for winter soups, stews and etc. After freezing, the texture changes somewhat and they are softer so not great for fresh eating.
Freezing tomatoes is the easiest way to keep ripe tomatoes until you're ready to use them. You don't have to peel them first—in fact, the act of freezing them itself makes the tomatoes very easy to peel and you can freeze as many or as few at a time as you like. Visit this link for directions on how to do this, How to Preserve Tomatoes to Enjoy All Year
Green tomatoes will store for quite a while in the refrigerator. .
Greens such as carrot tops or other veggie scraps can be saved and used for homemade vegetable broth. Try this recipe: How to Make Vegetable Broth Using Saved Kitchen Scraps ~ Homestead and Chill
Zucchini can be shredded and frozen.
Potatoes will store well out of direct sunlight in a cool dry place for several weeks
NEXT WEEK’S POSSIBILITY’S
Your bag next week will include 6-7 of the following depending on availability and if it’s ready to harvest.
Carrots
Herbs
Tomatoes
Fresh large candy onions
Fresh red candy onions
Cherry Tomatoes
Cucumber
Fairytale Eggplant
Potatoes
Turnips
Kale
Lettuce
Beets
Zucchini (maybe, fingers crossed)
Wishing you a fantastic week ahead, see you next week!