Summer 2022 CSA - Week of August 15th

Full share: 2 lettuce heads, kale, green beans, 3 squash, 2 cucumbers, tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, basil, 2 garlic

Half share: 1 lettuce head, arugula, green beans, 2 squash, 1 cucumber, carrots, 1 garlic, basil

Hello!

Welcome to Week 10 of Summer CSA! 

This past week the farm has been bustling with u-pickers and we’ve been thoroughly enjoying seeing the buckets of raspberries and flowers they’re returning to the market stand with. So many beautiful flower bunches and happy farm friends!

Foodie week at farm camp went great. The kids came up with some creative takes on veggie dumplings, raspberry tarts, and even made sourdough pretzels from their own starters! Very impressive. Registration for fall Farm School opens this week -- kids ages 4-11 can come to the farm and get a taste for what goes into the local food system while exploring the farm’s beautiful natural surroundings. Plus they get to hang out with our wonderful education staff! 

This week’s box has some familiar vegetal faces and we’re extending a warm welcome to green beans. I had personally been overlooking the unagi cucumbers everyone is getting until last week but upon trying, I’m now their unofficial spokesperson. They’re so incredibly crisp and delicious - perfect for an on the go snack or a smashed cucumber salad like the one Claire (who you’ll be hearing from later on) made for our szechuan night last month!  Recipe as dictated by Claire:

Cucumber salad:

  • Chop into your favorite size (can smash if you want)

  • Add to a mixing bowl with more salt than you think you’ll need and some sugar, let sit for ~30 mins

  • Dump out excess liquid

  • To taste, add:

    • sesame oil

    • chili oil

    • garlic

    • a little more salt and sugar if it needs

  • The end <3 

And speaking of cucumbers, we’re taking down greenhouse 2 this Thursday which is where our first cucumbers and basil live. We’ll be replanting it with hearty kales, chard, and bok choy to keep you all fed with fresh greens for the winter. Transitions and photos are coming!

I also came across this recipe for patty pans stuffed with a pesto, squash, chickpea feta salad the other day that looks so good! I haven’t tried it yet but I think this would work well on a grill too, I’d start with 15 minutes and check for tenderness as I go. I think the leftover salad would make a delicious side or sandwich filling. Swap mint for basil!

Pesto filling// (for 12-15 squash)

  • 3 cloves garlic

  • 1/2 tsp salt

  • 1 cup of packed fresh mint leaves

  • 1/4 cup sunflower seeds

  • Lemon zest of 1 lemon

  • Juice of 1/2 lemon

  • Olive oil 

  • 1 ear of corn

  • 1 can chickpeas 

  • 1/4 cup crumbled feta

Preparation:

1. Scoop out the inside flesh of each squash and reserve for later.

2. For the pesto, using a mortar and pestle or a food processor, combine the garlic, salt, mint leaves, sunflower seeds, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Stream in olive oil until pesto consistency forms, about 1/4 - 1/3 cup. Mix in the squash flesh and set aside. 

3. Preheat the oven to 375F/190C.

4. In a large bowl combine the corn, chickpeas, pesto, and feta. Stir to combine. 

5. Place the squash on a baking sheet. Lightly cover with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Add in the filling to each squash and cover with squash top. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes or until squash is tender.

Now a few delightful words from Claire!

Hello All!

On the farm, people tend to get nicknames based on arbitrary things, but at GVB my alter ego is very straight forward; Animal Claire or if it’s a particularly slow day Flower Claire. These last couple of years I’ve been working at vegetable CSA farms in Northern Minnesota, but this season I wanted to explore other aspects of farming somewhere new. 

In Gallatin Valley, getting swept up into the day to day life at the farm has felt like a second nature. When my friends and family ask me what I do for work, I half-jokingly (yet very realistically) say hauling buckets and planning the next sheep move. Yet, what I love most about working with the farm animals is the detective work of figuring out what each animal needs and the best way to address the problem. 

Farming is not known for being an easy job, but with it can come lots of joy. From catching the one chicken that always evades you to having the perfect length of fencing to rigging up arguably the best farm contraptions, its the little victories thay make farming feel magical.

While Jordan and I work as a team most of the time, there is still plenty of time for when I work on projects by myself. I thought it'd be fun to share some of the music that I’ve been listening to while I work solo. Enjoy!

Claire

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4121qCtIKQCgmLaUA3CD0r?si=ae9c6c983e494c7e

PS If you're ever at the farm I HIGHLY recommend listening to Primitive London 1 by Basil Kirchin and watching our layer chickens run around. It’s something that has been bringing me a lot of joy lately.

Jacy Rothschiller