Summer 2022 CSA - Week of August 1st
Full share: Lettuce mix, lettuce head, carrots, 2 cucumbers, snap peas, 2 garlic, tomatoes, cilantro, 2 zucchini, collard greens
Half share: Lettuce mix, carrots, 1 cucumber, snow or snap peas, garlic, tomatoes
Hello!
Another Tuesday, another CSA newsletter - but this time it’s August! I think it’s possible that this July was the shortest month in history. It feels like the past four weeks passed in a wink and high summer (and Leo season - happy birthday Matt!) is suddenly in full swing. High summer also means high summer produce — zucchini, garlic, peas, tomatoes, and carrots are all featured in this week’s box and the possibilities are endless.
A few farm updates to be aware of:
U-pick flowers are open! Come by any time during market stand hours (Tues 12-6pm, Thurs/Sat 8am-12pm) with snips and a bucket and head to the flower field for an hour or two of flower infused fun. Check our instagram announcement for more details. We can provide supplies if needed.
Whole farm CSA members who get their meat in large distributions can pick up half a lamb starting this week. It’s easiest to pick up during market stand hours but we’ll have boxes labeled in clear places if you can’t make those times. Please make sure to write it on the checkoff list if you take your share.
Produce:
Collards: “Collards are in the same family as broccoli and cabbage. The thick leaves can withstand a long simmering to tenderize them. While many Southern cooks will braise them for hours, 15-20 minutes is sufficient. The smaller leaves only require a quick cooking” (Eating with the Seasons, by Julia Shanks and Brett Grohsgal).
Garlic: Phase 3 of garlic is here! You’ve tried green garlic and scapes, now it's time for the real deal. I won’t patronize you by telling you to saute your garlic until golden and fragrant before adding your tomatoes, zucchinis, or peas to a pan, but a tip from the same book as above is to rub your hands on stainless steel (like the bottom of your sink) to get rid of the garlic smell on your hands after cooking. Citrus works too!
Recipes:
Black bean and zucchini quesadillas & Chilled cucumber soup with mint
These recipes are from another of the books here in the farm lending library - the concept of this book is based around menus rather than single recipes and I plan on trying this one out this week! Top with chopped cilantro or toss it in a fresh salsa.
Sadie’s alfredo with peas
We had a farm Shabbat dinner on Friday and Sadie (of last week's newsletter) made a snap pea alfredo pasta that I cannot stop thinking about, so I requested the recipe. Like the true farm camp master she is, Sadie’s version featured homemade pasta using eggs from the farm as well as sauteed peas that she credits with the inspiration for the whole meal. Simply blanch or sautee your peas (we had it with snow but shelling peas would be fantastic as well) and add them in at the end:
These are the instructions straight from my mother (Jessica Morris):
1/2 cup butter
8 ounces cream cheese
2 teaspoons garlic powder (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt + 2 cloves minced)
2 cups milk
6 ounces parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon pepper
In a fairly deep sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add cream cheese and garlic powder. Probably turn down the heat until cream cheese melts. Stir with a whisk until smooth. This takes a little while and some messing around. Add milk. Slowly continue to whisk out lumps. Stir in parm cheese and pepper. When reaches desired consistency/thickness, remove from heat and serve immediately. Can thin with milk.
Better to add sauce to noodles a serving at a time. Otherwise, the sauce soaks into the noodles too much. Oil your noodles after draining off the water to keep from sticking. Salt noodles and serve salt at the table. Will most likely need it.
Now a few words from farmers Audrey and Zak!
Greetings to all the Rocky Creek family. We are Zak and Audrey Trimble. We are two of the newer employees and the only other married couple on the farm. Like many people during the pandemic, we found ourselves looking for a bit more fulfillment in a job than we had been able to enjoy in the past. We were lucky enough to find what we were looking for here on the farm. We both diligently accomplish our separate roles: Audrey as an educator and Zak taking care of deliveries, but have found our interests met and deepened across the farm since joining the Rocky Creek family. Zak's background is in environmental sciences and biology. Since he joined the farm, he's been able to spark up past interests in soil science and his passion for beekeeping. My background has remained in education; the degree I received in tandem with meeting my husband, and I am so pleased to be able to bring that to the table here at the farm. The knowledge I have gained in just a few months has surpassed anything I could have hoped for. I can now describe the value of cover crops. I can not only enjoy the flowers I see around me, but can name them, and I know for a fact that I can pull an impressive thistle tap-root from the soil.
The daily enjoyment of our jobs is only compounded by the access to the fresh produce we enjoy. Being the plant based duo of the team means we have the ability to surround ourselves with the best options to nourish our bodies. I can't tell you how thrilled we are to see summer squash appearing in the fields or the fresh cherry tomatoes overflowing in the greenhouse. A rich tomato based veggie soup with homemade dutch oven bread has become quite the staple in our house this summer and changing the recipe based on a new harvest at the farm only gives us another reason to smile and enjoy.
We are both so overjoyed to have become part of this community in Bozeman and the farm family here at Rocky Creek. We arrive each day at work knowing that we will spend our day with people we care for, harvesting beautiful produce, and clinging to every bit of knowledge we can obtain. We hope everyone that enjoys the fruits (or vegetables) of our labor can understand the thoughtfulness that brought it to you. Enjoy the beautiful summer season. We hope to see you at the farm very soon. -The Trimbles
Zak, Audrey and some early season rhubarb from this spring!