Summer 2022 CSA - Week of August 22nd
Full share: 2 cucumbers, 3 zucchini, bunching leeks, ½# green beans, ½# dragon beans, 1 napa cabbage, 2 lettuce heads, 3# apples, raspberries, spearmint
Half share: 1 cucumber, 2 zucchini, bunching leeks, ½# dragon beans, tomatoes, 1 lettuce head, 1.5# apples
Hello!
We’re entering that time of late summer where daytime temperatures still hover in the 80s and 90s, but mornings hold a bit more of the previous night’s chill. On the farm (for me at least) this means that, in addition to my lunch, every day I bring a GVB tote bag full of layers to the farm to prepare myself for the day’s range of temperatures before ending the day with a dip in the creek. Apart from that, it means that greenhouse tables once reserved for seedlings are now covered in curing garlic, that fall sunflowers and winter greens are being planted inside, and that apples are starting to have a presence in the market stand once again. Fall is still officially a month away, but it’s definitely starting to creep in…
A few notes:
We are now accepting apples for custom cider pressing! You can bring your apples to the market stand during our open hours (Tues 12-6pm, Thurs/Sat 8am-12pm) or whenever as long as you clearly label them with one of our red tags (pictured below with this week’s beautiful CSA bouquet), and a few days later you’ll get a call letting you know your cider is ready for pickup. Those hours are also when we’ll have the cider press running if you’re interested in a demo. We’ll have fresh cider for sale in a few weeks.
Please remember to pick your boxes up on time! CSA Boxes run through the first week in October, which means there are six weeks (including this one) left. Boxes do not return to the farm from pickup locations so must be picked up there during the allotted time. Heed this photo from Jacy’s brother in law up in Big Sky as warning! Bear activity is picking up and we’d much rather you enjoy your produce than our larger-bodied neighbors.
Fall also means we’re starting to see some transitions in our crew. MSU students Emma W. and Rowan are headed back to classes, Emma M. flies to London on Friday to start college (!), and Rylie wraps up her second season tomorrow to harvest and press olives in Italy for a few months. We’re also welcoming Chad to the education/harvest/market stand/cider press teams! We’ve got a great crew going into the fall and everyone’s excited for when Fall Festival activities pick up and we all get to work together a bit more.
Full share boxes this week lend themselves well to an asian stir fry. Thinly sliced cabbage, trimmed green beans, and a leek or two cooked over medium high heat with some garlic, ginger, soy sauce and rice vinegar and you’re good to go. I like these recipes for reference:
All of CSA are getting summer bunching leeks this week. A little different from the leeks we’ll be getting later on (we seed these closer together to yield a crop resembling scallions) but roughly the same in terms of use and flavor. From Eating with the Seasons: “Superbly versatile in cooking and a required ingredient in many French soups… leeks trap a lot of dirt and should be cut before washing to best release it. Soak them in cold water, let dirt settle to the bottom and lift leeks out before draining. Properly washed, they are also wonderful sliced in half lengthwise, simmered until soft, (chilled, if desired) and then tossed with a vinaigrette”. I’ll be trying that for sure.
Now a few words and a just in time zucchini bread recipe from Anastasia! Since before working on the farm Anastasia’s been a neighbor up Kelly Canyon Road and was a long-time loyal customer. A passionate cook, recipe developer, and general lover of good food, she would come into the market stand for meat, produce or flowers so often that Jacy would set aside certain things for her and her husband Nick. Keep your eyes peeled over the next month for their fine foods and natural wine market, opening soon next to Ugly Onion Pizza.
Hi! My name is Anastasia and this is my second season here at the farm. I work on the Rocky Creek Farm side which means that my responsibilities include caring for the market stand, growing flowers, making bouquets, sometimes taking care of animals, managing our Instagram and of course lots of invasive species management (AKA weeding!).
Out of all the wonderful things at the farm my favorite part is the community - all the people who work here are extremely passionate about food & farming, hard working and wonderful! And of course theres Jacy & Matt who hold it all together and foster this amazing community.
One of my big projects in life now is that my husband and I are opening a small natural wine store & market on the Northside of town called Mischa’s (named after my large and very sensitive guardian dog, a far removed cousin of Ellis & Bella maybe but definitely not equipped to handle life outside guarding sheep). We are passionate about small food & wine producers regionally & globally. We are hoping to open up in the next three weeks so fingers crossed that everything goes well!
You might have seen the new flours from Conservation Grains that we sell at the marketstand and if you haven’t yet I highly recommend you to grab a bag and bake something! Judy Cornell lives up in Choteau, MT and sources grains from surrounding small family farms and mills them fresh into these amazing blends. The taste and nutritional value is out of this world and it’s hard to go back to commercial (bleached and old!) Flour after.
I recommend starting out with a batch of Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread but made with Conservation Grains Old & Ancient flour. I think if Bozeman had an official food this would be it. Just replace the all purpose flour in the recipe with the Old & Ancient flour. I’m excited that zucchini season has finally arrived after a strange summer season, but I swear it’s not too late for me to be making this several times a week until it goes again.
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/chocolate-zucchini-bread-recipe
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
Makes one 9x5" loaf
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 cup (115 g) walnuts (optional)
2 large eggs
1 cup (packed; 200 g) light brown sugar
¾ cup vegetable oil
½ cup (32 g) Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
1 lb. zucchini (about 4 small), grated on the large holes of a box grater
1½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (190 g) semisweet chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. raw or granulated sugar
Preparation
Step 1
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 325°. Coat a 9x5" loaf pan with nonstick vegetable oil spray and line with parchment paper, leaving generous overhang on long sides. If using, toast 1 cup (115 g) walnuts on a small rimmed baking sheet, toasting halfway through, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop.
Step 2
Whisk 2 large eggs, 1 cup (packed; 200 g) light brown sugar, ¾ cup vegetable oil, ½ cup (32 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder, 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 2 tsp. vanilla extract, and 1 tsp. ground cinnamon in a large bowl until smooth, about 2 minutes. Vigorously whisk in ½ tsp. baking powder and ½ tsp. baking soda.
Step 3
Add 1 lb. zucchini (about 4 small), scrubbed, grated on the large holes of a box grater, to batter and stir to combine. Add 1½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour, 1 cup (190 g) semisweet chocolate chips, and walnuts (if using) and stir again just until no large dry streaks of flour remain. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp. raw or granulated sugar evenly over top.
Step 4
Bake zucchini bread, rotating pan front to back halfway through, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should registers 200°), 60–80 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let bread cool in pan. Run a small offset spatula or knife around sides of bread to help loosen, then turn out onto a platter.
Do ahead: Bread can be baked 2 days ahead. Store uncut bread loosely covered at room temperature. Once sliced, store airtight and chill.
Enjoy!
Sasha