Summer 2022 CSA - Week of August 29th
Full share: Kale, 1# carrots, cucumbers, 2 squash, dill, 2 garlic, tomatillos, 2 jalapenos, cilantro, dragon beans, strawberries
Half share: Kale, ½# carrots, cucumbers, 1 squash, dill, 1 garlic, tomatoes
Howdy CSA folks!
As many of you may know, today is Tuesday, August 30th. That means September is only days away and with apples coming in, our education team hard at work on school tours and PIR day planning, and cool mornings that give way to slightly less hot afternoons (but not this week), you can really feel it.
Notes and updates:
Tomatillos, heirloom tomatoes, and peppers are finally here! Full share will be seeing some of these this week, but stop into the market stand today for heirlooms and in the next few weeks for the rest of our hot weather crops.
The cider press ran for the first time on Thursday and will continue to run during market stand hours through September and October. Due to limited freezer space we can only hold your cider for 3 days after pressing, so please plan accordingly. Once your cider is ready, you’ll receive a call and text notifying you with instructions for pickup and payment. RCF cider is available for sale in the upright cooler, $7 per half gallon (the honor jar is next to the market stand scale if no one is here).
Turkeys were butchered last week and are for sale, $6/pound. Most of the birds weighed in around 20 lbs, with a few smaller ones closer to 14. We have a very limited number so be sure to grab one ASAP if you have dreams of a GVB thanksgiving!
With fall and winter just around the corner I have canning on the brain. If you’ve been hoarding your cucumbers, this week is the perfect time to gather them all up, introduce them to your dill, and make a big batch of pickles to last you through the cold (or through next week). My cousin Harry made these when I was home for Passover (a Jewish holiday) in April, and as a New York City Jew who grew up getting pickles from a man on the Lower East Side who fished them out of a barrel for a line that spanned the block (while a man behind him used what I’m pretty sure was an industrial wood chipper to grate horseradish wearing a full gas mask - just to complete the picture), these were some of the best I’d ever had.
Full share members can also take advantage of their new friends (tomatillos and jalapenos) to experiment with a batch of salsa verde! The best I’ve ever had resulted from tomatillos that were husked, washed and added to a high-walled pan with garlic, olive oil, and whatever peppers you have on hand. We slowly roasted everything on the grill (but your oven would work just as well), leaving them for several hours to get a deep caramelization. The last step is to blend everything together, adding onions, lime juice, cilantro and salt to taste and serve on just about anything (steak tacos and a Modelo would be my personal choice). This recipe provides a few quicker methods of cooking, but with the same overall idea and ingredients.
Now you’ll hear from Michael Goldstrum, GVB veteran, irrigation aficionado, and a recent graduate of MSU’s architecture program. This guy does it all! Enjoy and until next week,
Sasha
Hello!
My name is Michael and I came back to work on the farm at the beginning of August this season after working a full season two years ago, and it is great to be back! What fulfilling work. As I write this letter, the sun is beginning to rise over the foothills, bringing warmth back to the farm after a crisp evening. It looks like the heat is going to stay throughout the week unfortunately, and I hope we can all find ways to appreciate it before the cold Fall temperatures return for good.
I find that when I am busy, like all farms at this time of year, I like to spend time with my friends in the kitchen. Cooking dinner together is a great way to spend quality time, make good food, and share our lives with the people we love. To that end, I want to share my Kitchen Playlist with you all this week in place of a recipe! Because whatever you make and whoever you’re with, it’s always nice to have a soundtrack.
Here are the 15 songs I have been dancing by the stove to during this pre-fall season, I hope you enjoy them!
I Want to Break Free - Queen
Crimson and Clover - Joan Jett
Rubin and Cherise - Jerry Garcia Band
Coming in From The Cold - Bob Marley
Long Game - Emily Nenni
Rocky Mountain Rangers - Colter Wall
Red Daisy - Billy Strings
I’ll Fly Away - Gillian Welch, Alison Krauss
Buckets of Rain - Neko Case
Sweet Jane - Cowboy Junkies
Never Can Say Goodbye - Vulfmon
Swingin Party - The Replacements
Flyrock #2 - Ben Sollee
Green Arrow - Yo La Tengo
We All Love the Same Songs - Lake Street Dive
Best,
Michael
