CSA Newsletter for Week 7 of the 2023 Season

Farm Update

Our basil is looking bright and strong out in 
the fields!  We have had a bunch of it lately!

Hi everyone!  It feels like we are finally into the height of summer now, and it is super busy at the farm!  We are harvesting massive quantities of food each week, planting fall crops every chance we get, and trying to get out from under the mountain of weeds that have taken over the farm in the past few weeks.  That's pretty much going to be the name of the game next week too, and probably the week after that.  This will likely be a shorter-than-usual newsletter, partly because we don't have anything new and fascinating going on at the farm, and because partly because there is just so much work to be done.  So keep your fingers crossed, and send out all the thoughts, prayers, and good vibes so that we can keep our heads above water and stay out in front of everything that needs to be done to keep the farm running.  Each farm season is a crazy adventure, and this is no exception.  Thank you all for coming along for the ride with us and helping make the farm what it is!  See you this week at the drop-offs! 😀

What to Expect in the Shares this Week

 

If you pick up at our Alma, Mt. Pleasant, or Midland drop-off, here are the options for your shares!  If you have a half share, you’ll choose one item from each choice category, and if you have a full share, you’ll choose two.  And if there is something you don’t like or can’t eat, you can bring it to the trading station at the end and trade it for something you like better. 
 

• Potatoes
• Carrots or Swiss Chard
• Surprise veggie!  (This could be green beans, spring mix, slicing tomatoes, blueberries, or okra. Basically, we have a lot of things that are right on the edge of availability right now, so there might be different things in this station throughout the week.)
• Kale, beets, or cabbage
• Zucchini, cucumbers, or green onions
• Basil, parsley, or microgreens
• Onion or garlic

If you pick up at our Lansing, Okemos, St. Johns, Midland hospital, or Alma hospital drop-off, or if you have home or workplace delivery, here are your options!  We have three different prepacked shares, and you can let me know which one you want by filling out this quick form by lunchtime the day before your drop-off.  If you have a half share, you can choose one of these options, and if you have a full share, you’ll choose two.

Our next variety of cherry tomatoes is
almost ready!  Our previous variety,
Golden Nugget, is on its way out, and you'll
start seeing these Yellow Minis in the shares
soon.  This variety is indeterminate, so 
they will have a much longer season, and
their vines will get much longer (about eight
feet) by the time they stop growing.

Share A:

• Potatoes
• Carrots
• Beets
• Surprise veggie
• Zucchini
• Basil
• Onion

Share B:

• Potatoes
• Carrots
• Kale
• Surprise veggie
• Cucumbers
• Parsley
• Onion

Share C:

• Potatoes
• Swiss chard
• Cabbage
• Surprise veggie
• Green onions
• Microgreens
• Garlic

Recipes

During the long, dark, cold winters when pretty much nothing is growing, it is so great to pull something out of the freezer or pantry that we preserved when the getting was good.  And that's right now!  The height of summer is here folks, and now is the time to make zucchini bread for the freezer, can those pickles, and freeze those stray green beans for soups in January.  I especially love pickled veggies, because they are delightfully tangy and crunchy, and they are great as a side dish, on a sandwich or salad, or just to snack on and remember summer once the snow starts flying.  If you have a few bags of carrots in your fridge, what better way to put them to good use than by pickling them!  Then you can pull them out in February and remember when the days were long, the sun was hot, and you could go outside without having to put on five extra layers first.  If you've never made pickled carrots before, here is a good recipe for Quick Pickled Carrots to get you started!  I'm planning on making some in the next few weeks, because even though every day is just packed, I know that February Me will really appreciate that August Me took the time to leave myself and my family the gift of pickled carrot goodness.  

And speaking of pickles, if you are wanting to make pickles with your cucumbers, here is my very favorite pickle recipe!  I've been making this recipe for years, and you can't go wrong with Pop's Dill Pickles!