2017. Week 20

New this week: Delicata squash. This squash has won our affection over the last few years. Delicata is the most accessible of the winter squashes since the rind is not too difficult to cut and the skin can be eaten. Our favorite way to eat it is to slice it into half moons and roast it on a pan with a little olive oil. Roasted Delicata. It is also delish cut in half longwise and stuffed. Stuffed Delicata.

It has been our pleasure to grow produce for you this year. Thank you for your support and encouragement!

2017. Week 19!

New this week:

Gala Apples: From Schober's in Monroeville.  I'm so excited about local apples.  Yum!

Butternut Squash: is a winter squash very similar to pumpkins. Butternut squash is wonderful roasted, pureed in soup, or mashed to mix into casseroles, bread, or muffins.  Here is a link to my favorite butternut squash soup. I tailor the recipe to suit me by -- only using butternut (no acorn squash, I like butternut flavor better).
The butternut squash is from Sam Tomarchio, a grower in Mullica Hill.  Normally this time of year we are swimming in several varieties of winter squash, spaghetti, delicata, kabocha . . . but this has not been a normal year.  We had bad timing and placement for our poor winters squash plants and they pretty much all died in the excessive rains we have endured.  

KiwiBerries- are a small variety of the kiwi fruit with an edible skin. If you have walked back to the field for pick your own cherry tomatoes and flowers, they are the things on the trellis! IMPORTANT: They are best eaten when the skin is wrinkled and they yield to pressure.  Really, the softer the better. As they soften they get more and more sweet. Leave at room temperature to ripen. 

2017. Week 18.

We are thankful for these lunchbox peppers.  They just keep producing. The variety is called Yummy Orange. They have been strong producers though the heat and the rain and the rain and the rain. They're becoming one of our favorites. How about you? What has been your favorite crop so far?

2017 Week 17

Adirondack Red Potatoes are a potato variety with red flesh and skin.  The Adirondack varieties are unusual because both the skin and the flesh are colored and have high levels of anti-oxidants. Very good boiled, good for potato salads and mashed; excellent pan-fried and roasted. Baked, they will be moist.

Quick update about the farm. It's been an exceptionally rainy August. All the rain has been a bit too much for some of our crops. The tomato plants are suffering from foliar diseases and the tomatoes have cracked. The watermelon and cantaloupe are in a similar situation and most of the fruit is rotten. We're still optimistic that we will have some more tomatoes at some point, but it will be a week or two. Meanwhile, we're glad to have these potatoes! The potatoes you're receiving are grown by us. It's our first time growing potatoes and, while it wasn't a super crop, we're thankful for what we've got. The quality seems good so far.

This next week marks a turning point for the farm. All of our student workers are going back to school. We have had a great bunch of students this year. They've worked very hard through some hot days and they have every reason to be proud of what they've done here. We with them well as they head back to the classroom and we hope they enjoy sleeping in a little since they won't have to be here at 6am! 

2017. Week 16

Recipe ideas:

Our family favorite: Sausage Corn Chowder - turn the air down and make soup this week!

Ina Gartens Garlic Roasted Potatoes

Grilled Peaches with Cinnamon Sugar Butter

Mini Pepper Turkey Nachos

2017. Week 15

New this week:

Red Cubanelles- We had their green counterpart 2 weeks ago.  Now the green has matured into a beautiful red to make the peppers sweeter!  Here is a link to my favorite way to eat red cubanelle peppers. . . stuffed with cheese.

Adirondack blue potatoes- Deep purple skin with solid purple flesh that hold their color when cooked. Very high in antioxidants. They have a nice thin skinned so peeling is not necessary.  Roast 'em, mash 'em, or fry 'em. Yum!

Peaches- Yellow peaches from Larchmont Farm Elmer, NJ. Juicy and sweet!

Sicilian Eggplant- can be used the same way as regular eggplant. Maybe a little sweeter. So beautiful!

2017. Week 14

New this week:

Lunchbox Orange Peppers: Sweet and flavorful orange snack peppers. These beautiful, mini-sized peppers are delicious sautéed, as an addition to salads and, perfect for a healthy snack. 

2017. Week 13! Peaches

New this week:

Donut Peaches- from Circle M Farms in Mannington Township. You will love these flat peaches.
Cubanelle Peppers- These sweet peppers are perfect for frying or stuffing. 

2017. Week 12!

Sorry folks it is too late and my computer is acting up so. . . no pretty labeled picture.

New this week:
Poblano peppers - is a mild chili pepper. Their skins/walls are very thick, making them perfect for stuffing as they'll hold up in the oven quite nicely. 

Fennel-With the flavor of sweet anise, fennel is a great addition in soups, pasta, salads, and more.  I am planning to try this recipe later this week.

Watermelon- So excited about the arrival of this summer time treat.

Returning - tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, onion, and corn.

2017. Week 11

New this week:
Eggplant- Our family favorite, fried eggplant topped with a slice of tomato!   But this eggplant recipe comes together quickly for a great week night meal.

2017. Week 10

Cantaloupe- So happy for the arrival of cantaloupe! That first taste is the best.  Check out this recipe for Grilled Cantaloupe

Green Bell Pepper- I think I see some stir fried peppers and onions in my future!

Red Onion - A nice mild onion perfect for salsas and salads.

Jalapeño - watch out for this spicy guy, but he will really kick your fresh salsa up a notch.

Cilantro- use for fresh salsa or guacamole! Store in refrigerator with cut ends in a jar of water and leaves loosely covered with a plastic bag for several days. 

Garlic- Our own hard neck garlic. Hardneck garlic is different from the usual softneck garlic found in grocery stores. Prized by chefs for its nuanced flavors, hardneck varieties have shorter shelf life (6-10 months). Hardneck garlic develops a woody shoot, or scape, which must be removed to improve bulb development. These same garlic bulbs produced the scapes that were in your csa share a few weeks ago. 

2017. Week 9. Sweet Summatime

Happy 4th of July!

Happy day corn and tomatoes!

Sweet Corn -For the best flavor eat your corn as soon as possible.  The same day you pick up, if you can. Although, if you can't eat your corn that night leave the husk on and store it in your refrigerator.  Refrigeration really helps to slow down the loss of the corn's sweetness.  We have had many customers tell us that they leave their unshucked corn in the fridge for up to 7 days and it still tastes great!

--To prepare your corn, husk and wash the corn.  Bring a big pot of water to boil.  Toss the ears in, cook for about 5 minutes. Please do not boil your corn for 20 minutes 

--Corn is going to be a regular in the share for July and August.  If you ever have a week when you can't eat all the corn or it just isn't fitting into your meal plan. Freeze it!  It is so easy. Just cut the corn off the cob, stick it in a freezer bag, and toss it in the freezer. Done! If you're feeling extra ambitious, you can date the bag. Once you get used to eating this frozen corn, you will be ruined for all other frozen corn.

Tomatoes-  Jersey Tomatoes! Woohoo! I'm envisioning, BLTs,  tomato sandwiches, brushetta, sliced on a burger!

Spring Onion- They are fresh and not dried, meaning you need to use them up within a week.  And keep them in the fridge until you are ready to use them. 

Purple Top Turnips-  You can roast them, boil them, mash them. Or make this really delicious souffle.

Turnip Soufflé

4 turnips, peeled and sliced                      ½ cup butter

1 ½ tsp. salt, divided                                 2 Tablespoons flour

½ tsp. sugar                                               2/3 cup milk

4 eggs, separated                                       3 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

1.      Place turnips, ½ tsp. of salt and sugar in a saucepan; cover with water.  Cover and cook until turnips are tender, about 15-20 minutes; drain well and mash (do not add milk of butter)

2.      In another saucepan, melt butter; stir in the flour and remaining salt until smooth.  Add milk; bring to a boil.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes.  Beat egg yolks in a small bowl; gradually stir in ½ cup hot milk mixture.  Return all to pan cook and stir for 1 minute.  Stir in turnips; remove from the heat.  Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into batter.  Spoon into a greased small casserole dish.  Sprinkle with bacon.  Bake, uncover at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden brown. 

2017 week 8

New this week

Cherry tomatoes- a mix of 3 varieties: favorita, sungold, and black cherry. Yum.  Here is a recipe to inspire you to make a caprese salad with these cherry tomatoes and the basil.

Summer Crisp Lettuce- A new lettuce for this week. The leaves have characteristics of both a romaine and a greenleaf, and are arranged in a whorl, giving the plant a unique vase-like shape. Leaves are thick, juicy, and flavorful.  Let me know what you think of this summer lettuce.

Basil - pesto anyone?!? Here is a basic pesto recipe.

2017 Week7

New this week:

Green Beans-  green beans, string beans, snap beans, which ever you prefer to call them they are so good fresh from the field.

Red Cabbage is super good for you. Recipe ideas: Grandma Jeanette's Red Cabbage or Red Cabbage Slaw

Blueberries - we don't grow blueberries, but we get these direct from the grower Donio in Hammonton, NJ , "The Blueberry Capitol of the World"

Dill- Now is the time to make those refrigerator pickles!

Week 6

New this week:

Cabbage: great for coleslaw, stir fried, or soups.  Here is a link for cabbage pancakes which look so good! My family also loves Egg Roll in a bowl

Cauliflower-always good roasted, but my new favorite way to eat cauliflower is riced.  Pulse the cauliflower in your food processor or grate with a box grater. Here is a recipe for "10 Minute Cauliflower Rice"

Yellow Squash- sautéed, roasted. Yellow squash is so versatile and delicious.

2017 week 5

Napa Cabbage is a new crop for us this year. Here is some ideas for how to use your Napa cabbage.

Kirby pickles A variety of cucumber that are used for making pickles.  Many people really enjoy Kirby pickles because they have less and smaller seeds than your traditional cuc.  Use them atop our salad or make a quick refrigerator pickle.  Here is a recipe from "A Couple Cooks".  

Broccoli is looking good.

Easter Egg Radish - Click here for some ideas of what to do with radishes.

Don't forget this Bok Choy lettuce wrap recipe with pickled radishes

2017. Week 4

New this week:

Escarole: Escarole is a lovely bitter green that is in the chicory family along with radicchio and endive. I normally think of escarole as a "soup green." Here is a link to my favorite easy wedding soup.

Kohlrabi: I know this is a weird one.  But trust me, it is good and easy to use. 
--Here is a link to make the famous Kohlrabi Ham Bake--Here is a link to a post I wrote on Kohlrabi

Garlic Scapes: Garlic Scapes are the tender stem found on a garlic plant. Use your garlic scapes raw in salads and they will have a hot peppery flavor. Cooked garlic scapes will have a mellow, sweeter flavor.  Here is a link to a garlic scape salad dressing. Chop garlic scapes into little coins and add to stir-fries and fried rice. Throw whole scapes on the grill, just like you would make grilled scallions.

Zucchini: Zucchini is such a versatile vegetable.  Our family's all time favorite recipe is Stuffed Zucchini, check it out here, it is THE best!  What will you make with yours? zucchini bread, zucchini "crab" cakes", minestrone with zucchini, grill it, roast it?

Arugula: Arugula is a bright, peppery green mostly used in salads.  Here is a link to some recipe ideas

2017. Week 3

New this week:

Broccoli Rabe is a bitter green, very similar to mustard greens.  I love broccoli rabe cooked with lots of garlic!  I recommend blanching the rabe in boiling water to take the edge off the bitterness first then sautéing with olive oil and garlic.  Here is a recipe "Broccoli Rabe with Pasta and Sun Dried Tomatoes"

Red Romaine- Use it the same as green romaine. It is just a little more delicate, but oh so beautiful!

Bok Choy while we have had bok choy previous weeks this is a different variety, Joi Choi.  Joi Choi has beautiful white stems and dark green leaves.  Still makes an excellent stir fry.

Strawberries, Asparagus, and Kale are back! 

2017 Week 2 - When will it start to feel like spring again?

It was great to see so many of you this week.  You are my people, getting excited about produce! Yes! The farm got 2 inches of rain on Saturday, we are hoping to dry off and warm up this week.

New this week:

Lacinato Kale: aka: Dinosaur Kale or Tuscan Kale.  My favorite way to serve this is this Lacinato Kale Salad by Marin Mama Cooks.  You can also use this kale in a soup or sautéed on the stove.

Swiss Chard: In the world of greens, Swiss chard often gets overshadowed by its popular neighbor kale, but it’s a star in its own right. This relative of the beet is a superb source of vitamins A, C, and K, as well as magnesium, potassium, and iron. It makes a colorful and tasty side dish, or a nutritious addition to pasta, soup, quiches, and more. Here is a recipe for Sauteed Swiss Chard, I think adding a fried egg would make an excellent breakfast.

Bok Choy - Last weeks share included the really little delicate baby bok choys.  This week we graduate to the bigger boks.  Here is a link to The Kitchen's 10 ways to Chow Down on Bok Choy

Strawberries and Asparagus are here for another week!

2017 Week 1!

We are back! Huzzah!

I am so excited to be starting a new season of CSA. The next 20 weeks will be delicious. :-)

Each week here on the blog I introduce the new produce and some of my favorite ways to prepare them and how to best clean and store the produce.  

Strawberries need no instructions. rinse and eat! 

If you want your greens to stay fresh and crisp, it is very important to take time to clean and store them well.  Here is a link to specific instructions on how to prep your greens ( romaine, bok choy, kale, collards)

Romaine- I am so glad to be done with grocery store lettuce.  Romaine is perfect for salads, BLTs, and to use as lettuce wraps.

Collard Greens- your body will love you for eating these healthy greens.  I really enjoy using collards as a wrap--stuff it with sandwich fixins and roll it up. Yum!  Here is a link to my favorite recipe using collard greens. Here is a link for a more traditional way to eat your collards.

Asparagus - If you are not going to use it that day, you should store asparagus in your refrigerator in a bowl or mug with some water in the bottom.  The asparagus will slowly drink up the water and you may need to replenish.  Asparagus is delicious roasted or grilled! This asparagus was grown by John Catalano, just down the road from us!

Baby Bok Choy -   is the young, petite and tender counterpart to mature Bok choy. Its spoon-shaped kelly green leafy blades are supported by pale green stalks that join at a common base above the root. The stalks are thin, tender firm and succulent with nuanced cabbage notes and sweet pea undertones. 
This is an easy fast way to serve Bok Choy.  Another recipe idea Spicy Ginger Pork Noodles With Bok Choy

Curly Kale - I know there are some kale haters out there, but I have to say I love it!  Zuppa Toscana is a family favorite for dinner.  Kale Caesar Salad  Sauteed Kale