Farm Newsletter Week 11 (Sept 3-10, 2023)

Farm Newsletter Week 11

September 3-10, 2023    |    “A” Week

Dragon Tongue beans are the featured item in this week’s box!

What’s in the Box this Week?

DRAGON TONGUE BEANS, 1 QUART (see picture above)~ To store: Store unwashed beans in a Debbie Meyer Green bag in the veggie bin of your fridge for up to 1 week. Rejuvenate limp beans by soaking them in ice water for 30 minutes.  To prep: Wash beans. Cut off the tips and remove strings. Cook whole or chop. These beans do not need to be shelled. To freeze: Remove tips. Blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes, rinse in cold ice water for 2 minutes, drain, dry well, and pack into airtight containers.

YELLOW POTATOES, 1 QUART (Mile Creek Farm) ~ To store: Keep unwashed potatoes in a cool, dark, dry place, such as a loosely closed paper bag in a cupboard. They will keep for two weeks at room temperature. Light turns them green, and proximity to onions causes them to sprout. Don’t put them in the refrigerator, as low temperatures convert the starch to sugars. To prep: Scrub well and cut off any sprouts or green skin. Peeling is a matter of preference. In soups, the skins may separate from the flesh and float in the broth, but when baked, pan- fried or roasted, the skins acquire a crisp, crunchy texture. To cook: Boil potatoes in water for 20-30 minutes until tender. If desired, mash them. Use potatoes in soups, hash browns, and salads. Roast sliced or whole small potatoes with fresh herbs, salt, and olive oil at 400 degrees until tender, about 20 minutes. To freeze: Cool cooked or mashed potatoes and freeze them in a Ziplock bag.

BEETS (MIXED COLORS), NO TOPS, 1 QUART ~ Store the beet roots, with the rootlets (or “tails”) attached, unwashed, in a plastic bag in the crisper bin of your refrigerator. They will keep for several weeks. To prep: Just before cooking, scrub beets well and remove any scraggly leaves and rootlets. If your recipe calls for raw beets, peel them with a knife or a veggie peeler, then grate or cut them according to the recipe. To remove the skins, you can roast them in foil or boil them, and the peels will slip right off. To freeze: Boil or bake beets until done. Cool them in ice water or let them come to room temperature. Remove peels. Trim the beets into 1/4 inch slices or keep them whole (if they are small). P

CHERRY TOMATOES, MIXED COLORS (pint) ~ To store: We store our cherry tomatoes in the fridge for longer shelf life, but bring them to room temperature before eating. Wash well. Tomatoes can be frozen whole with the skin on. The skins will slide right off when they thaw. Simply pop the washed tomatoes whole into a Ziplock bag. Thawed tomatoes are appropriate only for cooking sauces, salsas, or purees.

Tammy Koepfler roasted a sheet pan of cherry tomatoes

HEIRLOOM TOMATO (2) ~ Heirlooms are known for their flavor, but they have a VERY small shelf life, so eat them on the first day. You’ll also see cracks and scarring on these tomatoes. This is normal. To store: Do not refrigerate tomatoes. Store them at room temperature out of the sun stem side down.

RED GLOBE TOMATO (2) ~ The basic slicer tomato. Store these on the counter until ripe. Then transfer to the fridge to keep them from spoiling. Tomatoes can be frozen whole in a Ziplock bag with their skin on. These will have a lot of juice in them. They are great for canning whole tomatoes or making juice, FYI.

GOLDEN ROMA TOMATOES (6) ~ Romas are also called “paste” tomatoes. They are oval shaped and more mealy inside. Because they don’t have as much “juice” as a globe tomato or heirloom, they are often used for making things like tomato sauce, ketchup, or even salsas. These romas are an unusual golden color, which makes them even more striking.

DELICATA WINTER SQUASH (2) ~  This winter squash is oblong and cream-colored with dark green stripes and flecks along its length. They are harvested in the fall months. To store: Store in a cool, dry, dark place at around 50 degrees, but make sure they do not freeze. Under the best conditions, they should keep for 3-4 months. And they get sweeter in storage as the starch converts to sugar. To prep: To bake, slice in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds, and place facedown on a cookie sheet. Add 1/2 inch of water to pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes until shells are soft and starting to collapse. Remove and fill with butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, seasoning or fillings. You can also just cut the squash into rounds and bake it. the skins of this squash are edible. To freeze: Simply cook squash and mash or puree it. Then pour it into ice cube trays or directly into Ziplocks and freeze.

SWEET CORN (6 ears) ~ (not organic, non-GMO, from David Bench Farms) ~ To store: Refrigerate sweet corn as soon as possible with husks on. The longer you wait to eat it, the more sugar will turn into starch, and the corn will lose its \ sweetness. To prep: You can eat corn raw or cook it in the husks. Shuck the cob by pulling the husks down the ear and snapping off the stem. The silks will fall off as you cook the corn. Rinse under cold water. If you see a green worm, just cut out the damaged section — the rest of the cob is still edible! To cut the kernels off the cob, stand the cob upright on its base and run a sharp knife from the tip of the ear down to the base. To cook: Steam corn in 1-2 inches of water for 6-10 minutes, or drop ears into boiling water for 3-6 minutes. Season with butter or salt. You can also grill corn in the husk — place the corn in its husk in water for 10 minutes — then place on grill for 15 minutes. To freeze: Blanch on the cob for 3-5 minutes, rinse under cold water, and drain. Cut off the kernels with a knife, and then pack it into airtight freezer containers.

This is what arugula esme looks like. It will come bunched.

ARUGULA ESME (1 BUNCH) ~ Arugula has a peppery, slightly bitter flavor. It is stronger than most lettuces, so it’s often paired with other greens. Mature arugula has sturdy leaves, whereas baby arugula tends to be more tender and milder in flavor. Hotter weather makes for spicier leaves.   To store: Arugula is highly perishable and will only last about 2 days. Store in the fridge inside a perforated plastic bag. If you decide to wash it first, be sure to spin the leaves dry before placing them loosely into a Green Bag with a dry paper towel to absorb the moisture. To freeze: Blanch leaves in boiling water or steam for two minutes, followed by soaking in ice water. Remove from ice water and drain well. Freeze “balls” of arugula on a cookie sheet in individual portions. When frozen, pop them into a Ziplock bag.

LOTS OF DIFFERENT PEPPERS: FLAVOR BURST SWEET PEPPERS (4), JIMMY NARDELLOS (2), RED SNACK SIZE SWEET PEPPERS (1 pint); ITALIAN RED/ORANGE FRY PEPPERS (3) ~ To store: Refrigerate peppers unwashed in a sealed plastic bag in the crisper drawer for 1-2 weeks. To prep: Cut in half and remove the seeds from the inside. Slice, chop or mince. Try making stuffed peppers! (These can also be frozen). To freeze: Wash and dry peppers. Freeze whole or cut into bite-size pieces and place in Ziplock freezer bag, removing as much air as possible.

HOT JALAPENOS (3) To store: Refrigerate peppers unwashed in a sealed plastic bag in the crisper drawer for 1-2 weeks. You can also dehydrate peppers for long-term. To prep: Be careful when preparing hot peppers of any kind. For greatest safety wear rubber gloves while chopping and handling them. Do not touch your eyes,  nose, mouth or other places. Wash hands thoroughly when finished. Slice off the top of the hot pepper, including the stem. Since the heat in chili peppers is concentrated in the seeds and membranes, you can cut out the heat-filled seeds and membranes for a milder heat. To freeze: Wash and dry peppers. Keep whole, or cut into bite-size pieces and place in Ziplock freezer bag.

RED ONIONS (1 Quart, cured) ~ To store: Red and yellow storage onions may be kept in any cool, dark, dry place with adequate air circulation for several months if they are cured. Do not store them next to potatoes. Fresh onion will need to be stored in a plastic bag in the fridge and use within 2 weeks. To prep: Peel the onion’s skin and cut off the roots and top. Save your papery onion skins in a bag in your freezer reserved for making vegetable stock. If you encounter a little rot in your onion, just cut away the bad sections. If there are a few black spots, rinse the whole onion in cool water and rub the spots off with your thumbs. To freeze: Cut or slice onions to desired size and place in freezer Ziplock bag. Remove all the air and seal. It helps to freeze them in 2-3 cup increments.

Kay Siegel made veggie fritters in the waffle iron.

CUSTOMER PHOTO OF THE WEEK!

Kay Siegel shared this ingenious take on the veggie fritter: put it in a waffle iron!… She used beet, kohlrabi, carrot, celery, potato and carrot top salt. She wins a box of cookies from us. Keep your ideas coming! I try to pick a favorite post every week.

WEEK 11 ADD-ON SHARES: We are Week “A” 

Odd-numbered weeks of our CSA season (week 1,3,5) are called “A” weeks. And even-numbered weeks (week 2,4,6) are called “B” weeks. If you have any kind of non-veggie, bi-weekly share, you have been assigned to either “A” or “B” week for the season. If you get a cheese share, it always comes on Week “A.”

Artisan Cheese Share:

Garlic Chive Chevre from MacKenzie Creamery
mmBossie Cheddar from Canal Junction Creamery
Flat Rock (Gruyere style) from Canal Junction Creamery

Fruit Share (not organic):

WATERMELON ~ These come from Bench Farms. They will be either red or orange. Eat within a week.

GINGERGOLD APPLES ~ (via Quarry Hill Orchard) – These have a lime green skin, and are a great eating apple! It’s Corinna’s favorite apple of the early season. Store in the fridge in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer.

NECTARINES ~ (via Quarry Hill Orchard) Store these on the counter until they are no longer hard. Then put in a bag in your fridge. Remove pit before eating, or eat out of hand.

Ice Cream Flavor of the Week:

Chocolate from Knueven Creamery.Be sure to stop by their truck at each of the pickup sites to grab your milk and ice cream order.

Coffee Flavor of the Week:

Guatemala Antigua: Maddie & Bella Coffee Companyaromatic/sweet/smokey

This is what 30 lbs of tomatoes looks like.

ORDER YOUR CANNING TOMATOES — GET ON THE WAIT LIST!

You can now pre-order Canning tomatoes (30 lb) from the farm. To place your order, FILL OUT THIS GOOGLE FORM. Price is $1/lb, except for golden romas, which are $35 for 30 lbs. They come in a wax box. You’ll be asked for your name, email, phone, pickup site, and how many of each variety you want. I’ll send out an email (or call you) a day before your pickup to let you know they are coming. Payment is expected at the time of pickup. If you do not show up to get your tomatoes, you will be put at the bottom of the wait list.

You can choose from these two tomato canner products:

1. 1. ROMA TOMATOES — you’ll get 30 lbs of these classic, RED, oval-shaped, paste tomatoes.
      1. These are best used for sauce and salsa, since they have a lower water content.
      2. Price: $30
      3. Please specify if you want GOLDEN romas. We have a limited quantity of these. They are priced at $35 instead.
   2. GLOBE TOMATOES – you’ll get 30 lbs. of the classic round tomato.
      1. These are best used for canning whole tomatoes.
      2. This will be enough to can 8 quarts (or 16 pints) in your canner.
      3. Price: $30

FARMER KURT’S FIELD NOTES

This week, you’ll see a slight shift to fall crops. The temperature has shifted and gotten cooler. And as a result, my entire melon crop has tanked on me. It’s such a shame. I donated 6 bins of melons last week, and I have tons more in the field. But they’re turning to junk. The sudden cooler temperatures and all that rain didn’t help. I feel bad — normally I can give you several more weeks of watermelon. But not this year.

I hired some extra help this week to week the next batch of carrots. It’s important that I get on top of that in the early stages of the plant’s development. If I don’t, I basically lose the crop and have to start over. The thing is, even wit 6 guys, I can’t make a dent in weeding all the carrots I have, because they just can’t go fast enough. So I asked my cousin Bobby if I could hire some of his guys for a day. They helped a ton. I also asked them to come back and help me plant another batch of fall fennel for a wholesale account.

The crew gets back from picking melons

The crew is putting in some long days. Lots of tomatoes to pick. We’re lucky that the weather hasn’t been too hot this week. Although this weekend is going to be brutal. I’ve decided to try and give them Saturday off, so we can all go swimming at the beach. They’ve been wanting to go all summer, and now’s the time!

I’m so tired. I keep trying to find a window of time to sleep, but something always comes up. I’m juggling so many balls. I really need to hit my spraying windows. I’ve got a bed of dino kale that just looks shot. It’ll come back on the top if I can get control of it again. In my ideal world, I’d love to hire some middle management for my team — someone who can oversee the whole CSA operation. That would help immensely. Maybe one day. For now, I feel like “sprinting” is just part of the gig.

Bugs have really done a number on my dinosaur kale.

Our Field to Table dinner tickets will be going on sale this Wednesday around noon. So look for that email to order! I think there are only 60 tickets this year — Chef pared it down so that he could insure a good service experience.

Still not electric in the packing shed. AHHH! It’s getting darker. Corinna says: “You just need to manifest an electrician.”

Keeping it short this week. Appreciate all your support. Farming’s in my blood. I love it, even if it IS hard sometimes.

~Your Farmer, Kurt

Last week’s box was a showstopper

WEEK 11 ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. Tickets for the Field to Table Dinner on Friday, September 22, at 6 PM will be available starting this Wednesday. I will email you a special email on Wednesday with the menu and the payment link. You will pay Cork and Knife Provisions directly.
2. Save the Date! Our Farm’s “Chopped! SLF Edition” Cooking Competition will take place at Cork and Knife’s beautiful location in Toledo, on October 13th. We are still working out the details for this event, and we’ll let you know VERY soon how you can “apply” to be one of the 8 contestants! We’ll sell tickets to the live event, where you can watch our finalists duke it out for the coveted prize of “Grand Prize Winner.”
3. You can now pre-order Canning tomatoes (30 lb for $30) from the farm. To place your pre-order, FILL OUT THIS GOOGLE FORM. If you cannot fill it out, then email me your order. Tell me how many boxes you want and what type (Roma or Globe), and what your pickup site is. I’ll send out an email a few days before your pickup to let you know they are coming. .Payment is expected at the time of pickup.You can choose from these two tomato canner products:
   1. ROMA TOMATOES — you’ll get 30 lbs of these classic, oval-shaped, paste tomatoes. These are best used for sauce and salsa, since they have a lower water content. Price: $30
   2. GLOBE TOMATOES – you’ll get 30 lbs. of the classic round tomato. These are best used for canning whole tomatoes. This will be enough to can 8 quarts (or 16 pints) in your canner. Price: $30
   3. GOLDEN ROMA TOMATOES — you’ll get 30 lbs. of the orange roma tomatoes. These are priced a bit higher at $35.
4. Remember our Freezer Soup Prep Bag Challenge? Well, I put all the recipe suggestions together into one PDF document. Download it here and use it for future ideas!
5. You can order additional items from the Shared Legacy Farms online store. Our store link is super easy to remember: www.sharedlegacyfarms.com/store. Just be sure to select the right pickup site that coincides with your pickup location. If the pickup option is greyed out or not available, it means you missed the window to order. You need to place your order 36 hours before your site. We harvest the product on Monday and Wednesday mornings — early. This week, the store will have: sweet corn (by the bushel, or half dozen, not organic); red potatoes, red beets, poblanos, GingerGold apples, Dragon Tongue beans, red table grapes (not organic); Bartlett pears (not organic); nectarines, kohlrabi, tomatillos, shishito peppers (10 count); celery; Red Polish Amaranth (Greens); jalapanos (4-pack); basil, red snacking peppers; Italian fry peppers; ground cherries; Flavor Burst bell peppers, Zestar apples (not organic), cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes (last time); fresh dill, fresh cilantro, Esme arugula, banana peppers (hot or sweet); eggplant (3 varieties); yellow sweet onions, honey,  maple syrup, NEW! Rowdy Rider sauces (hot sauce, sweet bourbon glaze, and BBQ sauce); extra flower bouquets.

8 Ways to Get Rid of All Your Tomatoes

And just like that, the tomatoes have taken over. Doesn’t it seem that two weeks ago, we were waiting with bated breath for the tomatoes to even start? Every year I feel guilty that I didn’t take advantage of the tomatoes while they were here. Instead, I let myself get overwhelmed and just give up.

Then in the winter, when I’m eating cardboard tomatoes from the store, I am wishing I’d taken the time to store up that great summer taste. Preserving tomatoes does take a little bit of time, but there are some short-cuts you can use, especially if you have lots of freezer space.

Here are 8 ways to store away those tomatoes.

1.Can them whole.

I like to can globe tomatoes, and use them in my pasta sauces and soups later in the year, but other CSA masters will use Romas or even heirlooms (although those will have a lot of water in the jar).  Canning sometimes feels a little scary to newbies in the CSA. I get it. But I’ve created a terrific email training that will take away the fear factor and get you one step closer to trying your first batch.

To grab my Canning Equipment Checklist to get started, subscribe below.

You’ll be subscribed to an email drip campaign for a couple weeks, that will teach you what you need to know.

2. Slow-roast them.

This is a VERY popular exit strategy for our CSA  masters. And again, the tomato variety doesn’t matter, although you’ll get the best results with Romas or cherry tomatoes.

Quick results: You can either roast them “hot and fast” at 400 F for 20-30 minutes, or “low and slow” at 300 F for 90 minutes. To do so, take the Romas or cherries, cut them length-wise in half and place them cut-side up in the non-reactive baking pan. (You can coat them in olive oil and salt first if you wish). Use the finished product for concentrated tomato flavor in marinara, pizza sauce, hummus, tomato pesto, or vinaigrettes. (You’ll have to run them through a food mill to remove the seeds and skins prior to use).

Overnight: If you want to “fix it and forget it” you can roast them overnight while you sleep. Set your oven at its lowest setting around 150-175 F before you go to bed and roast for about 8 hours until you get the desired level of dryness.

Store the dried tomatoes in a Ziploc bag and freeze/refrigerate, or place them in a quart-size Mason jar covered with this olive oil seasoning and refrigerate. (Use this recipe: 3 cups olive oil, 2 tablespoons Italian Seasoning, 1/4 t. garlic, 2 T. of balsamic vinegar, 2 t. lemon juice, 1 t. salt, freshly ground pepper to taste).

Watch our YouTube video here to see how to slow-roast.

3. Dehydrate them.

Once again, I would recommend this step for Romas, globes, or cherry tomatoes — not heirlooms! (Way too much water). Wash and core the tomatoes. Slice the tomatoes about ¼ inch thick and place on the dehydrator racks. No peeling. Then set the temperature at 155 degrees (or what ever your dehydrator instructions say) for about 5-8 hours (depends on the size of your tomatoes). It takes 4 lbs. of tomatoes to yield one quart of dehydrated tomatoes.

Merissa Rojas successfully roasted her golden romas in a low temperature oven.

4. Freeze them

So many people don’t realize you can freeze tomatoes super easily.  Ideally, you want to remove the skins before you freeze, but you don’t have to! Frozen tomatoes are great for soups and sauces later in the year.

Non-Peeled: Flash freeze! Just bag your tomatoes in a freezer Ziplock and freeze! When you thaw them for later use in a soup or pasta dish, the skins will come right off. If you don’t take the time to thaw them first so you can de-skin them, they skins will come off in your dish (and you can either eat them or skim them out —  a little annoying but hey, it works).

Peeled: If you want to skin the tomatoes first, place an “x” in the end of the tomato with a paring knife and drop the tomato into a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove and the skins will pull right off. Then freeze them whole in Ziplock, or cut them into chunks before you freeze.

Watch our YouTube Tutorial video showing 3 ways to peel a tomato.

Another fast way to peel tomatoes is to broil tomato halves in the oven for 3-4 minutes, skin-side up. The skins will shrivel up and remove some of the moisture.

You can also freeze the peeled tomato chunks in little mini muffin tin trays, then pop them out into a Ziplock bag. This is a great option if you want to control your portion sizes, and makes it easy to just pop in the right amount of tomatoes in recipes later on.

Watch our YouTube Video tutorial here on how to freeze tomatoes.

Karen Ayer’s Marinara Freezer Sauce is a legend in our group.

5. Make Marinara Sauce

Once you’ve roasted or frozen some of those  tomatoes, you can pull them out of your Ziplock baggie, run them through a food mill (to remove the seeds and skins), and use them in a marinara sauce. (This will cut down the cooking time immensely). Or just whip out the frozen tomatoes as your base. You can then make large batches of marinara sauce and freeze it or can it! Here’s a good basic recipe.

Remember, if you want to can marinara, you should use a recipe that’s been kitchen tested — especially if it has other veggies in it! Those veggies alter the pH of the sauce, and may cause spoilage later on. Pressure canning is also highly recommended for marinaras that use other veggies.

6. Make Salsa

Globe tomatoes make really great canned tomatoes.

This is a great easy way to get rid of your tomatoes. There are countless salsa recipes online to experiment with, but the basics involve tomatoes, onions, garlic, cilantro, peppers or jalapeno, and lemon juice.  Remember, if you want to can a salsa, be sure you use a kitchen-tested-approved recipe for safety.

To see my article on 9 Ways to Use Salsa, click here.

7. Tomato Purée

Puree can be used for making pasta or pizza sauce. If you don’t have time to make the sauce right away, you can just make the puree and then freeze it in Ziplock baggies (or ice cube trays) in your desired portion sizes. The best tomatoes for this purpose are Romas, as they have the least amount of water.

Coarsely chop tomatoes and simmer until the fruits begin to break down. Purée the tomatoes in a blender, or pass through a food mill if you’d like to remove seeds and skins. Return the purée to the stove and simmer it to your desired thickness. It can take many hours for the puree to cook down, so be ready! A longer-cooked, thicker puree with garlic, onions, and herbs added makes a great pasta or pizza sauce.

8. Make Tomato Juice

Follow the instructions for tomato puree, but use globe tomatoes or heirlooms for the best results and flavor. After passing the cooked tomatoes through the food mill, return the puree to the stove and simmer for a short time. Then refrigerate for immediate use or freeze/can for later use. Use in Bloody Marys or as a base for soups and chili. Here’s a good basic recipe for juice.

Basic Tomato Juice

Adapted from The Urban Farmer

Wash 5-20 pounds of ripe red tomatoes and then core and quarter them.

Use a large stainless steel pot so it doesn’t react to the acidity of the tomatoes. Place the tomatoes in the pot. For flavor add small halved red onion, one celery rib with leaves, lemon juice, and carrots for flavor.

Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring often. Cook for about 30 minutes until tomatoes are soft.

Discard the optional ingredients. Pass the tomatoes through a food mill. Discard the solids. Use the smaller holed-insert for your food mill.

Measure the juice. Rinse the pot. Return the juice to the pot. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar and up to 1 teaspoon of salt for each 4 cups of tomato juice. Add pepper to taste.

Stir as you bring the pot to a boil, and then reduce the heat to boil gently for 5 minutes.

Cool, then chill. If desired, you can pour the juice through a sieve to filter out any thick areas or seeds that may have passed through the food mill. May be refrigerated for up to three days.

Melanie Forrey made a universal tomato base this week from roasted veggies on this sheet pan.

WEEK 11 CSA RECIPES

Members: You can download these recipes as a PDF here.    These recipes are designed to inspire you to use your box this week! Please check inside our private Facebook group to find your fellow members sharing ideas for what to make with their box! Share a photo and you might be featured in next week’s newsletter!

Bell Pepper Egg in a Hole
Marinated Roasted Peppers
Italian Peppers and Onions
Crockpot Breakfast Potatoes
Dragon Tongue Beans
Summer Bean Salad
Lemon & Parmesan Arugula Salad
Grilled Shrimp, Orzo and Arugula
Easy Roasted Delicata Squash
Roasted Delicata Squash and Tomatoes
Braised Tomatoes with Burrata
Mediterranean Couscous Salad
Tomato-Yogurt Dip with Baked Pita Chips
Curried Tomato Sandwich
Shakshuka (Eggs Poached in Spicey Tomato Sauce)
Herbed Tomato Gratin
Hot Corn Dip
Old Fashion Easy Apple Crisp
Blueberry Nectarine Pie with Almond Crumble