Week 16 CSA Newsletter (Sept. 19-25, 2021)
CSA Newsletter Week 16
Sept 19-25, 2021 | “B” Week
Last week’s veggie share.
What’s in the Veggie Box this Week?
HEART OF GOLD WINTER SQUASH (2) — from Turnow Ventures farm. Store them properly in a cool, dark place. Cut in half and scoop out the seeds. (Roast them!) These can be cut in half and steamed upside down in a sheet pan filled with water. Try roasting them or filling them with meat and goodies!
GLOBE OR HEIRLOOM TOMATOES –– These will have more water in them than the paste tomatoes. Use them for juice, or simple slicing tomatoes, or canned tomatoes. Store on the counter and use within a couple days. If you see them starting to ripen too fast, throw them in the fridge, although this may alter the flavor.
CHERRY TOMATOES (1 PINT) –– Store on the counter and use within 3-5 days. If you see them starting to ripen too fast, throw them in the fridge, although this may alter the flavor.
EGGPLANT –– Likely the last eggplant of our season. Store them in a plastic bag in your fridge. To use, remove the skin with a vegetable peeler and the ends. The flesh will begin to darken — that’s okay! Chop to desired size. I like to cube it or do slices. Then roast or saute. Eggplant can also be frozen.
RED SNACKING PEPPERS (1 PINT) — These are sweet. Store in a plastic bag in your fridge and use within 7 days. To use, wash and then chop off the top stem. Remove the seed bank from inside, as well as the ribs. These peppers are great for lunchbox snacks!
FRESH DILL WEED – (Wayward Seed Farm) Use this herb within 5 days. Highly perishable. Store in a Debbie Meyer Green bag, or in a glass of water in your fridge. Excellent with fish, potatoes, or roasted veggies.
CUT LETTUCE MIX (1/2 lb.) – Store this lettuce mix in your Debbie Meyer Green bag, unwashed, in your fridge, and try to use them within 4 days. Wash and spin dry before using.
RAINBOW CHARD – (from Riehm Farms) These leafy greens have beautifully colored stems — yellow white or red. Store the leaves in your Debbie Meyer Green bag, unwashed, in your fridge, and try to use them within 4 days. Wash before using. Cut out the long stem and chop like celery. The leaves should be cut off and blanched separately. Use like you would spinach. Or try using as a wrap.
YELLOW AND RED ONIONS (mix) – store these in a cool, dark place away from your onions and garlic. These are cured, so they should last for several weeks. Onion peels can be put into your freezer stock bag, as they are full of antioxidants. Chop onions to desired size and freeze them in Ziplocks for long-term storage too!
Who else is loving this year’s flower bouquet share? Next year, we will have only 100 of these available. So be thinking about whether you want to add this on to your order next year! Photo Credit: Sarah Mainardi.
THIS WEEK’S ADD-ON SHARES:
It’s “B” week (for all our bi-weekly shares)
Fruit Share: Cider and plums (Quarry Hill Orchard) and Jonathan Apples from Eshleman Orchard.
Maddie & Bella Coffee: – Espresso
Knueven Ice Cream: Mint chocolate chip
RSVP FOR FLASHLIGHT PUMPKIN HUNT
October 9th, 2021, 7:30-9:15 PM | FREE FOR MEMBERS
Bring your kids to the farm for our annual “Flashlight Pumpkin Hunt.” How does it work? This is a kid-friendly event and it’s FREE for all CSA members. We hide 10 pumpkins around our house in the darkness. Each pumpkin is marked with reflective tape. You have to find all 10 pumpkins using your flashlight! It’s like Hide-and-Seek in the dark with pumpkins!
The hunt starts around 8 PM when it’s dark enough, and takes about 10 minutes! After the hunt, we have 2 campfires burning, and you’re welcome to set up your chairs and enjoy the fire. Bring some skewers to roast marshmallows. (We provide all the fixings for smores). And enjoy some donuts and cider on us! Kids can play on the swingset or sandbox or just run around our lawn!
Please RSVP at this link if you plan to attend so we can get enough food. You will be asked to tell me how many people are attending, as well as your email address so I can send you a reminder. In case of rain, high winds or other bad weather, this event will not be rescheduled.
I share a special moment with Mike Metzger as we eat our traditional spaghetti squash pie. Mike used to be an assistant grower at our farm.
FARMER KURT’S FIELD NOTES
Howdy everyone!
This week we got about 1 and half inches of rain in that sudden storm burst. (Did you guys suffer any wind damage?… We were okay). It was just what we needed, and that means that I can now officially dismantle the irrigation system on the farm. We should have enough water to last us through the next 3 weeks. My boys and crew have been helping me move the pipes, rip out the drip tape, and coil up the long “firehose.” Seems like I just installed it all, doesn’t it?
Sweet corn is on its way out. Only 18 rows left. The ears are getting small now. And there is so much worm damage on the tips, that it’s really difficult picking. It took us 3 hours to pick 3 bins last week! I was dead! With the yields so low now, I’m funneling all the remaining corn to Mom. That means no more corn for the CSA season. I have to admit, I’m looking forward to the final picking here soon.
Jillian Perlaky has been working for us as a harvester the last few weeks. She cold-called us one day to volunteer at the farm, and we like her so much that we asked her to work for us!
I’ve been sub-soiling the old sweet corn fields. we use something called a para-tiller to do this. It has shanks that dig under the ground and lift up the soil layer just a bit, providing needed air pockets to get micro-biology going over the winter. I want to plant some cover crops here soon, so I need to unpack the soil a bit.
Speaking of cover crops, I mapped out my field map for next year. It’s a rough guide of course. But I do need to be thinking about where am I building soil for next season? Crops have to rotate to different areas, and some acreage needs to ‘rest’ for a season. That means I have to make decisions NOW for where to plot my onions, tomatoes, and brassicas next year.
My boys and Noah help me sort tomatoes for canners.
My mom is getting knee surgery this Monday. She’ll be out of commission for at least 2 weeks, although she seems to think she’ll be on her feet a lot earlier. So we are encouraging her to scale down her roadside stand earlier than usual this year. She’s like me — a work-a-holic, and knowing her, she’ll try to find a way to get up and work a week after her surgery. I told Dad we have to cut things off by October 1st for her sake too. Corinna and I will be checking in on her all week, trying to be available to help out at home where we can.
I lost another crew member mid-week. John Sawvel — my rock — had to take a leave of absence due to a potential family exposure, so we were playing it safe. With Amanda and Shalese now back at school, I’m left with Noah and Catalina, and Jillian — a volunteer/staff who helps out on Mondays and Wednesday mornings. I can’t say enough about my team that has stood strong and toughed it out! I’m so proud of them. John, I know you’re reading this… I can’t wait until you come back. You’ve been such a great add to our team.
Tanya brought her spagh squash pie last week. Tanya has been with our farm since the very beginning. It’s so cool to see such long-time members still with us.
CSA member Tanya Thorbahn stopped by with a spaghetti squash pie this week. This is an annual tradition at our house. Tanya is one of our earliest CSA hires. She started out as a packer, then moved to a site host, and fruit pickup person. She is one of our “go-to” folks when we need help with something. She has never liked the spaghetti squash, and one year, she made a pie out of it and brought it to us at the farm. At the time, my buddy Mike Metzger and I, were amazed by the pie and devoured it instantly. Every year, Tanya makes us two pies and delivers them. Mike found a way to stop by the farm this week, to grab his pie, and we even shared a fun tasting together. It’s a silly story, but it’s stuff like this that makes our community what it is!
It was a beautiful night for our Field to Table Dinner this Friday. 84 guests attended.
We continued to harvest tomatoes this week. They are still shucking out like crazy. We had so many we were able to do a big wholesale order for a CSA in Columbus called YellowBird.
I spent Friday prepping the property for the farm dinner. Did you see the pictures? It was a beautiful night, and Chef Joseph from Cork and Knife Provisions did a great job with the menu. I am always so inspired when I see all the people who attend these events. You are my friends — and it is exactly what I had hoped to create long ago, back when this CSA farm was just an idea. You have no idea how good it feels to see my dream being lived out, and realizing that we have build more than just a vegetable farm. We have built a community.
Meet Brian Hammer!! The grilling expert! With his wife Tara, at this week’s Farm to Table Dinner.
I was able to order some garlic seed. I was worried there for a minute, because it was sold out everywhere I looked. Luckily I was on a guy’s email list, and he sent out a notice that garlic seed was for sale. I grabbed 100 lbs. Catalina spent Friday grading out our best garlic bulbs for seed. We’ll re-use some of our own for seed.
Angie Patchett samples an appetizer at this Friday’s Field to Table dinner.
I want to give a big shout-out this week to CSA member Jenny Blum. For the last 15 weeks, she has been our “Ice Cream Fairy.” Every week, she restocks our packing shed freezer with ice cream bars, drumsticks, and popsicles — the kind that make my staff light up after a long haul harvesting tomatoes or pulling corn. I can’t tell you how much a little staff perk like “unlimited ice cream sandwiches” can motivate us out here. So thank you, Jenny, for being so generous and finding a creative way to bring a little happiness to our farm.
I feel like a broken record, but there are countless little examples like Jenny Blum — of CSA members who find small ways to lift up the bigger community. I want you to know I see you. And Corinna and I are grateful for your part in stoking the energy of our farm.
Me and my lovely bride. I couldn’t this without her.
Next week, we will share all the details of how to sign up for next year’s CSA. I plan to drop the CSA membership numbers from 425 to 375 next year. After looking at the numbers and trying to find that “perfect number” that makes the production side just a little bit less stressed, we decided to scale down just a bit. (Don’t panic. Based on our stats from years passed, those of you who want in should still be fine.)
Chef Joseph works the grill at the Field to Table Dinner. Cork & Knife Provisions.
Just a big thank you in advance for those of you who are willing and able to pre-commit for next season already this fall. It’s a huge help for us to have enough cash flow to farm the first 6 months, AND just to have the peace of mind that we’re “fully supported” before the new year even hits. This is the kind of stuff farmers dream of. I’ll let Corinna explain all that next week.
Planning on going to the Farm Science Review next week with my boys — I’ll see if Jed can miss school for it. We’ll make another run at harvesting paw-paws this weekend too. Last week, they weren’t quite ready yet.
3 more weeks to go. If you’re keeping track, final CSA week is October 3-9th.
Until next week, Farmer Kurt
Catalina harvests a surprise.
WEEK 16 ANNOUNCEMENTS
- When do I sign up for next year’s CSA? Don’t worry. Pre-registration for next season begins October 1st at 6 AM and runs for 10 days through October 10. Anyone who is a full season member of a Sampler member will get equal access to our Early Registration Offer. I will share the information in next week’s newsletter!
- Flashlight Pumpkin Hunt is October 9th. See the special article in this newsletter for details.
- Last chance to pre-order Concord grapes. They are being sold by the peck basket for $35. This is about 12 pounds of grapes. This variety DOES have seeds. We use them for making grape juice. Email Corinna if you want one, and payment will be due upon receipt. We’re not exactly sure when they will be ready, so we are taking orders now. You’ll be informed when they are coming.
Watermelon radishes are getting huge. These have a gorgeous red interior and greenish skin. We hope to give them to you on the final week.
Freezer Challenge runs one more week, through Sept. 25th...Take a picture of something you’ve frozen and post it in our private Facebook group.You must explain in the post what vegetable it is, and what you did with it. Use this as an inspiration moment to help others in the group.To be eligible to win a prize, you must enter at least 3 separate times. Hashtag your photos #FreezerChallenge2021 so I can find them. I’ll choose 3 entries as my winners. I’ll be choosing my favorites based on the quality of the image, but also for simplicity or complexity of the idea. Winners will receive a fun foodie prize.
- You can order additional items from the Shared Legacy Farms online store. This week we have: bulk Roma tomatoes, bulk globe tomatoes, rye flour, Delicata squash, B-grade hard-neck garlic, cherry tomatoes, kale-lette greens, white hakurei turnip bunches, collard greens, BULK 10 lb. orange Italian fry peppers, BULK 10 lb. red Italian fry peppers, Boom Salad Mix, jalapenos, red bell peppers, small Corinthian Fry Pepper Medley.
- Our store link is super easy to remember: www.sharedlegacyfarms.com/store. We reload and open the store inventory on Saturdays, around 5 PM. 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 2 days before your site, because we harvest the product early on Monday and Wednesday mornings.
Laura Latham made this delicious shrimp pasta meal.
WEEK 16 CSA RECIPES
Members: You can download these recipes 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!
Creamy Dill Potato Salad
Creamy Dill Sauce/Dressing
Eggplant Pizzas
Italian Turkey and Tomato Basil Eggplant Roll Pasta Bake
Spicy Greek Eggplant Dip
Tomatoes with Crisp Fried Eggplant
Heirloom Tomato Concasse with Wilted Swiss Chard
Slow Cooked Swiss Chard and Potatoes
Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Orzo Pasta
Roasted Squash with Sesame Seeds and Cumin
Squash Lasagna
Crock Pot Apple Butter
Autumn Apple & Pear Sangria
Plum Salad with Black Pepper and Parmesan