In your share this week:
- Carrots
- Snap Peas
- Salad Mix
- Swiss Chard
- Garlic
- Cilantro
- Italian Parsley
- Zucchini* and/or Summer Squash
*I got myself into a bit of trouble with the zucchini this week. You see, I spent the entire weekend preparing for and then painting the exterior of our house. All of it. All. of. it. And I forgot the zucchini. For 5 days! And it was hot. So they grew into some biggies and I had two choices, toss them to the chickens OR include them in the CSA shares and beg forgiveness. The Workshares assured me that big zucchini are not a bad thing - you can make zucchini bread, muffins, brownies, stuffed zucchini, etc. You can even grate zucchini, drain the water, and freeze for later use. Please accept my apologies and get creative with your monsters. I hope this doesn't happen again, though I already know it's a possibility as we have plans to leave town for a whole weekend in August to visit our daughter. Usually, when preparing for a trip, I've got my mind on things like not forgetting to pack the charger, toothbrushes, etc. This time it will be "Don't forget to pick the zucchini!" **Edited: turns out there weren't quite enough BIG zucchini for everyone. I'm sure you are disappointed. So I'm sending a box of "extras" to some pick up sites where you can CHOOSE to take home a large zucchini, or not. First come, first serve. :)
The snap peas also went gang busters last week. I sent people out to pick and had no idea we would end up with 90 pounds of the little goodies! Next week's picking will be very slim, if at all. So enjoy them! I keep hearing stories of kids (or parents) taking the entire bag and sneaking off to eat them all for themselves. I think there are enough for everyone to share this week.
Let's talk a bit about preserving methods for some of the items you are receiving so abundantly lately and in future weeks. Instead of feeling frustrated with getting some of the same items over and over again, I hope you will try some of these tried and true tricks that will keep you enjoying your farm share well into the winter months.
- Greens like kale, Swiss chard, and collards can be frozen for later use. If you are going to use them in smoothies sometime this winter, you can simply pack the greens into a freezer bag and that's it. No blanching or other preparation necessary. If you are going to use the greens in soups or other recipes, you may prefer to chop everything into the size as you intend it to be for later cooking. It will be much easier to cut when fresh than in it's later frozen or thawed state. Again, if you will use the greens soon (in the coming months) there is no reason to blanch. I have done this for several years and notice no difference at all in taste with freezing fresh vs. blanching. In fact, I prefer the fresh frozen.
- Our fresh herbs like cilantro and parsley are growing very well right now. Later we will have dill and basil. We will be giving big bunches each week that it's "perfect" to harvest, even knowing it may be too much for some people to use each week. We have no choice but to harvest for eating or loose these crops to bolting. Most herbs can be preserved with quick and easy methods. If you own a dehydrator, simply spread the herbs on the drying trays and dehydrate until dry. I prefer to dry my herbs on the stem and then crumble off the leaves after they are dried. After crumbing to the size I like, I put the herbs into jars and label. Easy. I know some prefer to pick or cut the leaves off the stem first.
- Another simple idea is to freeze herbs in small portions for later use. For freezing, my preferred method is to cut off the leafy parts, chop into small pieces, mix with a little water, and then freeze in ice cube trays. (I have trays designated for freezing herbs only, because this can stain or "flavor" the trays which may not be desirable for making ice cubes.) This process can be sped up even more quickly with the use of a food processor or blender. Cut off the herbs, add enough water to make the chopper go 'round. Chop. Freeze. Easy.
- One last idea from our Workshares is preserving the herbs in oils (usually olive oil). They use the chop and freeze method, but mixing with oil instead of water. Some ladies have even kept chopped herbs covered in oil in the fridge for a few weeks. Each time they want to sautee a little zucchini or other fresh veggies, they just scoop out a spoon full of herbs + oil and add it to the heated pan for cooking. Simple, easy, and yummy!
- With all of these methods, nothing is going to waste. Just takes a little time, but well worth the effort.
From Farmer Shain: You can expect beets soon, and Dino kale. He's going to get in another planting of salad in soon. A micro burst came through our little farm on Sunday, breaking more greenhouse ropes and literally pulling some metal posts out of the ground. He's spent several hours repairing greenhouses and replacing row covers around the farm.
Have a great week and ENJOY your veggies!
Tara
Recent Comments