CSA Newsletter #8
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Late summer always provides the best in delicious, fresh food! We know we’ve hit the height of the season when the corn and tomatoes hit! And this week we are seeing both of them in abundance! They have made for some wonderful meals in our house this past weekend!
How can we be in week 8 already? Summer has flown by! Our last pick up day is Tuesday, August 29th (remember, we moved the July 4th CSA pick up to this date?!)
This last week on the farm found us in the thick of harvesting corn. We hand pick everything allowing us to select only the best! We also rotated many of our animals to new pastures….those moves usually require many hands, lots of activity, a “few” swear words and a couple of beers afterward! LOL! In addition to moving animals, we also welcomed twin baby goats who were born during one of the hottest days last week. Mama did a good job and the babies are thriving. We moved them over to the pasture by the farm store, so be sure to stop by and say “Hi” to Ice and Ivy!
Ice and Ivy
What’s in the bags this week??? Lots of good stuff!!
~Green Beans: We are still harvesting these by the lugs every day! Steamed, roasted, grilled, it doesn’t matter….these are so delicious! Remember you can always parboil the beans, drain, put into freezer bag and toss into your freezer!
~Beets: A mix of golden and red beets.
~Corn: Some of the first corn of the season! It hit the farm store this weekend and we couldn’t keep it in stock! It’s so sweet and delish…but we are biased! LOL! We hope you enjoy it! Our go-to method of preparing the corn is a trick learned from Jon’s Iowa family! Preheat oven to 350 degrees, leave husk on corn but pull off the silks and loose leaves. Place on cookie sheet and put in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove, peel off husks and enjoy!!
~Peaches: These are freestone peaches from our friends’ orchard north of Spokane. Juicy, sweet and a true taste of summertime!
~Shallots: These are onions’ milder cousin. They can be used in a variety of different dishes. Here’s a fun recipe to try: Jalapeno Shallot Guacamole
~Tomatoes: The first harvest of tomatoes!! We’ve been watching these and waiting for them to turn red! Finally!! Enjoy…there’s just nothing like fresh-picked tomatoes!
~Jalapenos: Refer to the recipe for Guac above! Or use with your tomatoes and onions for a fresh made pico de gallo!
~Walla Walla Onion: These have been cured so you can let this sit out for a while! We have harvested all the Walla Walla sweet onions for the season and are curing them now. Their shelf life is only a few months vs. our storage onions that last almost a year.
~Basil: Is the smell of basil just the absolute best?! Even if you don’t eat it, the smell is worth growing it! But…who wouldn’t want to chop it up and sprinkle it on fresh tomatoes??! Mmmmm! We love a good Caprese salad in our house….tomatoes, basil and fresh mozzarella with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar is absolute heaven!