An important reminder to everyone that we will be closed this Thursday, July 4th for the holiday. For CSA members, we are offering an alternative CSA pick-up on Wednesday, July 3rd, 11am - 6pm.
The wet and cool June weather kept things looking fresher and greener than usual at this time of year. As a result, we haven’t had to devote much time to irrigation, but that looks like it’s about to change this week with the hot forecast! Getting irrigation onto our field tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and sweet potatoes, which are all planted across the street, will be a focus. Normally by this time of year, we would have had to have set up irrigation on these crops immediately, but we have been able to put it off thanks to the rain, which freed us up to keep up with our massive June field prep and planting list!
There aren’t many positives to 90 degree weather on the farm, but the two major benefits are that summer crops grow and ripen faster, and it is ideal conditions for tractor cultivation and hoeing. We have managed to squeeze in as much tractor cultivation as we can on the one or two dry days per week up until now, so fortunately, the weeds haven’t been able to get out of control! We’ll keep those tractors running most afternoons this week, and we’ll also have large crews out in the fields after harvest hoeing and hand weeding our winter squash, flowers, and next year’s strawberries.
This week in the CSA:
Zucchini - We didn’t put zucchini on the list last week, but we ended up with a surprisingly large harvest, so everyone got some last week! They should be even more abundant this week with the hot weather forecast.
Summer squash - Just in time for Fourth of July grilling!
Mini Cabbage - We’ll have mostly green cabbage this week. If you don’t want to turn on your oven in the heat this week, there are many great ways to prepare cabbage raw in slaws and salads, or as a taco filling!
Beets- We’ll have some chioggia beets available this week. These are striped pink and white.
Carrots
Baby bok choi
Collards
Kale
Swiss chard
Garlic Scapes
Scallions
Fennel
Curly Kale - green and purple
Mini daikon
Salad turnips
Salanova
Lettuce
CSA Pick-your-own:
It is the end of strawberry season, but we will continue to have them open this week as long as there are still enough berries to pick!
Sugar snap peas - To pick, gently hold the plant in place while you snap the stem just above the pea pod. Lift up plants to look underneath for the biggest pods. After removing the top the entire pod is edible - they make a great raw snack! New plantings open this week.
Shell peas - Select the plumpest pods. Remove entire outer shell before eating the peas inside (these are generally cooked).
Snow peas - Located next to the shell peas. These are flatter pods even when mature so just pick the largest one. Remove the top and the rest of the pod is edible either raw or cooked.
Herbs: parsley, dill, cilantro, basil, dill flowers and peppermint
CSA pick-up hours for the week of July 1st:
Tuesday and WEDNESDAY 11am - 6pm
Saturday 9am - 3pm
This week in the farm stand:
We will have all of the veggies listed in the CSA available in the farm store, as well as green garlic, arugula, honey, mushrooms from Fat Moon and pullet eggs from Pete and Jen’s Backyard Birds.
Farm Store Hours:
Tuesday-Friday 11am - 6pm*
Saturday 9am - 3pm
*CLOSED Thursday July 4th for the holiday
Grilled Fish Tacos with Cilantro Lime Cabbage Slaw
from feastingathome.com
Ingredients
1–2 lbs grillable white fish ( tilapia, red snapper, mahi-mahi) or 1 pound extra firm tofu
Spice Rub:
1 ½ teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon sugar (optional)
¼ teaspoon chipotle powder (or sub cayenne and a little smoked paprika)
for more smoky flavor, add ½ teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
Cabbage Slaw:
1 pound thinly sliced or shredded cabbage ( green and purple is nice)
½ teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
¼ cup thinly sliced red onion, more to taste
½ cup chopped cilantro ( packed), ½ of a large bunch
¼ –½ of a jalapeño, finely chopped, more to taste
¼ cup fresh lime juice, more to taste
2 tablespoon olive oil
Garnishes: Lime wedges, Avocado slices
Instructions
Preheat grill to medium high heat. ( See notes for oven or stove top version)
Rinse and pat dry fish. ( For tofu, read notes below) In a small bowl, stir fish rub spices together. Sprinkle all sides of fish with the spice rub (you most likely will not need all). Set aside.
Place the shredded cabbage in a medium bowl. Toss with the salt. Add the onions, cilantro, jalapeño, lime juice, olive oil and toss well. Adjust lime, salt and jalapeño- you want this to taste tangy and flavorful.
Grease the grill well before placing fish on it. Turn heat to medium. Grill each side a few minutes, letting grill marks develop and use a metal spatula to flip. Cook until desired doneness and squeeze with a little lime juice.
Then quickly grill the tortillas on the grill, brushing with olive oil if you prefer.
Assemble tacos by placing fish in the tortillas, top with cabbage slaw and optional avocado slice. Garnish with lime and cilantro.
Notes:
If using tofu, place block of tofu on paper towels and press down gently to release more liquid, patting dry. Cut into 1 inch thick, 3 inch long strips for easier grilling. Coat strips lightly with spice rub, grill on well greased grill or pan-sear the tofu, until crispy, in a little olive oil.
Zucchini/Summer Squash Ribbons
From Uncommon Gourmet, All-Occasion Cookbook
2 Medium-size zucchini
2 Medium-size summer squash
4 Tablespoons butter
1 Medium-size clove garlic, crushed
½ cup finely chopped walnuts or hazelnuts
salt and pepper to taste
½ cup grated Parmesan
Using a vegetable peeler, cut long ribbons of the zucchini and summer squash, reserving the seed core for another use (like soup). Heat butter in a large skillet. Add garlic, squash ribbons and nuts. Season with salt and pepper and stir-fry over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes until vegetables are tender-crisp. Sprinkle with the Parmesan. Stir well, remove from the heat and serve.