We are entering Week 8 of the CSA and August is fast approaching, which means this week we will send out emails inviting the primary contact from each CSA membership to sign up for an August CSA pick-up time slot. If you need to change the primary email address on your CSA membership, please email Melissa ASAP. Sign ups for time slots will begin this Thursday at 6pm and will be good for August 4th-August 29th.
We wanted to dedicate the rest of this newsletter to thanking our amazing Shopkeepers, Ione, Phoebe, Sue, Annemarie, Debbie, Jane, and Sophie. As many of you may have heard (or experienced yourself), it is a very stressful time for retail workers. Many people have strong opinions about mask wearing and other pandemic-related safety measures. Emotions and tensions are high, and a lot times that frustration spills over and gets taken out on these essential workers. These women have handled all of the pressure with friendliness and grace throughout. They are the gatekeepers that help ensure that the farm is a safe place for all of us, and they have been calm and collected in the face of several difficult situations this season. It is so easy to let one negative interaction cancel out many positive ones, but they have all refused to become discouraged and they keep on approaching their work with enthusiasm and positivity. We feel so lucky to have them on board and that they keep coming back day after day. If you have a chance, please don your mask, thank them and let them know how much you appreciate all they are doing to keep the farm safe!
In the CSA this week:
Slicing tomatoes! - It is still very early, but we are very excited that we have enough for one tomato per CSA share!
Celery- it’s been a dry year overall and celery likes a lot of water, so these are fairly small, but they pack a lot of flavor. We also tried out a new “pink” celery variety this year, so you may see a few of those mixed in!
Mizuna - this green is milder than mustard greens and can be eaten raw or cooked. Chop it up and toss with a potato salad, add it to your sandwich, or sautee it with garlic.
Potatoes - We are harvesting Dark Red Norlands right now (red skin with white flesh).
Fresh onions - Ailsa Craig (white) and Red Long of Tropea (red). Store in the fridge.
Peppers - green and purple.
Eggplant - we are now harvesting 3 types of eggplant: Asian eggplant, Italian eggplant and Beatrice (a bright violet colored Italian eggplant)
Cucumbers
Zucchini
Summer Squash
Carrots
Cabbage or kale - we are nearing the end of our spring planted brassicas, but we’ll still have one of these out this week!
Lettuce - We will have a mix of summer crisp varieties.
Yukina Savoy or mustard greens
CSA PYO:
Please bring scissors from home for your herb and sunflower picking. We do have some you may borrow but quantities are limited each day due to necessary sanitizing measures.
Herbs: basil, cilantro and parsley, thyme and sage
Green beans or Cherry tomatoes - it’s the beginning of cherry tomato season and the end of our first green beans planting, so you will have a choice of one or the other at the beginning of the week (the green beans might be finished before the end of the week, so it may just be cherry tomatoes by then!). Varieties that are ripening include Sungold (orange), Cherry bomb (red), Jasper (red), Red Pearl (red), Mountain Magic (red), Yellow mini (yellow), Sunpeach (pink) and Supernove (red with yellow flecks). Look low on plants for the ripe fruit.
Sunflowers
Hot peppers - jalapeño, Fresno and Hungarian hot wax
Pick-your-own Flower CSA
For the safety of everyone, there are capacity limits in the flower field and everyone over the age of 2 must wear a mask in the PYO fields. Flowers available for picking this week include: zinnias, bachelor’s buttons, bells of Ireland, scabiosa, didiscus, cosmos, snapdragons (lots of new snaps blooming this week!), rudbeckia, dill flowers, decorative basil, strawflower, gomphrena, sweet Annie, amaranth, and verbena. Don’t forget your pruners and scissors from home and water for your jar! Check in at the farm stand before picking, the flower field is open during all farm store hours and is open to both flower CSA members as well as for those who would like to purchase pyo flowers by the jar.
In the Farm Store:
In addition to most of the items listed in the CSA we will also have sweet corn from Verrill Farm, mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm and eggs from Pete and Jen’s Backyard Birds available this week. Online pre-orders continue, but please note that we are cutting back on the number of days. Starting this week, you will be able to pre-order for pick-ups Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. We will not be offering pick-ups on Wednesday and Thursday as we try to improve efficiency and focus on the most popular ordering days. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering opens at 2pm the day before pick-up. Walk-up sales continue to be open for all Tuesday-Saturday.
Farm Store Hours
Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm
Saturday 9am-3pm
Please wear a snug fitting mask with multiple layers when approaching the farm stand. If you cannot wear a mask, simply order online and include a note in your order letting us know what car you will be driving (as well as roughly what time you will arrive) and we will bring your bag out to your car when you arrive. Thank you for your understanding!
Green Gazpacho
Adapted from “Plenty,” by Yotam Ottolenghi
This recipe uses so many summer farm crops and is a delicious and refreshing cold soup that is perfect for a hot day!
2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
2 green peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
3 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
1 mildly spicy chili (such as jalapeño), roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups walnuts, lightly toasted
1/4 pound spinach (or other tender green like mizuna or yukina savoy)
1/2 cup basil leaves
1/4 cup parsley
1 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground white pepper
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
2 cups water
Ice cubes
Combine the celery, green peppers, cucumbers, chili, garlic, sugar, walnuts, spinach (or other tender green), basil, parsley, olive oil, sherry vinegar, salt, pepper and 1 cup water in blender and puree until smooth. Check seasonings, and add more water if you feel it needs it. Let chill in refrigerator. To serve, divide into six bowls, and garnish each with a dollop of Greek yogurt, two ice cubes and a drizzle of olive oil.