To view this week’s update from Farmer John, click here.

This week’s share will include:

• Veggies: swiss chard, choice of kale or collards, summer squash, scallions, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, choice of salad turnips or beets, cucumbers, and choice of an herb (cilantro, dill, savory, or parsley)
• Add-on shares:
  • Fruit: cherries & black plums
  • Flowers: not started yet
  • Mushrooms: lion’s mane mushroom
  • Eggs: not mentioned in this week’s update from John, but assuming yes

For those with half shares, this is “B” week.

Serving Suggestions:

• In our house I often fry up our CSA eggplant but never thought to do it with zucchini. We’re sure to get a ton more summer squash over the next two months so I figured now was the time to try it. Done simply — traditional flour, egg, bread crumb mixture and pan fried in shallow oil — it was great. The interior was a bit softer than fried eggplant (which I usually salt first but this was a weeknight fry so I skipped that step for the zucchini) because of the high moisture content but the coating held well. It definitely needed a bit more salt in the flour to make sure the bite was pleasantly seasoned all the way through so I’ll remember that for next time. However, I don’t think I would salt the zucchini slices directly if I didn’t have time to press and dry them. The salt will leech out some moisture that may turn to steam when cooking and prevent the breading from sticking well. Or, if you do want to salt the slices, I would let them sit breaded for a bit to make sure any excess moisture is absorbed by your flour layer.

To view Farmer John’s latest update, click here.

This week’s share will include:

• Veggies: Lettuce (2 heads), spinach, choice of kale or collards, radishes, bok choy, summer squash, snow peas, choice of herb (cilantro, dill, marjoram, chervil), broccoli or cauliflower (or perhaps Napa cabbage) and garlic scapes.
• Add-on shares:
  • Fruit: blueberries and nectarines
  • Flowers: not ready yet
  • Mushrooms: lion’s mane mushrooms
  • Eggs: not mentioned in this week’s update from John, but assuming yes

For those with half shares, this is “A” week.

Serving Suggestions:

• Over the years, I have posted numerous updates including chervil and marjoram in the herb choice list. I’m not sure how often I’ve actually cooked with them and honestly wasn’t really sure which was which. So I did a little research for myself and figured I should share:
  • Chervil: tender leaves that look like parsley but have an anise-like flavor
  • Marjoram: fuzzy leaves that look like oregano but with a piney, citrusy flavor
  • This Serious Eats article features 24 recipes that maximize your herb usage to make sure nothing gets wasted. The tabbouleh looks especially good for a cool dinner on a hot night!
  • I also came across this cool herb flavor combination chart from 1985!

To view this week’s update from Farmer John, click here. This week’s share will include:

• Veggies: spinach, choice of kale or collards, salad turnips, kohlrabi, elephant garlic, summer squash, shell peas, choice of cilantro or dill, and lettuce.
• Add-on shares:
  • Fruit: not ready yet, should begin next week
  • Flowers: not ready yet
  • Mushrooms: oyster mushrooms
  • Eggs: not mentioned in this week’s update from John, but assuming yes

For those with half shares, this is “B” week.

Serving Suggestions:

• As a half-share member, I’m quite jealous of our “B” week friends who get to try elephant garlic this week. Looking back at old CSA website posts, we haven’t had elephant garlic in a delivery since 2017 so it’s been awhile and honestly I don’t remember what it looks like let alone how to prepare it. John shared some info in his update and I have compiled a few links to help you as well:
  • Ideas for preparing elephant garlic from Will Cook For Friends
  • Wikipedia had more helpful information than I was expecting
  • Since the cloves are so big, Cooking On The Weekends suggests slicing them thick and grilling them — very interesting!
  • If cooking your elephant garlic is a weekend project, try cooking it using the confit method. Here’s an easy to follow recipe from Kelly’s Clean Kitchen

To view Farmer John’s latest update, click here.

This week’s share will include:

• Veggies: Spinach, kale, radishes, lettuce, shell peas, garlic scapes, summer squash, and choice of cilantro or dill.
• Add-on shares:
  • Fruit: not ready yet
  • Flowers: not ready yet
  • Mushrooms: Chestnut mushrooms
  • Eggs: not mentioned in this week’s update from John, but assuming yes

Serving Suggestions:

• When I saw this week’s list, my mind immediately went to Alison Roman’s Labne dip recipe from her Nothing Fancy cookbook. I’ve made it a few times and it’s delicious and welcomes ingredient swaps. Use one of your garlic scapes in place of some scallions (I think the scapes are too potent to go for a 1:1 swap). If you choose dill instead of cilantro that will be great mixed in instead, leaning towards a ranch flavor profile. Dip your raw radishes, drizzle atop some simply grilled squash, or smear some on toast with a few raw shelled peas for a bite with a ton of texture.

To view Farmer John’s latest update, click here.

This week’s share will include:

• Veggies: Rainbow carrots, choice of arugula or tatsoi, rutabaga, choice of kale or chard, baby bok choi, broccoli, cauliflower, Napa cabbage, radishes, Japanese sweet potatoes, buttercup squash, red skin potatoes, shallots and choice of an herb (sage, cilantro or dill). There will also be some onions as an extra.
• Add-on shares:
  • Fruit:  Completed
  • Flowers: not mentioned in this week’s update, I believe we have completed all 10 weeks
  • Mushrooms: expected every week unless we hear otherwise
  • Eggs: expected every week unless we hear otherwise
• For those with half shares, this is “B” week.

Serving Suggestions:

• When I was reading through tomorrow’s list, shallots stood out for some reason, probably because I prepare a lot of them for various Thanksgiving dishes this time of year. If you need some inspiration, these are a few of the most shallot-forward recipes I could think of:
  • The crispy shallot portion of this Samin Nosrat recipe is fantastic and surprisingly easy. I previously shared it here.
  • Alison Roman’s internet-famous “shallot pasta” recipe made the rounds when people were doing a lot of home cooking during COVID. Would you believe that I still have never actually made it?! If you’re looking for something to eat in the days before or after Thanksgiving that is decidedly different, give this one a try.
  • After hearing Claire Saffitz talk about her family’s Glazed Shallots recipe I gave it a try for Thanksgiving last year. It was quite good and something I will try again but probably not for the big day since there are so many other traditional dishes that must make the table.

To view Farmer John’s latest update, click here.

This week’s share will include:

• Veggies: Swiss chard, choice of arugula or broccoli raab, cilantro, leeks, salad turnips, beets, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussel’s sprouts, sweet dumpling squash and fingerling potatoes.
• Add-on shares:
  • Fruit:  Pink Lady apples and red D’Anjou pears
  • Flowers: not mentioned in this week’s update, I believe we have completed all 10 weeks
  • Mushrooms: expected every week unless we hear otherwise
  • Eggs: expected every week unless we hear otherwise
• For those with half shares, this is “A” week.

Serving Suggestions:

• I saw dumpling squash on tomorrow’s list and my mind first went to stuffing it (Thanksgiving is only two weeks away after all). So I went searching for inspiration for a few stuffing ideas that are far from “traditional” Thanksgiving flavors. Start with some sauteed aromatics (onion, garlic, leek, shallot, etc), add that to a big mixing bowl with your dried bread/stuffing cubes, moisten with a flavorful liquid like broth, and then gently stir in the below ingredients before stuffing and baking off your par-roasted squash until super tender…
  • Blue cheese crumbles, walnuts, dried cranberries
  • Crispy pancetta, rough chopped broccoli rabe leaves, shaved parm
  • Slivered almonds, golden raisins, zaatar

To view Farmer John’s latest update, click here.

This week’s share will include:

• Veggies: spinach, choice of arugula or tatsoi, baby bok choi, lettuce, garlic, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, sweet potatoes, rutabaga, Honeynut squash, and choice of an herb (cilantro or dill).
• Add-on shares:
  • Fruit:  paused, final fruit will be next week
  • Flowers: not mentioned in this week’s update, I believe we have completed all 10 weeks
  • Mushrooms: expected every week unless we hear otherwise
  • Eggs: expected every week unless we hear otherwise
• For those with half shares, this is “B” week.

Serving Suggestions:

• In all my years of writing CSA emails and website updates, I don’t think I have ever shared any information in Serving Suggestions about the humble rutabaga. The rutabaga is typically in the Stock Up share, but this week we get the uncommon treat of having it included in a regular share. By my count this is only the second time in the last ~8 years that we received rutabaga. 
• So, what is a rutabaga? It’s sort of a cross between cabbage and a white turnip. It seems common to English/Irish/Scottish environs, and is even commonly carved as a jack-o-lantern in Britain. It’s one of the traditional ingredients in a Cornish pasty. It’s often served boiled and mashed, sometimes combined with other roots like carrots or potatoes.
• What should you do with one? Here’s what the internet thinks:
  • All Recipes
  • Spruce Eats
  • Tasting Table

To view Farmer John’s latest update, click here.

This week’s share will include: 

• Veggies: peppers, spinach, kale, lettuce, rainbow carrots, acorn squash, radishes,cauliflower or kohlrabi, sweet corn, shallots, sweet potatoes, and choice of an herb (parsley, thyme, or oregano).
• Add-on shares:
  • Fruit:  Fuji apples and Hosui Asian pears (John has asked members to bring back the reusable Amazon bags they use for fruit to avoid having to use plastic bags)
  • Flowers: not mentioned in this week’s update, I believe we have completed all 10 weeks
  • Mushrooms: expected every week unless we hear otherwise
  • Eggs: expected every week unless we hear otherwise
• For those with half shares, this is “B” week.

Serving Suggestions:

• Please consider signing up for a Stock Up Share as it helps the farm use up stored veggies and provides an infusion of cash to help pay for bills over the winter. My family has done the Stock Up Share the last few years and each year we split with two other families to make it more manageable. The timing just before Thanksgiving is perfect for making traditional sides like mashed potatoes, roasted squash or glazed carrots with your CSA produce. If you have any questions about the Stock Up Share let me know and I would be happy to help. At some point in the near future we will begin a list of those who want to sign up. To view this year’s Stock Up Share info, click here.

To view Farmer John’s latest update, click here.

This week’s share will include: 

• Veggies: purple potatoes, mixed onions, lettuce, sweet corn, Swiss chard, green peppers, beets, daikon, cauliflower or kohlrabi or Napa cabbage, flageolet beans, delicata squash and choice of an herb.
• Add-on shares:
  • Fruit: paused this week
  • Flowers: not mentioned in this week’s update
  • Mushrooms: expected every week unless we hear otherwise
  • Eggs: expected every week unless we hear otherwise
• For those with half shares, this is “A” week.

Serving Suggestions:

• This week’s Serving Suggestion is courtesy of Stacey Gold, one of our CSA members:
  • “This was a big hit at our family’s holiday dinner this week and used our napa cabbage,” said Stacey. Here’s the link: Napa Cabbage Slaw with Mustard & Apple Butter Vinaigrette. Looks like a great way to use up a head of cabbage that’s a bit different than a typical summer-style slaw. Apple butter tends to be something I buy for a specific recipe, use two tablespoons, and promptly forget about in the back of the fridge. I never thought to incorporate it into a dressing. Thanks for sharing Stacey!