To view Farmer John’s latest update, click here. For a list of upcoming farm volunteer days, click here. Stock up share details are available here.

This week’s share will include:

• Veggies: colored peppers, delicata squash, sweet potatoes, red onions, choice of arugula, tatsoi or mustard greens, rainbow carrots, choice of kale or collards, radishes, baby bok choi and cilantro or dill.  (“B” group for half shares)
• Add-on shares:
  • Fruit: jonagold apples and d’anjou pears
  • Flowers: finished for the season
  • Mushrooms: no mention in John’s email

Serving suggestion:

• If you’re interested in helping the farm offset some year-end expenses, please consider signing up for the stock up share. The stock up share includes root vegetables, squash, greens and other hardy crops that are harvested late or store well. I’ve received the stock up share twice, splitting it with friends each time. Last year, I challenged myself to make all of my Thanksgiving sides using CSA and stock up share produce. Here are the sides that were on my menu last year, all showcasing Circle Brook veggies…
  • Stuffing (using carrot and onion)
  • Mashed potatoes
  • Glazed sweet potatoes
  • Roasted brussels sprouts
  • Braised greens (with smoked pork neck bones when I can find them, otherwise chorizo)

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

This week’s share will include:

• Veggies: lettuce, colored peppers, garlic, Banana fingerling potatoes, Swiss chard, salad turnips, acorn squash, choice of red cabbage or red Napa, bok choi, choice of cilantro or parsley.  (“A” group for half shares)
• Add-on shares:
  • Fruit: fuji apples and kiwi berries
  • Flowers: finished for the season
  • Mushrooms: no mention in John’s email

Serving suggestion:

• Stuffing a roasted squash with a well-seasoned filling is a great way to make a flavorful pantry dinner without much effort. The amount of time the squash needs to roast will depend on the variety but once you get it in the oven it’s mostly hands-off until serving. Cut the squash to maximize the exposed stuffing surface area (i.e. cut delicata and acorn lengthwise rather than just taking the top off). Toss your filling with ample olive oil, salt and pepper. Start the squash solo at first and then add the stuffing half way through so it browns but doesn’t burn. Here are a few flavor suggestions to get you started:
  • Panko bread crumbs, gorgonzola, parmesan, mozzarella
  • Stuffing cubes splashed with stock, dried cranberries, chopped nuts, fresh sage
  • Rice, leftover ground lamb/beef, feta, cumin, harissa, topped w/ pomegranate arials

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

This week’s share will include:

• Veggies: colored peppers, sweet potatoes, choice of arugula or tatsoi, beets, baby bok choi, kale, spaghetti squash, lettuce, shallots, and choice of an herb- cilantro or parsley.  (“B” group for half shares)
• Add-on shares:
  • Fruit: devoe pears and honeycrisp apples
  • Flowers: finished for the season
  • Mushrooms: no mention in John’s email

Serving suggestion:

• I recently bought the new cookbook Shabbat by Adeena Sussman and the vibrant picture of the Colorful Vegetable Kugel caught my eye immediately. It’s perfect for a new go-to CSA recipe because you could easily customize it with any root veggies you have. After this week’s share, I will have white potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets and shallots on hand so I think I will try it with those (I might have a stray carrot or two as well). Shred all the veggies, salt and squeeze, mix with eggs/oil/flour/seasoning and bake until it’s golden and crispy at the edge. Sounds like a great dinner that doubles as breakfast or lunch the next day.

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

This week’s share will include:

• Veggies: colored peppers, shishito peppers, butternut squash, beans, gold
  potatoes, leeks, radishes, green cabbage, choice of arugula or tatsoi, lettuce, tomatoes, choice of an herb, and cauliflower (for those who have not yet received any).  (“A” group for half shares)
• Add-on shares:
  • Fruit: paused this week (4 more fruit weeks to go; waiting on more apples/pears to be ready)
  • Flowers: finished for the season
  • Mushrooms: no mention in John’s email

Serving suggestion:

• I don’t recall receiving shishito peppers in past CSA seasons so that was a nice surprise this year. I had never prepared them at home so when I got my first batch I decided that I should keep it simple: olive oil & salt. My plan is to toss them in oil and sprinkle with a little salt (go easy on the salt now, finish with a high quality salt later). I’ll use my cast iron skillet and let it preheat for a bit so the peppers sizzle as they hit the pan. Cook them until they are charred in spots, turning frequently. Serve warm with flaky salt for sprinkling and lemon wedges for squeezing. If you have a soft cheese, like a spreadable goat cheese or some ricotta, serve it alongside as a tasty way to put out the fire. Remember, some shishitos will be mild and some will be hot!

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

This week’s share will include:

• Veggies: colored peppers, banana fingerlings, spaghetti squash, beans, beets, yellow onions, sweet corn, tomatoes, cauliflower or red cabbage and choice of cilantro, dill or basil.   (“B” group for half shares)
• Add-on shares:
  • Fruit: Sweetie apples and kiwi berries (see this week’s serving suggestion for a note about the kiwi berries)
  • Flowers: finished for the season
  • Mushrooms: no mention in John’s email but should be every week

Serving suggestions:

• The ingredient I am excited about this week is the return of spaghetti squash. Rather than topping with tomato sauce and using it as a noodle replacement, I prefer taking a different (and cheesy) approach. This Ali Slagle recipe was my original inspiration a few years ago, but you can mix it up anyway you want. Roast the squash face down, flip and fill with a mixture of seasonings/cheese/breadcrumbs, and then roast some more. Alongside a salad, it’s a mostly hands-off main dish that can cook while you tackle other chores. Or, it could also make for a “wow” side dish for a special meal.
• For those getting a fruit share, John included some notes about how best to enjoy your kiwi berries
  • The Kiwi berries are best when they are allowed to ripen for a few days at room temperature.Kept in the refrigerator they will ripen very slowly- folks might want to keep some refrigerated so they will not all ripen at once. They will get darker and start to wrinkle. They are eaten with the skin, but do have bit of fuzz at the blossom end, that can be plucked out. They are a superfood, high in potassium, and vitamins C and E.

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

This week’s share will include:

• Veggies: summer squash, colored peppers, garlic, fingerling potatoes, sweet corn, salad turnips, tomatoes, beans, broccoli or Napa cabbage, melons, lettuce and choice of dill or cilantro. (“A” group for half shares)
• Add-on shares:
  • Fruit: peaches and gala apples
  • Flowers: sunflowers
  • Mushrooms: no mention in John’s email but should be every week

Serving suggestion:

• Next time I get a head of cabbage, I plan on trying this “Emergency Kimchi” receipe from Maangchi. I’ve never tried making real fermented kimchi so this quick 30-min version will be a good starter. You slice, salt and soak your cabbage and then mix it with a flavorful paste featuring garlic, red pepper flakes and fish sauce. When I have random CSA odds-and-ends in the fridge I like to roast them and serve over rice with kimchi and a medium-boiled egg; it’s an easy and satisfying contrast of textures. You can make a double batch of rice and do a kimchi fried rice the next day for a different take on the same ingredients.

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

This week’s share will include:

• Veggies: summer squash, arugula, peppers, gold potatoes, rainbow carrots, sweet corn, shallots, tomatoes, melons, savoy cabbage, beans and choice of an herb (parsley, cilantro or dill)  (“B” group for half shares)
• Add-on shares:
  • Fruit: pears and nectarines
  • Flowers: paused this week
  • Mushrooms: no mention in John’s email but should be every week

Serving suggestions:

• It’s hard to find a recipe to use all of the shallots we get from the CSA. You could substitute them for onions in most other recipes, but to me that doesn’t feel like a good payoff for the time it takes to peel all of them. A few years ago for Thanksgiving, I tried this mashed potato “topping” from NYT Cooking and my family loved it — so much so that we now need to have a crunchy topping every year. The recipe, called Herby Fried Shallot and Bread Crumb Crunch by Samin Nosrat, looks involved but you can skip the breadcrumb part and just make the crunchy shallots. They start in cold oil, and require little more than your patience and some salt. They cook far longer than you think they should, but trust the recipe!

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

This week’s share will include:

• Veggies: squash, red potatoes, sweet corn, peppers, kale, Dragon beans, red onions, beets, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, melons, choice of dill or cilantro and goldenberries for those who have not yet received the  (“A” group for half shares)
• Add-on shares:
  • Fruit: paused this week
  • Flowers: sunflowers
  • Mushrooms: no mention in John’s email but should be every week

Serving suggestions:

• One of the best restaurant meals I have ever had is called Sweet Corn Agnolotti from a restaurant called Buccan in Florida. It’s a ricotta- and corn-filled pasta served with bacon and a slightly spicy butter sauce. It’s hard to describe how good it is. It’s also impossible to truly replicate at home, but I do make a super simple version when I have fresh CSA corn using store-bought tortellini or ravioli.
  • First, I’ll shave all of the kernels off the cob and set them aside in a bowl. Next, I drag the spine of my knife up the shucked cobs to collect all the good stuff left behind (you’d be surprised how much you can scrape up) and add it to the kernels. Cook the pasta in salted water with the spent corn cobs, reserving a mugful of cooking water. As the pasta is in the colander, crisp pancetta in the pot, and remove the bits but leave behind the fat. Add a few tablespoons of butter to the pancetta fat and saute the corn kernels for two minutes. Add a few ounces of cooking water and stir quickly to emulsify. Dump the pasta in, stirring gently to mix with the corn, adding more cooking water as needed to keep things saucy. Serve topped with the pancetta, a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, and a hefty pinch of flaky sea salt.

To view Farmer John’s latest update, click here. (Please read about the bulk tomato option in this week’s update. If you are interested, please let Shana know by replying to this week’s update email and she will keep a list.)

This week’s share will include:

• Veggies: lettuce, squash, garlic, carrots, peppers, sweet corn, kale, leeks, tomatoes, beans, melons, goldenberries, and choice of an herb (dill, cilantro or parsley)  (“B” group for half shares)
• Add-on shares:
  • Fruit: peaches and ginger gold apples
  • Flowers: paused this week
  • Mushrooms: no mention in John’s email but should be every week

Serving suggestions:

• I love getting leeks with the CSA. They pair well with the garlic, onions, potatoes and corn we get in our shares to make great soups. You don’t really need a recipe — sautee your aromatics, add potatoes and broth, cook until everything is soft, then blend — but this one I found roasts the potatoes first which is a new twist I have never tried.
• When cleaning leeks, I like to slice them lengthwise, then cut the halves into thin half-moon ribbons. I find it easier to rinse them thoroughly that way, rather than trying to clean a whole leek. Use your salad spinner and do at least 2 soaks to get all the sediment off. Rinsed and sliced leeks will freeze well so you can save half for future soup making (they’ll be too mushy for any applications where you want them whole though).
• Here are a few ideas for topping or serving alongside your leek soup:
  • Crisp some pancetta (or bacon) in the pot before cooking the soup. Use the rendered fat to sautee the aromatics. Top with the crispy bits when serving.
  • Spruce up a boxed cornbread mix by adding some sour cream for richness and jalapenos for heat (bonus points if you have candied jalapenos, they go great with cornbread).
  • Buy small boule style bread loaves at the farmers market and have your soup in personal sized bread bowls.
  • Go for a loaded baked potato flavor by topping with some shredded cheese, sour cream and some minced leek greens.

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

This week’s share will include:

• Veggies: squash, peppers, tomatoes, rainbow carrots, sweet corn, cherry tomatoes, beans, yellow onions, green cabbage, gold potatoes, eggplant, choice of an herb (cilantro, dill, parsley or basil) and some type of melon.. (“A” group for half shares)
• Add-on shares:
  • Fruit: Barlett pears & Dapple Dandy pluots
  • Flowers: yes this week (probably sunflowers!)
  • Mushrooms: no mention in John’s email but should be every week

Serving suggestion:

• For the quickest, no-cleanup BLT here’s my trick: substitute kettle cooked barbecue chips for the bacon. There are times when I don’t mind the time and mess of frying bacon until it is shatteringly crisp (lazy weekend mornings), but Tuesday nights after picking up the CSA is not then. Barbecue chips give you the smokiness that you get from bacon, as well as a reliable crunch. It also turns this summer staple vegetarian (and maybe even vegan if you swap mayo for a different spread). The most time consuming part of building these faux BLTs is spreading mayo on each side of the bread, so they can be on the table for the family in minutes. Pro tip: put the chips on top of the mayo on both sides of the bread, it will hold them in place a bit, otherwise they might slide out as you start to crunch. (I can’t take credit for this idea, I read it online somewhere years ago but cannot remember where!)