What's in the box?
these boxes were too expertly and carefully packed for me to do our usual "grab a packed box at random, take everything out, take a picture, and repack it"
- watermelon yellow and or red
- sweet corn
- bell peppers
- zucchini / summer squash
- cucumbers or broccoli
- New red potatoes
- heirloom and field tomatoes
- walla walla sweet onions
- garlic
Notes on the box.
We are approaching what can be a difficult time in the garden. A large rain event, followed by cooler temps means slow growth and petering out on the summer crops. Summer squash and cucumbers days are numbered. A few more weeks on tomatoes at most and same for melons. Peppers until frost, which can be in 3 weeks. Sweet corn 1 or maybe 2 more weeks. Then we head back into the cool weather type crops again (radishes, cabbage, greens, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.), but with some nice additions like Winter Squash, potatoes, more carrots, etc...
The good news is, there is nothing too challenging in this box. It's most all the favorites of Summer in their prime.
The long, blockish lime green peppers are sweet frying peppers. They are a new one that we tried out this season.
The smaller long lime green (or orange or red) peppers that taper to a point are the hungarian hot wax. If you cut out the seeds and ribs, they are pretty mildly spicy. But if you leave them in, they have a good strong kick.
For some reason some of the watermelons this season have way more than average seeds. There's no way for us to know which ones they will be, so if you got an extra seedy one, we are sorry! Seed spitting contest time!
Cheese Shares.
Cheese curds! It's been a while since we had some. If you like the squeak, let them warm up to room temperature. If the squeak isn't your thing, eat them right out of the fridge.
Also this week is Antares again, which I gave a few weeks ago, but we have a totally different cheese this week! Why? Well, the first batch was made earlier in the cows lactation when not much pasture had grown, so the cows were still getting a lot of hay. The milk was quite a bit fattier and the cheese was a lot softer and more mild. This batch was made a month later when the cows were further into their lactation and were grazing on some overwintered Rye cover crop on one of our vegetable fields that was out of rotation. I sampled these two batches next to each other at the farmers market and had a great time showing people an example of how much a cheese can change based on the milk. The cows were on the same rye grass when I made the cheese that I gave last week, and even though the cheese making process is very different between the two cheeses, I think they are more similar than the Antares made from the same recipe at a different point in the season.
We are very excited that The Wedge & Wheel in Stillwater has 2 wheels of this cheese in their case right now! Wedge & Wheel is a really fun cheese shop with a beautifully curated case. If you are in Stillwater and want to taste some truly unique cheeses that you won't find many other places, you should check it out! Local cheeses, obscure cheeses, famous cheeses, handcrafted, all kinds, and all so great! It's so wonderful to have our cheese next to some of my favorites... Oh, and right now Wedge & Wheel has a French cheese in the style of Morbier made out of goats milk that tastes like spring water! It's astounding! Worth the trip for sure.
Recipes.
Freezing Sweet Corn Instructions - this is the "right way" to do it. We cut it off the cob raw and freeze it just like that. Works fine for us, but most everyone suggests blanching first. Or you can make a big pot of corn chowder and freeze some for later.
13 recipes that make the most of fresh tomatoes from the kitchn
Corn and Wild Rice Fritters
- 1 cup cooked wild rice
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red or green bell pepper
- 2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
- 1/4 tsp salt
- oil for frying
Mix all ingredients except oil and salsa. Add oil to a heavy skillet to a depth of 1/4 inch. Heat over medium flame until oil looks shimmery and bubbles immediately when you drop a tiny amount of batter into it. Drop small amounts (between 2 Tbsp and 1/3 cup) of the batter into the oil. Cook a few fritters at a time to avoid crowding them. Cook each batch until brown and cooked through. Drain on paper towels and serve with salsa.
On the Farm.
This Saturday is our Summer's End party. it's an informal gathering of CSA members and their guests. We will start around 4, have burgers on the grill around 6pm. Bring a side dish or desert to share, BYOB. Self guided tours of the farm anytime. If you want a more formal guided tour we are happy to do that as we are able to, just ask one of the farmers, we all have insight on farm happenings. There is a lot to see on our 80 acre farm, everything from grazing dairy cattle, and mobile chicken coops to fat pigs and tall weeds!
We'll see how the weather shakes out but they are calling for rain Saturday night around 8, if it doesn't look too bad we'll light a bon fire, but who knows maybe we'll get to see the rainbow again either way. Anyone is welcome to camp. We are looking forward to meeting anyone who decides they can make it. It is 60 miles from Minneapolis (hour and 20 min) You can search Turnip Rock farm on google maps and there we are. If you are planning on driving through Stillwater, check the traffic report first. Stillwater traffic can be brutal on a Saturday! Please let us know if you are planning on coming and how many you will bring. Hope you can make it!
We will be having another get together in September for those who can't make it this time.
Oh, and if you'd like to order canning tomatoes or freezer corn to take home with you Saturday let us know by Friday Noon
20# box of tomatoes = 30$
1 1/9 bu. box of corn (about 4 dozen)= 25$
Next Week:
peppers, tomatoes, onions, potatoes, broccoli, melons...