CSA Week 10

This week you MAY have peaches, tomatoes, onion, corn (Merai?), beans, greens, peppers, eggplant, radishes garlic? melon? Purple potatoes?

“Melons” include watermelons too. You might see a Sugar Baby (very dark green bowling ball) or Yellow Doll (aka yellow belly, soft green with stripes bowling ball). Check out the melons page for more, just in case they are still coming 😉

I have this sneaking suspicion odd things might show up in the bag this week – unbeknownst to me! Be aware that celery and tomatillos often happen around now. Just trying to warn ya.

Get your tomatoes!! We have a special price for CSA members of $30/.case (non-members pay $35+ depending on the week). Do you need something else for preserving? Send me an email at stillmans@verizon.net and we will try to fix you up.

I saw quite a few beans, but have no idea where they are going.I do know there were already several weeks with beans 🙂 You know most CSA do not include beans, peas or berries in their packed CSA shares because it is so labor intensive. It’s not only the picking, but the packaging up for your box/bag, it all takes time. Pretty sure there is garlic – it’s still in the drying stage so can be excessively sticky to peel. it’s SO good though! Radishes are happening – you may have gotten some last week, in which case you are not likely to see them again this week 😉 Look out for the Cherry Belle, French Breakfast (elongated red and white), Rose Queen (elongated dark rose)…and at some point, the watermelon radishes (whitish green skin with red meat)

Reminder about the possibility of yellow corn. ENJOY!

French Breakfast (pink and white) and Cherrybelle(round red) radishes
Molly Delicious Apples

Recipes

Tomato Pie

I’m keen on making a tomato tart with Boursin or goat cheese spread on a baked pastry crust and topped with sliced tomatoes, but this is quite a bit more substantial and very rich. Be sure to drain the tomatoes well.

  • 1 pie shell partially or fully baked
  • 2 medium-large tomatoes
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • ½ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
  •  2 Tbs chopped basil
  • ¾  cup shredded Cheddar cheese
  • ¼  cup diced onion
  • Pepper to taste

Peel the tomatoes, slice thinly and place on layers of toweling to drain. Pat with more paper towels to absorb as much liquid as possible. Mix together mayo, yogurt/sour cream, basil, ½ cup cheese and pepper.

Sprinkle remaining cheese over bottom of crust. Arrange tomato slices on top of cheese. Sprinkle onion over tomatoes. Cover completely with mayo mixture and smooth top.

Bake at 375 for 40-50 minutes. Let rest at least 20 minutes before slicing.

Peach Salsa

3 peaches diced
2-3 medium tomatoes diced
1 bell pepper finely diced
hot peppers of your choice finely diced – you are in control of the heat!
1 small onion (I used 1/4 of one of ours) finely diced
2 T cilantro chopped (I just threw down this amount, use more/less/none depending how you feel about cilantro…I sub parsley or basil based on crowd)
2 Tbsp lemon or lime juice
S & P to taste

Toss all together and enjoy with chips, on fish or pork. Fish tacos anyone?

Busy Farmwife Stir-fry

Start your rice if you want it.

Wash and chop any bunch or head of your Asian greens. Heat 2 T of oil and a splash of toasted sesame oil in a skillet (yes, you can use your wok if you have one). If you have an onion to slice, or a couple cloves of garlic, a hot or sweet pepper, or ginger add them to your hot oil and sauté for a couple minutes. Add your chopped greens (please be careful of spattering when the water clinging to your greens hits the hot oil). Toss ’round and season with a little soy sauce and rice vinegar.

This is a fine side or full meal on some rice. It takes less time to make from start to finish than it takes to cook the rice 😉

That’s the super simple and fast version. If you have oyster and or hoisin sauce, by all means use it to boost flavor. Want sauce instead of just juice? Mix 1-2 T cornstarch with equal water (or broth, soy sauce, miso…) and stir into your stir-fry at end of cooking.

Check out:

Fresh Salsa
Toasted-Oat Shortcakes with Basil-Scented Peaches

Grilled Fish Tacos (USDA Mixing Bowl)

Two more weeks of CSA option!


CSA is going so awesome, why not keep things rolling until Still Life Farm winter CSA begins!!! Add two more weeks to your 16!! (we are on week 10 this week) We are offering an extension to current CSA members of an additional two weeks for $60. That way you will have your winter squash, Brussels sprouts, apples and other fall crops. It’s simple, just complete your purchase for 2 more weeks and we will keep you on your existing list. These two weeks will blend seamlessly filling the gap between our Summer CSA and Still Life Farm’s Winter CSA.

With all the payroll increases, we are increasing the regular 16-week, CSA price to $500…

This is still far more competitive, price-wise, than many other area CSAs, especially when one considers the variety (including fruit) and value of what we so enjoy providing to you.

Since it is almost time to start signing up for next year, we are offering some bundle options. Curt and Halley Stillman, at Still Life farm, still have a few spots open for their wonderful Winter CSA (5 deliveries, once a month) More here
Here are the bundle options:
  • 2 week CSA extension + 2021 16-week CSA for $476 (early discount of 15% off both the 16-week CSA and the two week CSA extension (that’s $75 off CSA and $9 off the two extra bags :))
  • 2 week CSA extension + Winter CSA for  $350
  • 2 week CSA extension + Winter CSA + 2021 16-week CSA for $766 ($290 for Winter CSA + early discount of 15% off both the 16-week CSA and the two week CSA extension (that’s $75 off CSA and $9 off the two extra bags :))
  • Just interested in the Winter CSA right now? Then sign up directly with Curt and Halley for ease. Still Life Farm Winter CSAl

Coupon 15OFFCSA will be automatically applied at checkout for 2 weeks + Summer CSA (with or without Winter CSA)
Coupon 15OFFEXTRA will be automatically applied at checkout for 2 weeks + Winter CSA

Woot!

Don’t want any more CSA bags this year and not ready to sign up for next year? No worries! We will still be offering our 15% off discount to returning members through November. The early sign up discount offer will go out to members later in October. Also, you can always sign up for Still Life farm Winter CSA or Stillman Quality Meats meat bucks whenever…we just wanted to offer a special deal for right now. The special bundle offer expires October 10.

Farm Dirt

The farm enjoyed several timely rains this past week and JUST IN TIME for the last planting of cole crops. Speaking of cole crops, I hear there might be broccoli next week! It got held back due to the heat, so likely it will all come at once now and everyone will see it in their bags 🙂 I believe there are 4 or 5 plantings of all the cole crops (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbages…) and that should keep us in cruciferous veggies until the end. I keep hearing the cabbages are not ready and that has become a standing joke on the farm. Honestly, unless Glenn goes out to look for himself, everyone will wait until the cabbages are 6 pound basketballs! Faith has been asking to make kaldomer and I keep thinking, I gotta get out there and check the cabbages 😉

It’s fun to pick apples! Paula Reds now, Early Macs, Zestar, Sensa and Molly Delicious to follow.  Glenn thinks there will be Molly Delicious in the coming week. Molly Delicious are a heritage apple variety also known as Sheepnose. I love their crisp sweetness. After the Molly’s we will be picking Redcorts, Cortland, McIntosh, Macoun, Golden Delicious, Empire, Ida Red, Ben Davis…not necessarily in that order.

We had two bags (a bag is 5 dozens) of corn leftover at Hardwick market Sunday – yes, we sold out the week before. Go figure. Well, Glenn and I decided it was high time to start filling the freezers. I blanched a bags worth and he cut it off the cobb for packaging. Then I cut off the kernels from the other bag and sauteed with poblanos, red pepper, and onions until cooked and packaged up for a ready to go side. The house smelled amazing and we now have all the corn we need put away. We have lots more to put by soon, tomatoes, peaches and salsa canned, beans, zucchini squares and eggplants frozen- so much to do!

Eat well,

Geneviève Stillman  Â