Hey there CSA members!
We are officially passing mid season this week! The tomatoes are pouring in and so many perfect cherry tomatoes coming out of the high tunnel we can barely pick them as fast as they ripen now. Tomatoes are my absolute favorite crop and we spend a lot of hours maintaining them since they’re started in March. I think homegrown organic tomatoes don’t really get much better then these and hopefully these sweet fruits being one of the most hydrating veggies along with our cucumbers which are also looking amazing this week will help everyone stay energized in the summer heat. My favorite thing to do with them lately is to make caprese pizza! We are just starting to see some of the first peppers coming in but just a few so far. Im expecting quite the crop this year because they look really healthy and bushy but they are later. This last week we got the garlic in also although our yield was affected by the drought so we will likely have to save most of it for seed to replant this fall.. This week we have an awesome crops of celery coming in also which should be pretty good. This weeks crops are as follows….
Cherry tomatoes: I think we have some amazing cherry tomatoes and they make great pico, or caprese salads, or roast them on a skewer on low on the grill. So many coming in that we are loading up large shares with double of these this week just like last week.
Heirloom tomatoes: These are so good for BLT’s or tomato sandwiches, or sliced thick on a plate with just some olive oil and balsamic and basil or cheese. They also make great sauce or panzanilla salad.
Zucchini and Summer Squash: Just like the green zucchini the yellow zucchini is cooked the same way and lends itself well to stir fries, pizzas, pastas, and curries. I really like them grilled.
Cucumbers: I think these fruits pair great with our tomatoes for a fresh tomato cake salad. My grandma always made them as cucumber salad with onions and sugar and they were always so popular they were gone the moment they hit the table. I really like sprinkling sea salt and tajin seasoning on them also to eat fresh.
Eggplant: Our eggplant is producing well now in the new greenhouse and we have some beautiful long lavender colored eggplants for y’all.
Carrots: Our carrots this week are loose and bagged without tops, enjoy them as they are sweet and tasty for sure this year.
Red Curly kale, Our curly kale is great for salad or cooking. When using it raw its best to massage the greens with some oil to tenderize it a bit for salad. If you have some stockpiled from last week then maybe make a batch of kale chips to catch up one your kale consumption. I use kale in stir fries or also juicing at home too. this red type is looking stunning this week.
Basil: Just have to include some to go with the tomatoes!
Thats all our items for this week folks. Thanks for being part of the CSA and I hope you enjoyed the first half of the season and this beggining of the second half….. We will keep the ball rolling and the tomatoes pumping out here for a delicious tomato filled summer ahead of us.
-Kyle
