Author: Core Group

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Week #5 — Note from the Farmer

Dear CSA Member

Summer Squash in abundance. We have not had such a bountiful harvest in a couple of years. So happy to be able to send such a great share of Summer Squash. There are great Summer Squash Recipes in the Recipe section of the farm website. I just made the Chocolate Zucchini Bread. Just delicious, it is almost a cake. Larger squash of any variety and especially the Patty Pan, sliced, marinated in a bit of Italian Salad Dressing and then on the grill. Or even just brushed with a little Olive Oil and then grilled. Grate some of the larger squash, measure 2 cups and freeze in a zip lock bag and you will have squash to make bread into the winter.

This week is also the first Fruit Share. Please pick up the Fruit Share only if you have ordered the optional share. Fruit will be delivered every week from now on. Mushroom Shares are delivered each week. Please check to make sure you take all of your shares home depending on what you have ordered.

Enjoy the Vegetables.
Deborah for everyone at Stoneledge Farm

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Week #4 — What’s in the Bag

FULL VEGETABLE SHARE
Red Tide Lettuce-1 head
Romaine Lettuce-1 head
Red Oak Leaf Lettuce-1 head
Bright Lights Swiss Chard-1 bunch
Early Jersey Wakefield Cabbage-1 head
Garlic Scapes-4
Summer Squash-5
Sugar Snap Peas-1 pound

MUSHROOM SHARE
Oyster

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Week #4 — Note from the Farmer

Dear CSA Member

Welcome Summer. What a glorious first week. Blue sky, breezy but warm. As soon as we were finished transplanting Kale and Collards for this fall, rain. From plant to animal we are all loving the weather.  

The lettuces are still coming on strong and it will be another week of greens. Romaine, Red Leaf and a Red Oak Leaf and are the lettuces this week. The lettuces come in abundance and then they are suddenly gone until fall. They do not grow well in the hot weather of July and August. Fill your salad bowls and enjoy while they last.

The first of the Early Jersey Wakefield Cabbage and Summer Squash. Early Jersey Wakefield is an Heirloom cabbage. Small with a pointed top. Very sweet tasting.

The first picking of Summer Squash is abundant. The following weeks will probably not be such a heavy load but we are sending a generous share with the first picking. There are five different varieties of Summer Squash that we grow and you will receive a mix of what has been picked over the season. You should look for: Sunburst is a flat, patty pan, a couple of different green Zucchini varieties but we will call them all Zucchini. Golden Glory which is a gold Zucchini, Romanesco, a striped Zucchini looking squash and finally Zephyr which is a bi-colored summer squash.  Yellow on the top, green on the bottom. They are all delicious.  

To top off the week, Sugar Snap Peas. These are edible pod peas so snap the stem, pull off the string and eat the entire pod. A treat that only comes once a year.

Marketplace orders of Organic Fair trade Coffee, Organic Dark Chocolate, local Honey and Maple Syrup will be delivered weekly. To order just log into your CSA Member account and select Marketplace.  You can also order Mushrooms in bulk from the Marketplace. Mushroom orders must be received by Friday at 6.
 
Enjoy the vegetables.
Deborah for everyone at Stoneledge Farm

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Week #3 — What’s in the Bag

FULL VEGETABLE SHARE
Red Tide Lettuce-1 head
Red Sail Lettuce-1 head
Frisee Endive-1 head
Romaine Lettuce-1 head
Buttercrunch Lettuce-1 head
Bright Lights Swiss Chard-1 bunch
Garlic Scapes-4
Kohlrabi-1 bunch This is the last picking of Kohlrabi.
Summer Spinach-1 bunch

MUSHROOM SHARE
Crimini

The ODD & EVEN shares are subject to change. At this time:
ODD:
Frisee Endive-1 head
Buttercrunch Lettuce-1 head

EVEN:
Romaine Lettuce-1 head

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Week #3 — Note from the Farmer

Dear CSA Member,

This is the busiest time of year on the farm. The harvest is now well underway, transplanting seedlings for fall, tending the small plants in the greenhouses, weeds and insects loving the cool, wet weather we have been having and then once newly transplanted seedlings are planted there is irrigating. It is hard to keep up with all that needs to be done day to day. It is also a wonderful time of year when months of work is ready for harvest.

This is salad season. It comes and goes quickly so enjoy the greens of spring. The Romaine can be grilled, Lettuce Soup recipe is on the farm website and if you are invited to dinner or a party, volunteer to bring the salad! This week the lettuces are beautiful. The lettuce is mature but still sweet and tender. There are four different varieties: Romaine, Red Tide, Red Sails and Buttercrunch. New this season is a Frisee Endive that is also a great addition to the fresh salad. Red Tide is a smaller, redder lettuce. Red Sails larger and very tender so handle carefully.

Try slicing the Kohlrabi and adding it raw to the salad. It is crispy and sweet when raw.  It also makes a delicious slaw.  

For the first time this season Bright Lights Swiss Chard. Beautiful multicolored stems of yellow, reds, oranges adorn the Bright Lights Swiss Chard.  

Garlic Scapes are the green pig tail looking stem. The scape is the immature seed head of the garlic plant that is removed to send more growing energy to the bulb below the soil. The scape grows from the center of the above ground portion of the plant. Scapes have the same flavor and use as the garlic bulb. Delicious Garlic Scape Pesto is easy to make. The recipe can be found on the farm Recipe section or use your favorite pesto recipe substituting the scape for basil.

Marketplace items Honey, Maple, Coffee, Organic Dark Chocolate can be ordered any time during the season and will be delivered with your CSA shares. The Organic Dark Chocolate is delicious. 

Enjoy the Vegetables
Deborah for everyone at Stoneledge Farm

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Pick-up Times

Please note that the pick-up time is Tuesday 3:00-6:50PM. Before and after those hours our volunteers are working hard to setup or close down the site. Please only come between 3:00-6:50 to get your share so the volunteers can do their work efficiently.

Thank you,
The Core Group

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Week #2 — What’s in the Bag

Full Vegetable Share
Red tide red leaf lettuce-1 head
Natacha escarole-1 head (this is the flatter green with slightly more durable leaves)
Romaine lettuce-1 head
Boc choi-1 head
Cherriette radishes-1 bunch
Mizuna-1 bunch
Tropicana green leaf lettuce-1 head
Kholrabi-1 bunch
Sage-1 bunch

Mushroom share
Shiitake

The ODD & EVEN half shares are subject to change. At this time:
EVEN
Red Tide Red Leaf lettuce-1 head
Natacha escarole-1 head
Boc choi-1 head

ODD
Tropicana green leaf lettuce-1 head
Romaine lettuce-1 head

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Week #2 — Farmer’s Note

Dear CSA Member,

 Refrigerators will be full of greens this week. A salad spinner and wok will be useful.

Lettuces of three varieties: Romaine, Red Tide Red Leaf and Tropicana Green Leaf lettuce. Bright red Cherriette Radishes, thinly sliced Mizuna added to the lettuces make a beautiful salad.  Mizuna is also a great addition to the Boc Choi for a stir fry.

There is nothing that can beat a salad spinner this time of year. I have found it easiest to wash greens by cutting the stem portion off, giving the leaves a good dunk, drain and dunk again, spin dry.  The lettuces will keep for at least a week in the salad spinner if you have enough room or in a plastic bag or container.

Boc Choi is delicious and plentiful. More stir fry for a quick and easy dinner.  

Natacha Escarole is a slightly bitter green. White Beans and Escarole are a classic. There are very good recipes for Escarole on the farm website “Recipes” section that members have contributed them over time.  Doesn’t Warm French Lentil Salad sound great? 

The CSA Marketplace is open and you can order Honey, Maple, Coffee and Organic Dark Chocolate to be delivered with your CSA shares. Members are raving about the Organic Dark Chocolate. Who would think that something so absolutely delicious could also be so good for you?

Fruit Shares can still be added to your Vegetable Share but we will be closing the Fruit Shares on June 21.  If you would like to order Fruit, log into your CSA Member Account*, select 2014 CSA Shares and add the Fruit Share.

Enjoy the vegetables.
Deborah for everyone at Stoneledge Farm

*This is the Stoneledge Farm website https://www.stoneledgefarmny.org not csasprouts.org

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Week #1 — What’s in the Bag

Rhubarb-1 bunch
Boc Choi-1
Chinese Cabbage-1
Red Tide Red Leaf Lettuce-1 head
Tropicana Green Leaf Lettuce-1 head
White Russian Kale-1 bunch
Kolibri Red Kohlrabi-1 bunch
Suehlihung Mustard Greens-1 bunch
Garlic Chive-1 bunch

OPTIONAL SHARES:
Mushroom Shares-White Button
Coffee Shares will be delivered this week

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Week #1 — Note from the Farmer

Dear CSA Member,

Beautiful sunny weather has ushered in this first week of picking and delivery for CSA shares. The first week is always full of activity.  Picking, packing, counting and re-counting to make sure all of the shares are delivered correctly.

Greens are plentiful and stir fry is a perfect fit. Mustard Greens are a spicy green that will cook quickly. Boc Choi and Chinese Cabbage, chopped thinly can be added to a salad or quickly cooked in a wok. White Russian Kale will make delicious Kale Chips or because it is still very tender, a great raw Kale Salad. Red Kohlrabi are just beautiful. Quite a few recipes can be found at https://www.yummly.com/recipes/red-kohlrabi. I have not tried them but they look good.

Rhubarb, a springtime favorite. The bunches are not large enough to make a pie, but just right for the Spring Rhubarb Cake featured on the farm website, Recipes section. It really is a delicious recipe.

CSA Marketplace is open and you can log into your CSA Member Account to order Organic Dark Chocolate, Honey, Maple Syrup, and Coffee. Mushrooms are also available in a bulk offering but orders need to be placed by Friday morning so we can give the Mushroom farm enough notice.

Optional Shares: Mushrooms this week are White Button.
Coffee Share delivery will be made this week.

Please remember to pick up your Optional Shares if you have ordered either Mushroom or Coffee Shares. Marketplace orders will also be delivered with the CSA shares.

Members will ask, where is the Fruit Share? Fruit Shares will start the 5th CSA delivery when local fruit is available.

Enjoy the vegetables.
Deborah for everyone at Stoneledge Farm