Week 12, CSA

In Your Share . . .
Share items may vary depending on your share size and harvest day. Every share may not have every item listed below.

Stringless Green Beans – organic
These stringless snap beans, the most popular variety it seems, only need the ends removed, then either use whole or break into bite sized pieces prior to cooking. Refrigerate to store.

Blackberries and / or Raspberries – organic
The berries are very ripe and ready to enjoy. We do our best to harvest them as ripe as possible to ensure the best flavor, but know that we still have to cool them and get them to you safely prior to one or two becoming over ripe. Rinse before eating, store refrigerated.

We should tell you that the red raspberries grown at Elmwood are the fall-bearing varieties. We expect them to begin production late August and continue until frost. This hot year, we see that some berry plants have already begun ripening – not having seen this before, we do not know if the plants will continue the rest of the summer, or stop early since they started early. For now, enjoy and we’ll keep you posted on the production.

Sweet Corn
Yeh! More sweet corn is ready for harvest. This super sweet white variety has been the best tasting so far this season according to the taste testers here at the farm (all self-appointed to this job, of course).

Sweet Onion – organic
You are probably familiar with the name brand of sweet onion, Vidalia, only grown in Georgia. Any farm can grow the same variety, but cannot call them Vidalia unless they are grown in Vidalia County, Georgia (or the surrounding counties) as stipulated by law. Our sweet onions are tasty this season. They have not been “cured” for long time storage, but you probably will not want to refrigerate either unless you have pieces left over after cleaning and slicing.

All-Blue Potatoes – organic
Contrary to popular belief, potatoes are not fattening on their own, it’s the butter and cream. High in Vit. B, potatoes are mostly starch with a little protein, sugars, and random other vitamins and minerals.

Find some All-Blue potatoes with a deep blue skin and the same color flesh inside. They keep the color after cooking, have outstanding flavor, and moist texture. Most popular preparations include baking, boiling, and potato salad. Store refrigerated.

Summer Squash

Tomatoes, Heirloom and Yellow Slicing - organic

Tomatoes, Heirloom Salad – organic
We continue with the small salad tomatoes as our early first crop wanes and the mid-season crop begins to be ready for harvest. We still see Tigerella and Black Plum varieties, along with Chadwick Cherry, Gold Nugget, Green Zebra, and the Peach Tomato. Enjoy whole, halved, chunked in salads, as a snack, or put on a kebab for the grill. Store at room temperature.

Watermelon
Today’s melon is the old fashioned variety of Sugar Baby, an icebox seeded red watermelon. Once you cut into it, refrigerate, but it is not necessary when still whole and uncut. It does live up to its name and seems as sweet as sugar this season.

Specialty Asian Melon
The greenish skin Asian melon is a small variety with a creamish to light greenish color flesh inside. The Asian melons are never as sweet as a traditional Southern canteloupe, but do offer an outstanding eating experience. Try mixing with other melon or berries for a fresh salad. Cut into slices or cubes and refrigerate in a covered container to keep.

Okra - organic
Several of you have been asking for fresh okra this season. Store refrigerated until ready to prepare. You only need to remove the stem, then toss in seasoned corn meal and lightly pan fry in your favorite cooking oil. Eat as a snack or serve as a side vegetable. Okra can also be stewed with corn and tomatoes.

Recipes to Enjoy . . .

All-In-One-Pot Using My CSA Share
Our thanks to a CSA member for this recipe she describes as “probably not all that original, but it was easy, forgiving, and used up a lot of my CSA odds and ends. It’s a keeper!”

¼ C chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 C green beans, tip and tailed
2 ears corn, cut into 1" disks
1 lb rope sausage, cut into 1" chunks
3 red potatoes, partially cooked in the microwave and cut lengthwise into wedges

In a small pan, sauté red onion and garlic in a little oil. In your 3-quart Dutch oven, combine green beans, corn, sausage, potatoes and onion/garlic mixture. Pour 1 C water over the mixture and salt/pepper to taste. Cook on medium-low heat for 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Serve with homemade bread.

New Potatoes in White Wine
from Bert Greene

1¼ pound small potatoes
4 T unsalted butter
2/3 C dry white wine
3 T chopped fresh parsley (or other favorite herb)
1 T chopped fresh dill
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cut away a small strip of peel around each potato with a vegetable peeler to give a candy-striped look. Cook potatoes in boiling salted water until barely tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain.

Melt 2 T of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the potatoes and roll them in the skillet until a light crust forms, but do not let them brown. Add the wine; raise the heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the wine is reduced and the sauce is fairly thick, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, the parsley and the dill. Stir gently to coat the potatoes with the herbs. Serves 4.

Cream of Squash Soup
Our thanks to a CSA member who has shared several successful recipes and this has turned into one of her favorites. This soup could also be made with zucchini or broccoli.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

1½ pounds yellow summer squash
2 T butter
1 medium onion, sliced
¼ lemon, sliced, seeds removed
¼ C flour
6 C chicken, turkey or vegetable broth
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp white pepper
3 to 4 grinds of fresh nutmeg or dash of ground nutmeg
1 C heavy cream or fat-free half-and-half

Wash and trim squash. Slice, reserving 8 very thin slices for garnish. In a large saucepan, melt butter; gently sauté onion and lemon. Sprinkle with flour and cook slowly, stirring, until flour is absorbed. Add chicken broth gradually, then sliced squash, salt and pepper. Simmer for 1 hour. Puree soup in blender or food processor. Add nutmeg. To heat, stir in cream with a wire whisk and cook over low heat. Do not allow to boil. Garnish cream of squash soup with reserved squash slices. Squash soup serves 4-6.

Melon Smoothie
recipe adapted from Fresh Start by Julee Rosso. Serves 1

¼ fresh melon, cut into chunks (about 1 cup)
2 T plain yogurt
1 T honey
juice of ½ lime
sprig of mint for garnish, if desired

Process all of the ingredients, except the mint, in a blender until smooth. Garnish with the mint sprig and serve immediately.