CSA Newsletter

Greetings from the Garden! This week's box has red cabbage, beans, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, peppers, green onions, apples, kale, garlic, basil and parsley.

Field Notes. Everything is wet. And certain plants are showing signs of stress. The beans have crested and the next crop was washed out. The summer squash is coming around, but had blossom drop in the heat and then too much rain. The rutabagas and celery root don't look happy...

Ken planted seeds for fall crops and is waiting to see how they germinate - were they washed away?

And now for the good news. Ken and I went to Northern Resilient Habitats Thursday evening for a presentation on the mobile high tunnel. I left Ken behind to help construct the first m.h.t. at Northern Resilient Habitats on Friday. I returned Friday after chores with applesauce I had made and saw the progress - impressive. Left Ken again that evening, but did pick him up Saturday. Now we await the arrival of our m.h.t. We need to do good site prep, and Ken expects to build late summer or early fall. We feel honored to be chosen for this program. And excited.

From the Kitchen. Now is the time to tell you - as I do each year- about Ken's quick upside down pizza. He drizzles some olive oil in a baking dish, adds a medley of summer vegetables - onions, summer squash, eggplant, peppers, cabbage, tomatoes, basil, parsley and tops with biscuit dough and bakes in the oven following the biscuit recipe. Then he places a plate over the pan and flips for drama - or not. We top with some grated cheese, but were told that mixing cheese in the biscuit dough works even better.

I have been making an Asian cucumber salad. Run a fork down the length of the cuke to break the skin - looks good and makes it more digestible. Slice cucumber and some onion and salt for about a half hour while you make the dressing. I use tamari (soy sauce or miso is OK), hot pepper flakes, a teaspoon or less of toasted sesame oil, a bit of honey, some sesame or olive oil and some mild vinegar like rice vinegar. and some toasted sesame seeds.

These apples are from one of two "applesauce" trees. The apples mature early, are soft and sweet, and make the most velvety applesauce. I rinse, remove cores and stems, cook to soft, run through a food mill, and add a bit of honey and spices like cinnamon or nutmeg or mace. Then I like to make gingerbread - a good pairing for applesauce.