Pick up #5
Last week was HOT and called for our meals to be cooked on the grill. BBQ sauce tofu kabobs are shown here.
The summer spicy heat is gone! The humidity has abated! The forecasted low is 51?!?! It’s not September yet. If memory serves me, we do get a cool spell before the state fair and then things heat up again. Sleeping with the windows wide open and throwing another blanket on the bed is A-okay with me.
You may have noticed some rain recently. We have gotten another 5” since last newsletter. 2024 is now officially the wettest year that we’ve observed here since 2018. We have a book about the area titled, “ Shafer from Swamp to Village”. In some places we could amend that title with “and back to swamp.” I kid, but things are a bit damp.
-Andrew
Here are Andrew’s yearly rain total amounts.
Last Friday we took a break from the heat and tried out a new beach on the St Croix River. This is on the shore of the river near Interstate Park’s campground and picnic area. A rocky beach with some gently moving water, and for the most part unoccupied. It was a delightful way to cool off before we headed to Osceola and dined at our favorite restaurant The Watershed Cafe’.
Share Contents- please remember to wash all vegetables before eating, and it is ok to swap things out at pick up! Some recipes are linked in the vegetable description.
Cherry tomatoes- A medley of them, all delicious. Keep them on the counter if you don’t eat them immediately.
Cucumbers- Dragon’s eggs and a regular green one. Store in the fridge in a bag.
Carrots- Survivors of all the rain. Store in a bag without the tops in the fridge for onger lasting veggies.
Cabbage- Our pointed headed cabbage is back this year (caraflex). Tender, sweet, great raw or cooked/grilled. Store in a bag in the fridge.
Green Beans- A summertime standard that is great raw or cooked. Stores in a bag in the fridge. Andrew’s favorite way to enjoy green beans.
Broccoli- Yay broccoli! Store in a bag in the fridge.
Potatoes- Red Norland and Purple Vikings, both white inside. Keep them out of direct sunlight on the counter is fine.
Basil- Don’t refrigerate it, but it likes to live in a loose bag for some airflow.
Garlic- Just about cured! So delicious! Stores just fine on the counter.
Onions- Another survivor of the rain, their tops didn’t look so great so they’ve been removed. Since they aren’t cured it’s best to keep them refrigerated.
Is that a snake?!? No. It’s an Armenian cucumber. It’s a cucumber that has flavor notes of a melon. They’re long, striped, a little fuzzy, and oh so delicious. We’ve tried them in the past, but have never grown enough for the CSA. Hopefully this is their year to make it to the box. Fingers crossed for box #6.
As always, we thank you for your understanding and support as we drift into August. We are meeting with Julie of Shepherd Moon Farm next week to see if we can be a host site for her CSA next year. Stay tuned for details on this. We thought of Shepherd Moon first since they are close to us and they offer financial breaks for folks in the community who need it, like we do with Fairshare but not through a non-profit. This option would be on-farm pick up only as Andrew is also envisioning himself stepping away from the Farmer’s Market next year. We will likely be growing crops that require the whole summer season to grow, like onions, garlic, sweet potatoes, possibly ginger and turmeric, and who knows what else :). These products would be available through our farm store for on-farm pick up, or possibly could be shipped.
Have a wonderful week and enjoy these beautiful August days,
Margaret and Andrew
