Category Archives: CSA

2016 CSA Fall October 1st

Bell Peppers
Eggplant Medley
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Baby Ginger
Thai Basil with flowers
Delicata Squash
Tomatoes (pick from set)
Cucumber
Patty Pan Squash
Baby Arugula 8×8
Hatch type green chilies

Delicata squash this week! So versatile and the skin is so thin, you can eat that too. We cut them in half, scoop out the seeds, (roast seeds for a bonus treat) and bake on a pan with about ½ an inch of water for about half an hour @350. They can also be stuffed and baked…we like to use the toasted seeds as a garnish. Consider using greens, cheese, and herbs for a yummy stuffing combo. For a quick dish, we like to roast the halves and then garnish with pumpkin and Indian spices like ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric, and cardamom. Simply with brown sugar and butter makes for a nice desert with the custard-like consistency when cooked.

This week we have been enjoying eggplant lasagna-style, substituting the pasta sheets with slices of eggplant instead. Did you know that that you can also dry sliced eggplant and store it like pasta?

To the right is a photo of Chef Anderson’s mixed drinks with Thai Basil. Have you ever tried Thai Basil in an iced coffee? Make a simple syrup of sugar and water and steep your leaves as it cools. Use the syrup in your coffee drink. Hope you get inspired this week! Enjoy!

2016 CSA Summer September 24

Bell Peppers
Eggplant Mix
Okra
Tatsoi 10×10
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Fresh dug Baby Ginger
Tomatoes (pick from set)
Gourmet Cucumber
Farm Fresh Eggs
Baby Arugula 8×8
“Hatch” peppers

There are several eggplant varieties for you this week to try. Let us know which one you like best because your vote counts! There are many ways to enjoy eggplant and to save some for after frost, consider making baba ghanoush and popping it into the freezer to savor later. Baba ghanoush is easy to make, as it is essentially cooked eggplant pureed into a dip. A basic core recipe for it is 1 eggplant, 1 lemon, garlic, tahini, and salt. There is a nice recipe at http://minimalistbaker.com/simple-baba-ganoush/.

We have a LOT of fresh eggs right now so we included a dozen in your CSA share this week. If you already get eggs as part of your share, your case will include 2 dozen. We also included a couple of Hatch peppers this week for a spike of flavor classic to the southwest. All of our pepper seed comes certified from the Chile Pepper Institute and none of their seeds are genetically modified. Our farm has taken the Safe Seed Pledge so you can rest assured that none of our products contain gmo material. Although no longer certified, we maintain the original organic growing methods that Mike helped to spearhead decades ago. The tomato house was the very first certified organic greenhouse in the state of Virginia.

Don’t forget that this is the last week of this season’s CSA program and now is the time to sign up for next season. Fill out the back and return to us or go online to sign up today. Delicata coming soon! To your health & pleasure, always, love, leslie.

2016 CSA Summer September 10 Ginger

2016 CSA Summer September 10th Ginger

First Harvest Baby Ginger
Bell Peppers
Eggplant
Okra
Yellow Squash
Gold Bar Zucchini
Tomatoes
Gourmet Cucumber
Patty Pan Squash
Sorrel bunch
Beet tops bunch
Dill
Baby Salad Mix

Woot! It’s the first harvest of the season for our baby ginger! You will find that this ginger is unlike any kind you have bought at a store. It is very aromatic, tender, almost buttery, without the stringyness or toughness that is found in commercial ginger. Keep your ginger wrapped in the refrigerator until ready to use. Yes, we leave the stalks and the leaves on because the whole plant can be utilized in the kitchen. One chef that uses it skewers it into his roast so that as it is cut, little round medalions are embedded throughout. The leaves can be laid out in aluminum foil, glass baking dish or the like and used as a wrap to infuse your meat or veggies. Ginger is a phenomenal digestive aid, anti-microbial, and great tonic for the body. Try cutting some, including rounds of the inner stalk, into stir-fry for a punch of flavor and to enhance wellbeing. We like to brew it into tea and we also grind it with honey, making it easy to add a dollop to hot water for that cup. To your health and your pleasure!