Spoutwood Farm CSA Harvest Guide: Week 8- Aug 1, 2005
To view the first harvest for this week, click here
To return to the 2005 Harvest Guide page, click here
CRISIS DOWN ON THE FARM EASES, BUT IS STILL WITH US!! Some people have responded since we put out our alarm. So now in order to meet budget and pay our farmers appropriately, we need 16 more paying members. Tell your friends and family! Remember you can receive a $32 rebate with a successful referral. Have interested people contact Liz (717-235-9272) or Rob (717-235-6610). Large shares are $550 and medium shares are regularly $340. Prorated prices for each week missed are as follows, $20/large and $10/medium.
Benefit Concert at the Farm (to support the CSA). Sunday, August 7 Evening (5-8pm) – Come with a picnic supper and enjoy the music of Spootiskerry, Pat Panther and John Protopapas. CSA members free, public $5. Bring friends, prospective members, everybody! Please RSVP 717-235-6610 or 717-235-9272. When CSA members Kate Bradford and Speedo Mc Fadden heard about our plight they offered their band gratis for the cause. Thank you, thank you Kate and Speedo!!!
WORK HOURS: Please contact Liz ASAP (by phone or e-mail) to confirm a day and time you are planning to work on your share hours. THIS IS IMPORTANT! We need to know in advance that we have help on the schedule.
Important CSA Core Group Meeting and Potluck, Sat, August 6 4pm. All members are invited to help steer the CSA. RSVP as above. Thanks!
Swiss Chard—Both the Bright Lights and the Fordhook Giant (green) Chard don’t do as well in the hot season, but you should receive some about every other week.
Green Peppers – Cook with green peppers or eat raw in salads or sliced with dip.
Squash – Mostly yellow squash to cook, or eat raw with salads or dips. We have a nice patty pan variety called “Sunburst” starting to come in. Zucchini is having difficulties as it did last year??!!?
Potatoes –Harvested three weeks ago, these are white, yellow and blue potatoes .
Carrots – Nothing like a just-picked carrot. We think they’re divine!
Eggplant – The first of the eggplant varieties is “Orient Express,” a long skinny variety. Treat like regular eggplant. Especially good in ratatouille stew or batter fried.
Cherry Tomatoes – A few of those “Sun Gold” cherry toms, very sweet. Also “Washington” red cherries.
Tomatillos – Use to make salsa, cut up for salads or use in stir fries
Tomatoes – Several of our many types of tomatoes are beginning. If a bit green, just leave out on the kitchen counter stem side down and they will ripen quickly. In the sun even faster.
Cucumbers – Oh how wonderful a freshly sliced cucumber. Try with peanut butter on crackers or bread.
Beets – We rescued a few beets before plowing under the beet patch area.
Herbs – Basil and parsley
Flowers – African marigolds, zinnia, dusty lavender joe pye weed, and tansy (yellow buttons).
Recipe of the Week: Spicy Squash Cakes
This recipe works well with a combination of zucchini and pattypan or yellow squash. Temper the fieriness of the jalapenos by adjusting the amount or by removing the seeds and white membrane. Prepare small cakes for an appetizer or larger ones as a side dish or serve with crusty bread and tomato salsa for a full meal.
1 whole egg plus 2 egg whites or use 3 eggs
4 cups grated summer squash
1 cup fresh corn kernels, cut from 2 ears
1/4 cup chopped green onions, tops included
1 large jalapeno pepper, chopped (con’t next page)
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper or black pepper
Canola oil for sautéing
Low-fat sour cream (optional)
Fresh tomato salsa (optional)
1. In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Beat in squash, corn, green onions, jalapeno, the cheeses, flour, olive oil and ground pepper.
2. Heat two tablespoons canola oil in a heavy 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. For small cakes, spoon one tablespoon squash mixture per cake into the hot oil and flatten to uniform thickness. For large cakes, use two tablespoons of squash mixture per cake. Do not over crowd the skillet. Leave about an inch between cakes.
3. Cook until edges turn golden brown. Turn and cook the other side until golden brown, about three minutes total cooking time per cake. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Place in a warm oven and continue cooking the remaining cakes.
4. To serve, arrange two or more cakes on individual plates. Serve with some of the salsa and a dollop of low-fat sour cream. Sprinkle with salt if desired. Serves 6.
Summer Squash
Spoutwood’s CSA is celebrating the harvest of summer squash! We have all types:
· Yellow Crookneck and Straightneck · Green Zucchini
· Light Green or Yellow Pattypan
Summer squash while available all year round is harvested fresh between June and July. Summer squash originated somewhere between Guatemala and Mexico. It is related most closely to melons and cucumbers. In selecting the best summer squash, a nice heavy weight and a tender skin are desirable. Speaking of skin, the nutritional value of the summer squash is hiding immediately under the skin so be sure to serve this veggie with the skin intact( i.e. do not peel)
Summer squash like melons and cucumbers are full of water and therefore are less potent in their nutritional properties than winter squashes. However, the properties are still there. Summer squash has some limited anticancer type effects. Eating summer squash is great for cardiovascular protection. Some nutrients present in summer squash include:
· Vitamin C, Manganese, Magnesium, Potassium, Vitamin A
In nutritional value and in recipes, types of summer squash are interchangeable. Choice of color and shape are a matter of personal aesthetics. Summer squash is great sliced and eaten raw on sandwiches, in wraps or as encroutes. Raw squash may be grated for salads or as an ingredient in baked goods (breads, cakes and cookies). Raw squash julienned or sliced is great for stir fries and grilling.
Unlike winter squash, storage-life for a summer squash is short. Here are two options for extending squash-life:
*You may store unwashed squash in a perforated plastic bag in the refridge up to seven days.
*You may blanch slices of squash for two minutes and store slices in the freezer.
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