BGF CSA - Newsletter Week 4

Greetings BGF CSA Members,

Happy Fourth of July Weekend! To all of our family, friends, and members who currently serve in or are veterans of the armed forces, thank you for fighting to keep our freedom alive!

We hope you have been enjoying these first few boxes of the season - they seem to get better each week! The quality and quantity of crops this year, compared to last, is incredible. And though we are having a good year, we are not immune to problems. Early blight has hit some of our tomato plants. Those of you members who were with us last year and felt the neglect of no tomatoes due to blight, have no fear! This year we have it under control. Our plants are growing strong and you will see tomatoes in your boxes by the end of July!

To our fellow gardeners, be on the look out for this blight. Early blight is different from late blight - this one is seen on the leaves in the form of small black circles with a tinge of yellow. And if caught early enough, the plant can be saved.

We are excited to see the zucchini is ready! This is the true sign that summer has arrived. We usually grow more than we know what to do with, so we are happy to share plenty with you. A simple way to prepare zucchini is to slice and saute in pan with olive oil, chopped garlic scapes and parmasan cheese. YUM!

You will be getting more potatoes - this is the very last of our winter storage. The potato is an incredible vegetable - its storage life is long and its nutritional value is endless - and our family has been growing AND eating them for over 100 years! Enjoy!


What you may expect to find in your box this week:
potatoes
head lettuce
salad mix
garlic scapes
green onions
sugar peas
zucchini
basil


Culinary Corner

• Always wash your produce!
  
• A simple way to preserve herbs is to either dry or freeze them.
  To dry basil, for instance, you hang the herb by its stems upside down. It can take severals days or weeks to dry thoroughly - when its brittle to the touch - since the humidity level varies per home. When the herb is dry, take a knife or small food processor to crush the leaves into tiny pieces. Keep in an air-tight container or spice jar. To freeze basil, you use an ice cube tray. Place several leaves in each cube hole, then fill with water and freeze. Once frozen, transfer the cubes into a freezer bag. This makes it convenient to take out as many cubes as needed when you want. NOTE - Frozen herbs maintain similar flavor as fresh herbs. The flavor of dry herbs intensifies - that's why you use less when cooking.
• You can also freeze most of the produce we supply. Zucchinis, for instance, are great to freeze if you are one who uses them in cooking or baking. Simply cut off the ends, grate them, and store them in freezer bags already measured in quantities for specific recipes. Be sure to use a permanent marker to label them, especially marking the date.

In the Kitchen

Freedom Potato Salad - this recipe is so named because of the freedom to choose your own ingredients. Enjoy!

Essential Ingredient:

2 lbs. potatoes, peeled & cubed

Feel “free” to use any or all of the following ingredients (or add your own ideas):

1 celery stalk, diced (even use leafy ends - great flavor)

2 T green onion, chopped

2 T garlic scape, chopped

½ C sugar peas, quartered

2 T fresh basil

1 T dill

1 T parsley

4 hard boiled eggs, peeled & chopped

4 slices cooked bacon, chopped

salt & pepper to taste

Dressing:

½ C mayo (Kraft’s with olive oil is delicious)

½ C sour cream

2 T white or red wine vinegar

Scrub the potatoes. Peel and cut them into bite size pieces. Boil them for 20 minutes. Drain the water and let cool. While potatoes are cooling, mix together the dressing and prepare the other ingredients.

Chop up any of the listed “free” ingredients you wish to incorporate into your salad. The best way to prepare fresh herbs is to use scissors to cut them, unless you have a mandolin knife. Toss together your selection of ingredients with cooled potatoes. Stir together mayo, sour cream, and vinegar. (Milk may be substituted for the vinegar.  Pour over potato mixture and gently stir. You may need to add more mayo/sour cream depending on how wet you like your salad. This salad is best if made the day before you wish to serve it so flavors have a chance to meld.


Happy 4th of July!

Scott & Chrissy Farabaugh

814-948-7188

sctfab@yahoo.com