Week Seven

In the Bag

~Last of the Sugar Snap and Snow Peas to South Minneapolis and Baldwin
~Broccoli
~Shell Peas to GC, MPR, St. Paul, Uptown
~Lettuce
~Carrots (Thumbelina and Mokum—thumbelinas are shaped like beets—great for roasting).
~Summer Squash (Zucchini, Yellow Squash and Sunburst Yellow Squash—though you may not get all of these at once).
~Fennel
~ Onions
~Red Cabbage
~The Odd Surprise (Things like the Japanese eggplant and tomatoes are starting to ripen...but not nearly fast enough to put these in all the bags, so I will just toss them in here and there and if you find one, think of it as a bonus).

Snow peas are slightly fatter/bigger with small peas inside...they are in with the lettuce. Both kinds are good for raw eating or in stir-fry. I think the snow peas are actually sweeter....eat the pods and all. Shell peas should be shelled and just eat the pea raw or cooked.






Farmer’s Muse from Erin

As a CSA farmer and Land Stewardship Project member, I belong to a CSA list serv hosted by LSP. Other CSA farmers can write each other about anything that seems pertinent. This week one farmer wrote to everyone about how she had never seen such dry, cool weather in her many years farming and that it was really starting to take a toll on her crops, and she wanted others to weigh in. No one has, but I’ve been pondering this over the last few days. Is my garden behind? What kind of toll is the weather taking on our crops?

I’ve compared what we are sending out this week and last to last year and it does seem like certain things are behind (tomatoes—particularly cherry tomatoes and eggplant and green beans). Onions are behind, garlic is behind and the winter squash is behind. Cucumbers are way behind. Here it is almost the end of July and so many things are just poking along.

I’m hoping the weather doesn’t adversely affect our total harvest. Hopefully even though the tomatoes are late, we’ll still have plenty (by the looks of the green ones hanging on the vines it seems so).

For now, I’m taking pride in the plethora and plentitude of the carrots (my members from last year will surely agree this years are much bigger and more prolific).













Carrot Fennel Orange Soup (from MACSAC Cookbook)

2 tablespoons butter
1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced
4 cups sliced carrots
1 garlic clove, sliced thin
4 cups water, vegetable broth or chicken broth
½ tsp salt
1/3 cup orange juice
¼ cup sour cream

Heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add sliced fennel and cook, stirring often, until soft and beginning to turn golden. Add carrots adn garlic; cook and stir for a minute or so. Add water or broth and salt; bring to simmer, cover, and cook until carrots and fennel are tender, about 20 minutes. Puree mixture in a food processor or blender, or with an immersion blender. Stir in orange juice and sour cream until smooth and creamy. Reheat on low heat, but do not boil. Serve each bowl garnished with fennel fronds.






















Carrot Mushroom Loaf from the Moosewood Cookbook

1 cup chopped onion
4 ½ cups grated carrots
1 1b chopped mushrooms
5 eggs
2 cloves garlic
1 cup fresh, whole wheat breadcrumbs
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
¼ cup butter
salt and pepper
basil
thyme

Crush garlic into melting butter. Add onions and mushrooms and sauté til soft.

Combine all ingredients (saving half the breadcrumbs and cheese for the top). Season to taste.

Spread into buttered oblong baking pan. Sprinkle with remaining breadcrumbs and cheese. Dot with butter.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes covered and 5 minutes uncovered.