Thursday, September 27, 2012

CSA Week #16




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FARM LETTER
We finally have purple carrots! Our 4-year-old did a wild jig when he first bit into one this week—some kind of Sponge Bob-inspired dance routine, we fear.
The purple carrots have given us a heck of a time this year. Many, many plantings of seeds were planted but wouldn’t germinate, mostly because of the dry weather. But, at last, we got a crop.
We love these carrots because of the rich color and sweet flavor. Our orange carrots are pretty flavorful, but there’s something special about the purples.
If anyone asks you about them, you can let them know that the earlierst carrots were purple. Really. The Dutch in the 17th century altered them to orange.
“Jack Frost” has been hovering in the neighborhood here. So we expect this is the last week you’ll see the salad tomatoes (or any tomatoes), eggplant, and many such summer favorites. We had a good stretch and enjoyed them while they lasted. The sweet bell peppers we’ve been enjoying are also on the short list.
***We had parsley on the harvest list, but our field crew mistook young celery tops for parsley and picked the wrong crop. Our 7-year-old daughter, ironically, was just asking how the celery was coming along. It’s a hard crop to grow in the Northeast, and Ken explained it wasn’t going so well seeing as it’s a crop that needs intensive water.  That’s not to say your celery tops can’t be put to good use. Use much like you would parsley. The stems are flavor-full and would be a great aromatic addition to a sauce, stir-fry or soup. The leaves are good to eat too and contain Vitamin C,  calcium and potassium (more so than the stalks). Use the leaves like parsley leaves or add to a green salad or sandwich, such as tuna or egg salad.

IN THIS WEEK’S SHARE:
1 bunch purple carrots
1 head Romaine lettuce
1 bunch green onions
1 bunch young celery stalks (see farm letter)
1 bunch arugula
1 bunch braising greens
Bell peppers
Eggplant
2 heads garlic
1 pint (1 pound) salad tomatoes

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