2023 CSA Farm Update: Week 11
Wildflowers at the farm
Hello Everyone, and welcome to week 11 of the Katchkie Farm CSA. This week brings us tomatoes and more tomatoes. During the winter months, I decided that we had too many tomatoes in our garden and that we should plant less for this growing season. One would expect less overall yield, but this has not been the case. We have been harvesting crate after crate of them during the past two weeks. We do not spray fungicides of any kind on our tomatoes, which is not the norm. So, I am very grateful for a harvest like this in a wet year given the abundance of leaf blights that are so prevalent in those conditions.
This week also brings us a very sweet carrot called “mokum.” These are not grown for their size, but cherished for their sweetness and tenderness. They are the perfect size for roasting or sautéing whole. Snap beans also make their way back into the shares this week, with the heirloom variety “Marvel of Piedmont”, which is a delectable Romano type bean with origins in the Piedmont region of Italy. I find that these beans have a depth of flavor that is hard to match.
I do not want to say that summer is over, there is still much to do and beautiful weather to enjoy, but I feel it is on the wane. A walk around the farm reveals ripening winter squash, sweet potato vines in flower, and squirrels running away with sunflower seed heads to store for the later months. This is a very special time to be a farmer as the farm is as full of life as it can be, bringing to fruition all of the work that has gone into it. Every year on the farm is a bit of a puzzle, but it is not until now that we as farmers get a glimpse of what we have been putting together. I look forward to seeing how it all comes together in the coming months.
Until next time,
Farmer Jon
WEEKLY HARVEST INCLUDES*
*We try our best to provide the most accurate CSA list in the newsletter! However, there’s always a chance of last minute substitutions in some bags if we don’t harvest enough of a vegetable.
DELICIOUS RECIPES TO TRY
Roasted Sweet Peppers Recipe
by Chris Harkness, as part of Embrace Wellness
Ingredients
3 yellow bell peppers
½ oz yellow raisins
6 oz cherry tomatoes
1 ¼ oz black olives, pitted
½ oz brown anchovies
½ oz flat leaf parsley
½ oz basil
½ oz garlic
½ oz capers
1 oz olive oil
½ oz toasted pine nuts
6 fresh basil sprigs
2 oz arugula (optional)
Preparation
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Brush 9" x 13" baking dish with olive oil.
Cover raisins with boiling water for a few minutes until soft.
Cut peppers in half from top to bottom, remove seeds. Halve cherry tomatoes, quarter the olives. Coarsely chop anchovies, parsley, basil (0.5oz) & thinly slice garlic.
Drain raisins and mix together raisins, cherry tomatoes, olives, anchovies, parsley, chopped basil, garlic & capers. Season with salt and pepper.
Fill pepper halves with mixture and bake in oven for 20 minutes or until golden around the edges.
Garnish each pepper with pine nuts and basil sprig. Add to serving plate and garnish with arugula (optional).