2024 CSA Farm Update: Week 6
Hello everyone and welcome to week 6 of the Katchkie Farm CSA. The past week included the Sylvia Center’s annual Farm Dinner, the farm’s garlic harvest, all added to the normal farm week of harvesting, packing, planting and cultivation. Even with the extra happenings on the farm, everything was seamless.
It was a beautiful evening for the Farm Dinner with slightly cooler weather than last year and sunflowers in bloom. A heartfelt thank you goes out to Great Performances and the Sylvia Center for putting on such a lovely event that brought so many people together for an evening on the farm. Every Farm Dinner is slightly different, but it never ceases to amaze me.
Somehow last week, we also got our garlic harvested. When I looked ahead at the weather last Monday, the forecast looked like periods of heavy rain most days, but the weather pattern shifted during the week, and we got a good stretch of dry weather that allowed us to harvest all 30,000 heads of garlic. We spent a very hot afternoon on Wednesday pulling some of it, but the lions share of was harvested on Thursday. With our everyday farm crew, two hired extra hands, my sons, and twelve hours of pulling and stacking garlic crates we managed to get it all done. To say it is a huge relief to have all of the garlic in the greenhouse drying is an understatement!
This week’s share will bring the first potatoes of the season. There were a few different varieties of potatoes ready, but I chose Adirondack Blue. It is very unique in that it retains its blue coloring after cooking. I would consider this potato to have a little more earthy quality than some of the other potatoes that we grow on the farm. That quality really holds up well in a potato salad as well as boiled or mashed potatoes. Although its flavor can also be appreciated roasted and fried.
With the garlic harvest behind us, we can look ahead at our fall plantings of kale, cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, radicchio, lettuces, carrots, beets, radishes, and turnips. As well as the first harvests of our tomatoes and peppers!
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
Lentil Zucchini Boats
Recipe from Embrace: Wellness
Yields 6 boat halves
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Slice 3 zucchini lengthwise and scoop out the center of the zucchini (you can store this zucchini pulp in the freezer for smoothies). Place the zucchini boat halves in a baking dish skin side down and set aside. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 crushed or minced garlic clove. While the garlic is cooking, drain and rinse 1 15-oz. can of black lentils. Add to the skillet and stir. Stir in 1 cup marinara sauce (homemade or jarred - we like Rao’s). Cook until warm, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste (dried or fresh oregano and basil would also taste great). Divide the lentil mixture into the zucchini boat halves. Top all boats evenly with 4 oz crumbled feta cheese. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Garnish with ¼ cup chopped flat parsley leaves.