Tuesday, July 17
Week Six
Rainbow Cherry Tomatoes & Red Slicer Tomatoes, Rainbow Beets, Rainbow Carrots, Lettuce Mix, Red Potatoes, Okra, Shishito Peppers, Basil, One Dozen Eggs
Don't forget to leave your cooler out with your bag and any clean egg cartons!
Feel free to browse any past issues for additional recipe ideas!
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Pictured above: A rainbow and a fallen down barn
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Farm Note
Hard to believe, but it's already the time we're starting fall crops in the greenhouse. Cabbage, Brussel Sprouts, Kale, Collards, Celery, and Parsley are all starting to pop up. As crops come out of the Spring and Summer beds, we are reworking them and preparing them for these crops that will get transplanted in a few weeks.
It's always a little surreal to me that pretty much just as we start harvesting crops in one season, say summer, we're working on getting the next season's crops started. Some farmer friends of ours gave us the advice before we started the first season of the CSA, she casually said, "Just plant something every week."
So here we go--keeping on keeping on with the planting. :)
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Farm Tour and Fun Day
July 29th
Valley Spirit Farm
Campbellsburg, KY
THE DETAILS:
Time: Gather around 2 pm
Address: 1054 McCarty Ln. Campbellsburg, KY
Food: Potluck Style... BUT ...The Valley Spirit crew will be firing up the grill, serving meat and tossing a salad.
Farm Tour: After eating, we'll take a walk around the farm and see everything that's going on--gardens, high tunnels, cows, pigs, chickens, dogs, barn cats, etc.
PLEASE RSVP by replying to us at Pinkelephantfarmers@gmail.com if you intend to join us (Just to give us an idea of how much meat to throw on the grill).
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Monday/Tuesday: A newsletter for the week's CSA share should arrive in your email inbox. It will have details of what's in the share, a note about something going on at the farm, any announcements, and some recipe ideas for items in the share.
Wednesday/Thursday: We'll harvest, wash and pack all veggies, and get organized for delivery. We wash off the "field dirt" of the veggies, and even though we don't use any chemicals on the farm, you still may feel more comfortable giving the veggies a second, more thorough washing. :)
Thursday: Delivery day! Your share should arrive at your door sometime between 3-7pm. Leaving a cooler our for us is the most important aspect of deliveries going smoothly. With temps getting hotter and hotter, the cooler will ensure the veggies stay crisp and the eggs stay cool. Ideally, the cooler would be easily accessible AND in a shady spot. Your share will come in an up-cycled, reusable "grocery" bag. You can leave your empty bag from the previous week in your cooler, along with any clean egg cartons, and we will pick these up to reuse the following week.
All Week: Enjoy your veggies and eggs! Please reach out at anytime with questions, comments, concerns. We love hearing how folks are using their veggies, and sometimes will share member recipes and photos with all the other members.
*For On-Farm Pick-up Folks: You can swing by the farm anytime Thursday after 2 pm to pick up your share. It will be located in our walk-in cooler located at the end of the driveway next to the barn/shed. Inside the cooler your bag will be on the table. You are likely to see a Full Diet CSA share located on the same table, but these will be packed in either wax boxes or black harvest crates--it should be easily distinguishable from your reusable grocery bag. Please just make sure to close the cooler when leaving! :)
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Recipes
Shishito Peppers
Shishito peppers are an East Asian variety that are USUALLY mild, but you'll often find a spicy one (10%-25% will be spicy). They are best eaten with a friend or two to see who get the spicy one. You can prepare them on the grill or a hot skillet--the goal is to blister the outside, sprinkle with some salt and serve immediately, eating whole (in one bite...if you dare).
Okra
Similarly, we usually prepare Okra in just about the same way. I know okra is kind of a love it or hate kind of thing. If you're in the hate it camp, I understand, but I'd still encourage to give it try.
Just like the peppers, we get a cast iron skillet ripping hot, add some fat (I like pork fat for this because it has a higher smoke point than a fat like olive oil), slice the okra length wise down the middle and arrange in a single layer in the skillet. They'll turn bright green and start char--let them char as long as you like. Prepared this way, with very fresh okra, avoids the slim factor of okra.
OR... embrace the slime factor!!! and check out this technique used in a Gumbo by Sean Brock, who learned this okra technique in West Africa while exploring the connections between African cuisine and Southern cuisine.
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Your Valley Spirit Farmers!
Caleb, Kelly, Judah & Rebekah Fiechter on the left. Joseph, Abbie, Ruth and Angus Monroe on the right.
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And from Pink Elephant Farm & Kitchen, Jenny Vaughn and Justin Owings.
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As a reminder, this is all new to all of us. Please feel free to reach out at any time with any and all questions or concerns. We want this to be a highly positive experience for all of us, and a big part of ensuring this is keeping the communication and feedback lines always open. Let us know what's going on--what you liked, what you cooked, how veggies are storing and holding up for you, etc..
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