Hello CSA members,

What great variety….and more corn & tomatoes this week!

NOTE: FRUIT SHARES START THIS WEEK, AUGUST 11. ALTHOUGH IT WILL BE INDICATED ON YOUR SIGN-IN CARD, PLEASE INFORM YOUR SIGN-IN VOLUNTEER THAT YOU GET A FRUIT SHARE. IT IS ONE BAG PER SHARE. FRUIT SHARES WILL RUN 13 WEEKS.

We want to thank our volunteers last week for a job well done! We had new and  returning members as site supervisor and shift volunteers and they were great!

This week’s volunteers are: Nora, Nicholas, Kayne and Helen. The HS volunteers are Angelica and Anahi. The site supervisors are John and Larry.  

Everyone who gets an egg share will get them this week. NOTE: BRING YOUR EMPTY EGG CARTONS TO THE PICK-UP AS LEWIS WAITE FARMS NEEDS THEM BACK.  Please note that if you (or your representative) do not pick up on those days, the eggs will be donated to the HS volunteers. We cannot save your eggs.

Lewis Waite extras will be delivered this week. You should have received an email over the weekend and yesterday for delivery this Thursday, August 11. If you ordered extra eggs through Lewis Waite please inform the sign-in volunteer and/or site supervisor as it will be labeled with your name and we don’t want to get it confused with the egg shares. You can go online and order now for next week, or any future week this season. Once you order, please pay online, as we don’t handle checks or cash. 

This week’s vendor: Sweet William Torte. Last week we provided Elisabeth’s information for pre-ordering a fruit torte so we hope you got your order in.   

VOLUNTEERS: Please read the volunteer directions before arriving. It only takes a couple of minutes. Even if you are a long-time member it is essential you know what’s going on. We really see & feel the difference between weeks/shifts where everyone has freshly read the directions and the week’s when volunteers have not.

2016 Volunteer Directions

Even if you are not volunteering this week, it is a good idea to become familiar with them so you understand exactly what’s going on.

This week in the shares:
Freshly dug potatoes, tomatoes, green beans….summer is in full swing here on the farm!  When it gets hot, I try to get my cooking done in the morning and I make big batches of hearty salads to last us through the week.  This week’s menu includes fresh potato salad, green bean salad, swiss chard and tomatoes and a lightly dressed arugula salad…

Fresh, “New” Red Potatoes– These are freshly dug, beautiful new potatoes. You’ll notice that they cook much more quickly than potatoes you find in the store because they have a higher water content.  If you boil them, check their tenderness with a knife every few minutes to avoid over-cooking.  We noticed that some parts of the field had potatoes with some cosmetic skin blemishes (rough scab spots).  These can be removed by peeling in those spots.  But most of them look gorgeous, so no need to peel!

Storage: In a cool, DARK place.  Do not store in plastic bags.  Store in paper bags or loose.
Uses: Cooked
When to use: Within 5 days.  These won’t store well – use them right away!

Tomatoes – The red beefsteaks are coming in nicely!
Storage: On the counter until they are a deep red.  At that point, eat them right away or if you must, put them in the refrigerator.
Uses: Raw/Cooked
When to use: Right away when deep red.

Green Beans – Please note that these need to be refrigerated right away — you can store them in the bag they come in.  Also be sure to wash them before cooking. These are super fresh and should be steamed gently for just a few minutes until fork tender.  DO NOT OVERCOOK THEM or they will turn green-gray and taste mushy.  Watch them carefully and check them every minute or two in the steamer.  I love them steamed with butter (or olive oil) and a bit of salt, but there are lots of wonderful green bean recipes to try.

Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator.