Summer #4 CSA Newsletter June 22 - 28, 2025
- Stacey Feiner
- Jun 25
- 10 min read
Updated: Jun 27
VEG SHARES - "B" week for EOW
(Photo of the "Default" FULL Share. See info, guides, recipes below for vegetables in the Default share as well as vegetables available for the Design My Share option below photo.)
LETTUCE MIX (¼ lb) - Store in a plastic bag in your fridge. Often considered a “1st Priority Vegetable” with a shorter shelf life than the other vegetables in your share, however if you put a paper or cloth towel in the bag to absorb moisture, our freshly harvested lettuce will often lasts more than a week! Guide & Recipes
SNAP PEAS - Snap the top and pull down to remove string, then eat pod & all! Guide
GARLIC SCAPES - (2 bunches=Full, 1 bunch= Half) These are the curlicue curiosities in your box. Store them in a plastic bag in your crisper. They’ll last about 2-3 weeks. You can trim off the bottom inch of the scape (if it’s woody) as well as the flowering tip (although that is also edible if you want to try it). Steam, saute, or grill them whole or chopped in pieces, similar to green beans, with some olive oil and salt/pepper. Or finely chop as a garlic substitute. Can also be sliced and included in fresh dishes - like you’d use green onions. Can also pickle or chop and freeze them in a Mason jar or Ziplock bag. Then you can use them all summer/winter as needed.
SPINACH (½ lb) - This green is very versatile (and YES! You can eat the stems, in fact they are very tasty too. ;) It can be eaten cooked or raw, requires little prep, works with sweet or savory ingredients, stands up to other hearty ingredients, and pairs well with rich, fatty foods such as cheese, butter, bacon, and cream. Raw is popular in salads with, or without, pecans, dried fruit such as cranberries, chunks of cheese, sunflower seeds, and roasted beets. Other possibilities are steaming, boiling, stir-frying, or sautéeing with butter or olive oil. Known as a longer keeper than lettuce, store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for a week or more. Note - Cooks down in size considerably. Guide & Recipes
MINI BROCCOLI (1 lb green & purple) - More tender with a milder flavor than standard head broccoli, all of the parts of the mini broccoli, also called baby broccoli, in your bag is edible. It can be steamed, sautéed, roasted, stir-fried, or even puréed into a sauce. And while it makes a good side dish when cooked, broccoli can easily be used raw in salads and crudités. Store in your fridge in a plastic bag for a week, although spears will go limp (still edible!) the longer you keep them. You can often revive them by soaking in very cold water for 10 to 20 minutes. Guide & Recipes
SALAD (Hakurei) TURNIPS (1 bunch) - These popular white golf-ball or smaller size roots are juicy, sweet and less starchy than an average turnip, with a texture that deserves to be eaten raw or barely cooked. Hakurei turnips have the tender, almost creamy texture of a spring radish, but without the sharp heat of a radish, their more mellow turnip flavor shines through.They are crisp and tender. Use them in salads, sandwiches, stir frys, sautes, scrambled eggs or sauces. Remove the edible tops (use in salads or lightly sauteed) and store them separately in a plastic bag in the fridge (or the root will get soft). Best used within 3-4 weeks but will keep a long time! Guide & Recipes
SWISS CHARD (1 bunch = Full Shares only) - Put it in a bag to store in the fridge. Use within a week. This crop technically falls into the category of “First Priority Vegetables” or ones with a short shelf life - use it within the week for maximum efficiency. To revive limp chard, cut a sliver off the bottom of the stems and soak in very cold water for a few minutes. Guide & Recipes
Optionals:
1 DOZEN EGGS
1/4 lb SPINACH
KALE (1 bunch) RED RUSSIAN (FULL ONLY) - Store in a plastic bag (a Debbie Meyer Green bag if you have one) keep it in the fridge. Use within a week. This crop technically falls into the category of “1st Priority veggies” If you can’t use them in the next few days, freeze them you can use the stalks too! Every part of the leaf is edible, though really thick ribs take longer to cook, so they're often discarded. The kale can be cooked whole, cut into thin strips, or chopped, depending on your recipe and use. Store in a plastic bag (a Debbie Meyer Green bag if you have one) keep it in the fridge. Use within a week. This crop technically falls into the category of “1st Priority veggies” to be used in the next week. If you can’t use it in the next few days, consider freezing it. Guide & Recipes
RADISHES with greens (1 bunch) - Separate radish from leaves for storing! Keep the greens in a loosely wrapped plastic bag in the crisper bin of your refrigerator and eat them soon. Store the colorful roots in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for a week or so. Eat them raw with a sprinkle of salt, slice into salads or on sandwiches for added crunch, pickle or roast with carrots. Guide & Recipes
PAC CHOI (1 bunch) - Store this green in a plastic bag in your fridge and use within a week. Wilt these down in sauces or soups. Or try grilling them in a cast iron pan. The stems are also great chopped up in a stir fry.
ASPARAGUS (1 lb) - Can be eaten raw or cooked many ways—roasted, grilled, steamed, boiled, pan-roasted, fried and can be added to pasta, salads, soups, and stir-fries.Steam with butter or hollandaise sauce, blanch and chill with a vinaigrette, herbs, or other dressing. Generally speaking, thicker spears are better for roasting, grilling, and stir-frying, and thinner stalks are traditionally left whole so their tender, meaty texture can be appreciated. Trim before cooking by holding the ends and bending the spear until it breaks somewhere in the middle; everything from the middle up will be tender enough to eat easily. Store in the fridge either in a vase of water (cut a sliver off the stalk ends first if they are dried) or store them in a loosely wrapped plastic bag in the crisper drawer. Just remember that the sooner you eat it, the better the flavor. Asparagus can also be blanched and then frozen although it will be more mushy when thawed - perfect for soup! Pickling is another option.
GARLIC CHIVES (1 bunch) - Garlic chives look similar to chives, but their leaves are broad and flat instead of hollow. Their garlicky flavor enhances cooked dishes, particularly ones where the food is slowly simmered in a sauce, such as red-cooked stews or soups, or in stuffing. Use them also to add flavor to stir-fries. They go particularly well with eggs and seafood—you’ll often find them paired with scrambled eggs or prawns.
CILANTRO - Snip the bottom of the stems off and keep in the fridge or on the counter in a glass of water, with, or without, an upside down plastic bag over the tops. Refresh water every few days and your herb will last for weeks! For an even more low-maintenance way to store cilantro, give your leaves a wash and thorough dry, then chop them up to freeze in ice cube trays with a little water or oil. Once frozen solid, transfer them to freezer bags and add to sauces, soups and marinades as needed. Or use now in salads, salsas, tacos, slaws, rice, stir fry (sprinkle on as you remove from heat), and pesto.
BEETS (1 lbs) - Store in the fridge in a plastic bag for months. Guide & Recipes
RUTABAGA (1 lb or more) - Nutritious root vegetable with dense sweet-tasting flesh also known as Swedish turnip or neep. When you buy at the store, rutabagas are often coated in wax so they need to be peeled before cooking. Since these are organic and not waxed, peeling is optional. Can be used in hearty soups like beef barley or chicken noodle, stew, and casseroles, boiled, mashed (with potatoes and/or cauliflower, or on their own), and are excellent roasted, either alone or, with other root veggies like carrots, radishes, turnips, potatoes, onions, etc. This long storing veggie can be stored in the refrigerator, in the crisper drawer. Or if you’ll be using within a week or two, these can be stored like potatoes and onions in a cool, dark place on the counter.
YUKON GOLD POTATOES (1 lb) - An all-purpose popular variety known for thin, smooth, eye-free skin and yellow-tinged flesh. Its moist flesh and sweet buttery flavor is versatile and can be used for roasting, baking, frying, mashing, and making potato salads. from Mythic Farm - organic Guide & Recipes
PETER WILCOX POTATOES (1 lb) Blue skin with gold flesh these add nutrition because of their blue color and are very versatile. Firm, but not waxy, they can be roasted, boiled, grilled, sliced or fried. A NY Times food editor has said they posses "a full earthy flavor with hints of hazelnuts." We're not sure on that but agree they taste great! from Mythic Farm - organic Guide & Recipes
DAKOTA RUBY POTATOES (1 LB) - Red skin, white flesh. from Mythic Farm - organic Guide & Recipes
CARIBOU RUSSET - Russet with white, dry flesh and excellent baked, mashed, or as fries. from Mythic Farm - organic Guide & Recipes
KEUKA GOLD - Buff skin and light yellow flesh, similar to Yukon Gold. Best when boiled but also good for baking or roasting. from Mythic Farm - organic Guide & Recipes
DAKOTA BLACK POPCORN (1 lb) - This richly flavored popcorn has a deep purple kernel that pops into a bright white and tender treat. (from Meadowlark Organics)
BLACK ECLIPSE BEANS (1 lb) - A classic, inky black bean, perfect for soups or as a stand alone dish. Eclipse beans are more of a Cuban or Brazilian style bean than Mexican, but you’ll love them however you choose to prepare them. These beans have been cleaned and sorted, but it’s a good idea to pick through and give them a good rinse before you get cooking. (from Meadowlark Organics)
MES SHARES - LEUCC
EGG SHARES - all Weekly & appropriate Biweekly
Recipes:
On the Farm . . .
Green mini broccoli is coming on strong.
We planted more this year and added the burgundy variety also. The plan is to have broccoli available for you for most of the summer and fall. 😘
Celery's growing. It'll probably be ready in for you in two or three weeks.
Here Aidan walking through the sweet potato section checking to see how the transplanted slips (seedlings) are doing. This year along with the traditional orange variety, we're trying a purple one of these too.
We love sweet potatoes and know you do too!
Sweet corn and broccoli view from out in the vegetable fields.
This photo is from mid-May.
Aidan is standing in the middle of a section of rye, clover, and vetch cover crop he planted last fall.
While we've planted cover crops before, they've been scattered about in smaller areas. This is the biggest single stand we've ever had.
Wondering why farmers plant cover crops?
Some say Mother Nature is modest and doesn't like for ground to be naked.
You've probably noticed that a bare spot of dirt will soon start to grow weeds in an effort to cover the soil itself.
In actuality, it has nothing to do with being bashful but with supplying food and protection for the millions of soil microbes living underground.
If there's no cover, the ground will quickly become dry and compacted, and those important microbes will leave the area or die.
Microbes get nourishment in the form of sugars and exudates from plant roots and need oxygen and water, which are hard to come by if the dirt bakes in the sun.
So farmers intentionally plant cover crops when there isn't something else to plant in a particular spot.
Then when ready to use the spot for another crop, the farmer will mow or knock down the cover crop and leave it lay, either whole or ground up, as a mulch. The mulch suppresses weeds and eventually decays thereby increasing the organic matter of the soil.
Below, Aidan stands at the edge of the same bed a month later, and just days before he mowed it in preparation for planting this year's crop of winter squashes.
Look how much it grew!
After I took the photo I looked down to make sure it turned out.
When I looked up, I didn't see Aidan . . . he was gone???
Perplexed, I called, "Aidan?"
He answered, "Yeah?"
And as I asked, "Where'd you go?" I saw movement in the rye and found him laying on his back in the middle of it staring up at the sky!
I quick snapped him again as I laughed at him.
He got up saying, "Can you imagine how much fun we'd have had running around in a patch of this when we were younger?"
I agreed as I realized how much fun he's having right now doing what he loves to do.
Standing there, full of happiness for him, I felt gratitude to you for giving him and our family the chance to do this big important job of farming.
💞
Above is the mown rye mulch.
If you look close, you can see rows of little dark piles of compost among the mulch.
Each one has a delicata, kabocha, butternut, acorn, or other type of winter squash seed in it.
If the rest of the season goes as planned, you'll be enjoying several of them for a meal come fall.
Geraniums in the flower bed.
This coming weekend is the annual Spring Green Art and Craft Fair.
Liam will be exhibiting his metal sculptures there. He has dragons, armadillos, bonsai trees, and more including flowers like the irises above and long-stemmed roses below.
If you come to the fair, be sure to stop by booths 7 & 8 A to say, "Hi!"
~ ~ ~
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