Summer #7 CSA Newsletter July 12-18, 2026
- Jul 15
- 9 min read
Garlic harvest has started, and it's sweaty and dirty. Go figure!
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This week's share
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VEG SHARES - Weekly + "A" week for EOW
Info for the vegetables in the Default Share and available for the Design Share:
LETTUCE MIX (5 oz) - 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
FENNEL - Remove the stem and fronds from the white bulb. Store the white bulb in the fridge crisper in a plastic bag. Use within 2 weeks. The fronds have a licorice taste, and can be chopped and frozen for later use in seasoning. The stem is also edible. Chop it up finely for cooking, or flash freeze it. Guide & Recipes
SWISS CHARD (1 bunch) - 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
RED RUSSIAN KALE (1 bunch) - Sweet, tender and mild, Red Russian kale is often liked by those that are averse to the more traditional curly kale varieties. The stem is edible but most discard it as it doesn’t soften much with cooking. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge. This crop technically falls into the category of “1st Priority veggies” to be used in the next week or so. If you can’t use it up by your next share, some good exit strategies are to put it in smoothies, make pesto, or make green cubes! Guide & Recipes
Lacinto KALE (1 bunch) - (Also known as Dinosaur or Toscano.) This kale has an earthy, nutty flavor. It doesn't have the same strong bitterness as other varieties of kale, though it is still there. The sweetness helps offset that and makes it more approachable.This green can be used just like any other kale. 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
Collards (1 bunch) -Store this green in a plastic bag right away and leave it in the fridge. Use within a week. This crop technically falls into the category of “danger zone veggies” -- they have a short shelf life -- so don't wait too long to use or freeze them. Guide & Recipes
MINI BROCCOLI (½ lb) - 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
CAULIFLOWER (1) - To store: Wrap dry, unwashed cauliflower loosely in plastic and store it in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to a week. To prep: remove the leaves, cut out the hard core. Serve raw on vegetable trays with a thick dip. To steam: cut off florets and steam for 5 minutes. Drizzle with butter and lemon juice. To roast: drizzle with olive oil and salt/pepper, bake at 450 degrees on a foil lined cookie sheet for 20 minutes, then sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. To freeze: Blanch 2-4 minutes in boiling salt water. Soak in ice water bath for 4 minutes. Drain, let dry, and pack into Ziplock containers.
KOHLRABI - (2) - Store in a plastic bag for up to a month. 6 Ideas for Use: 1. Slice in rounds or sticks for veggie platters, 2. Eat plain with a light sprinkling of salt, 3. Grate into salads or slaws, 4. Steam slices 5 to 10 minutes and drizzle with oil, lemon juice, and dill weed, 5. Slice or cube and add to stir fry or to a hearty soup/stew, 6. Grate and saute in butter with herbs or curry.
SUMMER SQUASHES & ZUCCHINI (2) - These are pretty much “First Priority” vegetables and should be used within the next week otherwise they will start to soften. Store them in a plastic bag or storage container in the fridge. Slice or chop to saute in a little olive oil, add to a pasta salad, throw in a green salad, or grill in long strips with or without olive oil. You can even grate to bake in muffins or cakes or to freeze for baking or adding to soups later!
RADISHES (1 bunch) - 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
CARROTS (1 lb) - Store the roots dry and unwashed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Guide & Recipes
SORREL (1 bunch) - Kind of a salad green & kind of a herb and in the same family as rhubarb, sorrel’s astringent citrusy flavor adds a little kick to your meal. And its rich in potassium, vitamins Q, B1, and C. A rule of thumb for using - anywhere you’d add a squeeze or two of lemon, sorrel would be good! When heat is added, sorrel breaks down nicely making it a great thickener for sauces and soups. It’s strong flavor pairs well with fatty meats & fish like salmon, creamy dishes, and cheeses. Great cut into thin strips and mixed with other salad greens to eat fresh. Other ideas include using it in soups, sauces, pesto, salads & dressings, potato toppings, hummus, quiches, omelets, crepe fillings, pizza, pasta dishes. 7 More Recipe Ideas Sorrel will last 1-2 weeks in a plastic bag in your fridge. If you wish to rinse or wash, wait until just before using to prolong shelf life.
Fresh White ONIONS - (1 bunch) - Mildly sweet with firm flesh, this onion is ideal for raw applications, like salads, salsas, and sandwiches, and also stands up to cooking and pickling. Green tops can also be used! onions are slightly sweeter, a bit milder in taste than yellow onions. They're a good choice for dicing and serving raw on sandwiches and salads or in fresh salsas. Store onions in a cool, dry, and dark place with good air circulation. Once cut, wrap any unused onion tightly in plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where it will last for about one week.
GARLIC (fresh, not “cured” bulb) - Keep your garlic in a cool, drafty place, ideally out of direct sunlight. A porch, kitchen or garage are all possibilities. You can eat your fresh-pulled garlic whenever you want, but if you’d like to store it for longer than a week or so, wait until the stalk is dried down, and you'll have a “cured” garlic bulb that you can store as normal garlic.
GARLIC SCAPES - (1 bunch) 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.
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.
BASIL (1 bunch) - A popular, versatile, and aromatic culinary herb from the mint family. It pairs best with tomatoes, mozzarella, olive oil, pasta, and cheese. It can be used in pestos, sauces, and condiments, garnishes and salads, preserved in ice cubes, dried, or added to butter, and in beverages and desserts. I’ve found the best way to store basil is to pretend they are cut flowers. Cut off stem bottoms and put in a glass of water on your counter or table. (They make a pretty centerpiece until you are ready to use them!)
PARSLEY (1 bunch) - Snip the bottom of the stems off and store on the counter in a glass of water. Or if you plan to use it in the next day or so, you can store the bunch in a plastic bag in the fridge.
FRESH DILL WEED (1 bunch) - 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. Or if using soon, store in a plastic bag in the fridge. Excellent with fish, potatoes, or roasted veggies. Or add to egg dishes, salads, or sandwiches. Dill can be dried. Here are 4 ways to dry herbs - did you know you can dry them in your microwave in a few seconds?
BABY GINGER (¼ lb) - Baby ginger is much milder than mature ginger. Ways to use it: Grate it into stir-fries and soups for a mild, warming spice, blend it into smoothies or homemade popsicles, make a soothing, sweet-spiced tea, perfect for cozy evenings, simmer with sugar to make a ginger syrup, make a zesty salad dressing with minced baby ginger, olive oil, vinegar, and honey, or add it to muffin or cookie batter for a subtle warmth and aroma in your baked goods. Storage: Baby ginger will keep a couple weeks in the fridge. If you won't use it by then, put it in the freezer and just grate some off when you need it. It'll keep many months there. from Farm on Central and not certified organic BUT grown organically without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers.
ALL PURPOSE BOLTED FLOUR - Best applications include but are not limited to cakes, crackers, pizza dough, and breads.PROTEIN CONTENT= 10.5%. (from Meadowlark Organics)
WHITE CHEDDAR CHEESE (8 oz) - Semi-hard Cheddar that carries a tanginess along with smooth, consistent flavor. Great table cheese used for grating or grilling. Pairs well with: Champagne or Chardonnay *NOT organic. (from Meister Cheese)
MES SHARES - Round 2, 1st week for those with A3
EGG SHARES - all Weekly & Biweekly "A"
Recipes:
On the Farm . . .
We've been dealing with the hot days of late by getting up earlier to get chores, harvest, and field work done in the early mornings and evenings.
That way we can hide out in the a/c of the house during the hottest part of the day.
And we drink lots and lots of water.
Oh . . . and a few boxes of popsicles.
Lol.
The morning pictured had so much dew, the asparagus ferns in the distance were covered in so many droplets they looked white.
Aidan pulling garlic on a recent steamy morning.
A nice little self-seeded stand of milkweed is growing next to a pole.
ZINNIAS!!!
They're a-bloomin'.
Again this year we planted hundreds of feet of them along the path we walk to get out to
the farther fields.
The bright colors are cheerful and look great next to all the vegetables. ☺️
The raspberries are setting fruit and its looking like 2026 will be bringing us a
bumper crop again so get ready.
Bucolic Jersey milk cows grazing in the pasture next to the house always deserve a photo.
If you stopped by the farm at the end of a workday evening, you might find us grilling out for supper.
Or you might find us relaxing back in the cool house.
Or, like on this night, you might just find Aidan laying on the path by the fields while Marlee snaps photographs of lightening bugs on newly opened flowers.
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