Summer #8, 9, 10 CSA Newsletter July 19 - Aug 8, 2026

Aug 5
10 min read

Updated: Aug 7

Garlic harvest has started, and it's sweaty and dirty. Go figure!

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VEG SHARES

Week #10

Info for the vegetables in the Default Share and available for the Design Share:

GREEN BEANS - Also called Snap Beans. Store these in the fridge and use within a week or maybe a little longer. Try trimming the ends off and then steam them for 6 minutes, dunk in an ice water bath, and serve with butter, salt and pepper. Guide & Recipes

YELLOW WAX BEANS (1 lb) - Similar to Green Beans, these are also snap beans and can be used as such. Store in the fridge and use within a week or maybe a little longer. Try trimming the ends off and then steaming for 6 minutes, dunk in an ice water bath, and serve with butter, salt and pepper. Guide & Recipes

GREEN ROMA BEANS (1 lb) - Also referred to as Romano, Italian Flat Beans, or Italian Snap Beans, Romas are similar to snap beans with a flat shape, sweet flavor, and juicy tender texture. An easy way to use is to snap or trim off the ends and eat as is, lightly cooked to retain their crunchy texture, or cooked until they are extremely tender (a minute or two longer than regular snaps.) These beans are often braised with other summer vegetables and eaten as a side dish, and they can also be added to soups, stews, stir fries, and an assortment of other dishes. Freeze like other snaps. Guide & Recipes

ADIRONDACK BLUE POTATOES - Blue flesh and skin with a slight purple tint. Great flavor, hold color when cooked, and contain lots of healthy anthocyanins. This variety is good for boiling, baking, and mashing, and can be used for brightly coloured salads. Store in a paper bag in your pantry or on the counter for a month. Guide & Recipes

DARK RED NORLAND POTATOES - Excellent flavor. With red skin and white flesh, this variety is good for baking or boiling. Store in a paper bag, or out of the light, in your pantry or on the counter away from onions. Guide & Recipes

SWEET CORN - Tips may be trimmed to remove bug damage. Sweet corn stores best in its husk in the fridge. It turns starchier the longer you store it, so try to enjoy it in the first 3-5 days. Did you know you can eat corn raw? Just cut the kernels off the cob with a knife, and add to salads. Or that you can throw a whole ear in the microwave for 5 to 6 minutes and easily remove the husks and silks after it cools? Add 2 to 3 minutes for each additional ear depending on how done you like your corn.

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 - 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 - 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 - (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 -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 - (1 large) - 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 (2or 3) - 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!

GREEN BELL PEPPERS (2) - Store these in the fridge in a plastic bag. Stuff, add to stir fries, egg dishes, soups, tacos & burritos, pizza, etc. Peppers can also be flash frozen. Just throw them in a Ziploc bag (whole or chopped) and freeze!

TOMATO (slicer) - Store on your countertop for best flavor. If the tomato is not fully red, wait a couple of days for it to ripen completely. Guide & Recipes

CHERRY TOMATOES (1 pint) - Store them on the countertop if you plan to eat them within a few days. For longer storage, put them in your fridge in a plastic bag. You should try to eat these within a week. They can be roasted or turned into sauce too! 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 yellow 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 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.

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 3

EGG SHARES - all Weekly & appropriate Biweekly

Recipes:

On the Farm . . .

Colored bell and horn peppers coming soon!.

👏

Sweet corn! Lots of sweet corn!!!!

Winter squash plant. We planted them a little late and then rodents add many of the seeds just leaving behind parts of the shell.

Aidan quickly replaced the seeds hopefully saving our crop. We'll find out in a few months.

Aidan checking mowed hay for dryness to find the best time to rake and bale.

There's always something needing fixing on a farm, and ours is no different.

The guys head out to cultivate or mow or do some other job, and a bolt shears, a tire goes flat, a belt slips off or breaks and the plan for the day takes a turn.

Fortunately for us all, our team - Bill, Aidan, and Liam - are loaded with skills and the willingness to problem-solve until a solution is found.

And, importantly, they work together well. (As wife and Mom, I especially love this part!)

It's not a stretch to say that if they didn't, My Fine Homestead wouldn't still be here

growing food.

It's just that simple.

Lacinto Kale in field.

We have a couple rows of sunflowers planted along the north border of the vegetable fields along with a few stray ones here, there, and everywhere.

Birds and critters plant those for us.

We don't want to negate their efforts plus we all love the beauty of an unexpected flower shooting up in a surprising spot so we leave a few here, there, and over there also.😉