I am not really sure that everyone is completely overjoyed to still be receiving tomatoes in their CSA share, but this crazy heat wave has brought new life back to the tomato patch. The theme of our CSA pick up a couple weeks back was about enjoying the last of this year’s tomatoes. Now here we are two weeks later and we still have tomatoes. You never know!
Another thing you never know is what your crazy CSA farmers might have in the share each week unless you read the blog! A few new items this week…
Broccolini – this was suggested by one of our members to try growing last year, so we listened! It started budding up rather suddenly in this heat and we have yet to try it but a simple google search yielded this… “Broccolini’s distinctive flavor is said to be strongest when it’s eaten raw. You can also cook it as you would broccoli. Put it in soups, steam it, stir-fry it alone or with carrots, peppers and mushrooms, chop it into calzone filling, or add it to your favorite casserole.” This was courtesy of the gardening channel. We can’t wait to try it!
Daikon Radish – these radish can grow huge, but we are going to pick ours on the younger side at about 6-12 inches long. They can be eaten raw for that juicy, tender-crisp, spicey radish zing. Or they can be cooked to sweeten up the tangy flavor. A picture will follow…
Winter Luxury Pumpkin – this pumpkin is of the edible sort, although you may do with it what you please! It is slightly delicate and may not keep very well out in the weather, but it surely will make for some nice Fall décor before it turns into a pie! Our seed supplier advises piercing the pumpkin with a few tiny vent holes, baking it whole until it slumps—about an hour at 350°, then scooping out the pumpkin flesh and putting it in the blender to make “the smoothest and most velvety pumpkin pie”
Acorn Squash – we grew a very colorful and again dual purpose display/edible acorn squash. We like to roast these and stuff them with just about anything…. rice, quinoa, sausage, maple syrup, pecans, honey, yumminess
To round out the CSA share the returning items are
Kohlrabi
Arugula
Lettuce Mix
Tomatoes
Peppers
Choice Table
This daikon radish has not been pulled, it is still growing!