Week 7

These gorgeous peppers (and others!) are soaking up all that good rain and will be ready for you so soon!

Hi all, Alli here.

I hope you’ve been enjoying Joe and Anna’s blog posts these past few weeks as much as I have! It’s been fun for me to see what they have to say about their experiences on the farm and with new vegetables. I also hope you all had a great holiday last week and were able to put some of your veggies to good use! It’s hard to believe we’re well into July already and here at Week 7 of the CSA. Time is flying by, and we love that we are into the part of the season where the shares start to get really varied and full of delicious summer foods. But, as always, we have to stay one step ahead of the crops, and we’ve already begun some of our fall seeding and transplanting!

Sungolds, okra, and shishito peppers: a few of my favorite things. This tiny harvest means it’s only a matter of time before these can start making an appearance in your shares, too!

The rain this past week was truly amazing. Not only was it nice to have a few nights off from watering and moving sprinklers, but getting so much rain has really soaked our soil, giving many crops a much needed drink and making it easier for us to keep our newly seeded beds wet and to pull out stubborn weeds.

While these aren’t all of the options you have to choose from, here are a few of the summer squash and cucumber choices. Returning CSA members, you’ll notice that this variety of patty pan squash and the Silver Slicer cucumber are new for us this year!

Here’s what we think you can expect in your shares this week:

Lettuce and lettuce mix

Kale

Chard

Arugula and/or tatsoi

Cucumbers

Summer Squash

Beans

Carrots*

Beets and/or Hakurei turnips*

Cabbage*

Napa Cabbage*

Celery

Basil

*These foods will keep for a long time if stored in a bag in your fridge, so make some room and don’t worry if you don’t get to them right away!

While the peas had a short run this year (they were definitely not loving the heat), we don’t mind too much because…..the first of the beans are here!

Farm-fresh celery is quite strong and totally different than what you can buy in the store, so here are a few ways to get the most out of it!

Check out this pesto recipe for the leaves:

http://ediblebajaarizona.com/recipe_archive/csa-recipe-of-the-week-celery-greens-and-lemon-pesto

Combine it with your napa and carrots to whip up this simple recipe:

https://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/carrot-celery-and-chinese-cabbage-salad/f7133123-592a-4975-952c-cdab42be8141

This recipe makes great use of chard stems by pairing them with beans and basil:

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/runner-beans-with-swiss-chard-stems-and-basil

Happy eating, everyone!