This first week of September sees us half way through our CSA season. It’s been 10 weeks since our first share (July 1st) and it seems like a good time to do some midseason reflection.

To date, shares have contained: radishes, braising greens, lettuce, kohlrabi, garlic, tarragon, sage, napa cabbage, peas, swiss chard, cilantro, broccoli, collards, scallions, thyme, beets, zuchinni, endive, escarole, celery, marjoram, parsley, onions, hot peppers, fennel, cucumbers, chives, basil, potatoes, “regular cabbages”, tomatoes and leeks. The total value of produce included so far in the half shares is $107.60 ($10.76 per week) while full shares have received $213 (or $21.30 per week). Of course, this is an average value and some weeks have been heavier while others were lighter.

Half and full shareholders paid for $10 and $20 of produce each week, respectively, and have thus received a 7% bonus, dividend or return on investment. (That’s over three times the interest rate offered by our bank on a 6 month CD.) And that doesn’t even count the intangible benefits of having such fresh, healthy food close at hand.

These next few weeks will see us pulling our onions and winter squash to ready them for storage, planting cover crops to prepare for winter, cutting wood to build a barn and to clear land for future gardens. All of that on top of our usual harvesting, planting, weeding and watering.

All shares contain:

• Zucchini, Summer Squash and/or Patti-pan Squash
• Cucumbers
• Tomatoes
• New Potatoes
• Fresh Cabbage
• Leeks
• Braising Greens

“Full” shares also contain:

• more squash, spuds, tomatoes and leeks

Veggie Notes

New Potatoes – This week, you may find two different varieties of potatoes in the shares. Carola, which you’re familiar with from last week, and All Blue, which — as it’s name clearly states — is blue outside and in. Both have a firm texture, which I wrote about last week.

Fresh Cabbage – Although we’re a little bit late for Labor Day, it’s never really too late to make cole slaw. See below for a recipe.

Tomatoes – See info from last week about tomatoes.

Fresh Herbs – There aren’t any herbs in this week’s share, but I’ve been thinking about this since last week. We tend to give out some herbs in each share. If you’re not used to using fresh herbs and are feeling a little overwhelmed, these bunches can easily be dried by hanging them up for a while. We hang ours from the exposed beams in our kitchen. Once they’re dry (after about a week), just crumble them up in your fist and save them in a mason jar or plastic bag. (If you leave them hanging for too long, they’ll get kind of dusty.)

Leeks – If you’re not familiar with leeks, they’re a mild relative of onions. I find their flavor almost creamy. To prepare: trim off the coarse, dark leaves, reserving the stalk. The white portion of the stalk is the most desirable, but the whole stalk is useable as long as it’s tender. Next, slice 2-4 inches down the length of the stalk, from the top. Dirt can sometimes collect between the layers of the leek, and slicing like this allows you to rinse it out by fanning out and ruffling this sliced portion under running water while still keeping the leek more or less whole. Lastly, chop off the basal plate (the roots at the bottom of the stalk) and then proceed as the recipe (or your experience) dictates.

Recipe Ideas

Creamy Cole Slaw
Megan (my sister) made this yesterday for Labor Day and it was great. Very, very simple and easy, too. Though we avoid processed foods and especially those from major, multinational corporations, we make two exceptions: one if for Heinz ketchup (organic, at least) and the other is for Hellman’s mayo, which we used in this recipe. We don’t like sweet mayos and prefer those that are savory, which Hellman’s definitely is.

1 small cabbage, sliced thinly

2 carrots, shredded

1/2 cup Mayonnaise

2 tbsp sour cream

1 tbsp cider vinegar

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp celery seed

Salt and Pepper

Chop cabbage and carrots, set aside. In small bowl whisk together the
remaining ingredients. Pour mixture over the cabbage and carrots and
toss to coat thoroughly. Refrigerate until serving time.

Tomato and Leek Quiche
I forget who first told us about this recipe, but it’s also great. I won’t reprint the recipe, since we pretty much make it as it’s listed. The only change we make is to ignore their discussion of kosher cooking and add some chopped up and cooked nitrate-free bacon to the leeks. In case you missed that first link, here it is again: recipe for Tomato and Leek Quiche.

As always, we welcome your feedback. Please let us know if you have any questions, concerns or problems.

We hope you enjoy the share!