No rest for the weary this week. After we packed up last weeks CSA, we spent two days getting ready for our Thursday farmers market. Normally, I go to market, but last week Kendra went for me so that I could go to MOFGA to help get things ready for the Common Ground Fair. (I co-coordinated the Ag Demo area and needed to get the tents and tables and such all set up for all of the exhibitors that come to show off what they do and what they have to offer.) Then we spent three days are the fair! Kendra gave a wood-fired bread talk on Friday and I muddled about trying to keep things running smoothly in my area. We also saw lots of friends (and a few of you) and ate lots of great Maine-raised organic food. (Including cheeseburgers, cheesecake, ice cream and some too-delicious-and-cheap-to-believe potato pakoras.) We got home on Sunday, slept a little and got back up on Monday to start all over again. (OK, we did sleep in a little bit.) It was a fun but exhausting weekend.

We also got our first frost over the weekend. Friday night we lost our outdoor basil and eggplants, and some of the peppers took a bit of a roughing up. We were kind of expecting it, so we had already picked all of our peppers (over 70#) and eggplants. It’s nice in that don’t have to worry about those crops any more, but it’s definitely a shame to see the all-too-short season start to come to an end.

Another egg share update: still no egg shares. The hens are definitely laying more this week, but still not enough for us to give out. I spoke to our local extension agent at the fair and he thought it could take as long 3-4 weeks (!!) for them to get back to their regular schedule. (This is week 2, by my count.) If they continue to increase their lay, we may have eggs again next week, but don’t hold your breath. Regardless of what happens, we’re keeping track of how many shares have been given out and we’ll be sure that everyone gets the eggs that they are due — even if it means a couple of weeks of “egg shares only” after the end of the veggie CSA.

Speaking of the end of the veggie CSA, this is week 13, and based on how much produce has been given out, there are 5 weeks left. That will put us into the first week of November (11/3) before the shares are done. Go ahead and pencil that in on your calendars, but of course I’ll let you all know in advance when things seem more concrete.

Detailed share information, notes about the veggies, storage tips and recipe tips are all inside the full post.

All shares contain:

• Green Peppers
• Stir-frying greens
• Leeks (not in full shares)

“Full” shares also contain:

• Carola Potatoes
• Garlic
• fresh Shallots
• Eggplant
• Fresh Onions

Bread shares: no bread this week

Veggie Notes

Peppers – These are nice, big, fat Italian frying peppers. Sweet, not hot. Normally, we wait for these peppers to ripen to a rich, vibrant red … alas, as with so many things this year, that won’t be happening. Use as you would any green pepper.

Carola potatoes – Carola’s are a great all purpose potato with excellent flavor. Their texture tends to be firm, making them ideal for stews, soups, potato salads or anything where you want the potatoes to hold themselves together.

Eggplant – These eggplants are a variety called Applegreen and yes, they are ripe.

Shallots – If you’re unfamiliar with shallots, a market customer once described them as “onions with the butter built in”. They tend to be milder than onions, with a richer flavor. Often used in cream sauces and vinaigrettes, they’re also perfectly fine anywhere that an onion would feel at home.

Storage Notes

Store onions, greens, leeks and shallots in a plastic bag in the fridge. Potatoes should be kept in a cool, dark place, but not in the fridge. Garlic is fine on the counter with no bag, as are Peppers and Eggplant, both of which are probably better in the plastic bag.

As always, we welcome your feedback. Please let us know if you have any questions, concerns or problems. Also, please send along any recipes you’d like to share.

We hope you enjoy the share!