CSA Week 5: Flowers bouquets, farms stands and other signs of summer

Heather-Marie harvests flowers each morning to create floral bouquets available to flower subscriptions, online store sales and at our farm stand.

Welcome to Week 5 of the 2025 summer CSA season. This week is a Group A week, which means full shares in all locations pick up and half shares in Duluth pick up.

In their shares this week, members will receive the following vegetables: Cauliflower, radishes (last of season), beets, microgreens, scallions, head lettuce. Members will also receive either kale, broccoli, kohlrabi or Swiss chard.

Flower bouquets and veggies in online store: The online store is open this week, offering flower a limited number of flower bouquets, kale, collard greens and radishes as well as farm gear and Heather-Marie’s linoleum block prints. Please place orders by 10 a.m. Tuesday morning to allow for processing.

This newsletter includes a roundup of news from the farm as well as information and recipes. Feel free to jump to the bottom of the newsletter to find the section titled, “This week’s veggies and recipes.”

Farm Stand opens July 11

While we usually open our Farm Stand the first Friday in July, this year that also coincides with the Fourth of July. So, we will delay one week and open for the season on Friday, July 11.

The stand is open on Fridays from 3 to 6 p.m. We sell seasonal produce picked fresh from our fields. Follow the farm on Facebook to get reminders or, even better, sign up for our mailing list to get weekly notifications.

News from the farm

It’s been a moist start to the season, which has meant abundant vegetables and thriving weeds. We’ve been working hard to try to stay on top of it.

Things are going well as we transition into July at the farm. With a cool, wet early summer, the crops have been thriving—of course, so have the weeds. For us, the pace and routines of the season are shifting. We’re moving from transplanting and putting crops into the ground to cultivating, weeding, and maintaining them, keeping an eye out for weed growth, disease, and other challenges.

It’s a constant balancing act, and it’s easy to start feeling overwhelmed. But we try to stay positive, prioritize our tasks, and focus on one thing at a time.

Overall, we’re optimistic about the next few weeks of the growing season. Our carrots are coming along nicely. The cucumbers and tomatoes in the high tunnel look healthy and strong, as do the peppers.

Out in the field, we expect to be harvesting snap peas soon, along with summer squash and zucchini. In other words, it’s starting to feel like midsummer.

A year ago at this time, we were in a different place. Volatile weather conditions had left both our plants and ourselves stressed, and we found ourselves scrambling to come up with quality vegetables for people’s boxes. This year, it’s a very different story—but it’s important to remember that we are always at the mercy of the elements. We can do everything right, and still, things can go badly.

The other thing we’re trying to do is take some time off. This weekend, we went to a wonderful concert at the Rugged Spruce on Saturday to listen to our friends play and to celebrate living in this amazing community. On Sunday, we slept in, got on our bicycles, went for a nice ride, and took a swim.

Images from the farm

John manicures a cucumber plant growing in our high tunnel. Cucumbers should become available next week with some for sale at this week’s farm stand.
Cauliflower harvest
Clinton Dexter-Nienhaus examines one of the baby kestrels from our box this year. For the fourth year in a row, our kestrels have successfully bred. This year, there were three females and one male. They were examined and tagged so that they can be traced through the American kestrel monitoring project.
Tomatoes are coming on strong in the high tunnel. It won’t be long now!

This week’s veggies and recipes

Cauliflower Salad Sandwiches

Based on a recipe from NYT Cooking by Ham El-Waylly

Heather-Marie made this recently and it reminded us of loaded tuna salad.  Great in a hoagie roll or on top of greens for a large salad.

  • 1 large head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cored, halved and cut into 1-inch slices
  • 6 tablespoons neutral oil
  • 5 teaspoons curry powder
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup/4 ounces raw walnuts, roughly chopped
  • 1 tart, crisp apple, cored and chopped into ½-inch pieces
  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced, plus more to taste
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • ½ cup strained yogurt, like Greek or skyr
  • ⅓ cup raisins
  • ½ cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped
  • ½ cup parsley leaves, roughly chopped
  • 4 hoagie rolls, split lengthwise

Heat oven to 450 degrees and place a large, rimmed baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cauliflower florets with 3 tablespoons of oil, 2 teaspoons of curry powder, and a generous pinch of salt. Toss well to coat the florets evenly and to break up any large pieces. Carefully spread the cauliflower out on the preheated baking sheet and roast for about 20 minutes, or until the florets are tender and beginning to char in places. Switch the oven to broil on high and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, until the cauliflower is deeply browned and caramelized in spots.

While the cauliflower is in the oven, prepare the walnut topping. In a small skillet over medium heat, add the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil along with the walnuts and a pinch of salt. Stir often and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the walnuts are lightly golden. Stir in the remaining 3 teaspoons of curry powder, turn off the heat, and let the spices bloom in the residual heat for about 1 minute.

In a separate large bowl, combine the diced apple, lemon zest, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Add the mayonnaise, yogurt, raisins, chopped cilantro, parsley, and the toasted walnut mixture—be sure to include all of the flavored oil. Stir everything together until well blended.

Once the cauliflower has cooled slightly, add it to the bowl and toss until all ingredients are evenly coated. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt, if needed. The salad can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days.

To serve, spoon the cauliflower salad into sandwich rolls and press gently to close. Enjoy right away, or store in the fridge for up to 12 hours—best eaten within the hour if not chilled.

Roasted Beet Hummus
From

The Endless Meal website

  • 4 medium beets
  • 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
  • ½ cup tahini
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • Cold water

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Peel and chop the beets then toss them with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and put them on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 35 minutes, or until they are soft.

Let the cooked beets cool for a few minutes then put them into your food processor along with all the remaining ingredients. Blend on high for 2 minutes.

With the blender running, slowly add cold water to the hummus. You will need to add about ¼ cup of water. When it is creamy and the consistency of hummus, stop adding water. Season to taste with more salt, if needed.

In