Welcome to Week 6 of the 2025 summer CSA season. This week is a Group B week, which means full shares in all locations pick up and half shares at the farm pick up.
In their shares this week, members will receive the following vegetables: broccoli, kohlrabi, garlic scapes, cucumbers, kale, lettuce, scallions. Members will also receive either basil, Thai basil or parsley.
Flower shares will include: Day lilies, snapdragons, honeywort, yarrow, orlaya, starflower and zinnias.
The online store is open this week, offering kale, collard greens and 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.”
News from the farm
Every season comes with its challenges, but as we enter the sixth week of our CSA, we are feeling very optimistic about what is coming out of our field. A combination of consistent rainfall, a cool early summer and, now, long, hot days, have all led to ideal growing conditions at the farm.
Our root crops are all coming along nicely. We anticipate having carrots in CSA shares, most likely next week. Meanwhile, many of the mid-summer favorites are starting to produce. This week, we will enjoy our first cucumbers of the season. Summer squash and snap peas are almost ready for harvest and it won’t be long before we see peppers and tomatoes in our CSA boxes.
Across our fields, vegetables and flowers are thriving. Our potato plants look healthy and happy. Our pumpkins and winter squash grow by the day.
There has been one setback this season — a leftover from last year’s tough conditions. Our garlic bed is not looking good and appears to be suffering from something called aster yellows, which is a plant disease spread by a bug called a leafhopper. We anticipate still having garlic to give, but we are not recommending using it for seed garlic. We have also made the decision not to replant any of our garlic out of an abundance of caution. We will instead start over with new seed garlic, purchased from a trusted source.
This is a big loss for us after consistently producing superb garlic for years. It is also a reminder that you can do everything right in farming and something will still go wrong.
So, you try to learn from the experiences and move forward to the next challenge, which isn’t a bad lesson to apply to other aspects of life.
Images from the farm
This week’s veggies and recipes
Grilled garlic scapes
A simple and delicious way to enjoy this seasonal treat. Makes a great side dish, or goes great with pasta or eggs.
Ingredients:
- Garlic Scapes
- Olive Oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Lemon Juice
- Parmesan Cheese (optional)
Directions:
- Rinse the Garlic Scapes and trim off any woody ends
- Optional: some folks like to give the scapes a quick blanch in boiling water to make them extra tender!
- Toss with a light coating of your favorite oil–Olive Oil is perfect
- Season with Salt & Pepper
- On a a clean grill grate, grill over medium-high to high heat
- Place directly on grate and turn frequently until tender and well-charred
- To serve, drizzle with Lemon Juice and/or Parmesan Cheese OR add to your favorite pasta or egg dish (frittata?).
Massaged Kale Salad
from Eating Well
John introduced Heather-Marie to this salad. We eat this on constant rotation for an easy summer meal.
- 2 bunches kale
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1 minced anchovy fillet or ½ teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Strip leaves from the stems (discard stems). Wash and dry the leaves. Tear the leaves into small pieces and place in a large bowl. Add Parmesan, oil, lemon juice, garlic, soy sauce, anchovy (if using), pepper and salt. With clean hands, firmly massage and crush the greens to work in the flavoring. Stop when the volume of greens is reduced by about half. The greens should look a little darker and somewhat shiny. Taste and adjust seasoning with more Parmesan, lemon juice, garlic, soy sauce and/or pepper, if desired.