CSA Harvest #10

Be ready to fill your CSA bags with:

Tomatoes
Peaches
Melons
Ground Cherries
Shishito Peppers
Bell Peppers
Summer Squash
Cucumbers
Basil

…And for those of you who like things a little spicy we will have a variety of hot peppers to stock your bags.

We will be using the same format as last week for the CSA pickup, so make sure to bring a bag to carry all of your fresh produce!

With the heat and humidity we’ve been having, a chilled soup is a great way to avoid the stove. Gazpacho makes for a refreshing addition to a meal, and this recipe http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Fresh-Tomato-Gazpacho-105333 is a perfect way to use some of your week’s harvest.


A recent gazpacho from a dinner party; the tomato broth was poured tableside.

Ground cherries grow wild in every state except for Alaska, but they are sweeter and more productive when cultivated. These intriguing fruits, which taste like a combination between a pineapple and tomato, are related to tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes, and tobacco. If you’re trying to figure out a way of using them, besides just husking them straight into your mouth, we like to put them in a fruit salad. Add the ground cherries with sliced melon, and for a more grown-up taste try pouring a splash of vodka and sprinkling a bit of hot chili into the mix. You can even garnish it with some basil. We have to thank the land for the inspiration for this dish, where the ground cherries grow by the melons, which grow by the chilies.


Melon and ground cherry salad we’ve been serving at dinner parties.

The plants around the farm are really enjoying the summer weather, especially since we’ve finally managed to catch-up with the weeds – at least for the time being. However, the animals are definitely giving the plants a run for their money on who can grow the fastest. We have 28 heritage turkeys that we just put on pasture, and they will be ready for Thanksgiving. The piglets have upsized, and now reside on 4 acres of pasture, including a nice patch of woods with plenty of shade to protect their fair skin. Also, we have two steers that are ready for slaughter next week, so let us know if you’re interested in purchasing grass fed beef.