Crop Talk July 10, 2017
CSA Week 6

    If you picked your bonus last week, you know there's a lot of food hidden under the foliage in that bean field. I ate my beans last week with my potatoes and onions, using Katherine's basic template in Cook With What You Have. I didn't have pesto, so I used sauteed onions and garlic scapes and added chopped basil at the end. This week I'm going to try the Nicoise Salad, with thin strips of braised red cabbage instead of tomatoes.

    Later in the week I'll try something with the cabbage and the kale together; they come from the same family, and the colors will probably work really well together. There's a lot of meat in that one head of cabbage, so you'll probably be able to make two or three dishes with it. Please let us know what works especially well for you.

   We also have bumper crops of peaches and blackberries this year. Those items are easy to eat in their natural form, but with the volume out there it makes sense to explore alternatives, like peach-blackberry cobbler. This recipe from Heidi at Foodie Crush uses simple ingredients and relies on the sugar in the fruit for sweetness.

Week 6 Shares Include: 
cabbage, peaches, green beans, kale, onions

Pick-your-own bonus: 6 peaches, 1 quart blackberries, 1 bag green beans.

Bonus Value this week: $11.95
Year-to- Date Bonus Value:  $106.67

What is the YTD Bonus Value? Each week we total up the market value of the bonus pick-your-own items. The value to date includes 8 quarts of strawberries, two bags of spinach, four bundles of asparagus, three quarts of sweet cherries, a quart of tart cherries, two pints of black raspberries, two quarts of blackberries, and 24 peaches, and two bags of green beans.

Please note that bonus amounts do not carry over from week to week, and they are offered while supplies last.  

Wagon rides to the fields will start at 9:15 sharp and continue at the top of every the hour until 5:00. We update our Twitter @TheFarmerSays with the latest picking conditions, so be sure to follow us.

Group Site Members: 
Please remember that you must pick up your box on delivery day. All boxes contain perishable items that spoil easily, so any boxes that are not claimed within the designated pick-up window will be donated. Your host is not permitted to hold your box overnight.

Cooking with Lee  

   Long-time CSA member Lee Draznin has embarked on a blogging project this year: it's called "What Do I Do With This Box?", and the name speaks for itself. We invite all of you to join us in Lee's kitchen for the next few months, while we learn how he uses the bounty that comes to his door every week.  

Here's Lee's post from Week 5: 

   "The summer treats are starting.  Getting green beans this early is yet another Great Country Farms surprise.  Farmer Mark has several plantings, so we’re going to be in beans for a while.  Beans are one of the items that are sometimes available as you pick at the farm.  Picking beans in large numbers is back breaking work.  When we joined the CSA many years ago, I wanted my kids to develop an appreciation for where there food comes from, and the physical nature of harvesting food. Picking beans is perfect for that." 

Read more here.
Bluegrass at Bluemont Vineyard

   Get excited for our 2nd Annual Beef & Bluegrass Festival!  Local Bluegrass bands The Plank Stompers, Short Hill Mountain Boys, and King Street Bluegrass are back again this year to give you a day full of entertainment. Join us for live music, beef brisket, and our summertime wine slushies. Gather your friends and purchase your tickets before they sell out!  

   $10.00 tickets include admission to the festival, a souvenir glass, and 10% discount on all bottle purchases.

Discounts apply to Vista Club Members.
 
Buy tickets here



Great Country Farms | 540-554-2073 | [email protected] | www.GreatCountryFarms.com