Letter from a Farmer,

Last week we hustled to get the veggie fields irrigated. We hadn't irrigated the previous weekend because of the high chance of rain in the forecast. Then all we got were a few drops. The fields were quite dry and the weather was hot and sunny. On Friday we checked the forecast again and it was 100% chance of rain for Saturday. We danced around whether or not to continue to irrigate. The leeks & sweet potatoes were in one field and the newly planted sweet corn in another. All of them needed water badly and if we didn't get rain we were concerned we would loose one crop or the other. So we decided to irrigate the leeks, sweet potatoes, and the beds for carrots and beets. Then in the early hours of Saturday morning I woke up to rain sounds on the roof.

Keri, Linnea, and I arrive at the farm at 7:00 am on Saturdays to get ready for the Kinderhook Farmer's Market. It was pouring, the sky was dark and thundery. The forecast predicted hard rain all morning and the following day. On Saturdays, other farm team members come in to pick squash, zucchini, and cucumbers. Asking the farm team to come in and suit up in rubber rain gear on the steamy day and pick for a couple of hours in the pouring rain felt like it was too much. (We do gear up and harvest in all kinds of weather on Monday to Friday.) Especially if it was going to be cloudy and rainy on Sunday, the squash, zucchini, and cukes would hold in the field. Keeping up the moral and our energy for the rest of the season felt more important than the one day harvest. Then Sunday the sun came out bright and it was 85 degrees. We could almost feel the zucchini and cucumbers growing. We knew Monday was going to be a big harvest.

So this morning we loaded up buckets on the trucks and headed to the zucchini and cucumber field. We picked for quite a few hours and filled almost all of the buckets we own. It took all four of our trucks to bring the loaded buckets back to the barn. After counting all of the buckets we added everything up and we had over 3,000 pieces of squash, zucchini, and cucumbers.

There was lots of laughing and saying never again are we skipping a Saturday harvest while picking. And a feeling of satisfaction as we all rolled up to the barn in our parade of zucchini trucks. It was a record harvest with a great team of people. ~Jody

There are no CSA deliveries next Tuesday, July 4 in the Capital District.

The rest of the week we will be delivering at the normal time and locations.

Irrigating the sweet corn

Three truck loads full of summer squash, zucchini, and cucumbers

FRUIT: Week of July 10

EGGS: Weekly

BEEF #1: THIS WEEK



CHICKEN #1: Week July 17

If you can't pick up your egg or meat share a particular week, please contact the farm and we can hold your share and send it another week.

ROXBURY FARM CSA

GRASS FED BEEF

We have beef available to purchase by the cut or by the quarter of a steer

Click HERE to see what cuts are available

Click HERE to purchase a quarter of a steer

Veggie friends enjoying Kinderhook Pride on Saturday despite the rain. (follow veggie_diorama on Instagram for more veggie adventures.)

This week's full share: baby turnips, head lettuce, arugula, cabbage, cucumbers, summer squash, zucchini, scallions, basil, fennel, sugar snap peas, and broccoli or tatsoi.

This week's small share: turnips, head lettuce, cabbage, cucumbers, summers squash, zucchini, basil, fennel, and sugar snap peas

head lettuce, arugula, peas, zucchini, summer squash, onions, beets, scallions, kale, basil, cucumbers, cilantro, and cabbage

COOKING TIPS AND RECIPES

We recommend signing up for the Farm Share newsletter from Alexandra Stafford. It has great cooking tips, recipes, and other helpful items to help you make the most use of your share. Click HERE to sign up. If you have a website, blog, or newsletter as a go to for CSA share recipes please share them with us!

Turnips: Store in a vented plastic bag in the fridge. You can eat the tops and roots. The small tender roots can be eaten raw like a radish or cooked in a stir fry.

Sugar Snap Peas: Store in the fridge. You can eat these peas in the pod. Lightly steam, saute, or stir fry.

Fennel: Store in the fridge. Slice teh bulb thinly to eat raw in a salad. Or cook in your favorite recipe. Add chopped fronds to the tops of a salad.

Arugula Fennel Salad

1 tablespoon very finely chopped shallot

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons canola oil

6 ounces arugula leaves, washed and spun dry

1/2 fennel bulb, cored and very thinly sliced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large salad bowl, whisk together the chopped shallot, lemon juice and mustard.

Gradually add the oil, whisking constantly, until the vinaigrette is emulsified and creamy-looking.

Add the arugula and sliced fennel to the salad bowl, season the salad with salt and black pepper and toss well. Serve. www.foodandwine.com

Shaved Fennel, Zucchini, and Celery Salad

6 small celery stalks, very thinly sliced (about 1 ½ cups)

1 bulb fennel, very thinly sliced (about 3 cups)

1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced crosswise (about 1 ½ cups)

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup white-wine vinegar

1 can (15.5 ounces) butter beans, drained and rinsed

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

½ cup almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped

Combine celery, fennel, zucchini, oil, vinegar, and beans in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Stir in almonds and season with more salt and pepper just before serving. www.marthastewart.com

Shaved Turnip Salad with Arugula

4 teaspoons red wine vinegar

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

2 teaspoons honey

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Pepper

4 small turnips, about 5 ounces, peeled

8 cups arugula

4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, torn into bite-size pieces

In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar and salt until the salt dissolves. Whisk in the honey, oil and pepper.

Using a mandoline or sharp knife, slice the turnips into paper-thin rounds. In a large bowl, combine turnips, arugula and prosciutto. Toss with the dressing. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. www.cooking.nytimes.com

Sauteed Snap Peas and Baby Turnips

1 pint sugar snap peas

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons water

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

3 baby turnips, scrubbed well, shaved paper thin on a mandoline

2 teaspoons champagne vinegar

1 scallion, dark-green part only, thinly sliced crosswise on the diagonal

Trim peas. Snap off tip of one end of a pea pod and pull string along the spine to remove, then repeat, working from other end. Repeat with all peas.

Melt butter in a large skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. Add peas and toss to coat, then stir in water. Once water is at a boil, cover and cook until crisp-tender and bright green, about 2 minutes. Remove lid and continue cooking until any remaining liquid has evaporated (there shouldn’t be much, if any). Season with salt and pepper, then cook for 30 seconds, just to allow the seasonings to infuse.

Add turnips. Stir together turnips and vinegar, then add to pan and immediately remove from heat and toss to combine.

Transfer to a platter and sprinkle with scallions. Serve immediately. www.epicurious.com