I'm getting this email done on Monday morning! Hopefully we are breaking through the deep slog of summer (ha!) and I can start to get them out on Mondays regularly again. I like to get them out the day before for Tuesday members to have time to plan, but, we are not starting to harvest until an hour form now, so the share is based solely on what I think yields will be, and not on actuals, which means there will be some variations in the share.

I love harvesting for CSA members. We tried expanding a little to wholesale this year, and luckily I'm selling mostly to my farmer friends who have small land-base but great retail locations. We've had to drop that now because of the drought to make sure we have produce for our shares and honestly, I prefer harvesting for our CSA more than anything. 

I love knowing food is going directly to our members. I love knowing you will show up at a regularly scheduled time for a regular amount of produce. I stress about having the right amounts of things and hoping that the choices for the week will work out, but I'd still rather do that, while knowing I have your support, than hope a wholesale buyer wants my produce each week.

So, just a short, 'thanks for being with us'. It's a tough time to be a farmer and you being a CSA member really does make a difference to us and our business. Between last year's excessive rain and this year's drought, we've experienced two ends of a diverse weather spectrum during a start-up period. I'm always striving to do better, but I am very proud of what we've been able to produce and we do hope you are enjoying your share.

Let's all hope some of that rain that's supposed to be headed our way actually gets to us. We spent a good part of Thursday and Friday taking care of crops that will be in the end of the summer share, beginning of the fall share - we added drip irrigation lines to the crops with the greatest potential for success . . . but seriously, a good inch of rain would go a long, long way.

I need everyone to eat sweet peppers and tomatoes this week - I hope that's ok with you all! It's not like I'm making you eat turnips and fennel!

For our flower share members - we hope you are enjoying the bouquets! It's tough in a dry, hot spell to grow and harvest flowers, but Kerry is making it work! We've got a gorgeous new batch of sunflowers and celosia heading your way this week!

Fruit share starts this week! Fruit share members should have received another email with updates and instructions - let me know if you have any questions!

So . . .What's in the share?

1 pound sweet peppers (the pointy ones are sweet - it's really, really hard to grow a certified organic bell pepper, when we have more high tunnel we will grow them in there and hope to have more, but for now, enjoy these sweet alternatives. Know as Italian frying peppers, you can eat them raw or cook them up!

2 pounds tomatoes

Choose 3: cherry tomatoes, mini sweet peppers, hot pepper pint, tomatoillos, micro greens, carrots, shishito peppers,head lettuce, chard, basil, beets, radish

Mix and Match 2 pounds: zucchini/squash, onions, cabbage, cantalopue?, eggplant, green and purple peppers

Recipes

Hi - Jess Girotti here. If you have a recipe that you love that you'd like to share with other members or if a recipe link isn't working for you, feel free to email me at jgirotti@live.com. (Please note that I can't re-print a recipe from a cookbook that isn't already online.) Don't forget to check out the recipe pages on the Upswing website if you need more ideas for your other veggies.

SAUTEED SHISHITO PEPPERS

If you've never tried Shishito peppers, they are AMAZING. This is my favorite way to serve them. I use them either as a side dish or just as a mid-afternoon snack.

CUMIN BEANS WITH TOMATILLOS AND CHIPS

Perfect meal for a hot summer night. They're calling this a healthier spin on a 7-layer dip. 

GRILLED PEPPER, ONION & SAUSAGE PIZZA

I've got this one on my meal plan for this week. Grilled peppers, onions and sausage plus basil pesto and ricotta cheese. Leave out the sausage or choose one of the delicious vegetarian varieties if you're not into meat or don't feel like going to the store.

ORZO WITH SMOKEY TOMATO VINAIGRETTE

This pasta dish is one of my favorite ways to use cherry tomatoes. Not only ridiculously easy but also delicious and different from your typical pasta with sauce.

RAW BEET SALAD WITH WALNUTS, GOAT CHEESE AND ORANGE VINAIGRETTE 

I love a crunchy salad. This one is great for people that don't love beets too because they have a milder flavor when they're raw. 

TRADITIONAL PEPERONATA

Peperonata is a traditional southern Italian dish with tomatoes, peppers, onions and fresh herbs. You can make it your own by switching up the herbs you use. Serve it with slices of toasted whole grain bread.

NOT SO TRADITIONAL (BUT STILL DELICIOUS) PEPERONATA

I'm doubling up with 2 peperonata recipes this week because this one is SOOO amazing with olives, capers, pine nuts and red wine vinegar.