My dear Community,
I’m adding one of my favorite squashes into the box this week- orange kabocha. Since we are having a heat wave, you can tuck this one away until it cools down if you’d like. These squashes are so flavorful and full of natural sugars they don’t stay too long on the farm before we run out so I always make sure we have the opportunity to include them. Kabocha squash is used in variety of cuisines and is an excellent source of complex carbohydrates that provides more than your daily requirements of beta carotene, a precursor of vitamin A. It’s also rich in vitamin C while offering some B vitamins, potassium, magnesium and fiber.
Our strawberry season is officially over. While you might find them at the farmers market a bit longer, the quality of the berries has deteriorated.If you received some bad ones last week don’t hesitate to send me a quick email and we’ll make it up to you. We might have another crop ripen in the next month or so, but will move towards autumn fruit. Think apples, pears, persimmons and more as we head into fall.
It always feels good to take the opportunity to connect and extend my gratitude to you for being a part of our community. Our CSA program is an easy way for our farm to continue distributing food locally, which has been an increasing challenge on the wholesale side in recent years. I truly appreciate every week we get to make boxes of fresh produce filled with love for the community. We couldn’t do it without you!
Be good to each other.
CSA Contains:
CARROTS
MOUNTAIN MAGIC TOMATOES
ROMAINE LETTUCE
CUCUMBERS
BLACKBERRIES
WATERMELON
RED ONIONS
ORANGE KABOCHA SQUASH
HASS AVOCADOS
GARLIC
BIG BOX ADD: YELLOW CHERRY TOMATOES, CELERY, RED BUTTER LETTUCE, ASIAN PEARS, CARROTS
JUST the BASICS:
WATERMELON
MOUNTAIN MAGIC TOMATOES
BLACKBERRIES
HASS AVOCADOS
ROMAINE LETTUCE
CUCUMBERS
JUICE FEAST:
CARROTS x2
ROMAINE LETTUCE
BLACKBERRIES
LACINATO KALE
CUCUMBERS
CILANTRO
CELERY
FUJI APPLES
WATERMELON
FRUIT EXPANSION: BLACKBERRIES + STONE FRUIT
LETTUCE of the WEEK: RED BUTTER LETTUCE
MUSHROOM MIX: SHIITAKE + OYSTER from WOLFE FARMS
Creamy Kabocha Squash Mash
Ingredients:
1 large kabocha squash halved and roasted
¼ cup full-fat canned coconut milk + more for serving
2 tablespoons to 3 honey to taste
2 tablespoons whisky optional
1/4 teaspoon to 1/2 ground cinnamon to taste
Pinch ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon sea salt to taste
(Find the full recipe and inspiration here at The Roasted Root)
Creamy Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
Ingredients:
½ kabocha squash or small sugar pie pumpkin, to yield 1 heaping cup cooked mash
½ yellow onion, sliced into wedges
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
5 large fresh sage leaves
¾ cup vegetable broth
½ cup raw unsalted cashews, soaked for 4 hours or overnight, drained and rinsed
16 ounces uncooked penne pasta
½ teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
(Find the full recipe and inspiration here at Love and Lemons)
Cold Cucumber Soup
Ingredients:
2 large cucumbers (peeled, halved and seeded, then cut into large chunks (reserve some for garnish))
1 ½ cups plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup olive oil (plus more for drizzling)
1 clove garlic (peeled)
1 green onion (root end trimmed)
½ jalapeno (seeded and rough chopped (optional))
½ cup packed mixed fresh herbs (like parsley, dill, tarragon, basil and cilantro)
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper (to taste)
⅔ cup hazelnuts (rough chopped)
(Find the full recipe and inspiration here at Platings and Pairings)
Tomato Cucumber Avocado Salad
Ingredients:
Avocado Salad Ingredients:
1 pound red cherry tomatoes, halved
2 avocados, diced
1 cucumber, sliced
⅓ cup red onion, diced
8 ounces small fresh mozzarella cheese balls
Salad Dressing:
¼ cup basil pesto
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
(Find the full recipe and inspiration here at Julias Album)
Blackberry Avocado Smoothie Bowl
Ingredients:
1 cup fresh blackberries
1/2 avocado
1 tbsp raw cacao powder
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 cup ice
Toppings
1 tsp hemp seeds
1 tsp cacao nibs
1/4 tsp raw cacao powder
fresh blackberries
(Find the full recipe and inspiration here at Abras Kitchen)
Quick-Pickled Onions
Ingredients:
1 medium red onion, very thinly sliced
½ cup water
¼ cup distilled white vinegar
¼ cup apple cider vinegar or additional white vinegar
1 ½ tablespoons maple syrup or honey
1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, for heat)
(Find the full recipe and inspiration here at Cookie and Kate)