Week of August 31, 2026
Hi CSA members 🌱🍅
We’re not quite on track to pick our Big Beef tomatoes yet, but we have something fun coming in their place! Our new crop of Mountain Magic tomatoes is producing some extra-large beauties — about the size of a golf ball. 🍅
We’re very excited to taste this little bit of late summer and share it with you. Summer may be starting to wind down, but the farm definitely isn’t done with those summer flavors yet.
Basic Share
• Dino kale
• Extra-large Mountain Magic tomatoes
• Celery
• Red bell pepper
• Bartlett pears
• Avocados
Regular Share
Everything in the Basic, plus:
• Romaine lettuce
• Ambrosia melon (an orange cantaloupe style melon)
• Carrots
• Yum Yum lunchbox peppers
Large Share
Everything in the Basic + Regular, plus:
• Passionfruit
• Green kabocha squash
• Shishito peppers
• Green Little Gem lettuce
• Valencia oranges
A colorful little transition between summer and fall this week. Enjoy your boxes! 💚
RECIPE: Asian Inspired Sautéed Celery
20 min recipe, an easy side dish to any protein. Find the recipe here!
Basics Box Recipe Ideas
For the Basics Share, I’d keep the recipes really simple and useful this week:
Mountain Magic Tomato + Avocado Toast — Toast sourdough, smash avocado with salt and lemon, then pile sliced tomatoes on top. Finish with olive oil, pepper, and flaky salt.
Garlicky Dino Kale — Remove the kale stems, chop the leaves, and sauté in olive oil with garlic for 4–5 minutes. Add a squeeze of lemon and salt. Great alongside eggs, chicken, or pasta.
Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Pasta — Roast chopped red bell pepper and tomatoes with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper at 425°F until soft and caramelized. Toss with hot pasta and Parmesan.
Celery + Avocado Crunch Salad — Thinly slice celery and toss with diced avocado, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and Parmesan. Add the celery leaves too!
Pear & Kale Salad — Massage chopped Dino kale with olive oil and lemon. Add thinly sliced Bartlett pear, avocado, toasted nuts, and goat cheese or feta.
Fresh Tomato Avocado Salsa — Chop Mountain Magic tomatoes, avocado, red bell pepper, and a little onion if you have it. Add lime, cilantro, and salt. Eat with chips or spoon over tacos, eggs, or grilled meat.
Easy Baked Pears — Halve and core the pears, sprinkle with cinnamon, add a little butter and honey or brown sugar, and bake at 375°F for about 25 minutes. Great with yogurt or vanilla ice cream.
Use-it-all dinner idea: Make the roasted tomato & pepper pasta, sauté the Dino kale on the side, and make a quick celery-avocado salad. Pears for dessert. That knocks out almost the entire Basics box in one meal.
Regular Box Recipe Ideas
For the Regular Share, here are some easy ideas that use this week’s additions along with the Basic box:
Ambrosia Melon + Avocado Salad — Cube the melon and avocado, then toss with lime juice, a little olive oil, salt, and fresh herbs. Feta is delicious on top.
Romaine, Pear & Lunchbox Pepper Salad — Chop romaine, Bartlett pear, lunchbox peppers, avocado, and carrots. Add toasted nuts and feta or goat cheese. Dress simply with olive oil, lemon, honey, salt, and pepper.
Roasted Carrots & Lunchbox Peppers — Toss whole or halved peppers and sliced carrots with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic. Roast at 425°F for 20–25 minutes until caramelized. Finish with Parmesan or feta.
Loaded Romaine Taco Boats — Use romaine leaves as little taco shells. Fill with seasoned ground beef, chicken, or beans, then add chopped Mountain Magic tomatoes, avocado, lunchbox peppers, and cheese.
Melon, Pear & Lime Fruit Salad — Cube Ambrosia melon and Bartlett pears and toss with fresh lime juice. Add mint if you have it. Super simple for breakfasts and lunches.
Sweet Pepper & Tomato Pasta — Sauté sliced lunchbox peppers and Mountain Magic tomatoes with garlic and olive oil until the tomatoes burst. Toss with pasta, Parmesan, salt, and lots of black pepper.
Crunchy Romaine Chopped Salad — Chop romaine, celery, carrots, red bell pepper, lunchbox peppers, tomatoes, and avocado. Toss everything with a quick ranch, vinaigrette, or lemony dressing.
Use-the-box dinner: Make taco night with romaine taco boats, tomatoes, avocado, and peppers, roast the carrots on the side, and cut up that Ambrosia melon for dessert. 🌱
Large Box Recipe Ideas
For the Large Share, you have some really fun ingredients this week. These ideas use the Large additions along with everything from the Basics + Regular shares:
Roasted Green Kabocha Squash — Cut into wedges (you can eat the skin!), toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast at 425°F for 25–35 minutes. Finish with maple syrup or hot honey and flaky salt.
Blistered Shishito Peppers — Heat a skillet until very hot, add a little oil and the whole shishitos, and cook until blistered on all sides. Finish with flaky salt and a squeeze of Valencia orange or lemon. Eat them straight from the stem.
Little Gem Salad with Valencia Orange — Quarter the Little Gems and top with orange segments, sliced avocado, thinly sliced lunchbox peppers, and toasted nuts. Dress with Valencia orange juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Passionfruit + Orange Yogurt Bowls — Spoon passionfruit over Greek yogurt with Valencia orange segments, honey, and granola. Add some Ambrosia melon or pear if you want to turn it into a big fruit bowl.
Kabocha & Kale Sheet-Pan Dinner — Roast chunks of kabocha with carrots and red bell pepper. Add chopped Dino kale during the last 5–8 minutes. Serve over rice with avocado and a simple tahini or lemon dressing.
Shishito & Mountain Magic Tomato Pasta — Blister the shishitos, then add halved Mountain Magic tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil. Let the tomatoes get juicy and toss everything with pasta, Parmesan, and black pepper.
Passionfruit Citrus Dressing — Whisk the pulp of one passionfruit with Valencia orange juice, olive oil, a little honey, salt, and pepper. It’s especially good over Little Gem or romaine with avocado and pear.
Use-the-box dinner: Roast the kabocha and carrots, blister the shishitos, and make a big Little Gem salad with avocado and Valencia oranges. Finish with fresh passionfruit over Ambrosia melon and pears for dessert. 🌱🍊
👩🍳 Featured Recipe
Romaine Cranberry Pear Salad
Prep time: 20 mins | Cook time: 30 mins | Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
4 cups romaine lettuce (chopped)
1 firm pear (chopped)
1 – 2 oz. goat cheese
1/2 cup salted oven roasted pecans (roughly chopped)
1/2 cup Craisins
1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil
2 – 3 tablespoons cranberry pear white balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper to taste (if desired)
Instructions
1. Prepare 4 cups of chopped romaine lettuce loosely packed. Place it in a large salad bowl.
2. Add pecans and Craisins.
3. At this point the salad can be placed in the refrigerator until ready to serve. (Not more than 2 – 3 hours.)
4. When ready to serve: break apart goat cheese and add to the bowl.
5. Chop the pear into small pieces. Add to bowl.
6. For the dressing: the measurements above are just guidelines. Add the oil and vinegar a little at a time until you achieve your preferred taste.
7. Toss everything together. Serve immediately.