Bounty Brief-10/14/25

• Garlic

• Head Lettuce

• Kale

• Napa Cabbage

• Peppers: Sweet (see descriptions in 8/5 newsletter)

• Potatoes: Kennebec

and perhaps one of the following: (please see **NOTE after “A Little Detail...” below)

• Bean Mix: Fortex, Provider and Gold Rush

• Cucumbers: Lemon

• Eggplant: Shinkasen (Asian, dark purple) or Listada De Gandia (striped)

• Ground Cherries

• Okra (Red): Burgundy & Candle Fire

• Shishito Peppers

🌿Herb It! option: Sweet Basil, Stevia & Rosemary

This week’s featured vegetable is Napa cabbage — a cool-season favorite that bridges the gap between crisp and tender, familiar and exotic. With its pale green, ruffled leaves and mild, slightly sweet flavor, it’s no wonder Napa cabbage is a staple in many Asian kitchens and beyond.

Our Napa crop is still on the young side, so you’ll notice that some heads are smaller or more “open style” rather than tightly formed. Don’t worry — every bit of it is delicious and usable! The outer leaves are perfect for stir-fries, soups, or wraps, while the inner, more delicate leaves shine in fresh salads or slaws.

Napa cabbage is rich in vitamins A, C, and K, along with fiber and antioxidants — all while being refreshingly light and versatile. It’s a true workhorse in the kitchen, whether you’re making a quick sauté, a batch of kimchi, or just adding crunch to your favorite dish.

💡 Pro tip: Store your Napa loosely wrapped in a plastic or cloth bag in the crisper drawer. If you only use part of it, wrap the cut edge in a damp towel to keep the leaves crisp.

🍽️ Simple Recipe: Napa Cabbage Stir Fry
🍽️ Bonus Recipe: Smothered Cabbage and Potatoes
🍽️ Bonus Recipe II: Simple Kale and Potato Soup

• Don’t toss those loose outer leaves — they’re excellent in soups or as wraps for your favorite fillings.

• Roast whole bulbs of garlic to extend shelf life and mellow flavor.

• Here’s our downloadable one-page guide to storing all things produce!

Store it Fresh Guide

Just a reminder, this is the final delivery of the season.

Well, we’ve been talking about it coming, but it still sneaks up on me every year. This is indeed the final delivery of the 2025 Bounty Box season! Twenty weeks have come and gone and a LOT of produce has passed between us during that time. Thank you for joining us on this veggie adventure, we couldn’t do it without you!

And remember, this isn’t farewell for the year, we hope to see you at VegEmail deliveries throughout the winter and spring (see the Upcoming Dates list at the end of the newsletter). We’ll also keep in touch with our monthly newsletters throughout the winter to keep you up on all the fun news from the farm.

Another big shift will happen at the start of November when VegEmail moves to deliveries every other Tuesday 4-6pm. We’re still at the same locations, just the day and time changes.

Finally, we want to thank you again for being such a huge part of the Blue Gate Farm team. The Bounty Box membership is truly the foundation of our farm and we want to be sure you know how important you are to us. The dedication you show by investing in the season upfront and then showing up for 20 weeks is awe inspiring! We love knowing that we’re helping to feed you and your families and that you trust us to do so.

And for those of you who have already signed up for the 2026 season, WOOHOO!! Thank you! You have no idea how happy that makes me…in case you’re curious here’s a little taste!

If you have friends, family members, coworkers, (whoever!) whom you think might be interested in the Bounty Box or VegEmail, we’d be so thankful if you’d share our information with them. It takes a BIG community to support a farm and you are our best ambassadors!

If you ever have questions or suggestions, don’t hesitate to let us know!

See you soon!

The past week was a whirlwind of activity. Harvesting crops, clearing spent crops, shelling popcorn and preparing for a weekend-long pumpkin festival just down the road. On Friday we said (another) farewell to our young farm crew members as they return to full-time school. We so appreciate the extra time they gave us for the past month. And again, we miss them already!

Did you miss our first round of early renewals? Don’t worry, here is another opportunity for you.

In celebration of you—and your commitment to local food—we’re doing something new this year!

Current Bounty Box members get early access to 2026 shares: your chance to secure your spot and lock in 2025 pricing before rates increase.

And because we love a good thank-you, renew by midnight, November 9, and you’ll receive this exclusive early renewal package:

🦃 Entry into a drawing for a free Thanksgiving Bounty Box (pick up on 11/9)
📘 A digital copy of our 20th Anniversary Herb Book

This one-time reward package is only available during early renewal—don’t miss out!

Here are a few upcoming events and milestones to keep on your radar:

• Oct. 14 – Final CSA delivery (Week #20!)

• Oct. 25 – Final Saturday VegEmail delivery

• Nov. 4 – Fall VegEmail schedule begins (delivery every other Tuesday, 4–6pm)

• Nov. 9 at midnight - Deadline for 2026 Bounty Box Early Renewal Gift Package II (if you’ve already signed up for next year, you’re already entered!)

Got big plans this week? Whether you’re feeding a crowd, craving salsa, or stocking up on potatoes for the pantry, we’ve got you covered.

Our VegEmail program is your go-to source for ordering extra farm-fresh produce beyond your Bounty Box. Use it to stock up on your favorites or snag more of what you loved this week.

👉 Click here to place your VegEmail order (by Thursday at noon)
Pick-up is Saturday from 10am–noon at Singlespeed Brewing (downtown Des Moines), Mayalu Coffee (southside Des Moines), the Grand Theater in Knoxville or on the farm.

It’s one more way we’re making it easier for you to eat seasonally, locally, and deliciously—on your schedule.

You’ve seen our photos, we’d love to see yours! Share photos of your Bounty Box haul or how you’re using your weekly produce. We’d LOVE to see them! You can email or text them to us or post them on the BGF Community Page. Every week we’ll feature photos from the membership on our social media outlets.

BASIL hates the cold and will turn black with exposure. Keep long stemmed basil in a glass/vase of water on your counter top (out of direct sunlight). Stems that are too short (trimmings/tops) should be placed in a glass or plastic container with a dry paper towel. Then put inside of a paper bag (for insulation) and put in the warmest part of your refrigerator (usually the door) or on the top shelf towards the front.

BEANS: Fresh beans are an easy “store.” Just leave them in their plastic bag and keep them in the produce drawer. Can last up to 2 weeks.

EGGPLANT: Eggplant prefers to be kept at about 50° F, which is warmer than most refrigerators and cooler than most kitchen counters. Wrap unwashed eggplant in a towel (not in plastic) to absorb any moisture and keep it in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator. Used within a week, it should still be fresh and mild. Many people like to peel, salt, and drain their eggplant to draw out any bitter flavor; however, bitterness develops only in eggplant that has been stored for a while, so with farm-fresh specimens this is generally not necessary. Many recipes call for salting in order to make the vegetable less watery and more absorbent—much like draining tofu. Salting is not an essential step, but it can greatly enhance the taste and texture of your dish and is well worth the extra effort. The shape of an eggplant determines how it is best prepared. Slice a straight, narrow eggplant into rounds or halves for grilling or broiling, and cut a rounded, bulbous eggplant into cubes for stews and stir-fries.

GARLIC, ONIONS & SHALLOTS: Fully cured bulbs don’t require refrigeration. For longest storage, keep in a dark place with good airflow. Once cut, store in the refrigerator in a sealed container.

All of your GREENS will keep best if stored in a plastic bag, with the top folded over and placed in the produce drawer of your refrigerator. If there is extra moisture in the bag, just tuck in a cotton or paper towel.

HERBS: Generally, except for basil, set unwashed bunches of fresh herbs (with stems) upright into small jars filled with 1 to 2 inches of water, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to two weeks. Rinse fresh herbs right before use. To release their scents and flavors, rub them between your hands before mincing or chopping. If you have no idea what to do with fresh herbs, there is one great default answer “compound butter.” Finely mince leaves and knead them into a stick of room temperature butter. Roll the butter into a log in plastic wrap and store in the freezer. Then simply slice off the amount you need to add delicious, ready-to-use flavor to vegetables, bread or meats.

NAPA CABBAGE: Store Napa cabbage whole in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. To prepare the entire head at once, cut it in half lengthwise, remove the core, and chop as desired. Or, separate and wash individual leaves as needed.

OKRA: These lovely, horn-shaped vegetables are a warm weather treat. Extremely cold sensitive, wrap with a dishcloth or paper towel and store in their plastic bag in the warmest part of your fridge, or place the plastic bag in a small paper sack and store in the fridge door and use within the week. Traditional southerners will cut into rounds, bread in cornmeal and fry, but our favorite version is our dear friend Annie’s method, “All I do is rinse off the pods and lay them in a saucepan with a little water in the bottom. Ten to fifteen minutes is all it takes...twenty if the pods are really big and “woody” feeling. I put salt on them and eat as finger food. It reminds me of young sweet corn.”’

PEPPERS: Place whole, unwashed peppers in a plastic bag, seal, and refrigerate for a week or more. Rinse peppers just before use. For sweet peppers, cut around the stem with a small knife and lift out the core. Slice down the side to open it up and then cut out the inner membranes. Store unused portions in a sealed bag or container in the refrigerator.

POTATOES: Keep unwashed potatoes in a cool, dark, dry place, such as a loosely closed paper bag in a cupboard. They will keep for weeks at room temperature, longer if you can provide their ideal temperature of 40 to 50 degrees. Beware: the low temperature of your refrigerator will convert the starch to sugars. So refrigerated potatoes should be brought to room temperature for at least 24 hours before using. Moisture causes potatoes to spoil, light turns them green, and proximity to onions causes them to sprout. (You can still use a potato that has sprouted, however; simply cut off the “eyes” before use.) Scrub potatoes well and cut off any sprouts or green skin. (Clean delicate new potatoes gently.) Peeling is a matter of preference. Cut potatoes according to your recipe. If baking a whole potato, be sure to prick the skin in at least a few places to allow steam to escape.

** NOTE: You will notice over the course of the season that some box contents listed above say “Perhaps one of the following...” These are items that we can’t harvest in sufficient quantities for the whole CSA to receive at one time. We do track who gets what and we will do our best to ensure that everyone eventually receives each item. On some items this may take several weeks, so please be patient.

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Find us on the web: Blue Gate Farm

📧 Questions? Email us: bluegatefarmIA@gmail.com

What would make this newsletter more useful or enjoyable for you? Anything we can do to make your Bounty Box experience even better?

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Thank you for being a member-supporter of the farm this season. We’re glad you’re here!

Best from the farm,
— Jill and Sean & the whole BGF Crew