Bounty Brief - 6/30/26

• Cabbage: Farao

• Green Garlic

• Kale: Mixed Bouquet

• Head Lettuce: Assorted Varieties

• Turnips: Hakurei

and at least one of the following: (Please see the note after “🥕 Storage & Handling Notes” below.)

• Broccoli: Castle Dome

• Japanese Cauliflower: Song

• Cucumbers: Assorted varieties

• Green Bean Mix

• Sugar Snap Peas

• Snow Peas

• Summer Squash: Assorted varieties

💙 Farmer Favorite: Green Garlic

🥒 Something New to Try: Dragon Egg Cucumbers

🎉 First of the Season: Cabbage

📅 Notable Event: Field Day on Sunday

You may notice that the second half of the box list is getting longer each week. The mid-season crops are starting to roll in, but not with enough volume that we can get them into every box yet, so we’ll keep trickling them out until everyone has gotten them.

After several weeks of cool, wet weather, we are finally drying out…in fact, we wouldn’t have minded a little more gentle entry into summer rather than this weather whiplash. With this week’s forecast in the mid-90’s things are finally starting to dry out and many crops will be putting on lots of growth. Getting field tasks done will take a bit longer as we need to take many more shade and water (and popsicle) breaks. We may even have to turn the irrigation system back on before the end of the week!

Now that we are drying out, we are spending some time doing rescue weeding on crops that were too wet to cultivate for several weeks. It’s amazing how fast we lose control of the fields when we get into a rainy cycle. We spent several days over the past week trying to wrangle some control from the jungle and we’re making good progress so far.

One reason we were really pushing to get things cleaned up was the Field Day we hosted for Practical Farmers of Iowa this past Sunday. We had a lovely group of mostly new and prospective farmers who came with loads of interest and heads full of good questions. Over the years we’ve gained so much from our PFI interactions and it was fun to share a bit about our operation and the lessons learned with them.

Crop-wise, things are looking a bit better this week. The losses have slowed considerably and the survivors are mostly looking like they plan to continue on. The summer squashes and cucumbers are ramping up more every day and the beans joined the fun this week, so we’ll send those out in a number of boxes as well. The heat this week will likely finish off the peas, even though many of them are trying to put on new growth. It’s also signaling an end to our choi and Beijing Express crops. Tomatoes and peppers continue to set green fruit, but it will likely be the end of July before they are box-ready.

Freshly planted this week was the 5th rotation of head lettuce, the 2nd rotation of beans and the 3rd rotation of beets. We also sowed the 6th rotation of head lettuce and the first round of fall transplants including cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, and Napa cabbage. It’s hard to believe it’s time for fall crops, but September will be here before we know it!

As we mentioned in our earlier emails, this year we’re celebrating not only our 20th Bounty Box season, but also the people who made it possible: YOU.

Each week we’re drawing a name from our membership list to receive a surprise from the farm. It might be one of our favorite kitchen tools, a product from the BGF Pantry, or another fun farm-inspired treat.

This week’s winner is: Esmie H.!

In celebration of the first garlic delivery of the season, Esmie’s gift is our favorite garlic grater. This fun pottery piece is handmade by Art 101 in Knoxville and is dual purpose, both transforming your garlic into a smooth paste and as a server for our favorite bread dip. Just rub your garlic on the textured surface, then add a dollop of olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper. A perfect accompaniment to a loaf of crusty bread

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Congratulations, Esmie! And good luck to everyone in next week’s drawing. There’s lots more fun to come!

Twenty years ago, during our first Bounty Box season we grew nine varieties of tomatoes, three of which we still grow every season. This year we are growing a total of 29 varieties, including cherry tomatoes. We might have a tomato problem!

Kale has had quite the glow-up over the past decade. Once best known as the curly garnish around a salad bar, it’s now one of the most popular greens around - and for good reason. It’s packed with vitamins, holds up beautifully in cooking, and actually becomes sweeter after a touch of cool weather.

This week’s bouquet includes several different varieties, each with its own texture and personality, but they can all be used interchangeably. Kale is delicious sautéed, roasted into crispy chips, stirred into soups, blended into smoothies, or added to pasta dishes.

💡 Pro Tip: Remove the tough center stem on large leaves before using. If you’re eating kale raw, give the chopped leaves a quick massage with a little olive oil, lemon juice or dressing. It softens the leaves and mellows their flavor.

🍽️ Simple Recipe: BGF Favorite Kale Salad

🍽️ Bonus Recipe: White Bean and Kale Ragout with Turnips and Sausage

Fresh green garlic is one of those fleeting seasonal treats that only comes around for a short time each year.

Because it hasn’t been cured yet, it’s milder, juicier, and a little sweeter than storage garlic. Use it anywhere you’d normally use garlic, but don’t stop there. It’s also delicious grilled whole, blended into pesto, stirred into softened butter, or simply sautéed with this week’s kale, cabbage, or summer squash.

If you’ve never cooked with fresh green garlic before, this is the week to experiment!

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

Store it Fresh Guide

This section contains the crop-specific storage information, handling suggestions, and preparation tips for everything in this week’s box.

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.

BROCCOLI/CAULIFLOWER: Wrap loosely in a plastic bag and keep it in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator for up to a week. Immediately before cooking, soak head down, in cold, salted water (1 teaspoon salt to a 8 cups of water) for 5 minutes. Any [organic] critters will float to the top where you can rescue them or allow them to suffer a salty death. (Note: If soaked in salt water before storing, it will become too rubbery and wilted to enjoy.) Slice the juicy, edible stems and use them wherever florets are called for. Peel particularly thick skin before using.

CABBAGE: Store dry, unwashed cabbage in the refrigerator, preferably in the vegetable bin. The outer leaves may eventually get floppy or yellowish, but you can remove and discard them to reveal fresh inner leaves. Cabbage can keep for more than a month. Once it’s cut, seal it in a plastic bag and continue to refrigerate for several weeks. Rinse the cabbage under cold running water just before use. Peel away a few of the outer leaves, then cut the cabbage according to your needs with a big, sharp knife, and then chop, sliver, or grate.

CUCUMBERS: Store unwashed cucumbers wrapped in a cotton towel in a sealed plastic bag in the vegetable crisper bin for about a week. Keep cucumbers tucked far away from tomatoes, apples, and citrus—these give off ethylene gas that accelerates cucumber deterioration. You can do a lot of fancy things to the skin of a cucumber, but when it is young, fresh (and unwaxed), it really only needs to be thoroughly washed. However, if the skin seems tough or bitter you can remove it; if the seeds are bulky, slice the cucumber lengthwise and scoop them out.

GREEN GARLIC: This is freshly harvested garlic that hasn’t had time to cure yet. You will notice that the wrappers are soft and the garlic itself is very juicy. You can use it in any recipe calling for garlic. The flavor is so fresh and green that we like to use them in recipes that really highlight the flavor, like pesto or garlic butter. Store loosely wrapped or in a glass jar in the refrigerator for best keeping quality.

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. We find the longest storage is achieved by having a layer of cotton or paper towel between the greens and the plastic. If leaves become limp, retrim the ends and a quick soak in cold water will often restore their crispness.

PEAS: We grow snow peas (flat pod with little bumps showing immature peas inside) and sugar snap peas (rounded pods with mature peas inside).Both have edible pods and can be used interchangeably in recipes. They are particularly good in stir-fries and salads, though we tend to eat them fresh as a snack. Peas keep best in their plastic container in the produce drawer of your refrigerator.

SUMMER SQUASH/ZUCCHINI: Refrigerate unwashed zucchini and summer squash for up to a week and a half in a perforated plastic bag or in a sealed plastic container lined with a kitchen towel. These do not need to be peeled to use, just slice them up and go!

TURNIPS: keep best if separated from their greens. Greens are stored in a plastic bag and can be cooked like mustard or collard greens (you can add them in with your Braising Greens Mix). Trimmed roots can go into a lidded container or zip-close bag. These aren’t your grandma’s turnips. These are a sweet, Japanese salad variety that is particularly tasty for fresh eating. They will still work great in cooked dishes, but we love to eat them raw, often right out of hand, like an apple. One of the farm crew’s favorite mid-field snacks.

** 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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Need extra produce this week?

Our VegEmail program makes it easy to order additional vegetables, pantry items, flowers, eggs, cheese, baked goods, and more from Blue Gate Farm and our partner producers.

Place your order here by Thursday at noon and pick up Saturday at:

• SingleSpeed Brewing (Downtown Des Moines)

• Grand Theater (Knoxville)

• Blue Gate Farm

It’s one more way we’re helping make local food easy.

You’ve seen our photos—now we’d love to see yours.

Share pictures of your Bounty Box haul, your favorite recipe, your 20th Delight gift, your garden-inspired dinner, or even your kids (or pets!) helping unpack the box. Email, text, or post them in the Blue Gate Farm Community group.

We’ll feature member photos throughout the season.

Facebook: Blue Gate Farm

Community Group: Blue Gate Farm Community

Instagram: @bluegatefarmfresh

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Thank you for being part of the farm this season. We’re so glad you’re here!

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