Bean Mix: Provider & Golden Goal
Broccoli: Castle Dome or Japanese Cauliflower
Carrots: Rainbow Mix
Cucumbers: Assorted varieties
Head Lettuce: Assorted varieties
Roselle Greens
Scallions
Summer Squash: Assorted varieties
and perhaps one of the following: (Please see the note after “🥕 Storage & Handling Notes” below.)
Jubilee Cherry Tomato Mix
Okra: Bowling Red &/or Candlefire
Shishito Peppers
🌿Herb It! option: Lemon Balm, Sweet Basil, Oregano
💙 Farmer Favorite: Cherry Tomatoes
🌿 Something New to Try: Roselle
🎉 First of the Season: Shishito Peppers
🍅 Notable Event: Tomatoes ripening!
Last minute update from the field…wicked storm last night. Our power was out for about 17 hours. So far we haven’t found any structural damage, but the wind drove rain up under our roof so we have a bit of wet carpet in the house.
We lost one peach tree and another had damage. The popcorn is down but we’re hoping at least some of it can right itself and still produce a crop. It’s going to be a wet and muddy harvest this morning for today’s delivery.
All in all, it could have been much worse and I’m sure it was for some. Hope you fared ok!
You’ll likely notice a smaller volume of beans in your box this week. The beans have been unimpressed with the recent heat and dry weather and are taking a bit of a mid-summer break. We do have a new sowing of them coming along nicely, but it will be a few weeks before they are producing.
The roselle, on the other hand, is totally undaunted by the weather and is growing like a wild thing! We’re sending this tasty tropical green out this week and hope you enjoy its tart, refreshing flavor.
Due to the warm temperatures, we’re back to the nearly constant round robin of running the irrigation system . We sowed more fall crops this past week, both directly in the field and as transplants and it takes a lot of water to get the seeds to germinate in hot, dry soil and then keep them growing. Everyone on the farm is looking forward to a little cool down this coming week.
The top question at pickup last week was, “When will the tomatoes be ready?” The short answer is…starting now! Cherry tomatoes are beginning to ripen, and last week we harvested just enough to send a little taste home in two Bounty Boxes. We should have enough for a few more boxes this week, and before long they’ll be appearing in everyone’s shares. Slicing tomatoes take longer, so I don’t expect those to arrive for another few weeks.
Is summer squash starting to take up too much space in your produce drawer? This is the height of zucchini/summer squash season and we try to celebrate it in all the ways, but also understand that at some point, it can get overwhelming. Our favorite way to bust through a lot of squash volume fast is our Zucchini Slather recipe. You can multiply the recipe as much as needed - your only limitation is the size of your pan! It’s delicious on pasta, fresh bread, stirred into scrambled eggs or stuffing an omelet, on a pizza or just eaten with a spoon! AND it freezes beautifully, so in January, you will get to relive what a genius you were for making it!
One of our members also recommended a fun zucchini recipe to me at last week’s delivery and you don’t even have to heat up your kitchen. You can find the link for Smashed Zucchini With Tahini-Ginger Dressing in the recipe section below. Thanks for the suggestion, Esmie!
If anyone has a great recipe, process or hint to share, please leave a comment. Some of our best inspirations come from our members!
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: Teresa A.!
This week we saw the first ears forming on this year’s popcorn crop, so in honor of that, Teresa’s gift is a pound of our own Tapestry Popcorn.
Congratulations, Teresa! 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 raised our first flock of chickens from day-old pullets and our egg business was born (hatched?)
Chickens were a big part of our farm for many years…at it’s largest we had more than 180 laying hens…that’s a LOT of egg washing!
Finally, in 2021, we “retired” from being chicken wranglers as a way to simplify our days a bit and refocus our energies on the produce side of the farm.
Roselle is an edible member of the hibiscus family, and while it is best known for the ruby-red calyxes used later in the season, its leaves are every bit as useful. They have a bright, tart flavor—somewhere between lemon, sorrel, and cranberry—that wakes up salads, sandwiches, soups, and cooked greens.
Roselle is widely enjoyed in Southeast Asian, Indian, African, and Caribbean cooking, where its pleasantly sour leaves are added to curries, stews, lentil dishes, seafood, and stir-fries. We especially like them mixed with milder greens, blended into pesto, or used in place of lettuce on sandwiches and tacos. It’s particularly tasty stirred into chicken or egg salad.
💡 Pro Tip: Roselle’s tartness is strongest when raw and softens a bit with cooking. Start by mixing a few leaves into lettuce or another familiar green, then add more as you get to know its flavor.
🍽️ Simple Recipe: Roselle, Cucumber & Scallion Salad
Thinly slice one cucumber and two scallions, then chop a generous handful of roselle leaves. Toss with olive oil, a pinch of salt, and a small drizzle of honey. Taste before adding vinegar or lemon—the roselle may provide all the tartness you need. Let it rest for five minutes before serving.
🍽️ Bonus Recipe: Summer Squash Pizza
🍽️ Bonus Recipe: Smashed Zucchini with Tahini-Ginger Dressing
This week’s box has almost everything you need for a substantial summer chopped salad. Start with the head lettuce, then add cucumbers, grated or thinly sliced carrots, scallions, and raw or lightly cooked green beans. Toss in a few chopped roselle leaves for a bright, lemony spark.
Add cheese, hard-boiled eggs, grilled chicken, beans, or toasted nuts if you’d like to turn it into a full meal. A chopped salad is also a great way to use small amounts of several vegetables before they begin staging a coup in your produce drawer.
Here’s our downloadable one-page guide to storing all things produce!
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.
CARROTS: If the tops are attached, remove them before storing so they don’t continue drawing moisture from the roots. Keep dry, unwashed carrots in a plastic bag or sealed container in the crisper drawer. Scrub just before using; these young carrots generally don’t need to be peeled.
CHERRY TOMATOES: Store cherry tomatoes at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, until fully ripe for the best flavor and texture. Once ripe, they can be refrigerated if needed to extend their life by a few days, but allow them to come back to room temperature before eating for the fullest flavor. Wash just before using.
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.
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.
OKRA: Store unwashed okra dry in a paper towel or cloth-lined plastic bag in the vegetable drawer of your refrigerator. Use within 3–5 days for the best quality. Wash only just before cooking, and avoid sealing damp pods in plastic, as excess moisture will cause them to spoil quickly. Young, tender pods can be sliced whole, while larger pods are often best for stews or gumbo.
SCALLIONS: Store upright in a glass with about an inch of water, loosely covered in the refrigerator, or wrap them in a slightly damp towel inside a bag. Both the white and green portions are edible.
SHISHITO PEPPERS: Keep in a loosely closed bag in the crisper drawer and use within a week. To prepare, toss whole peppers in a hot skillet with a little oil until blistered, then sprinkle with salt.
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!
** 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.
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)
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
Questions? Just hit reply or click the comment button below
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
No posts
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.