Basil: Genovese or Italian Large Leaf
Cabbage: Ruby King
Cucumbers: Assorted varieties
Fennel
Head Lettuce: Assorted varieties
Shallots: Mixed
Summer Squash: Assorted varieties
and perhaps one of the following: (Please see the note after “🥕 Storage & Handling Notes” below.)
Bean Mix
Cantaloupe: Minnesota Midget
Japanese Cauliflower
Jubilee Cherry Tomato Mix
Okra: Bowling Red &/or Candle Fire
Shishito Peppers
🌿Herb It! option: Lemon Basil, Rosemary & Chocolate Mint
💙 Farmer Favorite: Fennel
🌿 Something New to Try: Shallots
🎉 First of the Season: A few full-sized tomatoes
🌡️ Notable Event: Flannel in July
Once we got past the heat and storms, the rest of last week was simply delightful on the farm. There was even some flannel sighted on a couple of the mornings (it’s such a weather tease!) We took advantage of the better conditions to cultivate, clear spent beds and prep for fall crop planting. In a marathon push last Thursday afternoon we managed to get fall kohlrabi, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower all transplanted ahead of the forecast rain…and then it didn’t rain. Ah well, it was good motivation while it lasted and that’s why we have an irrigation system. I feel a little badly for all those little plants newly out in the field for the start of this current heatwave, but such is the challenge of fall crops.
The recent weather really pushed the tomatoes to start ripening faster so we’re sending out a lot more Cherry Tomato mix this week (and maybe even a few of the first slicing tomatoes!) Here’s a little reference photo to help introduce the Cherries
The big push for this week, besides trying to keep the crew hydrated is to start the large-scale harvests of potatoes and onions. They are both big tasks and it always feels a bit daunting until we get them underway. We did get one bed each of onions and shallots out on Monday, the big push for potatoes starts on Wednesday.
You may notice some significantly smaller heads of lettuce in your box this week. Between the heat ending one lettuce crop earlier than expected, storm damage from last week and the farmer messing up a rotation back in May when we got the puppy, we have run short on lettuce options this week. We do have another rotation coming, but it is too small to harvest yet. Hopefully we will be back on track for next week.
Every once in a while, a crop sneaks up on me and is ready before I am. Thus was the case this week with the mini cantaloupes. Luckily the crew noticed them ripening late last week, which naturally required a taste test! I love these little melons, and yes, they are supposed to be small, they are a personal-sized melon called Minnesota Midget. When they are at their prime, the are the best cantaloupes I’ve ever tasted and as a bonus, they fit in the Bounty Boxes! So we’re sending them out in as many boxes as we can this week. Don’t worry if you don’t get one this round, there are more to come soon.
Last week we had two great recipes suggested/submitted by members. The first was a deliciously cool and refreshing Cucumber and Purslane Salad with Tahini Dressing from member David D. and the second was a fabulous-sounding Braised Chickpeas with Zucchini and Pesto from member Laura E. Thank you both so much for sharing these inspiring recipes, we get some of the best recommendations from our members! You can find links for both recipes at the end of the Veg of the Week section.
Finally, this is a random little member bonus that we wanted to make available. When we order our cases of spice jars for our Seasonal Seasonings, they always come with 2 packages of spice jar labels. They are quite comprehensive collections. If anyone would like to update their spice jars or just play around with a bunch of “spicy” stickers, we’d be happy to share them with you. Just click the comment button below and let me know you’d like a package of them and we’ll bring them along with your Box next week.
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, a product from one of our favorite local makers, or another fun farm-inspired treat.
This week’s winner is: Leanne H.!
We love supporting other local small businesses, especially the makers and growers. In honor of that, Leanne’s gift is a little natural healing set from our friends at Prairieland Herbs in Woodward. This mother/daughter-owned online shop is one of our favorites and our go-to for all our natural ingredient bath and body products.
Congratulations, Leanne! We appreciate you!
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 three onion varieties - only one of which we still grow today. Back then we struggled to get our onions to size-up well. They can still be a bit challenging from time to time, but they're definitely a more dependable crop than they were twenty years ago.
If you’ve never cooked with fennel before, you’re in for a treat. Its crisp white bulb has a fresh, mildly sweet flavor with just a hint of anise (think licorice—but much gentler). Even people who aren’t fans of black licorice are often surprised by how much they enjoy fennel.
Raw fennel is wonderfully crunchy and adds brightness to salads and slaws. Cooked, it becomes mellow, buttery, and almost silky, making it delicious roasted, grilled, sautéed, or added to soups and pasta dishes.
Don’t toss the green fronds! They make a beautiful fresh herb for salads, potatoes, seafood, eggs, and homemade dressings.
💡 Pro Tip: Slice the bulb as thinly as you can when serving it raw. A mandoline works beautifully, but a sharp knife does the job too. Thin slices soften the fennel flavor while keeping all of the crunch.
🍽️ Simple Recipe: Shaved Fennel & Cucumber Salad
Thinly slice one fennel bulb and one cucumber. Toss with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and a handful of chopped fennel fronds. Sprinkle with shaved Parmesan or feta if you’d like.
🍽️ Bonus Recipe: Cucumber and Purslane Salad with Tahini Dressing
🍽️ Bonus Recipe: Braised Chickpeas with Zucchini and Pesto
This is the time of year when the produce drawer starts filling faster than it empties. One easy trick is to keep a large bowl or container in the refrigerator for vegetables you’ve already started using—half a cucumber, a few scallions, leftover roasted squash, the last handful of beans, or a few cherry tomatoes.
When it’s time to make dinner, those odds and ends become tomorrow’s chopped salad, fried rice, pasta, grain bowl, or omelet instead of getting forgotten in the back of the refrigerator.
A “use-it-up” bowl saves time, reduces food waste, and makes weeknight meals surprisingly easy.
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.
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.
CANTALOUPE: The best way to know if a cantaloupe is ripe is to smell the stem end. It should smell rich and sweet. If your cantaloupe seems a bit short of ripe, keep it at room temperature for a few days or until it is fragrant. Once the melon ripens, store it in the refrigerator. It is best not to cut a cantaloupe until you are ready to eat it. If you need to return cut melon to the refrigerator, do not remove the seeds from the remaining sections as they keep the flesh from drying out. Use within 3-5 days.
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.
FENNEL: Cut off the stalks where they emerge from the bulb. To use the feathery foliage as an herb, place the stalks upright in a glass filled with two inches of water, cover the glass loosely with a plastic bag, and store in the refrigerator for up to five days. The unwashed bulb will keep in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for at least a week. To use, remove any damaged spots or layers. Cut the bulb in half lengthwise and check the inner core. If it’s tough, remove it with a paring knife. Fennel should be washed carefully, because dirt can lodge between the layers of the bulb. Chop or mince the leaves.
GREEN TOP SHALLOTS: As you might note from their name, these are freshly pulled, uncured shallots. Since they don't have a layer of dried skins to protect them, please store in a sealed bag or container in your refrigerator and plan to use within 2 weeks. As long as the greens are still fresh, you can use them like scallions, or try out the baked onion top recipe in the 7/1 newsletter. Shallots are a "high-brow" member of the onion family, with a smooth, rich onion-y flavor that is perfect with egg, vegetable and salad dressing recipes.
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.
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
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