Well, Misfit Members, here we are at our last week of the CSA!
In your box this week, you have:
-Sweet Corn
-Cherry and grape tomatoes
-Tomatoes
-Eggplant
-A few peppers
-Farm Fresh Eggs
Grilled Summer Salad
Ingredients
-1-2 Medium eggplant
-3 ears corn
-½ red onion
-1 bunch asparagus
-One large bell pepper, or several smaller peppers
-1/4 cup olive oil
-1-2 pints mixed grape and cherry tomatoes
-1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
-1/3 cup blue cheese or gorgonzola
For the dressing:
-1/4 cup oil
-zest of half a lemon
-Juice from one lemon
-1 tsp Dijon mustard
-1/2 tsp salt
-black pepper to taste
Directions
-Heat grill to hottest temperature.
-Cut eggplant lengthwise into 3-4 thick slices. Salt both sides of slices well and let rest.
-Shuck the corn.
-Cut the top off the red onion but leave the root attached. Cut in quarters, leaving the root attached to each quarter. This will help it stay together while grilling.
-Cut the tough end off of the asparagus and place on tray with other veggies.
-Halve the pepper(s) remove core and seeds and place on tray with other veggies.
-Rinse the eggplant and place on the tray with the rest.
-Brush all of the veggies on all sides with oil and add any seasonings you prefer.
-Lay the veggies out on your grill. Grill until grill marks are visible on both sides. One each is cooked through, return to the platter.
-Cut each vegetable into bite sized pieces and place in a large bowl. Remove kernels from corn and place in the bowl.
-Cut all tomatoes in half and place in the bowl.
-Make the dressing by combining all ingredients listed. Add to bowl with the fresh basil and toss well.
-Top with the cheese and serve.
First and foremost, I want to thank you all for believing in and supporting my small family farm. It means a lot that you put your faith in my abilities to put food on your table!
If this was your second season with me, I want to thank you doubly. This is only my second year, and from last season I have learned so much and improved upon so much. I have worked on CSA's before I started my own, and have always grown a garden, but it's completely different when you're actually doing it yourself. From planning, to planting, to harvest, there's so much to be learned and so much specific to each farm. When I worked on a 400 member CSA for a summer, there were things I learned there that I use on my own farm. However, there are so many things that just don't work, due to variables such as soil structure, scale, nutrient values, native weed pressure... you name it!
If you would, please take a moment to fill out my end of season survey. This is critical to helping me plan my next season and finding out what went wrong and what went right. Its only a few questions and takes 3-5 minutes. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/99KCRLG
This season has been very challenging, first because of so, so much rain, and then the drought and extreme heat. I'm most disappointed that the peppers turned out poorly this year. Peppers are one of my favorite crops, and I am just so sad I didn't get to make any stuffed bells this year. However, the good thing is that I will not make the same mistake next year! I always learn from the previous year and take measures to prevent consecutive crop loss. Last year my green beans and sweet corn failed, and this year we had plenty of both!
I hope you tune in to the blog posts in the off season, as I will be throwing updates and farm shenanigans out there from time to time. If any of my fall crops ever take, I will also distribute some out if anyone is interested! I've had about 500 plants fry in the last couple months so it's probably a bit of a long shot, but here's hoping for milder weather!
I hope to see you all next season and have a great fall!
Thanks so much!!
Montaynna