This week’s share:

Basil

beans

broccoli

brussel sprouts

chard

cucumbers

kohlrabi

yellow or red onion

summer squash

This Past Week…

we have been waiting for the ears of sweet corn to grow, but they haven’t grown more than 6 inches long. Those that have survived the raccoon attacks are short in length and short kernels. So, unfortunately, there won’t be any sweet corn this year. But, we will be offering some corn stalks for our members who are interested in fall decorating. Just trying to make a little lemonade out of that situation.

We forgot to set out the swap box for last week’s pickup – so sorry!

We are planning a harvest event held jointly with the Community Gardens, including a pot luck, scarecrow building contest, and some other fun events. Look for more information coming in the weeks ahead.

While many of the summer plants are dying back, there are many plants growing quickly to offer us delicious fresh food in the fall. In the weeks ahead you will see lettuce, radish, beets, and green beans, just to name a few.

New for pickup, please choose the bag with your name on it. There have been a few mixups, with some not coming on their scheduled weeks and others coming on unscheduled weeks. We don’t know who has come and who has not, so we’ll try this to keep track of things. If you show up and there is no bag for you, please get in touch so we can sort things out.
Some more ways to use those nutritious greens:


Green Smoothie
(From allrecipes.com)

1 banana, thickly sliced, frozen
2 cups chopped kale
1 tablespoon flax seed meal (optional)
1 tablespoon coconut oil (optional)
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup orange juice

Place the banana, kale, flax seed meal, and coconut oil into a blender, pour in the milk and orange juice. Cover, and puree until smooth and serve.

Pumpkin, Kale & Black Bean Soup
From allrecipes.com

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 yellow onions, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 small pumpkin, peeled, seeded, diced
4 cups beef broth
1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 bunch kale, stems removed, chopped
1 pound cubed cooked ham
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon thinly sliced sorrel (optional)

Heat olive oil over medium heat, cook onion until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and pumpkin and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the beef broth, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low and simmer until vegetables are tender. While soup is simmering, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the kale and simmer until softened, about 3 minutes. Drain into a colander.

After soup has cooked for 15 minutes, add the kale, ham, and black beans; simmer for another 5 minutes. Stir in the sherry vinegar and sorrel; remove pot from the heat.

Chard W/ Currants & Pine Nuts
From the New York Times

3 tablespoons currants, raisins, or golden raisins
2 pounds Swiss chard, stems diced and set aside
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 to 2 garlic cloves (to taste), minced
3 tablespoons pine nuts
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Place the raisins or currants in a bowl and pour on hot water to cover. Soak 10 minutes and drain.

Fill a bowl with ice water. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil and add the chard. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until just tender. Transfer to the bowl of ice water and let sit for a few minutes. Drain and squeeze out as much water as you can. Chop coarsely.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet. Add the chard stems and cook 3 to 5 minutes, until tender. Add the pine nuts and cook, stirring, until they begin to color, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, about 1 minute or just until the garlic begins to smell fragrant. Add the chopped greens and raisins or currants and toss together until they are well coated with oil and heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve, or allow to cool and serve at room temperature.

Enjoy your week!


~ Kathy