Hello CSA Members,
We dodged a bullet last night with a surprise frost (at
least a surprise to me). I was
unprepared but luckily we were spared any major damage. This was the earliest frost I have
recorded in our 8 years of B & H.
I hope your gardens did well.
Three of our fields are in the valley so they are more susceptible to
frost.
We have been extremely busy this week planting 4,000
strawberry plants. That is double
the amount we planted last year.
It all depends on the winter but we are hoping for a great strawberry
year next year.
There are only 4 weeks left of the Summer CSA. This summer went fast. We have had an amazing year and I am so
grateful for your membership. The
last pick up date for Wednesday deliveries is October 29th. The last pick up for Saturday pick-ups
is November 1st.
There is still availability for the Late Season CSA. We will be advertising this to our
waiting list this week so let me know ASAP if you are planning to join. I prefer to have existing members
before adding new members. If you
are picking up at Hartz’s or West Reading you can email me the application and
then leave a check when you pick up this week. Hartz members can leave the payment in your box and the West
Reading members can drop a check in the mail slot of the front door. We can accept credit cards if you call
484-955-1098. I did make a mistake
on the application for the cost of the mushroom share. The price listed is the price per week
not the total amount. Please
multiply the price listed by 8. If
you have questions please let me know.
We will post the weekly email on our blog: http://bhorganics.blogspot.com/
Don’t forget to pick up your box. It may help to set an alarm on your phone. At the West Reading site we have a
family that comes at 9 pm to clean up the porch. I had to do this so that I can get some sleep. I am crazy and I would worry about
those boxes all night. Sorry.
Help:
If you have any questions please feel free to email me at bhorganicscsa@gmail.com or call
484-955-1098. I also am available
to receive text messages at this phone number.
When:
You can order by replying to the email or by emailing bhorganicscsa@gmail.com. The orders must be in by Tuesday at 1 am. Processing the orders takes some time
so I would appreciate no late orders.
This is a new time this year in order to have our pack house run a bit
smoother.
Notes about ordering:
·
We cannot guarantee orders. We will definitely do our best.
·
You may order from the list below. If you do not choose to order we will
select a well-rounded box for you.
·
If it states behind the item that you may order
2 (or 3) than this counts as 2 (or 3) of your items. If it does not state “You may order 2” behind the item than
you can only order 1 of this item.
·
We do not split items of make smaller
bunches. All sizes of the items
are stated below.
·
If you see “OR”
in an item list you can order one or the other from this list.
·
Yes, we definitely make mistakes. So please let us know so we don’t make
them again. We are striving to
provide great customer service.
This week’s Harvest:
Choose 8 items from this list for full
shares or 5 items for half shares.
·
Red Leaf Lettuce or Romaine – 2 heads. You may order 2.
·
Swiss Chard –3/4 lb. You may order 2.
·
Parsley, Flat Leaf – 2 oz. You may order 4.
·
Herbs:
You may choose 2 of these as one “item.”
o Marjoram
– 2 oz
o Garlic
chive – 2 oz
o Parsley,
Flat Leaf – 2 oz.
o Mint
– 2 oz
·
Potato – Yukon Gold, Red Gold or Kennebec
(White) – 2 lb. You may order 4.
·
Potato – Fingerling – 1.5 lb. You
may order 2.
·
Pepper, Hot – 3/4 lb– mixed bag of Serrano,
Hungarian Hot Wax, Cayenne and Habanero.
·
Salad Mix – 7 oz. You may order 2.
·
Spinach – 7 oz. You may order 2.
·
Dandelion – 8 oz. You may order 2.
·
Turnips – White – ¾ lb
·
Radishes, Watermelon. – 1.5 lb you may order 2.
·
Radishes, Daikon – 1 lb you may order 2.
·
Collard Greens – 3/4 lb. You may order 2.
·
Beans, Green– 1 lb. You may order 2.
·
Beans, French – ½ lb. You may order 2.
·
Broccoli, Crowns– ¾ lb we have limited quantities so it is a good idea to order an
alternative.
·
Carrot – 1.5 lb with greens
·
Broccoli Raab – ¾ lb. You may order 2.
·
Tomatillos – 1 quart.
·
Garlic – ¼ lb
·
Beet, Red – 1.5 lb
·
Boc Choi – 2 heads
·
Komatsuna – ¾ lb
·
Kale, Red Russian – ¾ lb
·
Malabar Spinach – ¾ lb
Extras: You must order
“Extras.”
·
Parsley, Flat Leaf – 2 oz. You may order 2.
·
Dandelion – 8 oz. You may order 2.
·
Lettuce, Red Leaf – 2 heads. You
must order lettuce in your regular order.
You may order 2.
·
Collard Greens – ¾ lb. You must order Collards in your regular order. You may order 2.
·
Beans,
Green – 1 lb. You must order Green
Beans in your regular order. You may order 1 extra.
·
Daikon Radish – 1 root. You must order daikon in your regular order. You may order 2.
·
Watermelon
Radish – 1.5 lb. You must order watermelon radish in your regular order. You may order 2.
High Energy:
As a farmer, foodie and vegetable lover I am always
interested in the “energetics” of food.
Essentially this means when a vegetable is at its “peak.” If you are stuck in your ways but want
to try something new I highly recommend choosing something new from this
list. Here are the foods at their
highest energy level this week:
·
Lettuce
·
Parsley
·
Potatoes
·
Salad Mix
·
Dandelion
·
Collards
·
All radishes
·
Turnips
·
Boc Choi
·
Komatsuna
·
Broccoli Raab
·
Carrots
·
Beans
·
Chard
·
Beets
·
Spinach
Recipes:
Storing Vegetables
As the weather is slowly changing I am thinking of ways to
preserve this summer’s bounty for the winter. However, I am a bit too busy for all the labor intensive
canning and freezing. I have found
some other methods for vegetables you may not think of storing.
·
Leather Britches! – This just makes me
laugh. String beans have a long
tradition of drying but we never think of them that way. Dried string beans are known as
“Leather Britches.” And here is how to do it: http://www.easy-food-dehydrating.com/dehydrating-beans.html
·
I have to say that I find beans to be wonderful
frozen and it is worth the time because they are still so good: http://www.anoregoncottage.com/how-to-freeze-snap-peas-without-blanching/
·
Peppers both sweet and hot are great dried or
frozen. I usually dry my hot
peppers by hanging them in a bunch on a thread. I use a regular needle and thread and string the thread
through the stem, which makes a beautiful bunch, which I hang in my kitchen
(out of direct sunlight). When
they are dry I put them in a glass jar in the cupboard. You can also grind them when dry for Chile
powder. If you are going to grind
them I suggest removing the stem.
·
Mostly we just freeze peppers because it is so easy. I simply put them in a plastic zip lock
bag in the freezer. They are still
crunchy in the winter.
·
Chips!!!!!!!!!!! – All root vegetables make
great chips: beets, carrots, turnips and radishes. We sometimes make a big batch and freeze them. http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipe/baked-veggie-chips/
·
Did you know that root vegetables (carrots,
beets, turnips, potatoes and radishes can store up to 4 months in your
refrigerator? It is important to
remove the greens and then keep them in plastic so they do not loose their
moisture. We have a cool area in
our basement where we store potatoes.
Don’t let them freeze!!!!
·
How to store greens? The best way is to blanch and freeze them. They can be frozen without blanching
but will have a very dark color. http://momonamission.me/how-to-freeze-fresh-spinach-2-ways/
·
And of course there is fermenting, which is
extremely cool to do these days. This
is so much easier than you think! Here
is simple fermenting method which can be used for cabbage and root vegetables: http://www.culturesforhealth.com/basic-formula-fermenting-any-vegetable
·
Enjoy!
We really appreciate you and could not do it with out you.
Thank you,
Erica
Posts
