Hi everyone, Jess here to check in with the 14th pickup of the Springdell Summer CSA Season. There’s a gloom in the air as the rains approach, but the fruits and veggies still look as vibrant as ever!
Look at all of those autumn flavors and colors! The first sugar pumpkins are making an appearance, the pears are blushing and bashful, and we even got a return visit from the peaches. Let’s look a little closer.
Sugar Pumpkin (great for cooking!)- Yellow Watermelon
- Bell Pepper
- Slicing Cucumber
- Zucchini Squash
- Crookneck Summer Squash
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Saladette Tomatoes
- Field Run Tomatoes
- Poblano Peppers
- Field Onions
- Cortland Apples
- Classic Peaches
- Red Leaf Lettuce
- Hydro Lettuce
- Sunflower Shoots
- Zinnias
Some lovely flavors to be enjoyed! Today I had some company over for the day, some dear family from the west coast, who I haven’t seen in a couple of years. It was so wonderful to spend the afternoon walking around the farm and the community garden. When we got home to visit, I spread out some of the fruits and veggies of the day.
We picked as we caught up on the past couple of years, enjoying pears and bleu cheese and balsamic, and cherry tomatoes and Bocconcini on lettuce with basil chiffonade. We also picked at the box of sunflower shoots and enjoyed the succulent leaves and their nutty flavor. I sometimes feel like I’m shortchanging my readers, because the first night of pickup always seems to be me just cutting up fruits and veggies without cooking them. I guess, however, that there is a not necessarily a tip, but a recipe in that. Many of the veggies are at their peak that first moment they arrive at your house, so getting right to work on enjoying them simply leaves little need for complicated preparation. After all, these fresh ingredients speak for themselves! Gibbet Hill Grill provided our scrumptious dinner as we overlooked the cattle pasture.
Using the saladette tomatoes, I whipped up a roasted pepper and tomato salad, taking liberties with the toppings based on what I had. It was quite good, the subtle sweetness of the pepper stood up to the tangy tomatoes.
I really enjoyed the Lemon Dill Egg Salad! I opted to leave celery out of the equation as I haven’t seen it at the farmstand, yet this season! Anyhow, this was was creamy in all the right places.
After trying those poached pears in riesling last week I decided to try.pears poached in merlot. A simple, elegant, and tasty desert!
As always, thank you for tuning in, and remember the Canning Swap happening at the farm on September 30th! We’ll swap some of the preserves of the season, while enjoying tasty beverages and simple snacks. It’ll be a blast and I hope to see you!