Category: *In the box

Note from the farm:
Golden beets are in this week’s share – for the first time in 3 years! I *love* the color of these beets– so pretty when roasted and tossed with arugula and toasted walnuts in a salad. Daikon radish may be new to many of you. It’s often used in Japanese cuisine. It can be sliced raw, or cooked in soups. We like to add it to a miso soup broth together with other vegetables and some udon or soba noodles. Guy Lon is just a fancy way of saying “Chinese Broccoli”. We love it in a veggie stir fry! The stems can be eaten– just remove the tough bottom inch or so. More leeks, beautiful cabbage and sweet potatoes round out the box. Sweet potatoes should be stored in a cool, dry spot (55F-60F degrees) — Not in the fridge! — and they should last you a few months.

Arugula – 1/4 lb. bag
Golden Beets – 1 bunch
Daikon Radish – 2 pieces
Sweet Potatoes – 3.5 – 4 lbs
Green Cabbage – 1 head
Toscano Kale – 1 bunch
Broccoli – 1 bunch
Leeks – 2-3 pieces
Guy Lon (Chinese Broccoli) – 1 bunch

Fruit Share from Briermere Farm
If you have any questions about the fruit, please contact Briermere Farm directly at briermere@aol.com
Red and Gold Delicious Apples – 1 mixed bag

Note from the farm:
Thank you to everyone who attended this past weekend’s CSA Harvest Festival! The weather was gorgeous and we hope you all had a good time visiting your farm and seeing where all your vegetables are grown!

This week’s box includes a few new items – broccoli raab and dandelion greens! Brocoli raab is actually part of the turnip family. The stems can be a little tough, so be sure to trim the base of them. The leaves, florets, and the upper stems are all edible and are delicious when very lightly steamed or sauteed. There are lots of delicious recipes for broccoli raab- I’ve included a good one below.

Dandelion greens, you say? Yes, they’re delicious and super nutritious! Forget trying to get rid of them in your lawn..you should be picking them and eating them for dinner instead. We grow dandelions specifically to eat- and they can be eaten both raw in salads or cooked like spinach.

Carrots – 1 bunch
Dandelion Greens – 1 bunch
Sweet Potatoes – 4 lbs
Sunshine Squash – 1 piece
Japanese Salad Turnips – 1 bunch
Fennel – 1 piece
Green Romaine Lettuce – 1 head
Broccoli Raab – 1 bunch

Fruit Share from Briermere Farm
If you have any questions about the fruit, please contact Briermere Farm directly at briermere@aol.com
Fuji and Empire Apples and Bosc Pears – 1 mixed bag

Important Note about Bosc pears!!!! Bosc pears are ripe when they turn an even brown color. They are still firm when ripe! Refrigerate immediately when ripe. If left to soften, they will be rotten when you cut them open, so be careful!

Sweet Potatoes – 4 lbs.
Collard Greens – 1 bunch
Green Pepper – 1 piece
Leeks– 2 pieces
Plum Tomatoes – 1.5 lbs
Butternut Squash – 1 piece
Green Beans – 1/2 lb bag
Parsley – 1 bunch
Lettuce Mix – 3/4 lb.

Fruit Share from Briermere Farm
If you have any questions about the fruit, please contact Briermere Farm directly at briermere@aol.com
Red and Gold Delicious Apples and Bosc Pears – 1 mixed bag

Important Note about Bosc pears!!!! Bosc pears are ripe when they turn an even brown color. They are still firm when ripe! Refrigerate immediately when ripe. If left to soften, they will be rotten when you cut them open, so be careful!

Note from the farm:

We have a nice big share this week! There’s a terrific crop of carrots coming in- quite possibly the best crop we’ve had in years. And green beans too! If you had any idea what an effort it is to pick green beans, you’d savor every little bite. Many CSA farms don’t even grow beans because it is so time consuming to pick them, so count yourselves lucky! Be sure not to overcook them. Just lightly steam until al dente.

Baby Arugula – 1/4 lb bag
Butternut Squash – 1 piece
Spaghetti Squash or Buttercup Squash – 1 piece
Green Beans – 1/2 lb bag
Carrots – 1 bunch
Toscano Kale – 1 bunch
Cabbage or Bok Choy -1 head/bunch
Baby Salad Turnips – 1 bunch
Cilantro – 1 bunch

Fruit Share from Briermere Farm
If you have any questions about the fruit, please contact Briermere Farm directly at briermere@aol.com
Gala Apples, Empire Apples & Bosc Pears – 1 mixed bag

Important Note about Bosc pears!!!! Bosc pears are ripe when they turn an even brown color. They are still firm when ripe! Refrigerate immediately when ripe. If left to soften, they will be rotten when you cut them open, so be careful!

Note from the farm:

Finally, leeks! I wait all year for the first leeks so I can make potato & leek soup, braised leeks, leek custards, and fall soups… You can use leeks just like onions in most recipes – however, you’ll notice that they’re much more tender, mild and sweet! Just be sure to wash them well. Here’s a video to show you how.

Those winter squash are not just for decoration! I visited the home of a CSA member a few years back and noticed that all the winter squash we had given out that fall was sitting on her front porch as decoration. While they’re beautiful on display, they can (and must!) be eaten too! Don’t be afraid, check out these videos for some tips on preparing your winter squash:

Chow.com
Youtube.com

Colored Peppers – 1-2 pcs
Plum Tomatoes – 6 pcs
Red Tomatoes – 4 – 6 pieces
Leeks – 2 pcs
Green Romaine Lettuce or Bok Choy -1 head/bunch
Spinach – .7 lbs
Parsley – 1 bunch
Sweet Dumpling Squash – 1 pc
Buttercup Squash – 1 pc

Herb Share
Rosemary
Thyme

Fruit Share from Briermere Farm
If you have any questions about the fruit, please contact Briermere Farm directly at briermere@aol.com
Gala Apples & Bosc Pears – 1 mixed bag

Important Note about Bosc pears!!!! Bosc pears are ripe when they turn an even brown color. They are still firm when ripe! Refrigerate immediately when ripe. If left to soften, they will be rotten when you cut them open, so be careful!

** A Note on Tomatoes…

The tomatoes have been sprayed with copper as a preventative for late blight fungus. This spray is certified for use in organic production, but must be washed off before eating. Also be sure to ripen red tomatoes completely on the counter before eating! They should be a deep red and slightly soft to the touch. Cherry tomatoes are picked ripe and ready to eat.

Note from the farm:

We have a bumper crop of tomatoes this year (which I’m sure you’ve all been enjoying) including plum tomatoes this week. Plums are great to use in sauce- they’re not as “juicy” as their beefsteak cousins, so we don’t think they’re the best eaten raw. I sliced some up on a homemade pizza last night and they were delicious! Greens are also making a comeback in the shares this week in the form of collards! Collards are fabulous, so forget what you might think you know about them. I made the Kale & White Bean Soup recipe on Sunday with collards in place of the kale and it was so good. You can also steam the collards and then coat with olive oil and garlic…or I’ve heard that some people like it with bacon. Whichever way you make it, be sure to remove the stems first and discard. They’re too tough!

Mini Field Update from your farmer (at last!)
Lesson #1 when you sit down to write a farm update….make sure your baby is not near the computer! Galen accidentally shut down the computer while I was working on my update, so here’s an abridged version. I’ll try again for the expanded edition of our fall farm update next week….

We’ve received questions from some of you about certain crops that have not made an appearance in the shares this season and here’s a basic explanation. The following crops were lost: all eggplants (potato beetle resistance to insecticide), second planting of zucchini (timing issues), second planting of cucumbers (drought), a few plantings of lettuce (poor germination- intense heat in greenhouse), green beans (poor germination), and basil (new powdery mildew disease). Fall crops that are looking FABULOUS – sweet potatoes, all winter squash varieties, leeks, large planting of broccoli (get ready to get inundated!), potatoes, carrots, spinach, more fall lettuce, broccoli raab, turnips, bok choi and more! As promised, I’ll elaborate on all of this next week. Until then, enjoy your week’s bounty!

Arugula – 1/4 lb bag
Plum Tomatoes – 10 pcs
Red Tomatoes – 4 – 6 pieces
Lettuce mix – 1/2 lb. bag
Wrinkled, Crinkled, Crumpled Cress – 1 bunch
Green Romaine Lettuce -1 head
Kohlrabi – 2 pcs
Collards – 1 bunch
Sweet Dumpling Squash – 2 pcs

Herb Share
Dill
Chives

Bean Share
Black Beans

Grain Share
Freekeh or Farro

Coffee Share
As ordered.

Lewis Waite a la Carte
As ordered.

Fruit Share from Briermere Farm
If you have any questions about the fruit, please contact Briermere Farm directly at briermere@aol.com
Empire Apples & Peaches – 1 mixed bag

** A Note on Tomatoes…

The tomatoes have been sprayed with copper as a preventative for late blight fungus. This spray is certified for use in organic production, but must be washed off before eating. Also be sure to ripen red tomatoes completely on the counter before eating! They should be a deep red and slightly soft to the touch. Cherry tomatoes are picked ripe and ready to eat.

Note from the farm:

Please be sure to eat your lettuce mix right away. We have to keep our coolers and refrigerated truck above 55F degrees for the tomatoes (colder temps will ruin them), so the greens will not hold up as long as they usually would.
We’re finally settling into September, which brings with it an ever-so-slightly slower pace around here. We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but we’re definitely turning the corner. Everyone has been asking us about the season, and while we think we’ve been doing pretty well, we’ve also suffered a lot of crop losses due to the excessive heat and drought. We’ve been blessed with an abundance of tomatoes, though, so we should certainly be thankful for that!

You will notice more fall crops arriving in your share by next week – including more root crops and greens- and winter squash! We grow many different varieties of winter squash, including butternut, sunshine, sweet dumpling, acorn, spaghetti, hubbard and buttercup. There’s nothing better (to me, at least) than the smell of winter squash roasting in the oven on a cool fall evening.

Colored Peppers – 1 piece
Cherry Tomatoes – 1 pint
Red Tomatoes – 4 – 6 pieces
Lettuce mix – 1/2 lb. bag
Nicola Potatoes – 1 quart
French Breakfast Radishes – 1 bunch
Acorn Squash -1 piece

Fruit Share from Briermere Farm
If you have any questions about the fruit, please contact Briermere Farm directly at briermere@aol.com
Yellow Peaches and Gala Apples – 1 mixed bag

** A Note on Tomatoes…

The tomatoes have been sprayed with copper as a preventative for late blight fungus. This spray is certified for use in organic production, but must be washed off before eating. Also be sure to ripen red tomatoes completely on the counter before eating! They should be a deep red and slightly soft to the touch. Cherry tomatoes are picked ripe and ready to eat.

Note from the farm:
Now that Labor Day has passed and the unofficial start of the autumn season is here, we’re celebrating with a winter squash in your share this week!

Colored Bell and Long Peppers – 4 pieces
Cherry Tomatoes – 1 pint
Red Tomatoes – 4 – 6 pieces
Swiss Chard 1 bunch
Arugula – 1/2 lb
Dill -1 bunch
Spaghetti Squash -1 piece

Tomato Shares
Shares have staggered deliveries. We have contacted all share members with your assigned pick up date. Please contact us if you haven’t heard from us.

Fruit Share from Briermere Farm
If you have any questions about the fruit, please contact Briermere Farm directly at briermere@aol.com

Peaches and Apples – 1 mixed bag

** A Note on Tomatoes…
The tomatoes have been sprayed with copper as a preventative for late blight fungus. This spray is certified for use in organic production, but must be washed off before eating. Also be sure to ripen red tomatoes completely on the counter before eating! They should be a deep red and slightly soft to the touch. Cherry tomatoes are picked ripe and ready to eat.

Note from the farm:
FARM MATH
Another tomato-filled box! While the boxes might not *look* super full these weeks, they are worth a lot! Let’s do some quick math so you can see for yourself…

These are the prices we charge at our farmers markets – which is still below what you would even pay at a supermarket like Whole Foods.

Cilantro – 1 bunch
Colored Bell or Long Peppers – 4 pieces
Cherry Tomatoes – 1 pint
Shallots – 1/2 lb. bag
Red / Plum Tomatoes – 4 lbs
Garlic 1-2 pieces
Salad Mix – 1/2 lb.**

**We found a few little green worms in the salad mix, which is very unusual. They can be easily removed when washed in a bowl of cold water, but we wanted you to keep an eye out for them.

Tomato Shares
Tomato share deliveries begin this week.
Shares have staggered deliveries. We have contacted all share members with your assigned pick up date.

Fruit Share from Briermere Farm
If you have any questions about the fruit, please contact Briermere Farm directly at briermere@aol.com

Peaches and Gala Apples – 1 mixed bag

**Akane – round and red apple, a little tart
**Mollie’s Delicious – sweet apple with less color

** A Note on Tomatoes…
The tomatoes have been sprayed with copper as a preventative for late blight fungus. This spray is certified for use in organic production, but must be washed off before eating. Also be sure to ripen red tomatoes completely on the counter before eating! They should be a deep red and slightly soft to the touch. Cherry tomatoes are picked ripe and ready to eat.

Note from the farm:
I would highly recommend making roasted red/yellow peppers with your pepper harvest this week. I do it on the grill and it’s super fast and easy! Wash peppers, coat with a little bit of olive oil and place over a medium flame on your grill with the cover on. Roast about 5 minutes on each side until they’re lightly charred and starting to blister. Then remove, place in a bowl and cover with a tight fitting lid to steam. Once cool enough to handle, the skins will slip right off, and you can easily remove the stem and seeds. They will store in the fridge for a few days, or you can freeze them. I love their smoky flavor and enjoy them on sandwiches, in soups, salads, and pastas…

Red or Chioggia Beets – 1 bunch
Colored Bell Peppers – 4 pieces
Cherry Tomatoes – 1 pint
Shallots – 1 bunch
Red / Plum Tomatoes – 4 lbs
Parsley – 1 bunch
Salad Mix – 1 bag

Tomato Shares
Tomato share deliveries begin this week.
Shares have staggered deliveries. We have contacted all share members with your assigned pick up date.

Fruit Share from Briermere Farm
If you have any questions about the fruit, please contact Briermere Farm directly at briermere@aol.com

Peaches and Apples (Akane Apples or Mollie’s Delicious Apples) – 1 mixed bag

**Akane – round and red apple, a little tart
**Mollie’s Delicious – sweet apple with less color

** A Note on Tomatoes…
The tomatoes have been sprayed with copper as a preventative for late blight fungus. This spray is certified for use in organic production, but must be washed off before eating. Also be sure to ripen red tomatoes completely on the counter before eating! They should be a deep red and slightly soft to the touch. Cherry tomatoes are picked ripe and ready to eat.