Summer 2025 CSA Newsletter - July 1, 2025 (Week 6)
Howdy Folks,
I was talking to our soil consultant today who helps us in many ways in understanding soil, vegetables, and the relationship between them. We were chatting about cucumbers. I was curious about the specific times in which cucumbers want nutrients from a small plant to a fruiting flowering vining plant. Our conversation was quickly derailed. He wanted to reflect on his farm visit here about 10 days ago. He arrived around noon. He arrived minutes after a torrential downpour. The sun came out and we did a very wet crop investigation in both the fields and the high tunnels. The fields were all with standing water in ways I’ve never seen before. We did the crop review and had long winded chats about soil and veggies for 5 hours. He was leaving as another rainstorm approached. It hit us harder than the first. The first storm dropped an inch of rain in 25 minutes. The second storm dropped an inch and a half in about 30 minutes.
This was the worst I’ve seen it here on our farm. He wanted to reflect on the intensity of the storms we’ve been having. We agreed that this seems to be a pattern throughout the last five years.
He said, “The ways in which we farm need to change to deal with this new weather. There’s no doubt it’s different. It’s much more difficult to do the same as we’ve done if we keep getting pounded (with heavy rain, drought, etc) every year. We’re never going to be able to keep our soil where it is if it continues to rain so hard with regularity.”
He’s in Lancaster, Pa and although the last 2 years had record droughts in early summer, this year they’re breaking records with rain. April, May and it looks like June will all be record setting.
Although we’ve been getting reasonable amounts of rain on the farm, it’s the ferocity with which it comes that is the problem. It seems like nothing out here can handle such deluges. We simply try to minimize loss.
We do a lot to keep the soil where it is…to not only prevent erosion etc but to make the soil better and better and better every year. The trick going forward will be to consider and aggressively implement new methods to preserve and protect soil so that the future of growing food isn’t washed down the river.
I forgot to mention that we’re in our first bulk harvest of the year!! We’re harvesting our garlic and it looks the best it has looked in years. I’m super excited to share it with you all.
Stay cool! Keep Hydrated!
Have a great week!
Your Farmers, Chris, Aeros & the Who Crew
IN YOUR BOX:
All contents of your box are listed on your LABEL! If your label says something other than you think it should, please don’t take something different, please contact the farm.
Add On Shares:
Mushrooms: Shitake or Cremini
Shiitake mushrooms have a bold smokey and earthy flavor, with a texture that is both meaty and buttery when cooked. These mushrooms are rich in vitamins and are a great addition to almost any food. The stems tend to be woody, so they are best pulled off and added to soup stock.
Cremini Mushrooms, also sometimes called “Baby Portobellos” are small, brown mushrooms with a mild earthy taste. Cremini Mushrooms are good sauteed with butter and garlic, baked into a quiche, or used in pasta dishes.
Cheese:
Pleasant Lane Farms Creamery’s from Latrobe, Pa
Mild Cheddar Aged for a minimum of 90 days, our mild farmstead cheddar cheese has a sweet buttery flavor, with just the first hints of sharp flavor. Enjoy this cheese on your favorite burger or sandwich, melted for Mac and Cheese, or as a simple snack.
RECIPE IDEAS
Zucchini Pancakes
Adapted from Mark Bittman
Ingredients:
2 lb. zucchini or yellow squash
1/2 onion, grated
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 c. four or bread crumbs, plus more for dredging
1/2 c. Parmesan
salt and pepper
4 T. butter or extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
Grate the squash by hand or with a food processor. Mix together all the ingredients except
the butter/oil. Shape into 4 patties.
Heat the oil or butter in the skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, hedge the
cakes in flour or bread crumbs and put in the skillet. Cook turning once, until nicely browned
on both sides, 10-15 minutes. Serve hot.
Grilled Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Zucchini Boats
Adapted from foodnetwork.com
Ingredients:
2 medium zucchinis
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup extra-sharp shredded Cheddar cheese
¼ cup grated Havarti cheese
¼ finely chopped fresh chives
¼ cup heavy cream
4 large eggs
1 cloves garlic, grated
4 strips bacon
Directions:
Prepare a grill for medium-high indirect heat: For gas grills (with 3 or more burners), turn all the burners to medium-high heat; after about 15 minutes turn off the middle burner for 3-burner grills or the 2 middle burners for grills with 4 or more burners and keep the other 2 burners at medium high. For charcoal grills, bank one chimney starter-full of lit and ashed-over charcoal briquettes to one side of the grill. Set up a drip pan on the other side to avoid flare-ups. (The grill should be around 400 degrees F. Be sure to consult the grill manufacturer’s guide for the best results.)
Slice the zucchinis down the middle, lengthwise like a hotdog, so that you have 4 long, equal pieces of zucchini. Use a teaspoon to remove the flesh of the zucchini, being sure to leave a 1/4-inch border and to not pierce the bottom of the zucchini. Finely chop 1/2 cup of the zucchini flesh and discard or save the remainder for another use. Place the chopped zucchini flesh into a clean kitchen towel and wring out as much liquid as possible. Place the zucchini flesh into a medium liquid measuring cup or bowl.
Flip the zucchini boats over so that the peel side is facing up and brush all four pieces with olive oil. Season the peel side with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper, then flip over and season the flesh side with another 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper.
Add the Cheddar, Havarti, chives, cream, eggs, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper to the liquid measuring cup or bowl with the zucchini flesh. Whisk until well combined. Pour the mixture into the cavity of each zucchini boat.
Using both hands to lift the zucchini carefully, place the filled boat in the middle of the grill over indirect heat (where the burner is turned off), cover, and cook until the eggs have puffed up slightly and are just set, 25 to 30 minutes. Use grilling tongs to remove the zucchini to a cutting board. Carefully wrap each zucchini boat in 1 of the bacon strips. Return to the grill over indirect heat and continue grilling, covered, until the eggs are completely set and the bacon is warmed and just crispy, 18 to 20 minutes.
Sautéed Swiss Chard with Bacon
Ingredients:
2 pounds chard, red-ribbed, green, or rainbow
3 slices bacon
1/4 cup diced onion, optional
1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning or seasoned salt blend
Pinch garlic powder, optional
Salt and pepper, to taste
Hot pepper sauce or vinaigrette for serving, optional
Directions
:
Wash chard and cut stems into 1/2-inch pieces. Cut leaves into 1-inch strips or chop coarsely.
In a large kettle or Dutch oven, cook the bacon with onion until bacon is crisp and onion is
lightly browned.
Add the chard, Creole seasoning, and garlic powder to the bacon. Cover and cook over
medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until wilted and tender, about 5 minutes.
Taste and season with salt and pepper, as needed. Serve with hot pepper sauce or a favorite
Vinaigrette.
Braised Escarole with Onions
Michelle Tam’s recipe for Braised Escarole & Onions,made me fall in love with this vegetable.
Garlic-Scape Pesto
A great way to use those garlic scapes! Add about 2 tablespoons of pesto to cooked pasta and
stir until pasta is well coated.
Ingredients:
1⁄3 c walnuts
3⁄4 c olive oil
1⁄2 c grated parmigiano cheese
1⁄2 t salt
black pepper to taste
1 c garlic scapes, cut into
¼ inch slices
Directions:
Place scapes and walnuts in the bowl of a food processor and process until well combined
and somewhat smooth. Slowly drizzle in oil and process until integrated.
With a rubber spatula, scoop pesto out of the bowl and into a mixing bowl. Add parmigiano to
taste; add salt and pepper.
Makes about 6 ounces of pesto. Keeps for up to one week in an air-tight container in the
refrigerator.
You can also freeze it in a Ziplock bag.
PICKING UP OF YOUR SHARE/S:
When you arrive at your pick up site, please look for a box with your name on the label, this is your box. Please unpack this box and take the contents home. You are not to take home this box! This box is for farm to pick up site transportation only! Please do not take this box home with you, but if you do, please return it the following week. HERE IS A LINK TO A FACEBOOKS PAGE VIDEO SHOWING YOU HOW TO OPEN THIS BOX.
READ YOUR BOX LABELS: On your label you will see all that you should be picking up today. Please note, that none of the optional shares are inside of this box! These optional shares include, Eggs, Cheese, Mushrooms, and Coffee. These shares are located in the blue coolers. Please reference your box label to make sure you get the correct optional shares that you paid for on each given week. ONLY TAKE THE ITEMS LISTED ON YOUR BOX LABEL AND SIGN IN SHEET UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTIFIED!
The mushrooms are in brown paper bags.
Eggs, half dozen = 6 egg carton
Eggs dozen = 12 egg carton
Cheese is by the piece, just take a block. ( If a cheese has a name on it, don’t take this cheese unless it has your name on it)
*Fruit *Friendly Reminder Fruit shares don’t start until the 3rd full week of July!!!
If you don’t see a share that you think you should be getting, please don’t take it, please instead be in touch with the farm. Call/Text 814-221-7177.