Summer 2025 CSA Newsletter - June 3, 2025 (Week 2)
Howdy Folks,
Farm News -The Hoot!
In Your Box
Picking up your share
Recipe Ideas
THE HOOT
It's a wild time of year. Our kids just had their last day of school on last Thursday and they are now "free" for the summer. Even though it is unseasonably cool and damp, our boys are swimming in the frigid waters. They have agreed to work a couple hours on the farm to be "free" in the afternoons. Summer Break!!! It’s a wild juxtaposition as it feels like our winter slow period just ended, and now it’s a flush of business with the Spring CSA, then the Farmers Markets and now our main summer CSA season. It’s pedal to the medal, yet these last week’s of cool wet weather are just holding the plants in their tracks, and it’s definitely creating a little stress on the farm as our numbers are still not where they should be due to very cold unseasonal temperatures.
Sunday night the whole farm crew yet again, had to get protective row covers that had been wound up onto big metal spindles from their storage. The kids too were also helping! All hands on deck to protect the plants from a potential freeze! We covered until we had no more covers, and the sun had set! Luckily we are getting by with the hair of our chinny chin chin again. We had a low of 32.8º.
Aeros is struggling to learn quickly, the ins and outs of our new CSA software platform. Speed learning has never been her forte. Especially when it comes to following detailed instructions. The interface we believe is good, it’s just now to memorize the procedures, and buttons that are necessary to complete the tasks that are wished to be accomplished.
The crew got new raincoats and all of our storage areas are very tidy! What to do when it’s too wet to work the fields! Organize and clean! Then sneak in the fields after a decent dry spell to weed and plant. Harvesting happens no matter the weather. On foot in wet fields is way easier on the ground than any tractor that causes nasty soil compaction.
Each CSA season there are bumps in the road in the beginning. New customers, new procedures> What new procedures? This is Who Cooks, of course we are springing new procedures on you and ourselves!. We are constantly innovating! We must! The struggle is real, we have to keep on our game. The bugs and diseases are evolving and so must we.
The spring sprung and then it decided to take a nap. That's sort of what it feels like. There is a craziness stirring that can't get released. A grey slumber of lucid dreaming. Hopefully the predicted warming of this week will help for some growth and wakefulness to unravel, as well as strawberries to ripen, radishes to fill out and sugar snap peas to blossom and fruit and much much more. Let’s think sun and warm thoughts! The beginning of this week is feeling promising!
Have a great week!
Your Farmers,
Chris, Aeros and the Who Crew
IN YOUR BOX:
In this week’s boxes we had to do some last minute substitutions due to low availability.
For some folks instead of pea shoots you got broccolini.
For everyone instead of spring mix you got zucchini.
Add On Shares:
Mushrooms:
King Trumpet Mushrooms are the largest of the Oyster Mushroom family, but unlike most oyster mushrooms, the stems of the King Trumpet are meaty instead of woody. These mushrooms are often fried in tempura batter, or used as an addition to stir-fry.
Cheese:
Pleasant Lane Farms Creamery’s from Latrobe, Pa
QUARK! Quark is a soft, creamy spreadable cheese that has been around for centuries. It can be used in both sweet and savory recipes. It goes very nicely with the fresh strawberries!
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.
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
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.
*Friendly Reminder Fruit shares don’t start until the 3rd full week of July!!!
RECIPE IDEAS
Tortitas De Espinaca (Spinach Fritters)
This recipe is here thanks to CSA member Michael T. (If you have favorite recipes to share, please email them to us!)
Total Time: 50 min Servings: 4 servings (about 12 fritters) Source: cooking.nytimes.com
Ingredients
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
3 jalapeños, chopped (seeded first if you prefer a milder dish)
6 garlic cloves, finely grated
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Kosher salt
3 (10-ounce) packages chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
8 ounces queso fresco, cotija or mild feta, crumbled
3 eggs, beaten to blend
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more if necessary
Steamed rice or salad, for serving
Directions
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high and cook the onion and jalapeños, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes; stir in the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Transfer half of the mixture to a large bowl and the other half to a medium saucepan.
Make the salsa: Add the tomatoes and 1 cup water to the saucepan with the onion mixture and bring to a boil over medium. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and tomatoes are very tender, about 15 minutes. Using a potato masher, smash the tomatoes until the consistency of a chunky salsa. Let cool, then stir in lime juice. Taste and season with salt.
Meanwhile, make the tortitas: Add the spinach, queso fresco, eggs, 4 tablespoons flour and 2 teaspoons salt to the large bowl with the onion mixture. Use a spatula or large spoon to mix well until everything is evenly incorporated and there are no streaks of flour remaining. The mixture should be the consistency of a tacky cookie dough. If it’s too sticky to handle, add another tablespoon or two of flour and stir to combine.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in the same large, non-stick skillet over medium. Working in batches, scoop a packed ¼ cup of spinach mixture into the palm of your hand and flatten to about ½-inch thick, smoothing the sides as you flatten. Carefully place patty in the skillet and continue with remaining spinach mixture until the pan is full, about 6 patties spaced evenly apart. Cook until deep golden brown on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer fritters to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain. Repeat with remaining oil and spinach mixture.
Transfer fritters to a platter with salsa alongside. Serve with steamed rice or a side salad (or both) or top a grain or rice bowl with fritters and use the salsa as a dressing.
Notes
The salsa and fritters can be made and refrigerated up to 3 days ahead. Serve at room temperature or wrap the fritters in foil and reheat in a 300-degree oven. You could also reheat the fritters in the microwave, covered in a damp paper towel.
Radish and Pea Shoot Crostini
Recipe adapted from readingmytealeaves.com
For some reason, a salad served on toast is more exciting than serving it in a bowl. The pea
shoots and radishes are dressed simply with lemon juice and olive oil, then piled onto
toasted bread with a smear of ricotta cheese.
Ingredients:
1 baguette or loaf of “artisan-style” bread
1 bunch of radishes, sliced thinly
1 bundle of pea shoot leaves and tendrils, washed, dried, and chopped coarsely
¼ c. extra virgin olive oil
zest from one lemon
2 T lemon juice
salt to taste
1 c. ricotta cheese (cream cheese or simply salted butter works too if ricotta isn’t your thing)
Directions:
Turn on the oven to broil. Slice the baguette into ½-inch slices, place them on a sheet pan,
and toast until they are golden. Be careful! The bread can burn quickly under the broiler.
Combine the olive oil, lemon zest and juice, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine,
then toss in the sliced radishes and pea shoots.
Spread a spoonful of ricotta onto each baguette slice and top with a generous amount of the
radish and pea shoot salad. Serve immediately!
Kale Salad with Apples and Cheddar
Adapted from NYTimes Cooking
A simple dish that comes together in 15 minutes.
Ingredients:
4 cups very finely chopped or slivered kale (about 6 ounces on the
stem, or half of a bunch, destemmed and rinsed)
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped toasted almonds
1 apple, sweet, like a Fuji, or a sweet-tart, like a Gala, Braeburn or Pink Lady, cored and cut
in 1/4-inch dice
1 ounce sharp Cheddar cheese, cut in 1/4-inch dice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt to taste
1 very small garlic clove, puréed
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
Directions:
Combine the kale, almonds, apple and Cheddar in a large bowl.
Whisk together the lemon juice, salt, garlic and olive oil. Add to the salad, and toss well just
before serving. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the top, and serve.