Adjusting to Change?!

As most of you may have noticed (with the exception of those who came later on Tuesday) we have made some adjustments to the way you are putting your weekly produce together.  Our hope is that we will have a wide enough variety of vegetables each week to allow you to choose the vegetables that you want to take home, and not feel compelled to take home food that you don't particularly want.  

We appreciated that the vast majority of you last week were excited about the potential to have more choice in your weekly harvest.  While we had scallions last week, some people still had theirs from the week before and didn't want to double up on this in the fridge.  However we know  a few of you were less than pleased - this tended to be people who have been coming to our CSA for years, and were quite happy with the system in place.  

Why are we changing things up?  

We ask CSA customers for feedback at the end of the season.  While feedback is always quite positive, (thank you!) we always hear both, "Too much kale!" and "I wish there was more kale!"   Each year we are always looking to improve and make this CSA model work for as many people as possible.  So to solve the too much kale - not enough kale problem (in addition to always seeing people leave the CSA to shop at the farmer's market where they can get what they want) we researched current trends in CSA models.  We visited friends of ours in NH who offer this "choice" model CSA where you take a certain number of items each week, choosing from a wide variety of options.  We liked it so much we decided to give it a try.   That being said, there may be some weeks where we are not able to offer as much choice - this will really depend, as always, on all the elements that go into growing and harvesting. 

How am I going to keep count of how many items I take?  How am I going to decide? 

When we visited the NH farm and saw their system of choice - one of the first things I (Maura) thought of was the challenge of keeping track of the number of items as you make your decisions of what you want.  As I observed over the course of a few hours, I was surprised to not see anyone struggling with the counting.  They seemed to choose their items with ease.  This system has been in place for some time, I suppose they've gotten used to it.  Our hope is that we will get used to it as well.  We will try to post on this blog by Monday night what we expect to harvest, and as always, this is subject to change as we harvest hours before the pick up.  Please keep in mind that the foundation of our farming practice is our relationship with you.  Our goal is to make this farm experience the best it can be for you.  As we go forward please continue to talk with us so we can troubleshoot issues together.  

Speaking of too much not enough kale...

I've had some questions about how to prepare the vibrant kale we've had for the past few weeks.  Some easy go to ideas that are staples in our house include:

  1. Chop & saute kale with olive oil and garlic (and/or onions/scallions).  Add to frittata or omelet for a quick option, or a quiche if you have more time.  Of course this allows you to add other veggies, herbs (in the upic!), or of course, bacon. 
  2. We use variations of spanikopita recipes using any of the greens we have on hand.  I always use lots of basil (coming soon in Upic!). Also, I usually don't have time for the fillo dough topping, so I just top with toasted bread crumbs or panko, toasted sunflower seeds, or even crushed up tortilla chips (a little more kid friendly).  
  3. Pesto!  You can steam (or not, but the hearty greens might be good to steam) greens & throw in the food processor with basil, garlic, walnuts, cheese, olive oil - however you like to make a version of "pesto" and toss with pasta or other grain dish.  Kids and those "learning" to like kale love this. 
  4. Pizza toppings!
  5. Smoothies! 
  6. Let us know if you're still not feeling the love for the kale or other greens and we'll try to help!

Whats in the share

Garlic Scapes

Scallions

Cabbage Kohlrabi

Arugula

Radishes

Spicy Salad Turnips

Spicy Mustard

Overwintered Onions

Cucumbers

Zucchini

Chickories

Whats in Upic

Sage

Parsley

Chives

Oregano

Strawberries

Snow/Snap Peas