When I was a young farm hand on a small farm here in the Driftless area, I worked on a farm one summer that raised eggs and Winter Squash for Organic Valley. The farm family I was working for wasn’t a religious family, but their values and principles were clear. Everyone in the family put in a hard days work on the farm and the meals that we sat down to together felt earned, intentional, and everyone in the family had worked in one way another to bring something to the table either through collecting the eggs, feeding the chickens, harvesting the vegetables or spicing the pot. But one thing I gleaned most sincerely from this experience was how we all sat down together at the table and said a prayer before dinner.
I was raised Catholic and we prayed all the time. We prayed before meals daily and I went to church twice a week for the first 14 years of my life. I learned to pray before bed and to pray when I lost something and to pray when I needed guidance. And I’m not sure if it was those 14 years that primed me for what I felt at their farm table, as a guest in someone elses home where the word God wasn’t even mentioned at the dinner table, or if it was that the experience of eating over food that had so much meaning and significance to us was humbling to me, or maybe it was simply maturity happening to me consciously. But I finally felt like I wanted to pray, or speak or listen or just pause before meals. I finally felt like I understood why that was important and why for so many hundreds of years, accross so many denominations, across the globe, families pause before meals.
We simply gave thanks. Some nights it was brief and some nights it was thoughtful and slow, but every night it happened with intention. We took turns announcing something small or large that we were thankful for. We held hands and made time and it felt simple and wholesome. Food and it’s origin and true value was becoming an increasingly meaningful part of my life. I was also a young woman, now out on my own really earning my own way and meals in life, and this food that I was eating and the experience I was getting while eating it, was moving for me.
Now growing and eating our own food on our own farm, our small family gives thanks before meals too. Our daughter gives thanks for the dog some nights and we frequently give thanks for the rain or the crops or our health, but this is one small tradition that we carry on. In a culture where our lives are so busy that we eat alone over magazines, in front of our computers and while driving in our cars, I fear that food is being forgotten. The pause and the intention are forgotten. Where we honor food as not merely fuel, but as an important part to our spiritual, communal and regional health.
Green Cabbage- Adam said to leave all the big cabbages out in the field and just harvest the smaller cabbages because he didn’t think we would be able to fit them in the box. As box packing is finally over now, he was right, they don’t ‘fit’ in the box, but we got them in there somehow. Probably more cabbage coming next week as well! Use it up!
Purple or White Kohlrabi- Kohlrabis are getting late in their early season. We have enough kohlrabis out there to give one more week, but we’ll see how they hold up out there.
Celery- Yes, that is celery in your box! As vegetable farmers, we’re very excited about this. Local celery is hard to grow! It has a darker green color, a stronger celery flavor, and has more leaves and bit more firm stems. The only thing we all have to compare it to is California grown celery that is color-less, pumped full of water, and very difficult to replicate in the midwest. We ask you to try and learn to appreciate this local celery for it’s uniqueness. Use it’s greens in your soups like you would parsley, finely chop it into a tuna or egg salad, or just get creative and toss it with your other veggie salads or wherever you might use celery in your cooking. More celery coming the next few weeks! Enjoy!
Summer Squash, Zucchini, Patty Pans- I worked on an apple farm in Gays Mills back in my farm-hand days. There was a man named Bob who moved the apple bins for us and managed the pickers. When the apple glut would come in, he would always say “We’re in the Grrrravy now”. This is the gravy of the Summer Squash, Zucchini and Patty Pan days. Know that you can also grate it and freeze it in freezer bags. Squashes are great to have in the winter monthes for zucchini bread, lasagnas, or egg bake dishes.
Cucumbers- Production is picking up now finally!
Red Beets- The beets are still very young and tender and the leaves look beautiful for eating. Beet greens can be used in cooking like your Swiss Chard. To store your beets, remove their tops and keep them in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Broccoli or Cauliflower- The broccoli and cauliflower are holding up nicely in the field with all of this cooler weather. We still have a couple more weeks of summer broccoli successions coming on. Broccoli and cauliflower need to be kept very cold in the summer montes to keep it fresh. If it sits out for too long, it will turn yellow quickly. We recommend using it up first.
Garlic Scapes- Sadly, this is the final week of garlic scapes. The scapes have all been picked and bunched and distributed. Use them like you would use fresh garlic. This also means that fresh garlic isn’t far from apprearing in your CSA boxes!@
Parsley- Either flat leaf or curly leaf parsley this week. This is another herb that is very easy to dry in your dehydrator if you don’t think you’ll get to using it all this week. Tabouli is a fun and healthy recipe that calls for a lot of parsley.
Green Leaf, Romain and/or Red Leaf Lettuce X2- Two more beautiful heads of lettuce this week to keep you rockin’ in the lettuce world. Lettuce keeps best if stored in a plastic bag in the fridge. More lettuce coming the next few weeks, then we may be taking a short break from lettuce.
Green Onions- Yes, more green oninos! Green onions can be used from their roots all the way up to the tips of their greens. I’ve seen asian cooking recipes that use the green onion roots in soup like noodles.
Swiss Chard- Absolutely perfect swiss chard this week. Very minimal bug or disease damage. This is the way swiss Chard is supposed to look! Keep up your greens consumption!
Fennel Cucumber Salsa– In case you still have a fennel in your fridge. One local member contributed this recipe and says she’s in love with it!
Quiche with Beet Greens (or Swiss Chard Greens)
