Newsletter – Aug 30, 2021

NOTE: This blog is posted by a volunteer. No one from the farm checks or responds to messages here. You must contact the farm directly with any questions, comments, etc

This week you are getting: Yukon Gold potatoes, red onions, cabbage, beets, lemon and regular cucumbers, globe eggplant, bell peppers, anaheim peppers, muskmelon and watermelon. We are going to take a break from tomatoes, we are still in between plantings. Hopefully the next planting will be on soon.

Meat: All meat fees are due in full between October 1st and November 1st. Hogs will be the first thing to go to processing in October and November, lambs will be processed in November, and steers will be processed in December and the very beginning of January. We will be contacting those of you who ordered meat individually via phone and/or email.

Fruit Share: Fruit share holders will be getting a box of peaches again this week! The peaches have been so delicious. Keep in mind they ripen best at room temperature and can be refrigerated after ripening on your counter. Or take out a few each day so they are ready to eat the following day or two. All fruit tastes the best if eaten at room temperature.

Betty’s Simple Melon Storage Technique

Sick of having your melons sit around on your counter or in your fridge uncut?

• Slice them in half
• Scoop out the seeds
• Use a spoon or an ice cream scoop and scoop your melon flesh into a jar
• Open your fridge and eat a bite whenever you please!

A nod to the beginning of fall? We’ve been feeling that fall is headed our way. The air smells a little different, a leaf here or there is turning yellow. Our crops are at the height of production. This time of year is fleeting but oh so sweet. We’re sweating during the day, but the mornings and evenings are getting cooler!

Every growing season is unique. This season has brought its own challenges. We’re not having a huge production year with our squash, tomatoes, or peppers. It’s turning out to be a tremendous potato year. Our sweet corn and green beans were wildly productive! Depending on the weather we may be able to distribute even more sweet corn and green beans. Honeydew is on its way to you soon! Our orange flesh variety is just about ready. We love all honeydew, but the orange flesh is our favorite. It has such a beautiful flavor.

Quote of the week:
“Nature loves courage. You make the commitment and nature will respond to that commitment by removing impossible obstacles. Dream the impossible dream and the world will not grind you under, it will lift you up.” — Terence McKenna

Many thanks to you all,
Sam, Kyle, Jacquie, and Jerry

Winter Share Sign Up

NOTE: This blog is posted by a volunteer. No one from the farm checks or responds to messages here. You must contact the farm directly with any questions, comments, etc

2021 Winter Storage Share

If you just can’t stand the thought of going back to grocery store produce, the Monroe winter share is a great way to extend the summer season into winter! Distribution will start November 6th and produce should be delivered every other Wednesday after that through February 26th except for our winter break over Christmas and New Year.

Produce should be distributed every two weeks, November through February. Crops you could see are potatoes, onions, carrots, cabbage, red beets, parsnips, garlic, leeks, popcorn, winter squash, dried beans and sweet potatoes. There will also be some lettuce that will come from cold frames until a very hard freeze occurs. Plus any produce that can still be harvested from the previous summer will also be included.

The total cost of the Winter Share is $450, is non-refundable and $150 is due at sign-up. It is suggested to pay your fees in total by December 31st due to summer sign up in January. However, you can pay half of your remaining fees on November 15th and the other half on January 15th. Deadline for sign-up is October 31st.

Please fill out and return the sign-up form (link below) by mail to the farm with your deposit check.

winter-storage-share-sign-upDownload

Newsletter – Aug 23, 2021

NOTE: This blog is posted by a volunteer. No one from the farm checks or responds to messages here. You must contact the farm directly with any questions, comments, etc

Dear Friends of the farm,

This is week 11 of an 18-weeks season. You will be getting yellow onions, Yukon Gold potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, globe eggplant, heirloom and beefsteak tomatoes, green and purple bell peppers, musk melon, and fresh basil.

A note on tomatoes: We are about to be in a lull regarding tomatoes. We are nearing the end of one planting and will be awaiting the next to start producing. When you pick up your tomatoes at your distribution center, please don’t always grab the largest tomatoes. If the first people always take the largest tomatoes, the last to come will get only small tomatoes. Be kind and considerate to each other! Please take a mixture of sizes.

Winter Share: Attached to this letter is a Winter Storage Share form. Please fill it out if you would like to continue to get produce from November through February this winter. Keep in mind we only have one size share. If you are a Single Share holder find someone to split the share with. The Winter Share is based on a Half Share. Those of you who get a Full Share may want to order two and we will give you $150 discount. See the attached for more details. We are looking for two new locations to be winter distribution centers: South Boulder and Denver in between Hwy I25 and 6th & Race. Please consider being a DC. We only deliver every two weeks and without a new location everyone will have to pick a location with a farther drive. You also get a nice discount on your share. Call the office or email us for details!

We can’t get enough of Chef Carrie’s recipes! Here’s another gem for you:

Gaspacho -heavy on the tomatoes!

Ingredients

4 cups tomatoes – cored and roughly chopped

½ bell pepper, cored and roughly chopped

½ cucumber – about 1 cup, peeled and deseeded, roughly chopped

2 cloves of garlic, halved

1-2 slices whole grain bread

2-3 TBL EVOO

1-2 TBL sherry vinegar

Method of Production

1. Place all ingredients in the bowl of a blender. Pulse until you achieve the consistency

you prefer.

2. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Notes

1. No need to peel the tomatoes

2. If using an English cucumber, there is no need to peel/deseed

3. If you do not have sherry vinegar, apple cider will work well, or a wine vinegar

4. Quantities..schmauntities – use what you have!

Blessings from the farm,

Kyle, Sam, Jacquie, and Jerry

Newsletter – Aug 16, 2021

NOTE: This blog is posted by a volunteer. No one from the farm checks or responds to messages here. You must contact the farm directly with any questions, comments, etc

This week you are getting Yukon Gold potatoes, yellow onions, carrots, cucumbers, green & purple bell peppers, heirloom tomatoes, sweet corn, eggplant, green beans, muskmelon and honeydew.

Fruit and Honey: Everyone will be getting honey this week. You will be getting honey that was harvested from our farm. Those of you getting the 5 gallon buckets will be getting a mixture of all the honey collected in the area.

Fruit share members will be getting a box of Red Globe peaches. They’re a free stone peach which makes them great for canning. Of course, they’re fabulous for eating right away as well!

Statements: We have mailed out your statements. Please note that your vegetable shares, fruit, honey, oil, egg, and cookbook fees are now due in full. Meat fees are due later, along with the winter share.

Here’s another beautiful recipe from Chef Carrie! Check out her blog at http://www.recipesarejustaguideline.com

Chilled Melon Soup

One quick note on seasoning – whenever you serve a chilled food, be aware that cold

temperatures will make the seasoning lighter than it seemed when you first made it. So, season

with gusto, but still be prepared to adjust the seasoning before you serve (and by seasoning,

I’m including spices, acid, etc., as well as the salt!).

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

5 cups melon, peeled

1 can coconut milk

Juice and zest of 1 lime

½ tsp salt

½ tsp (or more to taste) hot red pepper

½ in fresh ginger, grated (sub ½ tsp dry ginger if needed)

Process

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.

2. Taste and adjust seasoning to suit your preference, buzz and taste again.

3. Repeat 2 as needed!

4. Chill for at least 1 hour.

5. Serve with your favorite chopped fresh herb (eg cilantro or thai basil)

6. Enjoy!

Quote of the week: “Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.” ― Harriet Van Horn

How are you handling your bounty this season? We would love to hear all about it! Tell us and show us on facebook and/or Instagram!

Blessings from everyone at the farm,

Kyle, Sam, Jacquie, & Jerry

Update to This Week’s Share (Aug 9, 2021)

NOTE: This blog is posted by a volunteer. No one from the farm checks or responds to messages here. You must contact the farm directly with any questions, comments, etc

A quick update from the farm – we thought we were getting honey this week, but we are actually getting honey next week.  Thank you!

Newsletter – Aug 9, 2021

NOTE: This blog is posted by a volunteer. No one from the farm checks or responds to messages here. You must contact the farm directly with any questions, comments, etc

Dear Members,

We are halfway through the summer CSA season, this being week 9 out of 18. You will be getting red potatoes, yellow onions, slicing & pickling cucumbers, broccoli, green bell peppers, green beans, sweet corn, muskmelon, yellow skin honeydew, and tomatoes.

This week’s honeydew is super sweet when ripe! Don’t let it linger too long on your counter. If the skin is a deep yellow eat it immediately, if there is a slight green hue it can wait a few days to be eaten. People have reported that they love dehydrating chunks of this melon and eating it like candy!

Produce Bags: Remember to shake out the dry onion skins, leaves, etc. from your bags. If your bag has a hole in it or is ripped at the drawstring, please do us a favor, and throw it away! (Let your DC know.)

Fruit share heads up: We are aiming to send fruit share members another box of peaches next week!

Honey: Those of you who are getting monthly and bi-monthly deliveries of honey will be betting that this next week.

Olive oil: Those of you getting oil monthly and bimonthly will be getting that this week.

Did you know that baked potatoes are exceptionally packed full of goodness?! Some of the goodies within include potassium, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and magnesium. If you soak your potatoes in cool water for a few hours prior to cooking, you will increase the vitamin content even more.

Simple Baked Potato

Did you know that baked potatoes are exceptionally packed full of goodness?! Some of the goodies within include potassium, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and magnesium. If you soak your potatoes in cool water for a few hours prior to cooking, you will increase the vitamin content even more.

-Preheat your oven to 425 F

-Wash your potatoes

-When oven is preheated, place potatoes directly on the rack

-Cook for approximately 60 minutes

-Poke with the tip of a knife. If the knife goes in easily your potatoes are done. If not, cook for another ten minutes or until a knife can be easily inserted.

-Cooking at a high temperature makes the potatoes very fluffy and light.

-Allow to cool slightly and serve cut open with a pat of butter or olive oil, salt or any other goodies you like.

Quote of the week: “I would far prefer to have things happen as they naturally do, such as the mousse refusing to leave the mold, the potatoes sticking to the skillet, the apple charlotte slowly collapsing. One of the secrets of cooking is to learn to correct something if you can, and bear with it if you cannot.” – Julia Child

Show us your love! Have you been enjoying your share? Let us know by sharing pictures and comments on IG and FB. We love to see what your creations are! Plus it give other members recipe ideas.

Thank you for all your notes of encouragement and love. We read and relish each one.

With Sunshine and Gratitude,

Kyle, Sam, Jacquie, and Jerry

Who are Katherine Tisdale and Linda Schultz ???

NOTE: This blog is posted by a volunteer. No one from the farm checks or responds to messages here. You must contact the farm directly with any questions, comments, etc

A message from the farm:

We have received payments from both of these people but do not have any accounts associated with them. Please contact the office as soon as possible (do NOT leave a message on the blog) if they have made a payment on your behalf or are a part of your account and we were unaware. Thank you!

Update to Your Share This Week (Aug 1, 2021)

NOTE: This blog is posted by a volunteer. No one from the farm checks or responds to messages here. You must contact the farm directly with any questions, comments, etc

A quick update from the farm – you will be getting red watermelon this week and no carrots. Thanks!