WFCF CSA Newsletter - CSA Week #9

Waltham Fields Community Farm

local food for everyone

Waltham Fields Community Farm

CSA Newsletter 2018

Week 9 of 20

PICKUP DATES & TIMES

COME ONCE ON ANY OF THESE PICK UP DAYS

Wednesday, August 8th, 2:00-6:30pm

Thursday, August 9th, 2:00-6:30pm

Saturday, August 11th, 9am-2pm

Any shareholder is welcome to pick up on any of the above days! You don't have to let us know when you're coming. Feel free to switch back and forth from week to week if that works best for you, or choose a day and stick to it for most of the season. We'll be happy to see you whatever day you come to the farm.

Winter Share payments were due August 1st.

Please be prepared to pay check or cash at this week's pick-up if you still have an outstanding balance.

You can also send in or drop off your check made out to WFCF at our office, located at 240 Beaver Street in Waltham. Park behind the red brick building, enter the single red door and you'll find our office inside the first door on the right.

WHAT'S IN THE SHARE - Our Best Guess

This is our best guess at this point. Actual crops may vary from what's listed here due to a variety of factors.

In the Barn (Picked for You):

Beets

Carrots

Chard

Celery

Cukes

Eggplant

Lettuce

Onions

Bell pepper

Potatoes

Scallions

Squash and zukes

Tomatoes

Watermelon

Cantaloupe

Pick Your Own (PYO): Cherry & plum tomatoes, husk (ground) cherries, dill, cilantro, basil (green, purple & Thai), flat pod green beans, hot chilies & Perennial Garden herbs & flowers. (Please don’t cut more than 1/3-1/2 of Perennial Garden herb stems. View the Perennial Garden Handbook here.)

NOTES FROM THE FIELD

Week Nine: August

by Janelle Plummer

The earth knows August in a different way — as if it understands our human language, too. The language that says, August is heat, August is tired, August is a game of strategy, and August is tomatoes. This time of year is abundance. It seems like there isn’t much in the fields right now that isn’t loving this heat. The crops are at a brisk pace, and the rest of us are just trying to keep up. The sun is strong, the popsicles are sweet, the conversation between the crew lingers over the field the same way the stillness of humidity does: moving slowly, saturating. August is a month made to humble anyone. There’s something special about August... maybe it’s those proud champions of high summer: a wide spread of vegetables, bringing hues of purple and yellow and red not quite yet seen this season back into the barn. And even as this month may humble each of us out in the fields, it also brings great satisfaction in this deep work. The first juicy, pulpy bite of cherry tomato, juxtaposed by the well-known snap of green beans, and then, yesterday morning, the cherished first try of watermelon. Sizing up in the field, still learning what it means to be sweet, but surely, surely coming along. All of these things help to remind us of the rippling currents of the work that we do, and what it means to be someone who does this work.

To be of use

BY MARGE PIERCY

The people I love the best

jump into work head first

without dallying in the shallows

and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight.

They seem to become natives of that element,

the black sleek heads of seals

bouncing like half-submerged balls.

I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,

who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience,

who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward,

who do what has to be done, again and again.

I want to be with people who submerge

in the task, who go into the fields to harvest

and work in a row and pass the bags along,

who are not parlor generals and field deserters

but move in a common rhythm

when the food must come in or the fire be put out.

The work of the world is common as mud.

Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.

But the thing worth doing well done

has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.

Greek amphoras for wine or oil,

Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums

but you know they were made to be used.

The pitcher cries for water to carry

and a person for work that is real.

WHAT'S IN THE BARN

Whole Grain & Specialty Dried Pasta from Sfoglini Pasta, NYC

Sfoglini Pasta uses New York State organic whole-grain working with several local farmers and flour mills. Their seasonal pastas are made with fresh, local ingredients from NYC green markets and local farms. Sfoglini Pastas are being served at revered New York restaurants such as Tom Colicchio’s Riverpark, Chef’s Club by Food & Wine and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

We currently carry Organic Whole Grain Spaccatelli, Organic Porcini Trumpets, Organic Saffron Malloreddus & Organic Cuttlefish Spaccatelli.

All of our retail products are available for sale to the public. For our own produce offerings, we prioritize giving shareholders a good return on their investment and meeting our food assistance goals (20% of what we grow - which should amount to $80,000 of produce for low-income households this year). Cash, check, Mastercard & Visa ($10 minimum for credit) are all accepted for retail items.

Recipes are back on our website! We have vegetable recipes for everything from escarole to tomatillos. Please use this as a resource throughout the CSA season while cooking wonderful meals with produce from the farm! A big thank you to Susan Cassidy for getting them back on the website!

Grilled Eggplant with Garlic-Cumin Vinaigrette, Feta, and Herbs

Adapted from Kalynskitchen.org

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2 large eggplants, cut in uniform slices 3/4 inch thick
about 1-2 tsp. salt, for salting eggplant (Grilled Eggplant doesn’t have to be salted if you want to skip that step. Most of the salt is wiped off, so don’t worry about it being too salty.)
about 2 T olive oil, for brushing on eggplant
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint (Or use other fresh herb of your choice.)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (Or use other fresh herb of your choice. You could use all mint or all cilantro if that’s what you have. I also think this would taste great with a mixture of basil and oregano.)
1/2 cup crumbled Feta (or more)

VINAIGRETTE INGREDIENTS:

1 tsp. garlic puree or finely minced garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
3 T fresh lemon juice
2 T shallots or red onion, finely minced
1/2 tsp. ground cumin (or a little more if you really like cumin)
generous pinch Aleppo Pepper (or use cayenne pepper)
1 tsp. Spike Seasoning (optional, but recommended; use any all-purpose seasoning if you don’t have Spike)
6 T extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions:

Cut both ends off the eggplants and cut into slices 3/4 inches thick.
If you’re salting the eggplant, lay it out on paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Let the eggplant sit about 20 minutes, or until you see beads of water released.
Then turn over and sprinkle with salt and let sit about 20 minutes more on the second side. When you’ve turned the eggplant over and salted it the second time, start to preheat gas or charcoal barbecue grill to medium high.
While eggplant sits, put garlic, salt, lemon juice, and shallots or red onion into food processor fitted with steel blade, pulse until all ingredients are well combined, then let sit for 10 minutes. After ten minutes, put mixture in small bowl, stir in ground cumin, Aleppo or Cayenne pepper, and Spike Seasoning if using, then whisk in olive oil.
Wash fresh herbs in a salad spinner if needed and finely chop with a large knife. Crumble Feta into a small bowl.
After eggplant has sat for the second 20 minutes, wipe the water (and salt) away from the eggplant with dry paper towel and put it on a baking sheet. Brush eggplant with olive oil on both sides.
Lay eggplant slices on the grill. If you want criss-cross grill marks, grill the eggplant about 3-4 minutes on the first side, then lift up the edge to see if the grill marks are dark enough. When you see good grill marks, rotate each piece of eggplant and cook about 3-4 minutes more.
Turn eggplant over and cook 3-4 minutes more on the second side, or until it’s done to your liking.
Arrange eggplant on a serving tray or baking sheet, drizzle with garlic-cumin vinaigrette, and sprinkle with crumbled feta and herbs.

IMPORTANT SHAREHOLDER INFORMATION

If it's your first time picking up a CSA share with Waltham Fields, let us know when you check in and we'll help guide you through your first pick up. Also, please feel free to ask us questions anytime. We're here to help you!

Bring Your Own Bags or a Box

We don't keep a stock of plastic bags. Please remember to bring your own bags or a box to the farm to pick up your CSA share! We strongly encourage the use of reusable bags/boxes for all vegetables on the farm. If you forget your bags or want some really great ones, we have reusable Waltham Fields Tote Bags for sale in the barn for $4, with proceeds supporting our food assistance and education programs.

Pick-Your-Own Crops

All shareholders are welcome to pick-your-own anytime during daylight hours. 10-week shareholders may PYO at anytime during their assigned week and may not switch weeks. Stop by the PYO station for a list of what's available, how much to take, and a map of where to find it in the fields. Take these maps into the fields with you & respect the quantity limits so that there is enough for everyone! When you head out into the fields, a sign will help you to know which rows are ready for picking and will also include harvest tips. The PYO station will also provide scissors and pint boxes, but it never hurts to bring your own.

Share Pick Up Questions

More questions about share pickup? Check out our CSA FAQs! You can also contact Lauren Trotogott, our Distribution Coordinator.