2023 CSA – Week #11

Massaro
Community
Farm

Keep farming, feed people, build community

August 21, 2023

scallion bunches
Notes From the Farm

An abundance of tomatoes and summer squash, plus peppers, eggplants and herbs means it is time to be making ratatouille. There are lots of variations on making ratatouille, and we’ve included one recipe idea below. If you have a favorite recipe for it, please let us know and perhaps we can share it in a future newsletter. In addition to those summer fruiting crops we’ll harvest scallions, along with lettuce and chard as well. Our watermelon are very close to ripening and there’s a chance we’ll harvest some either this week or next.

Dinner on the Farm is set for Sunday, September 10th, and tickets are selling fast. Our unique farm-to-table event, brings people together for a fabulous family-style meal in a wonderful setting. Funds raised through ticket sales, sponsorships and silent auction help support our fresh produce donations to health, human service and hunger relief agencies, as well as our farm education programs. Click the linkto purchase tickets. We hope you can join us.

Farm “Gap Week” camp for kids ages 5-9 is happening this week. We opened up daily registration for the few open spots we have. Hours are 8:30am – 3:30pm. Each day will be a mix of structured and free play with games, snacks, and crafts. Space is limited, so please sign up now if you are interested. Click the link to register for daily camp spots or for the remainder of the week.

-Farmer Steve and our Farmers: Alyssa, Alanna, Cass, Faith, Kate, Kayla, MC

This Week’s Anticipated Harvest:

Mixed Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Peppers, Zucchini, Summer Squash, Scallions, Lettuce, Chard, Basil

 

U-Pick:

Cherry tomatoes, cucamelon

Fruit Option:

‘Ginger Gold’ Apples

Big Green Truck Pizza

Big Green Truck Pizza will be at the farm from 3-6pm on Tuesdays once per month:

  • Tuesday, September 5
  • Tuesday, October 3

They’ll be parked in the parking area, making a variety of their favorite pies for you to choose from. Payment can be made to Big Green Truck here with cash, venmo, or paypal.

CSA parking area/pickup images

See images below for an overhead view of the pickup areas at Massaro and at District.

Purchase Tickets or Sponsor Dinner on the Farm
Recipes and Cooking Ideas

One Pot Ratatouille

from mediterraneandish.com

Ingredients

  • 1 lb eggplant, peeled (or striped) and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • Kosher salt
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 2 bell peppers (mix of red, green, or yellow), sliced into 1-inch pieces
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 lb tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 zucchini or yellow squash, sliced into ½-inch half moons
  • ½ cup red wine
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
  • 3 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
  • To Serve (Optional)
  • Sunny side up eggs
  • Crusty bread

Instructions

  • Salt the eggplant: Place the eggplant in a large colander in your sink. Sprinkle with salt and leave for 20 minutes as the eggplant sweats out its bitterness. Pat dry to remove the water and excess salt.
  • Cook the onion and peppers: In a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering but not smoking, add the onions. Cook, stirring regularly, until they’re translucent (about 5 minutes). Now add the bell peppers and cook for another 4 minutes, and continue to stir as they soften.
  • Add the remaining veggies: Add the garlic, tomatoes and any of their juice, zucchini, eggplant, wine, and thyme. Stir in the black pepper, paprika, and rosemary. Season with kosher salt.
  • Boil then simmer: Raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil for 5 minutes, stirring once or twice. Turn the heat down, then cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes or so.
  • Season: Remove the ratatouille from the heat, taste, and adjust salt to your liking. Add the sherry vinegar and a generous drizzle of olive oil. Top with fresh basil.
  • Serve: If you have time, cover and allow the ratatouille to rest in its warm pot for 1 hour or so before serving (see recipe notes). To serve, ladle into bowls. Optionally, top each with a sunny side up egg and pass around some crusty bread for dipping. Enjoy warm, at room temperature, cold, or any which way your heart desires.
CSA Pickup Instructions and Reminders

Reminder emails from GrownBy: GrownBy sends reminder emails ahead of your CSA pickup day each week for our 20-week subscribers, and uses a default of picking up alternating weeks, beginning with either week 1 or 2 for our 10-week subscribers. We know that many people switch pickup days as needed, and have a different pickup plan than the alternating weeks. As a result, you may receive some reminder emails that don’t match with your pickup plan or changes. Know that we are working with GrownBy to make adjustments to the auto reminder emails. Thank you for your continued patience and understanding on this.

On-Farm Pickups – Tuesdays 2:30-6:30pm; Fridays 12:30-5:30pm

  • Come on in to the big red barn: Park in the parking area on the north side of the barn, walk down the steps and and enter the barn through the east barn door entry. Our harvest will be set out in bins with instructions for you to select and bag your own produce. Staff and/or volunteers will be there to help you as needed. Please bring your own bag or box.
  • Please note that we will no longer be offering the drive thru pick up option. We will make up a few bags in advance for a quick pickup option for those who might need it.
  • There is a handicap parking spot and an additional accessible spot next to the entry/exit on the south side of the barn.
  • ALWAYS DRIVE SLOWLY at the farm – there is often programming here for kids, and the farm family with young children live here.
  • When U-Pick crops are available, we recommend doing U-Pick first, then picking up your CSA when you are done. See map.

Delivery to District – Wednesdays, 3:30-7:30pm

  • Located at 470 James St. at State St.
  • Go to Door 004 for District Athletic Club (see map).
  • CSA boxes will be stacked through the door and down the hall in the gym kitchen area.
  • Pick up time is 3:30-7:30pm on Wednesdays.
  • Take only one box of produce unless otherwise indicated, all boxes will be the same. Return your box each week and pick up a new one.

Egg CSA Subscriptions

  • Pickup along with your vegetables on your regular pickup day and location.
  • Massaro Farm Egg cartons can be returned to us as long as they are in good, clean condition.

Fruit Option

  • Comes from High Hill Orchard in Meriden.
  • Typically begins in early July once blueberries are ready to harvest.
  • Pickup along with your vegetables on your regular pickup day and location.

Farm Store – for on-farm pick up only; not available for New Haven delivery

  • Our eggs, honey and tomato products will be available each week as long as we have them. Purchase at pickup along with your produce.
  • Products from our partner farms and local vendors may be available as well.

 

Communications: We send out a weekly CSA newsletter during the harvest season, and additional messages throughout the year.  Please read them. There is often helpful information in them, or important updates that might answer questions you have.  We also share news, stories and photos on facebook and instagram.

If you have a question, request, feedback, or need to be in touch for any reason, emailing us at [email protected] is the best means of communication. This email is checked regularly, and we do our best to respond quickly. We’d love to talk with you when you are here on the farm and we can usually be found around the barn during CSA pickup hours, so grab our ears, pick our brains, chat us up or tell us what’s on your mind!

 

Bags: Please bring a reusable bag or box to take your produce home in. We will have compostable bags available for you if needed.

 

What if I miss a week?: If you are not able to make it to the farm to pick up your produce on a given week, you are welcome to have someone else pick up it up for you. Simply have them come to the farm or District on your behalf. Any produce that is not picked up will be donated, so know that it is put to good use! If you do miss a week, please understand that you are not entitled to additional produce on another week.

Produce Donations: Part of the farm’s mission and commitment to the community is to donate produce to local hunger relief organizations, which is more important than ever right now. To make this happen, we harvest additional produce for donation on CSA distribution days. Any produce not picked up by our CSA members is added to that donation. Thus, if you can’t make it one week to get your vegetables, know that your produce will go to people in need and is never wasted.

 

Want more of our produce?: As our harvest allows, we will offer additional produce for sale at the farm. If you don’t see something you want available in the store, please do let us know when you are here and we’ll see if we can offer it. We will be at the Q House market at 197 Dixwell Ave in New Have on Wednesday afternoons from 3-6pm and some weekend markets again beginning in late July.

Payment plans, and final payments: If you signed up through GrownBy for weekly or monthly payment plans, your card will be charged automatically. Please make sure your card is up to date. If you paid by check and you still have a balance for the CSA, please send in your final payments, or email your payment plan to: [email protected].

(203) 736-8618
41 Ford Road, Woodbridge, CT
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