2023 CSA, Week #3

Massaro
Community
Farm

Keep farming, feed people, build community

June 26, 2023

Notes From the Farm

“Open farm days” in the learning garden are back during CSA pickup hours. We’ll offer a mix of programs, activities and learning opportunities for all ages including farm tours, cooking demos, workshops and volunteer work days, plus open/unstructured time in the garden for kids. This week at 4pm on both Tuesday, June 27 and Friday June 30 join Alanna Gilbert for a cooking demo using produce from our CSA at the pavilion in the Learning Garden. Open and free to all.

More events coming soon include pizza nights with Big Green Truck Pizza on Tuesdays, July 11 and August 1, from 3-6pm; and an Everything Elderberry workshop with Caty Poole on Friday, July 14 from 6-7:30pm. Click the link for more workshop details and registration.

Looking ahead on your calendar: Next week we will move our Tuesday, July 4 CSA pickup to Wednesday, July 5, allowing for some time off for our staff on 4th of July weekend. Wednesday pickup in New Haven and Friday farm pickup days and times will stay the same.

Zucchini and summer squash are here! You’ll see a mix of shapes, sizes and colors in our squash harvest throughout the summer, and while each are unique, they can all be used in similar ways. so even if it looks a bit different, there is probably a familiar way for you to prepare them in the kitchen. We’ll also harvest radishes and salad turnips, fennel, kale, lettuce and more this week, with cucumbers coming soon.

Our summer camp for kids ages 5-13 begins this week. Please note that there will be peak traffic in the parking area for camp pickup between 3:15-3:45pm, from June 26-August 4.

We do still have a couple spots remaining each week if you are still making plans for your child. Click here to register.

-Farmer Steve and our Farmers: Alyssa, Alanna, Bella, Cass, Faith, Kate, Kayla, Leah, Maddie, Morrigan, MC

This Week’s Anticipated Harvest:

Zucchini, Summer Squash, Kale, Garlic Scapes, Chard, Radishes or Salad Turnips, Scallions, Fennel, Lettuce

 

U-Pick:

Will open later this season

Fruit Option:

Begins in July, from High Hill Orchard

Big Green Truck Pizza

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

  • Tuesday, July 11
  • Tuesday, August 1
  • 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.

CSA Pickup Instructions and Reminders

Balancing Tuesday and Friday CSA pickup: Quite a few more people who have chosen Tuesday than Friday for on-farm CSA pickup. If you are willing and able to switch to Fridays, please let us know, as that will help us balance the days and reduce traffic.

A request for 10-week Flexible/Half CSA subscribers:

Please send your pickup plan in an email to [email protected] if you haven’t already. The majority thus far have chosen to begin picking up Week 1 and doing alternating weeks from there. If you haven’t yet sent your plan in, you can help balance out our harvest days and limit crowding by starting with Week 2. We generally suggest picking up every other week, beginning either week 1 or 2, but the plan is flexible to allow you to choose any 10 weeks you would like. Please send us your plan now.

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 – a few more are still available

  • 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 – a few more are still available

  • 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].

Recipes and Cooking Ideas

Grilled Zucchini and Garlic Scapes

from www.heartbeetkitchen.com

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds of mixed zucchini & summer squash
  • 1 to 2 small bunches of garlic scapes
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
  • sea salt & pepper
  • fresh lemon juice
  • fresh parmesan

Instructions

  • Slice off the tops and bottoms of the zucchini and slice them in half lengthwise, then cut them in half lengthwise again. They should look like pickle spears. Place them all in a large bowl and coat with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt and a few cracks of pepper.
  • Put the zucchini & squash in a grill basket.
  • Wash and dry the scapes. Break off the harder, woody ends that don’t have the bulb. Using your hands, coat garlic scapes in olive oil and 1 teaspoon kosher salt and a few cracks of black pepper.
  • Prepare your grill to medium high to heat. Toss scapes directly on the grill and put the grill basket with zucchini on next to them. Turn both sets of vegetables a few times, and remove them when they’re soft on the inside, crispy on the outside, a lighter shade of green and golden brown in parts. You want to see a nice char, this means flavor!
  • Remove from grill and finish with a big squeeze of fresh lemon over all the vegetables, and lightly toss. Finish with freshly grated parmesan if desired. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed.

Shaved Radish, Fennel & Parmesan Salad

from www.marthastewart.com

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
  • Coarse salt and ground black pepper
  • 1 bulb fennel, cored and thinly sliced, plus ¼ cup fronds
  • 5 radishes, thinly sliced
  • 3 tablespoons freshly shaved Parmesan

Directions

  1. Whisk together oil, lemon juice, and mustard and season with salt and pepper.
  2. Toss dressing with fennel bulb and radishes and adjust seasoning if necessary. Top with Parmesan and fennel fronds.

Lettuce, Fennel, Radish & Herbs Salad

from www.taste.com

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp granulated sugar
  • 1 cucumber, peeled into ribbons
  • 1 bunch radishes, trimmed, thinly sliced
  • 1 small fennel, thinly sliced
  • 1 head lettuce, leaves torn (see note)
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Directions

  • Place oil, lemon juice and sugar in a large bowl. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Season with salt and pepper. Add cucumber, radish and fennel. Toss to combine. Set aside for 5 minutes.
  • Step 2
  • Add lettuce to mixture. Toss to combine. Sprinkle with mint and parsley. Serve.
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