CSA Newsletter July 12, 2021

By Lindsay Browning | July 13, 2021 | Comments Off on CSA Newsletter July 12, 2021
Your local certified organic vegetable farm
July 12, 2021
Notes From the Farm
Tropical Storm Elsa brought over five inches of rain in about 18 hours, which is more rain than we received all last summer. Storms the previous weekend brought over 3 inches of rain, so conditions are quite wet and muddy around the farm, but our crops are in good shape, and we’ve started bringing in this week’s harvest. We practices use such as contour farming, mulching, creating raised beds and reduced tillage, to help protect our soil and crops from extreme weather events. We know heavy storms and weather events like these are becoming more frequent, so we’ll continue to employ and develop practices to mitigate potential damages, like soil erosion and crop loss. For now we are hoping for a long stretch of sunny days ahead to help dry down our fields.
The first tomatoes are ripening in our high tunnels, and we’ll be able to include at least a couple in the CSA this week. Tomatoes are one of our most loved crops here, and over the next couple months we hope to share a delicious bounty with you. Know that we grow a number of varieties which come in a range of colors, shapes and sizes, and that some tomatoes you receive may be a little green or under-ripe. Particularly for the heirloom type tomatoes we grow, we find it best to harvest them with some color, but not 100% ripe, so that when you take them home they are not bursting at the seams and will last longer for you. Keep ripe and any under-ripe tomatoes on the counter top, out of direct sunlight, until they gain full color or you are ready to use them. The flavor and texture of tomatoes are best at room temperature, but ripe tomatoes can be kept in the refrigerator if necessary to keep them from going bad.
Cucumbers are in this week, plus more summer squash, beets, carrots, greens, radishes or salad turnips, and maybe even some fresh garlic. We are also seeing the first green beans ready to harvest, so we will make them available in the U-Pick field, along with some herbs and perhaps some flowers. If you plan to pick, please be prepared for very wet and muddy conditions.
Please note: summer camp at Massaro begins this week. There will be peak traffic in the parking area for camp pickup during from 3:15-3:45pm, from July 12-August 13.
-Farmer Steve and our Farmers: Alyssa, Alanna, Anneke, Cass, Jessie, Kayla, Laura, Leah and MC
This Week’s Anticipated Harvest:
Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Zucchini, Beets, Carrots, Lettuce, Chard or Dandelion Greens, Basil Tips, Radishes or Salad Turnips, Kale
U-Pick:
Green Beans, Herbs (tulsi, flowering cilantro) Caution: wet & muddy conditions in the field
Fruit Option:
Blueberries
Online Store: Click here
For on-farm pickup only
Order Massaro products such as honey, eggs, salsa, marinara and crushed tomatoes in advance through the store, or purchase on site when you pickup.
Big Green Pizza Truck
The Big Green Pizza Truck will be at the farm on Tuesdays for CSA pickup from 2:30-6pm. 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 Pizza 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.
Recipes and Cooking Ideas
Zucchini Carbonara
from Nadine Nelson
¼ pound bacon
3 diced zucchini
1 egg
¼ cup cream
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Spaghetti or linguini
Sauté ¼ pound diced bacon in a pan until the fat begins to render; add 3 diced zucchini and cook until they are soft and just beginning to brown, 6-8 minutes more. Meanwhile, mix 1 egg, ¼ cup cream, and ½ cup grated Parmesan in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Cook the spaghetti or linguine until just tender; drain well and immediately add it to the egg mixture; toss until every strand is well coated. Add the bacon, zucchini, and more pepper, toss.
Zucchini Basil Soup
from Nadine Nelson
This recipe is quick and easy to freeze to enjoy later. Sauté an onion, garlic and red chile flake, add 2-4 zucchini or summer squash, a can of white beans, and water to cover. Simmer 10 minutes and blend with a handful of basil, plenty of sea salt and a squeeze of lemon
Summer Kale, Carrot, Beet and Blueberry Salad
adapted from Natasha’s Kitchen
Ingredients
  • 1 bunch kale rinsed, stripped and chopped
  • 3-4 carrots grated or julienned
  • 2-3 medium beets, grated or julienned
  • 1 cup raisins or dried cranberries (optional)
  • 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp extra virgin Olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper or to taste
  • 1 small red onion thinly sliced
  • 1 – 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries added before serving
Instructions
  1. Stir together the dressing: 1/4 cup cider vinegar, 2 Tbsp oil, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine chopped kale, grated carrots, beets, raisins. Add dressing and toss the salad together until leaves are evenly coated with dressing. Cover and refrigerate overnight or prepare for serving.
  3. Toss in thinly sliced red onion and blueberries before serving.
Quick Kale Tip: To remove the stems from kale, hold the base of the stem with one hand, pinch at the base of the leaf with the other hand and pull it up the stem to remove the leaves. Stack leaves and chop into small bite size pieces as you would with romaine lettuce. Spin it dry as you would any lettuce.
Quick Pickled Hakurei Turnips
adapted from Momofuku by David Chang
  • 1-2 bunches hakurei turnips, peeled and sliced paper thin
  • 2 (4-inch-by-2-1/2-inch) pieces kombu (optional)
  • 1 cup rice vinegar
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
Instructions
  1. Place the turnips and kombu in a 1-quart jar, leaving at least 1/2 inch of room at the top of the jar.
  2. Make the brine: Place the vinegar, sugar, water, and salt in a small saucepan, whisk to dissolve the sugar and salt, and bring to a rapid simmer.
  3. Immediately pour the brine over the turnips, making sure to cover them completely but leaving 1/4 inch of room at the top of the jar. Let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
  4. Cover the jar with a tightfitting lid. Shake the jar or turn it upside down to evenly distribute the brine, then place it in the refrigerator for at least 1 day and preferably 1 week before using. (The pickled turnips can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.)
CSA Pickup Instructions and Reminders
On-Farm Pickups – Tuesdays and Friday, 2:30-6:30pm
  • There are two options for on-farm CSA pickup:
  1. Pull in to the barn yard area between the red barn and white house for a drive thru pickup of your CSA, which will be bagged for you in advance. No masks needed for this option.
  2. Park in the parking area on the north side of the barn, walk down the steps and wait to enter the barn through the east barn door entry.
  • You must wear a mask to enter the barn.
  • A limited number of people will be allowed in the barn at a time for CSA pickup.
  • ALWAYS DRIVE SLOWLY at the farm – there is often programming here for kids, and the farm family with young children live here.
  • U-Pick is back this year. When U-Pick crops are available, we recommend doing U-Pick first, then picking up your CSA when you are done. No masks needed for U-Pick.
  • See map above.
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 above).
  • CSA boxes will be stacked against the wall just inside the door.
  • Pick up time is 3:30-7:30pm on Wednesdays.
  • Please maintain social distancing when you enter to pickup, but you do not need to wear a mask.
  • Take only one box of produce unless otherwise indicated, all boxes will be the same.
  • Return your empty box next week.
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. Order in advance, or purchase at pickup.
  • Products from our partner farms will be available from time to time, as announced in the newsletter.
  • Pickup store items along with your vegetables on your regular pickup day.
Egg CSA Subscriptions – still available for both 10-week and 20-week options!
  • 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.
Looking ahead on your calendar: We will move our Friday, July 2 CSA pickup to Thursday, July 1, allowing for some time off for our staff on 4th of July weekend.
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 try to keep our website updated with those newsletters, and we also share news, stories and photos on facebook, twitter 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 do 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 through our weekly online store and 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 are not currently attending any farmer’s markets on a regular basis.
Final payments: If you still have a balance for the CSA, please send in your final payments, or be in touch to work out a payment plan. Email [email protected]
(203) 736-8618
41 Ford Road, Woodbridge, CT
Posted in CSA Newsletters