2017 CSA Week 14

Good evening fellow CSA members!

We have another great share this week:

Produce	Storage	Longevity
summer squash and zucchini	unwashed, in fridge	1-2 weeks
cabbage	unwashed, in fridge	several weeks
tomatoes	room temperature	about a week
bell pepper	Unwashed, in fridge	about a week
cantaloupe	peeled and sliced, or unpeeled in fridge	enjoy as soon as possible

One of my favorite summer meals is meat and fresh garden
veggies. Tonight for supper we had SHF New York Strip steaks
with sautéed peppers and squash from last week's share. The basil
was so bountiful I made pesto and put it on some potato skins.

Each week I get the produce list from Ford I feel thankful (and excited) about the delicious things in store for me and my little family. Matthias enjoys several of the share items and it makes me smile every time I see him eating them. I even learned from him (and my mom) that you can just slice summer squash and eat it raw. What could be better than raw, fresh, local, organic summer squash for a toddler to eat?! Except for maybe the raw tomatoes and peppers he also enjoys. This week's share will pretty much be his menu for several meals! Little prep work and loads of nutrition.

I had the chance to visit the farm recently. I had scheduling conflicts on both farm tour dates this summer and asked Amanda if I could bring Matthias out to tour the farm. She, and the sweet boys (Finley, Silas and Josiah), were gracious hosts. I am in awe of the beauty of the farm each time I visit and am thrilled to see it grow from year to year. It seems each season brings new crops, new greenhouses, new equipment and new markets. The dreams for the farm are flourishing much like the crops: With a lot of hard work, blessing from the Lord and devoted CSA members. Thanks for partnering with "us."

Because of the commitment to sustainable farming and the quality of the food grown, its not uncommon for the farm to get some media coverage each season. Did you catch the Kentucky Living article a few weeks ago? It also included Amanda's tomato pie recipe (as well as links to other tomato recipes).

As I am reflecting on my thankfulness for the food and the farm, I also want to share my thankfulness for friends. I hosted a super-casual outdoor dinner party at my house last night and was filled with gratitude anew about the people I am privileged to call friends. I love sharing food with people I love and I love seeing people all work together to make a beautiful evening. I hosted but I did little work other than greet people and give them assignments as they asked. One guest manned the grill and asked if I happened to have any peppers and onions to throw on. Thanks in part to SHF, I was able to say yes. His sweet (amazing) wife even enthusiastically volunteered to make cole slaw last minute from a SHF head of cabbage. I loved seeing friends in my house and kitchen and backyard and I loved getting to share delicious food with them. And while we all probably have our own preferred cole slaw recipe, I decided in the spirit of spur-of-the-moment side dishes, I'd share some new cole slaw recipes with you.

May we all continue to be blessed with great food, great farmers and great friends and family.