Week 2: September 12 - September 15
Reminder: Your bag is located BELOW your name in the market cooler. Please be sure to take the correct bag. And please bring back your purple bag each week so we can continue to reuse it!
We’re about three weeks shy of the 50/50 first frost date for our area of Minnesota - essentially the date where we’ve historically had a frost in 50% of years. And while currently the forecast calls for unseasonably warm nights, we’ve been around the block enough times to know that those numbers can change quickly. So we’re packing as much as we can into the next few weeks to prepare for the months to come.
This week, our focus is spinach. Over the winter months our spinach crop sustains the farm, growing happily in sub-freezing temperatures in our unheated high tunnels. To make sure the crop is hearty enough to hang out in chilly temps, though, we need to make sure it’s well established by the time the weather changes. That means planting bed after bed of spinach over the last few days. By the time Friday rolls around we will have seeded and transplanted so many rows of spinach that if you laid them end-to-end, they would stretch nearly a mile long.
As the frost creeps closer, we’re also starting to say goodbye to our summer crops. For starters, eggplants are coming out this week (a fact that will dismay some and bring joy to others!) Cucumbers are singing their swan song and tomatoes are slowing down significantly - both will likely be gone within the next two or three weeks. But these goodbyes are countered with some of our fall favorites arriving on the scene. Salad turnips are back this week, and we’ve got beautiful watermelon radishes, beets, carrots, and potatoes growing happily and coming in from the fields soon, which has us dreaming of cooler weather and hearty autumnal meals.
For now, we’ll soak up some warmth. It doesn’t feel like fall with temps in the 80s, but the veggies tell us that summer is waning. Throughout the remainder of the month we’ll be pushing to bring the abundance in from the fields, fill our coolers and curing racks, and set up our fields for the cooler weather to come. And we’ll be happy to do it in temperate weather - at least for now.
Have a warm and sunny week,
Ashley, Chris, Hallie, and the 10th Street Farm Crew
In Your Bag This Week
Flavor Mix microgreens: Mild and tasty, these make an easy salad on their own or can add some color to any other salad. Try them on eggs or sandwiches – or anything, really! Store in a bag in your fridge.
Head Lettuce: Beautiful crisp romaine! Great for everything from lettuce wraps to salads and sandwiches. Store in a bag in your fridge.
Bok Choy: So versatile! Use in Asian-inspired dishes like soups and stir fries, or just chop and add to anything for a bit more flavor and nutrition. Store in a bag in your fridge.
Salad Turnips: Also called Hakurei Turnips, these fresh-eating turnips are tasty and versatile. Slice them up with hummus, sauté them, roast them in the oven, or even try them on the grill. Store in a bag in your fridge.
Shallots: These mild onions are often credited with being the secret ingredient for restaurant dishes. Their nuanced flavor is super versatile - they can be used as a fresh onion, caramelized, or add layers of flavor to sauces, soups, and more. Store in a cool dry place.
Eggplant: This Asian variety of eggplant has a very thin skin, so you don't need to peel it - just cut it up and cook it! Store in a bag in your fridge.
Peppers: Sweet peppers are amazing raw, with dips, or added to a skillet or grill. Store in a bag in your fridge.
Tomatoes: The tail-end of tomato season is upon us, so we’re cherishing each and every one. Store on the counter - never in the fridge!
Fresh Herbs: Your choice of fresh herb from the CSA table. Store parsley in a bag in your fridge, but keep basil outside the fridge in a cup of water!
Jalapeño Pepper (full shares): Add some zip to whatever you’re cooking up! Not the hottest pepper, but these flavorful and familiar jalapeños serve up plenty of spice! Store in a bag in your fridge.
What should I make with what’s in the bag?
Salad turnips are back after a summer-long hiatus, and they look beautiful this week! The greens are tasty, almost like a mustard green - try them sauteed along with the root. Or you can eat the root raw, just like a mild radish - we like it sliced with some hummus or baba ganoush. And speaking of baba ganoush, that’s a great use for your eggplant, especially if you’re not traditionally a huge eggplant fan! Here’s an easy recipe we love.
Elsewhere in the bag we’ve got tomatoes, peppers, shallot, and herbs - perfect for whipping up a mediterranean meal. We recently saw a recipe for a dish called uovo al purgatorio - eggs in purgatory. How can you not love a breakfast with a name like that? Or go the dinner direction with something like creamy roasted red pepper pasta! And finally, we’ve definitely recommended it before but we can’t say enough about how good grilled romaine is. If you haven’t put the grill away quite yet, it’s well worth a try.
If you've found a recipe you're loving, please send it our way. We're always looking for new things to cook and share with other members!
We wash everything in your bag but we wash them in bulk so some things may need an extra rinse at home. Please bring your bag back next week so we can re-use it! Thanks!
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