It’s three CSA updates in one! Observant viewers will note the increasing preponderance of apples in the CSA pickups. Apple season is in full swing, which combined with the cooling temperatures makes me very happy. Apples are great by themselves, but most of the best ways to have apples involve turning on the oven.

Week 14: corn, zucchini, tomatoes, green peppers, Gala and Cortland apples, mushrooms, spinach, eggs, and bread (Breezy Willow challah).

I thought the presentation of the apples at the CSA pickup site was adorable.

Also, it was a gorgeous day (one of a string of gorgeous days! Isn’t it lovely to be outside this time of year?) and one of their llamas was out lounging in the sun.

(with bonus chicken!)

On to week 15: green beans, tomatoes, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, Jonathan and Gala apples, kale, corn, garlic, eggs, and bread (Great Harvest sourdough).

This week’s pickup was particularly notable in that I’d specifically gone to the farmer’s market the week prior, to pick up sweet potatoes, which I wanted to mash for the kid. If only I’d waited a week to introduce sweet potato, I would have had plenty. Oh well, there are worse problems in the world than “too many sweet potatoes”.

Week 16 (this week): spinach, corn, eggplant, Golden Delicious and Red Delicious apples, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, eggs, and bread (Great Harvest parmesan sourdough).

We are now absolutely swimming in corn as I still haven’t gotten around to using up the corn from last week. I’m going to blanch it, cut the kernels off, and freeze them for use in the winter. I love the sweet taste of summer corn during the cold winter months.

Peach season is drawing to a close, and apple season is starting up. In a typical fit of end-of-season overindulgence, I bought a giant batch of peaches from the Oakland Mills farmer’s market on Sunday. I’m planning peach crumble, peach chutney for pork chops, and pureed stewed peaches for the kid. Mmm, peaches.

Anyway, back to the CSA. Week 12 marks the halfway point in the program, and I feel fortunate that although the weather has not exactly been ideal, the harvest is still bountiful. We got corn, mushrooms, apples, plums, peppers, tomatoes, bread (sourdough), and yogurt instead of eggs. I traded beets for kale. Frankly, I’m kind of tired of beets, and besides, I had a hankering for colcannon.

Week 13 brought us corn, green beans, onions, apples, tomatoes, garlic, eggs, and bread (lavender foccaccia). I traded even more beets for extra potatoes (colcannon again!). There’s so much corn now that I’m cutting it off the cob and freezing it for the winter.

The bread was ok, but I probably won’t get it again. I’m not sure about the taste of lavender in my food; to me, it’s more of a perfume ingredient. Breezy Willow is touting their new honey lavender ice cream. I’m kind of dubious about that as well.

With the recent glut of apples, I’ve been making applesauce for the kid. He loves it. Who wouldn’t? Making applesauce is so easy it’s almost easier than buying it in stores — simply peel and core the apples, cut them into chunks, and put them in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until they get soft and mushy. That’s it. No need to add water, sugar, or cinnamon (unless you want to). I give it a little extra mashing for the kid, since he doesn’t
have teeth yet, but adults can just eat as is. Makes the house smell amazing, too. I even forgot about it and took a nap, leaving it simmering gently on the stove for an hour or two, and all it did was get an even sweeter, deeper flavor. You can’t lose with applesauce.

The hot weather has really been putting a crimp in my cooking. Who wants to stand in front of a stove in this weather? I hope we get a break soon… I’m very grateful to the hard workers at the farm for toiling in the heat.

Week 8 of the CSA was a “bonus item” week so we got cheese instead of eggs; I chose a Colby jack. The rest of the pickup: kale, cantaloupe, corn, tomatoes (they look pale but they flushed up pretty quickly), peaches, bok choy, eggplant, green peppers, and bread (Great Harvest parmesan sourdough).

We managed to eat almost everything here, but I failed with the kale. Kale usually holds up pretty well in the fridge, but I waited too long and it was sadly slimy and brown by the time I pulled it out of the bag… two weeks later. It’s always sad to throw good CSA vegetables away.

Week 9 of the CSA: garlic, tomatoes, cantaloupe, eggplant, corn, peaches, zucchini, red potatoes, cucumbers, eggs, and bread (Great Harvest challah).

I’m always glad to see cantaloupe and peaches. No cooking required!

Week 6 in the Breezy Willow Farm CSA: chard, tomatoes, eggplant, beets, Shiro plums, mushrooms, peaches, green peppers, eggs, and bread (Great Harvest’s parmesan sourdough).

I’m really excited about the tomatoes. Tomatoes, like strawberries, are absolutely stellar when they’re at that perfect peak-of-season ripeness. I like to cut them up and serve them as a side at breakfast, with salt and freshly ground pepper.

My favorite items from this week, though, were the Shiro plums. The pictures don’t really do them justice, but they’re a lovely pale golden color — a nice contrast to the little red Methley plums that we usually get. The flesh is sweet, but the skin is a little bitter.

Week 7: corn, peaches, kale, cucumbers, cantaloupe, more tomatoes, squash, bag lettuce, eggs, and bread (parmesan sourdough again; I’m a sucker for that bread).

For the squash ration, we could choose from zucchini, yellow squash, and patty pan. I went with all zucchini because honestly it’s my favorite, and it’s easy to prep for grill or fryer. I find yellow squash a bit bland, and patty pan is tasty but really annoying to break down.

The cantaloupe was perfectly ripe, so we ate it right away. I hope we get more melons this coming week.

I’ve been fortunate enough to escape the worst of this heat wave; my house didn’t lose power in the latest storm, and my workplace is heavily air-conditioned. But our hardworking farmers have been toiling away in the heat. Here’s our haul from weeks 4 and 5.

Week 4: beets, spinach, green beans, little baby eggplants, plums, peaches, potatoes, blueberries, bread (Great Harvest sourdough), and strawberry butter instead of eggs. The strawberry butter is fantastic, rich and sweet on sliced bread.

Week 5: more green beans, early corn, kale, peaches, potatoes, zucchini, plums, eggs, and bread (Great Harvest parmesan sourdough).

For the Fourth, we kept it low-key; lit up the grill and blackened some zucchini and corn, along with some tasty steaks from Wagon Wheel Ranch. I love the summertime; I can just send K outside with some raw ingredients, and he brings them back with char and beautiful grill marks.

At the farm, the sheared llamas looked like poodles. With the weather we’ve been having, I bet they were glad to get rid of their wool.

Also, this pile of plums at the CSA was beautiful. I love how they’re frosted with little drops of condensation, after being brought out into the heat.

Things are supposed to get a little cooler after the weekend. Maybe then I’ll be brave enough to turn on the oven again.