CSA Weekly Report: Red Earth Farm

Thursday, July 26, 2007

I’m a member of the Red Earth Farm CSA. They’re an organic farm located in Schuylkill County, and have drop-off locations for shares throughout the Greater Philadelphia area. Red Earth Farm is unique in that it is a “member choice CSA,” meaning you can choose the produce you want from a list of available items. They also have options for egg and fruit shares, as well as a pay-as-you-go buying club for purchasing additional fruit and vegetables.

I have a partial share, which means I can get up to 6 items weekly. I am also subscribed to their buying club, which allows me to buy local fruit when it’s available.

This week’s share consisted of:
2 bunches of carrots
Curly kale
Red new potatoes
Wax beans
Pattypan squash
Blueberries (from the buying club)

I bought the carrots specifically for juicing-- we have a juicer at home and it’s the husband’s favorite juice. The blueberries are for a crisp/crumble, just because. I haven’t decided what to do with the other items, but I’m sure inspiration will strike when needed.

CSA Weekly Report: Lancaster Farm Fresh

It’s Thursday, and you know what that means - the CSA report from Lancaster Farm Fresh!  The share this week is massive.  No doubt it will be a struggle to carry all it home tonight!

Here’s the haul:

1 bunch Chiogga beets grown by Farmdale Organics
2 green peppers grown by Meadow Valley Organics
1 head red leaf lettuce grown by Scarecrow Hill Farm
3 candy onions grown by Back Forty Ranch
1 dozen ears of sweet corn grown by Green Acres Organics
6 tomatoes grown by Green Valley Organics and Countryside Organics
2 lemon cucumbers grown by Riverview Organics
1 bag green beans grown by Countryside Organics
2 green cucumbers grown by Farmdale Organics
2 green zucchini grown by Meadow Valley Organics
4 patty pan squash grown by Green Valley Organics
1 pint grape tomatoes grown by Farmdale Organics

I fully admit that I’ve been giving my lettuce away to the first available person.  I am officially off salads, possibly for life.  Early on the shares were chock full of lettuce.  My husband and I have a full share for ourselves and you can only eat so much lettuce, right?  We have eaten enough lettuce this Summer that neither one of us can look at a head without getting a little queasy.  At one point I had six heads of lettuce in my kitchen and feeling panicked.  The idea of wasting food makes me sick, but it’s not like you can freeze or otherwise preserve lettuce.

Well, except you can...sort of.

I ran into a recipe for Cream of Lettuce Soup that I really ended up liking.  The potatoes give it a nice body.  So I used every single head of lettuce in the house and made a few batches of soup, minus the cream and egg yolks, and froze it.  In the dead of Winter, the soup will be wonderful!

So far it’s the only way I’ve found to preserve lettuce.  I’d love to hear it if anyone has some alternative ideas.

CSA Weekly Report: Blooming Glen Farm

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Blooming Glen Farm, locate in Perkasie, PA began a CSA program last year that knocked the socks off our community and generated a waiting list for this year before the season even ended.  Their second season has proven thus far to be just as exceptional.  The variety of produce offered by Tom and Tricia, I think, will become a hallmark of their farm:

Click the image to view item names and quantities at flick’r and to get a closer look at all the great colors and textures. 

Isn’t summer lovely?

Veggie tales

Friday, July 20, 2007

Every week on Thursday finds me making a pit stop at the Fair Food Stand at Reading Terminal Market to pick up my CSA share from Lancaster Farm Fresh.  The shares have been rather huge recently, and this week was no exception:

1 bunch of beets grown by Farmdale Organics
2 green peppers grown by Meadow Valley Organics
3 Cubanella peppers grown by Green Valley Organics
1 head lettuce grown by Scarecrow Hill Farm
1 Walla Walla onion grown by the Scarecrow Hill Farm
1 dozen ears of sweet corn grown by Green Acres Organics
1 bag of potatoes grown by Green Valley Organics
2 lemon cucumbers grown by Riverview Organics
1 bag green beans grown by Hillside Organics