Greetings CSA Members,

This week’s photo is that of the young, beautiful gray fox who found himself caught in our have-a heart trap. He was quickly released back into the corn – not a threat of course to your share!

I want to share with you this piece written by Jeannine (remember last week – the one who remembered to call from California about change for the market!). Enjoy – she is a fabulous worker and writer.

Have a great week ahead - Justine

I joined a flower CSA this year. I look forward to it every week: the bouquets are so beautiful, full of surprises, artfully created and assembled so that some blossoms continue to reach their peak through the week. But right away, I also shuddered. The bouquet only lasts the week, its beauty only keeps developing, if it gets fresh water each day and a stem trim halfway through. I knew that, but learned it again experientially the second week when I neglected my part of the bargain. Ugly, drooping flowers in midweek blotted out the unfolding ones, which also suffered. Blah. Why am I doing this? Who needs more responsibility and guilt? I thought.

What does this have to do with Denison Farm CSA? Before I started working on the farm, I was a CSA member. In fact, I continued the first year I worked for Justine and Brian. I’d joined up when Janet Britt first came to that land, when my now-28- yr-old was in 2nd grade. I didn’t want to give up being able to call myself a CSA supporter. But as a member then, and a worker now who loves the food I bring home and loves the land it comes from, I also know well that sinking, self-scolding feeling that comes when I pull from the fridge what was a lovely bunch of kale or chard I was looking forward to cooking with one of Justine’s great recipes but is now yellow or slippery because it got pushed behind something else, or I just didn’t cook enough that week.

Such feelings cause members to drop away. We can’t stand to waste, to disappoint ourselves. But that is throwing the baby out with the bath.

I won’t bother to say how little time it takes to change the water on my flowers, and how great the reward for so little effort is. I won’t say again what we all know by now: some veggies hold longer than others—cook them last; freezing the too-much-ofs takes only a bit of time and brings winter pleasure; even the slimy chard makes great compost. All those “only a bit of time” moments add up in our overly busy lives, and the last thing any of us need is more guilt and grief about what we leave undone. But here’s what I really want to say. In my view, CSA membership is not a replacement for going to the florist or the grocery. It’s not just a bargain way to get food or flowers that are healthy for the producers as well as the consumers, though it sure is that.

Membership is a longer-term commitment than a weekly food source. For me, it is a direct way to share the risk and support a farmer while I support my own desires to better the planet’s soil and food system, and consistently act in a small way on what I believe. Change, and going against the grain of our too rushed society, takes my energy, AND it takes forgiving myself for not being “the change you want to see” all the time. It takes allowing myself to mentally resign for a day until I can see the longer goals again.

Gradually, the time it takes to change the water and prepare a slower-food meal becomes not something I subtract from my allotted hours and minutes but a part of what I look forward to, what I wanted in the first place, something that makes me happy in itself. I breathe, I slow down, I care for myself, my family and the earth all at the same time. So mostly, I gaze close up at my flowers when I’m carefully carrying them to the kitchen sink for fresh water and de-sliming the vase. I smell them again. I notice how they are structured. I love them anew.

But not all the time. And that’s OK. It won’t weigh me down or make me quit.

This week in your share, you will most likely find:

Fairytale Eggplant, Lettuce or Spinach or Mesclun, Cucumbers, Tomato, Sweet Onions, Sweet Peppers and either Green Beans, Corn, or Broccoli

Fruit Share: 1 bag of Peaches

Peach and Tomato Salad

A quintessential summer dish; beautifully ripe tomatoes and sweet, juicy peaches are musts for this salad.

Use variously colored heirloom tomatoes for an outrageous presentation.

3 large ripe tomatoes, cored, peeled if you like, and thickly sliced

3 large ripe peaches, pitted, peeled if you like, and cut similarly to the tomato slices

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 ounces fresh goat or blue cheese, crumbled, or chopped fresh basil leaves

Extra virgin olive oil, as needed

Alternately stack the tomato and peach slices on a large plate or platter, sprinkling each layer with a tiny bit of salt and pepper. Crumble the goat cheese over the top and drizzle with olive oil.

Serve immediately.

Broccoli, Tomato, and Mozzarella Stromboli

1 pound pizza dough, thawed if frozen

All-purpose flour, for work surface

Approx. 1 pound cooked, chopped broccoli

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 cup marinara sauce

1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella (6 ounces)

2 ounces thinly sliced Genoa salami, chopped (optional)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with

foil. Divide dough into 4 pieces. On a lightly floured work surface, stretch out each piece, first to a 3-by-4 inch oval, then to a 6-by-8-inch oval (let dough rest briefly if too elastic to work with).

Place broccoli in a strainer, and press to remove excess liquid.

Transfer to a double layer of paper towels, and pat dry.

Dividing evenly, scatter broccoli over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle with garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Dividing evenly, top with mozzarella, salami, tomatoes, and 1/2 cup marinara.

Starting at a shorter end, roll up each stromboli, and place, seam side down, on baking sheet. Using the tip of a paring knife, cut two slits in the top of each. Brush with oil. Bake until golden, 25 to 30 minutes.

Serve stromboli with 1/2 cup marinara for dipping.

Broiled Eggplant with Crunchy Parmesan Crust

Top this dish with tomato sauce. Angelic Organics Kitchen oil for greasing the baking sheet 

mayonnaise

eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch slices

freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup)

Preheat the broiler. Lightly oil a baking sheet. Spread mayonnaise sparingly on both sides of each eggplant slice, then dip the slices in the grated Parmesan cheese, thoroughly coating both sides.

Arrange the slices in a single layer on the oiled baking sheet and place under the broiler until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip the slices and broil until golden brown and crunchy on top and the eggplant is soft, about 3 minutes more.

Eggplant, Tomato, and Mozzarella Salad

(This salad also tastes great with grilled chicken added)

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced

1 pound sliced tomatoes

1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, torn

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush two rimmed baking sheets with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil each. Arrange eggplant slices on sheets. Brush tops with 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast until eggplant is golden and tender, about 20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.

On a serving platter, layer eggplant with sliced mozzarella and tomatoes. Top with basil leaves and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and balsamic vinegar.