The Weblog

This page will contain the Magney Legacy Ridge Farm Weekly Newsletter.



 
View the Complete Weblog

CSA #14


Dear Farmily-

This weeks CSA bags will include: Cherry Tomatoes, Spring Mix, Muir Head Lettuce, Cucumbers, Basil, Parsley, Summer Squash, and Onions.

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July. Here on the farm, we celebrated by painting our floors of our new commercial kitchen project. We have been cleaning out our garage, stripping and painting floors, and putting up new wall boards. We still must add a ceiling, put up a pony wall for plumbing to be installed, install plumbing, add a new cool storage unit, and get kitchen licensed. We are very excited to get this done though, as it will open possibilities for prepared foods, and having dinners here on the farm.
This week we are featuring our cherry tomatoes. This is my all-time favorite summer veggie! I am including my recipe for Caprese Salad too. They are Sakura variety which is specifically bred for tunnels, which in the summer retain heat and moisture making the tunnels more susceptible to diseases. We are very careful in how we grow tomatoes. We trellis them to the tops of the tunnels and train the tomatoes to climb up these lines. Once they hit the top, we lower the trellis line and let the vine sit on the ground and move the line to the right. At the end of the season we usually have 15 feet of vines on the ground and plenty of space to continue to grow.
CUCUMBER CAPRESE SALAD (OR PASTA SALAD)
This Cucumber Caprese Salad recipe is quick and easy to make with just 5 main ingredients, and delicious on its own or mixed with pasta to make a pasta salad recipe.
INGREDIENTS:
• 1 English cucumber, quartered and thinly-sliced (and peeled, if you prefer)
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 8 ounces mozzarella (baby mozzarella balls or diced mozzarella)
• 1/2 cup firmly-packed fresh basil leaves, julienned
• 1-2 tablespoons balsamic glaze, store-bought or homemade*
• sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
• optional: 8 ounces uncooked pasta of your choice (I used orecchiette)
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cucumber, tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil. Drizzle evenly with 1 tablespoon balsamic glaze. Then toss to combine.
2. Taste and season with salt and black pepper as needed (I used a generous pinch of each) and add more balsamic glaze if you would like.
3. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.
4. Optional: If you would like to add in pasta, cook the pasta according to package instructions in a generously-salted pot of boiling water until it is al dente. Drain and rinse the pasta with cold water in a colander until chilled. Then stir the pasta into your cucumber salad, adding an extra tablespoon or two of the balsamic glaze plus salt and pepper to taste.
*To make homemade balsamic glaze, just add a half cup or so or balsamic vinegar to a small saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat until it reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low and continue simmering, uncovered, until the vinegar reduces into a glaze that is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and serve!

We are working on getting our winter squash into the ground this week as well as our new rotation of root veggies. The continued rains have made planting a frustrating endeavor. Last week we had over 10 inches of rain at the farm, and it rained every day. I am thinking we need to find an ANTI-rain dance and perform it daily this week.
Thank you for your continued support! We love seeing you every week, and hearing about how you used your veggies.
See you Thursday,
Angela and the Magney Legacy Ridge Team