CSA #15

Dear CSA-ers,

This week’s Preassembled Bag will contain Arugula, Muir Head Lettuce, Beets, Kale, Squash, White Icicle Raddish, Dill and Basil. Orders may now be placed on the online market at: https://magneyfarm.locallygrown.net/market

Our gentle, doting Spring seems to be giving way to a full on, hot and tropical Kentucky Summer. This is the time of year where we begin to see the bold summer vegetables. Cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes will all be in bags soon. Despite the great potential for bounty, this time of year comes with significant challenges. Irrigation becomes critical, plant maintenance demands are at their peak, planting new crops continues, and working in the heat is just straightforwardly more difficult. Some adaptive measures the team is taking are shifting work to dawn and dusk, staying well hydrated, and wearing good sun hats.

For those of you feeling up to braving the heat, Murray’s Farmers’ Market is in full swing and Paducah’s will begin this Saturday (June 13th). We appreciate those of you who come out to support the local farmers’ market scene, especially with the complications added by COVID-19 this year. Of course, CSA remains our priority. With the weather becoming hot, you may want to consider leaving a cooler out with an ice pack or two if you are not at home during our delivery time. Many customers do this to good effect, the high-top cube coolers work very well for how we pack CSA bags. We always want you to be able to receive your vegetables at their peak freshness.

In mindfulness of seasonal eating, today’s featured vegetable is the zucchini. The plants are at their happiest during this hot bright weather just before summer solstice. Technically, the zucchini (or courgette, as some Europeans know it) is a part of the “summer squash” group. Zucchini tend to be straighter and firmer textured than what we call a “squash” but there is little objective distinction. Zucchini is very versatile, being excellent sautéed, stir fried, grilled, roasted, in breads, or made into “zoodles” as a pasta substitute. They can even be cubed and frozen for use in soups later. Nutritionally zucchini are high in Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, and fiber. Currently we are growing a traditional green, a yellow variety, and an Italian heirloom called ‘Cocozelle’ that is striped green. We’re already forming some opinions in our test kitchen, but we’d love to hear what you think about each of them!

As always, we are so grateful for your support of our farm. We appreciate your patience as we’ve grown and your understanding in times we’ve erred. We are always striving to improve and deliver the fresh bounty of our certified Organic farm to your doorstep each week.

Sincerely,
The Magney Legacy Ridge Farm Team