This is something new we’re doing with our brand-new system! We will be posting the accurate list of each day’s box contents here, so you can double-check against the contents of your box! What’s in your box today (consume in order of appearance on this list!):
Heirloom Tomatoes: Wow, these are delicious! Nigel is very excited to welcome these beauties this week, as he was beginning to wonder if he had missed summer! These scream cheese and tomato sandwich..yum! We have Black Brandywines, Red Brandywines, Piriform, and Lemon Boys coming to you. They are of varying ripeness with the intention that you will have some that are perfectly ripe to eat right away and some that will be great in the following days. Please note that some of the heirloom varieties are green and are ripe. These are from our transitional fields, so they are not certified organic. Please contact us with questions about transitional produce & organic certification; we’re happy to explain how we keep the items separate. We finally entered our third year of transition to organic on our leased piece of land — we’ll be able to have the parcel certified Nov. 2010! Store on counter upside down (never in fridge!). Tomatoes are famously fragile, so please make sure you eat them soon!
Shady Lady OR Roma Tomatoes: These are from our transitional fields (see above) and are not certified organic. As stated above, we are putting in your boxes a mixture of ripeness of tomatoes. These are a slightly heartier slicing/saucing tomatoes. Store on counter (never in fridge!) and eat soon. These will last longer than the heirloom tomatoes.
Basil: Yum! It’s gorgeous, succulent, and oh-so-aromatic! Please keep in mind that we are growing three different varieties this year (a large, curly variety called Genovese; a narrow-leaved variety called Lemon Basil; and a regular, Italian Large-Leaf basil). Adds depth to many dishes. Use soon. Store in plastic bag in fridge. Keep dry and remove blackened leaves.
Strawberries: So sweet & tasty! Store in fridge in green basket in paper bag or in closed plastic container with a damp paper towel. Wash only when ready to use. Eat soon. Please return green baskets to your delivery site in an orderly fashion!
Tomatillos: These beautiful little self-packaged gems make an amazing green salsa and are a wonderful addition to tomato sauces: dry roast in a hot pan, stirring occasionally, until rather soft. Take care not to burn! Store in bag in fridge. Remove from their papery skins before use.
Nectarines OR Plums : You may receive either yellow or white nectarines or plums this week. The plums are of the Emerald Beaut variety and boy are they amazing! Don’t be fooled- they actually have green skin on the outside and yellow flesh on the inside so they are ripe and ready to eat. To ripen fruit if slightly firm, store in a paper bag on the counter for a couple of days. Store ripe fruit in fridge, and wash before eating. YUM!
Spinach: From our transitional fields (see tomatoes above) meaning it is not certified organic. May be muddy. To clean, first rinse quickly to remove mud chunks. Then fill up a bowl with cold water. Remove leaves from stems & all yellow leaves. Put in water, swish, & let soak for 5-10 min. Lift leaves out of water, rinse & blot/spin dry. Use the discarded water for your houseplants! Store in plastic bag in fridge.
Summer Squash: Store in fridge in plastic bag. Can damage easily but adds a special something to any sauté, soup, or bread.
Eggplant: An extra bonus veggie for you this week! These are absolutely gorgeous! The best way to draw out bitterness is to cube it & cover with a LOT of salt (in a bowl). Let sit for 20+ minutes. Wash off salt & sauté or otherwise cook. Store in fridge crisper for best results.
Peppers: Oh how we love peppers! You may receive receive green bells, red bells, and/or sweet gypsy peppers in your box this week. To roast peppers, place over flame on stove (or in broiler). Rotate so entire pepper is blackened. Remove from the heat and place in a bowl with lid/plate covering it. When cool enough to touch, rinse off blackened skin. Delicious!
Carrots: You'll see we removed the stems for you this week! These are from our transitional fields (see tomatoes above) meaning they are not certified organic. Store in a plastic bag. Wash well before eating (as always), and enjoy. Incredibly sweet and tender.
Potatoes: Store these in the fridge and eat the skin for most nutrients! Wash before eating. So good!