We had so many zucchini last week that even the food pantry was overwhelmed. Photo by Carrie Vaughn.

│ Announcements │ This Week’s Share │ U-Pick │ Recipe │ Coming Soon │

Pick up at Clagett Farm

Saturday June 19 1:00–4:00 PM

38 North Oysters

12 ct bag $12

24 ct bag $20

60 ct bag $45

To order

Call 301-872-5051 or email jd@38northoysters.com

by noon on June 18

We will be taking one week off from harvest at the end of this month, so you will not be getting shares Wednesday June 30, Thursday July 1, or Saturday July 3.
Mask and social distancing update: Won’t you be glad when we no longer have to talk about this? Masks are not required for customers. Vaccinated staff have the option to be mask-free at the pickup (but not unvaccinated staff). At the Clagett Farm pickup, we’re noticing that people are still sometimes lining up closely behind each other and we’d like to reinforce that there should be only one person at a time at each of the four stations. We’d like to know how our mask/distancing situation suits you. Send us a note if you’re not feeling comfortable with your pick up arrangement, or let us know when you’re getting your share.

This Week’s Share:

Cucumbers (We grow two categories of cucumbers: slicers, which are long and dark green, and picklers, which are short and lighter green. They both can be sliced, and both can be pickled, so don’t let the name stop you. This month we harvest a pickling variety called Little Leaf, which yields well for our farm and resists cucurbit plant diseases that sometimes happen when we have too much or too little rain.)
Beets (a few)
Summer squash (still plenty, especially zucchini)
Lots of kale and collards, as well as some bok choi, lettuce, and chard
Garlic scapes (still plenty)
Kohlrabi and purple-top turnips

U-Pick:

In the fields:

Strawberries (Of the three varieties, one has finished, one is ripe now, and one is just beginning to be ripe. There are fewer to pick than in weeks past, but there are still a lot.)
Kale and collards
Beans (The first flush of beans has past. You’ll still find plenty, but it will take a bit longer.)
Blueberries (We have a small amount of these growing near the high tunnel with the beans. It’s not worth making a special trip to the farm to pick them, but if you’re here anyway, check them out.)

In our herb and flower garden behind the washing station:

Anise hyssop (licorice flavor; makes a nice tea)
Basil (Genovese)
Cutting celery (adds celery flavor to stews and salads)
Cilantro
Dill
Garlic chives
Onion chives
Lemon balm
Mint
Oregano
Sage
Sorrel
Thyme
Lilies, yarrow, and other flowers
Black raspberries (a few along the fence to the right)

In field G2, which is beside the parking area at the washing station:

Parsley
More basil of various types
Cosmos and cleome flowers

Growing wild on the farm:

Mulberries

All CSA shareholders may U-Pick any week, as often as you’d like, any daylight hours. CSA shareholders include anyone in the household of the person who paid for the share and any household that split the payment of the share with you.

Recipes:

Zucchini, Scapes, and Kohlrabi

It’s helpful to remember that freshly-harvested vegetables in season are spectacular with very little preparation. This week, the recipes focus on simple and easy (and healthy and delicious, too!).

Thanks to CSA shareholder Bethanne Barnes for her suggestion of zucchini chips! There’s a lot of different versions online. Here’s a few ideas:

I tossed the sliced zucchini “coins” in a bowl with sesame oil and seasonings. Bethanne suggested sesame seeds, but I was out of those and instead used an “everything bagel” seasoning blend (sesame seeds, dried onion, dried garlic, salt, and pepper) plus some cayenne powder. Then I laid them out in the dehydrator and dried for 8 hours at 125F. They came out sweet and still soft-textured, which I loved. It’s possible they could get crispier at a higher temperature or for longer drying time, if that’s your preference. Note: Don’t over season! As the zucchini shrinks, the seasoning becomes more concentrated. You can add more seasoning after they’re dried if necessary.
Don’t have a dehydrator? Here’s a recipe to bake them in your oven.

CSA shareholder Jennifer Amerkhail reminded me of a garlic scape recipe that we published on our blog way back in 2007. She’s been enjoying it every June since then:

Sauteed garlic scapes by Kristin Carbone. I didn’t have halloumi in my fridge, but I did have a chunk of creamy goat cheese (leftover from that collard recipe from last week), which dissolved into the tomato sauce. It was perfect.

Still have a kohlrabi in your fridge?

There are lots of recipes for cole slaw out there that use kohlrabi as the main ingredient instead of cabbage. If you’re not a mayonnaise person, consider using a vinaigrette instead. Peel the kohlrabi, cut into matchsticks, combine with ribbons of whichever greens you have on hand, maybe toss with matchsticks of apple or some dried cranberries to add some sweetness, and then add the dressing of your choice. (Here’s some inspiration from chef Bryant Terry if you need it.)

Speaking of Bryant Terry, if you still have some collard peanut pesto from last week, he recommends eating it with grilled or oven-roasted zucchini.

Roasting zucchini is similar to baking zucchini chips, but you use bigger chunks (try quartering the zucchini lengthwise and then half-inch pieces). Toss in olive oil, salt, and pepper, lay out on a baking sheet (parchment paper makes the cleaning easier) and put in a 400F oven. It needs about 20 minutes to brown up. So easy!

What to Expect from the Rest of June

Note that we have a week off between weeks 7 and 8. This follows a natural lull as spring crops like greens begin to bitter in the heat and summer crops like tomatoes are still ripening.
Strawberries will stay on U-Pick until there’s nothing left. They should last through the end of the month.
Garlic bulbs will begin next week or after the break.
Onion bulbs will begin after the break.
We have a purple variety of kohlrabi that has been slow to size up. We hope to harvest it for week 7.
Kale, collards, and chard next week and continue on U-Pick through the break
Green cabbages next week
Squash and cucumbers next week and probably on U-Pick during the break
Baby melons and fennel after the break
Beans will continue on U-Pick over the break. We might pick them for shares again once or twice in June and July. Our second planting is growing nicely and about a month away.
Tomato plants look large and healthy but are slow to produce fruit this year. We usually expect the first ripe tomatoes in your share in mid-July. Fingers crossed!

Week 6 of 26 : Cucumbers and Squash Galore

Announcements: