[CSA Update] Welcome to week 8

Behind the Share - YOU Make Great Meals!

We are over halfway through the summer harvest with our week 8 CSA!

Folks join our CSA for all kinds of reasons, from supporting local to eating healthier. The common bond - you make great meals out of all this amazing produce!

I plan out what crops will be picked throughout the program more than two years ahead of the actual day I head out into the field to harvest. I plan for heatwaves, droughts, hurricanes, pest pressure, nutrient deficiency, soil health, and what the crowd favorites are.

Like many of you, I decide what is for dinner under pressure from my growling stomach. I ensure I have prepped foods on hand to build amazing meals. There are days I want to create. There are days I want to just veg out and sink into a comfy chair.

When you receive the snapshot email that shows what will be in your share - get your creative ideas flowing. What dishes sound exciting to make? What are your plans for the next week? Do you need quick meals and snacks? What is lurking in your pantry that would make the perfect pairing and save you an extra trip?

On pickup day - be ready for a quick meal and set aside time to cut, wash, chop, and store your treasure. Glance at your plans on how you want to use the items and save yourself time later by prepping it when you can.

What to make? I strive to share recipes for a few items every week that are seasonal and taste good. I know my family will eat stir fry - which means the end of the week can be a fridge cleanout day with amazing pasta or rice and every scrapy bit left. I also plan two proteins for the week - keep it simple and have some in bulk (or thawed ahead of time). I need a dessert in the house - there is always an option for a dessert in the farm share. Blueberry muffins freeze well my friends! My son shows zucchini pie as an alternative to apple pie every summer which shatters expectations. And keep an eye out for green tomatoes - green tomato cake is buttery and a-maze-ing.

You get to decide how all the food fits into your life. Put your favorites out there so everyone gets excited for them. Put a few as ready to eat. Put real food on the table for yourself. Create what makes you happy.