Week 12 - Back to school

View from the Tractor

Wow, what a wonderful farm open house last Saturday. It was wonderful to see past and current CSA members and their families. We even had some farm curious folks come out and give the farm a tour. The comments, smiles and attaboys for the farmers here at Kilt Farm that poured from our visitors really helps put the wind back in our sails. I really love giving folks a tour of the farm and do my best to explain the process of farming in Colorado and answer all of the questions-- It feels great to know there are so many folks who are curious about how it works and who care about what happens here on our farm. It was a wonderful time. Our next open house will be when we have our fall celebration. 

Speaking of fall, while we are not there yet, it has been nice to feel the cooler temperatures as we approach the end of Summer. The crops are loving the cooler temps as are the farmers. Plus, the weeds and bugs start to slow down during this time, so we can hopefully get a bit more caught up and catch our breath. 

With these cooler temps, we are harvesting like mad. The garlic is fully harvested and curing in the hut with the onions lined up next to start the curing process. We are slowly starting to harvest the cantaloupes and all of the amazing peppers. In the next week we will also make a pass in our winter squash beds to start their curing process.

This week I am excited to be offering you one of my personal favorite crops, Tuscan Cantaloupe. These field-ripened fruits are delicious and oh so fragrant. Leave them on your countertop until the blossom end of the fruit is slightly soft and the whole house is awash in the sweet smell. Cool the melon in the fridge for a few hours and open it up-- I'll bet you may even say "OMG" when you have your first bite.

Enjoy your summer CSA flavors, and as always thank you so much for your support. We are excited to continue sharing new crops as we enter the second half of our CSA.

Your Kilted Farmer,

Michael 

Product Highlights

Anaheim Peppers

We are thrilled to finally have larger harvests of peppers on the way as the seasons shift. This week's highlight is the one and only Anaheim!

These beautiful and underrated peppers range from mild to lower-medium on the heat scale depending on where they are grown and when they are harvested. Our Anaheim's are less spicy than a jalapeño (and even far less when cooked down with the seeds removed), but still hold the perfect amount of "kick" to spice up a dish.

Being on the mild-to-low-medium scale, Anaheim chiles have the perfect punch of flavor without leaving your tongue burning like some of the spicier varieties of peppers out there, which make them incredibly versatile in the kitchen.

The best part about these gorgeous peps? They can easily be made into the star of the show for any meal!

Here are some of our staff's favorite ways to prepare these fun Anaheim chiles:

• Stuffed for a fun supper main course (think: ground lamb or beef, rice, cheese, tomato, and onion)

• Chopped and added to a SouthWestern salad (grilled or fresh depending on how you like it).

• Roasted and blended into homemade green Chile sauce or salsa verdes-- Make sure you peel the skin off after roasting!

• Added to a Rotel sauce for an easy chips-and-dip snack.

• Diced and cooked into a warm bowl of chili-- Add some color and flavor to your white chicken chili, or change-up your classic chili with an Anaheim twist!

Anaheim peppers can often be hard to find, so we absolutely recommend giving these gorgeous crops a try! We love this list of 15 fun and easy ways to use Anaheim peppers from Insanely Good Recipes for some meal inspiration.

Fruit Share

SunGlo Nectarines

This week's fruit share will be a new fan-favorite: SunGlo Nectarines. We've received a lot of great feedback about these crisp & juicy freestone fruits, and some stellar recipe ideas to-boot. We have some members who grilled with a dollop of whipped cream or greek yogurt as a sweet side dish, diced and added to salsa (a perfect pair for those Anaheim's), baked into gorgeous pies, and even added to a fruit-based tiramisu. We also love watching the kiddos taking a bite right away while walking back to the car after CSA pickups-- We're right there with you, these nectarines are irresistible!

Of course, these will also be available as add-ons alongside fresh CrestHaven peaches for those of you without a fruit share. Since both varieties are freestone fruits, these peaches and nectarines are perfect for experimenting with in the kitchen.

The peaches and nectarines will additionally be offered as 20lb boxes for all of you canning folks out there (see our most recent Farm Happening for an easy canning instruction link). Put these freestones to good use and have plenty ready for the future when stone fruit season is over!

Add-ons and Extras

Our highlights this week go quite well with some of our favorite offerings from Pueblo Seed & Food Co. We can't say enough about these awesome treats! Pueblo Seed & Food Co is a family-owned farm that focuses on organic, nonGMO, open pollinated and heirloom seeds & heritage grains turned into incredibly unique artisan goodies and spices.

Supporting folks like Pueblo Seed not only guarantees an experience filled with flavor and optimal nutrition, but also helps support the shift in the food justice system which in this day and age is highly offset by big box brands and Big Ag. We are so fortunate to be able to partner with a farm that is truly fighting for a change in the food system!

Throw some SunGlo nectarines on your Colorado Mountain Müesli, make some peach jam and stir in your morning Pueblo White Cream of Wheat, or throw some vibrant Anaheim peppers in your White Corn Chilé Grits. You can even grind some Blue Corn Biscochito Cookies and use as a topping for a peach or nectarine crumble. 

And as always, don't forget to check out our SkyPilot pasture raised eggs, organic Hazel Dell Mushrooms, heirloom Pastifio pasta, add-on fruits (and 20lb boxes of peaches for canning!), and beautiful Fresh Herb Co bouquets!

We hope you enjoy this week's CSA. Wishing you a nourishing and relaxing weekend.