Welcome to the 2024 CSA season.
The 2024 CSA season is upon us and time sure seems like we are moving fast. As we dive into this coming week with spring in full swing, we are constantly reminded of the power of nature as new crops begin to rise up from the ground. This week, the team has been harvesting a variety of leafy greens, bok choi, shallot and garlic scapes, sugar snap peas, and basil.
While we are relatively early in our growing season, we are looking forward to the multitude of other veggies to come. The early heat has been pushing our cool loving crops to grow much faster than anticipated, even encouraging some of the lettuces to flower. That only means we've got to be quicker to the draw and can begin preparing for our seeded cucumbers, summer squash, and okra to come in. As we look ahead, the peppers, eggplants, and tomatoes in our far field are developing nicely. Our high tunnel tomatoes have already begun flowering and fruiting, which we think will be a great addition to the CSA boxes in the next couple of weeks.
With anticipation building over the last few months, we are so excited to finally begin placing food in your hands. More than anything, we want to thank you for your support.
We are proud of the hard work our brand new team is doing. That being said, our processes are still being smoothed out, so we are grateful for your patience in the first few weeks of the CSA. Please don't hesitate to reach out with any concerns or questions at csamanager@kiltfarm.com.
Cherries
This week, we are incredibly excited to offer Tieton Cherries from Black Bear Orchard in Palisade. Nothing says summer like the taste of sweet cherries! We will have 1.3 pound bag of cherries ready to add into your share. Be sure you scroll down to add some sweetness to your CSA.
Hazel Dell Mushrooms
This week, we are excited to share more with you about our mushrooms - And not just any mushrooms! We are proud to partner with Hazel Dell, located in Fort Collins, Colorado. Jim, Mushroom-Extraordinaire, began growing and making mushrooms out of his garage of 33 years ago, and as his business and expertise began to grow, Hazel Dell was formed.
Hazel Dell combines mycelium with sawdust (yes, you read that right) to optimize the flavor, lifespan, integrity, and vitality of their organic mushrooms.
But what does all of that mean? Let's start with Mycelium: Mycelium is this aftermath of mushroom spore germination; it's a network of fine white filaments and the vegetative part of fungi. And sawdust? Well, that's the key ingredient that makes Hazel Dell stand out from traditional mushroom growers. Their sawdust is steam-disinfected to eliminate mold and bacteria before being injected with the mycelium and placed into a sterile log. This keeps the mushrooms free of contamination and insures an optimal nourishing environment.
The sawdust then becomes a fertile soil amendment for their organic mushroom gardens. Isn't the circle of life-- and fungi-- beautiful? We certainly think so.
Over the course of your CSA, you'll be seeing a variety of rotating mushrooms, including lion's mane, shiitake, black pearl, royal trumpet, cremini, and an assortment of oyster mushrooms among others. These mushrooms are some of the tastiest out there, and of course, coming from a local farm they are as fresh as it gets!
Our mushrooms are offered as their own special share, or as an add-on to your CSA.
Other Add On Items
We are also offering our Kilt Farm honey, Pastificio pasta, and Fresh Herb Co flower bouquets. Diversify your CSA with some of these incredible goodies!
We are cannot wait to share these add-ons along with the rest of our freshly harvested produce with you all this week.
In celebration of the best food,
Your Kilted Farmers
