Do any of you get the MOFGA newspaper this week?  Did you notice that “your farmers” are the feature farm story of this fair addition?!  We are incredibly proud to have been selected to be the feature story and thank Holli and MOFGA for a great overview of the diversity of our business.  You should be proud too because it is partly your support that allows us to go on with each season.  That is one of the many benefits of supporting a farm by CSA. . . we get a shot in the arm to start the season off on the right foot!  So, as always, thanks for your support.

We would like to gently remind many of you to return your blue shopping baskets.  We are down to just a couple and we need to get them back!  Please bring them all with you to whichever market you pick up at in the next week.  THANKS!

Today in your share basket you have garlic, sun gold cherry tomatoes, Suyo long cucumbers, eggplant, chard, carrots, head lettuce, and fingerling potatoes.  What are those crazy looking “finger-like” potatoes you ask?  Well, they are heritage potatoes with a rich, nutty flavor.  They are excellent roasted, but can also be steamed or boiled.  They have a wonderful creamy texture, but the flesh remains firm when you cook them.  Because of their small size, they cook up much more quickly than a regular potato so keep on eye on them when you are cooking them.

Our cucumber plants are winding down so we figured we might feature, once more, our absolute favorite cucumber.  This funky looking Asian cuke is crispy and juicy, with a small seed cavity and very thin skin.  Again, there is no need to peel these, just wash the cucurbit “teeth” off, slice up, and enjoy.  You could make a fantastic salad with these cucumbers, the head lettuce, the cherry tomatoes, grated carrots, and even some pre-cooked fingerling potatoes.  Yummy!

This is the first time that you have had eggplant in your share baskets.  These fruits are beautiful and delicious.  Eggplant is in the Solanaceae family (which means the sun loving family) and is closely related to tomatoes and potatoes.  Eggplant is featured in many types of cuisine from French stew, to Italian dishes, to Middle Eastern and Japanese.  When cooking eggplant it will absorb a tremendous amount of oil, which results in rich, savory dishes.  However, you slice the eggplant, salt the flesh and allow it to tenderize before cooking in order to reduce the amount of fat the flesh with absorb.  I personally love the rich dishes that result when cooking with eggplant.  One of our favorite eggplant selections is baba ganoush, a roasted eggplant spread that is often found in Indian and Middle Eastern restaurants.  You can find a recipe under eggplant on our website.

The rest of your share should be easy to incorporate into your lunch or supper dishes.  Let me know if you have additional questions!  Happy Eating! ~Sarah