Under the Canopy

Under the Canopy

It is so much fun at this time of year to walk around and find what is growing under the canopy of leaves. We are seeing a variety of winter squashes, pumpkins, gourds, cantaloupes and watermelon. The challenging part of all of this is that while we are super excited to see them, we still have to be patient for them to reach full maturity.

It is a good reminder that being patient in life is worth the wait.

Be prepared that a lot of surprises will be harvested in the coming weeks. We encourage you to be ready to preserve the produce to enjoy this winter.

Pick-Up and Delivery

Remember that pick-up and deliveries will be on the schedule you have arranged with Harner Brothers CSA – please note the exceptions to this which were in the email. Please follow the CDC and MDH guidelines and COVID-19 procedures.

It is your responsibility to know that the pick-up or drop-off time will occur at the agreed upon time, and it is your responsibility as a shareholder to know this and be responsible for the produce at that time. If you are unable to utilize your share that week, it is still your responsibility: find someone else to pick it up or donate it to the food shelf.

Each box is labeled for each family. The same boxes will be used for your family throughout the season. Boxes and containers should be returned the following week. Bags will only be used once.

Boxes of Produce

This list is prepared before we harvest your share. Some guesswork is involved! We do our best to predict which crops will be ready to harvest, but sometimes crops are on the list that are not in the share, and sometimes crops will be in the share even though they’re not on the list. Remember food safety in your kitchen when preparing, always wash your hands before working with your produce and always wash your produce before eating.

Boxes of Produce

Remember food safety in your kitchen when preparing, always wash your hands before working with your produce and always wash your produce before eating.

Lettuce/Spinach Mix – Unfortunately, this crop has really struggled this year. This week was a mix of spinach, kale, Black Seeded Simpson and Red Oak Leaf lettuce.

Brussel Sprouts – Give this vegetable a try. I had never tried them until this year, and I was pleasantly surprised.

Cucumbers – The cucumbers have picked up and the second planting is doing well. If you are interested in pickling some we may have extra for you to do so.

Green Beans – The first of this second crop. Perhaps you are interested in pickling some. Let us know. It looks like there is a good crop coming.

Purple Kohlrabi – love the color.

Kohlrabi – A garden favorite. I love to peel it, cut it up like an apple and dip in peanut butter.

Peppers – A variety are making an appearance in the garden. There will be some super-hot ones forth coming. Meanwhile, I encourage you to try the smaller red peppers, Sweet, Cherry Stuffer.

Potatoes – Kennebec potatoes. Great for the grill or baked.

Onions – A variety of onions were harvested this week, Walla Walla and Blush Onions.

Summer Squash – Zucchini, Peter Pan and Sunburst varieties. TIP: use your summer squash like your zucchini. None of these need to be peeled when using them.

Super Sugar Snap Peas – We started the second planting of this crop. We are grateful that the peas are doing well with the timely rains.

Sungold Tomatoes – super sweet surprise. Great to eat even for breakfast!

Tomatoes – A few Fourth of July and cherry Sungold tomatoes. I love the size of the Fourth of July for a quick lunch, and the Sungolds. The tomatoes are quickly turning. Let us know if you are interested in canning or freezing extra quantities.

Sunflowers, Zinnias and Hydrangeas – These should brighten up your home. Put a splash of bleach in the water to help them last longer.

Recipe of the Week

Banana-Zucchini Bread

Banana-Zucchini Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs, room temperature

2 medium ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)

2 cups sugar

1 cup applesauce

1-1/2 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini

1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, whisk eggs, bananas, sugar and oil. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Fold in zucchini and pecans.

Pour into 2 greased 9×5-in. loaf pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 45-50 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Source: Taste of Home

Hidden Color Unveiled

Hidden Color Unveiled

One of the interesting and unique aspects about harvesting tomatoes and working with the tomatoes is that when we wash our hands, they are so green, and boy do you smell like a tomato! This is unlike any other crop that we grow and harvest.

I always wonder about the hidden message in these lessons found in the garden. Perhaps this lesson is that sometimes what makes us so unique is hidden amongst many things. Until you “dive in” and go to work, you don’t really see the benefit of what’s in front of you or you reap what you work hard for?

For example, we have oodles of tomatoes. You need to go through the vines to find the ripe one. This takes time, patience and tenacity. This is not always fun when it is hot out. While the green color and smell are unique and different when we wash our hands, these are reminders of the hard work and perhaps God is telling us to pause and remember the lessons and treasures that were unveiled from our determination.

I encourage you to take time this week to see what lessons God is trying to teach you. I know it is hard to pause and reflect. It is in this reflection that many “ah ha” moments and lessons can be learned

Pick-Up and Delivery

Remember that pick-up and deliveries will be on the schedule you have arranged with Harner Brothers CSA – please note the exceptions to this which were in the email. Please follow the CDC and MDH guidelines and COVID-19 procedures.

It is your responsibility to know that the pick-up or drop-off time will occur at the agreed upon time, and it is your responsibility as a shareholder to know this and be responsible for the produce at that time. If you are unable to utilize your share that week, it is still your responsibility: find someone else to pick it up or donate it to the food shelf.

Each box is labeled for each family. The same boxes will be used for your family throughout the season. Boxes and containers should be returned the following week. Bags will only be used once.

Boxes of Produce

This list is prepared before we harvest your share. Some guesswork is involved! We do our best to predict which crops will be ready to harvest, but sometimes crops are on the list that are not in the share, and sometimes crops will be in the share even though they’re not on the list. Remember food safety in your kitchen when preparing, always wash your hands before working with your produce and always wash your produce before eating.

A variety of lettuce, kale and spinach greens for you this week.

Lettuce/Spinach Mix – Unfortunately, this crop has really struggled this year. This week was a mix of spinach, kale, Black Seeded Simpson and Red Oak Leaf lettuce.

Cucumbers – The cucumbers have picked up and the second planting is doing well. If you are interested in pickling some we may have extra for you to do so.

Harvesting green beans is always better with a partner.

Green Beans – The first of this second crop. Perhaps you are interested in pickling some. Let us know. It looks like there is a good crop coming.

Kohlrabi – A garden favorite. I love to peel it, cut it up like an apple and dip in peanut butter.

Pepper, Sweet, Cherry Stuffer Hybrid

Peppers – A variety are making an appearance in the garden. There will be some super-hot ones forth coming. Meanwhile, I encourage you to try the smaller red peppers, Sweet, Cherry Stuffer.

Potatoes – Kennebec potatoes. Great for the grill or baked.

Onions – A variety of onions were harvested this week, Walla Walla and Blush Onions.

Sweet Corn – Thank you to our neighbors the Peterson family for supplying our sweet corn for your families.

Summer Squash – Zucchini, Peter Pan and Sunburst varieties. TIP: use your summer squash like your zucchini. None of these need to be peeled when using them.

Super Sugar Snap Peas – We started the second planting of this crop. We are grateful that the peas are doing well with the timely rains.

Tomatoes – A few Fourth of July and cherry Sungold tomatoes. I love the size of the Fourth of July for a quick lunch, and the Sungolds. The tomatoes are quickly turning. Let us know if you are interested in canning or freezing extra quantities.

Sunflowers, Zinnias and Hydrangeas – These should brighten up your home. Put a splash of bleach in the water to help them last longer.

Recipe of the Week

One of the interesting and unique aspects about harvesting tomatoes and working with the tomatoes is that when we wash our hands, they are so green, and boy do you smell like a tomato! This is unlike any other crop that we grow and harvest.
Banana-Zucchini Bread

Banana-Zucchini Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs, room temperature

2 medium ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)

2 cups sugar

1 cup applesauce

1-1/2 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini

1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, whisk eggs, bananas, sugar and oil. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Fold in zucchini and pecans.

Pour into 2 greased 9×5-in. loaf pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 45-50 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Source: Taste of Home

Connections

Connections

Life is a crazy balance. Today with no sports conflicts, we were able to pause the craziness and connect with many of you.

We also find that the CSA helps us, as a family, to create opportunities for conversations while we are planting, weeding and harvesting. I often remind us; how valuable time is and that time is passing us by quickly.

We need to remind ourselves to listen, be in the moment and fully engage with each other. Doing so, not only helps us to be physically and mentally present to connect with each other, it also helps us to be more aware of the nature around us which we know has a connection to minimizing stress.

Connecting with others with good conversations is time well spent. It fills up our buckets, and we hope that it does the same for all of you.

I found this quote to be so true. Good connecting conversations are not only fun, they are also stimulating for the mind.

“Good conversation is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after.” – Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Garden Science

The dry weather is still impacting garden outcomes. We appreciate your patience as some crops struggle to geminate let alone produce. According to the University of Minnesota – Waseca Experiment Station, we have received just enough rainfall to keep the crops progressing. Not nearly enough rain for our very dry soils.

In addition, we have a few other animal science related items occurring.

Pick-Up and Delivery

Remember that pick-up and deliveries will be on the schedule you have arranged with Harner Brothers CSA – please note the exceptions to this which were in the email. Please follow the CDC and MDH guidelines and COVID-19 procedures.

It is your responsibility to know that the pick-up or drop-off time will occur at the agreed upon time, and it is your responsibility as a shareholder to know this and be responsible for the produce at that time. If you are unable to utilize your share that week, it is still your responsibility: find someone else to pick it up or donate it to the food shelf.

Each box is labeled for each family. The same boxes will be used for your family throughout the season. Boxes and containers should be returned the following week. Bags will only be used once.

Boxes of Produce

Remember food safety in your kitchen when preparing, always wash your hands before working with your produce and always wash your produce before eating.

Lettuce/Spinach Mix – Unfortunately, this crop has really struggled this year. This week was a mix of spinach, kale, black seeded simpson and red oak leaf lettuce.

Cucumbers – The cucumbers have picked up and the second planting is doing well.

The braided stem of an onion is such a fascinating

Onions – We tried this new variety of Blush Onions. Not to hardy with the dry weather this year. Let us know what you think of it.

French Breakfast Radish/Cherry Belle Radish – This is the last of the radishes.

Super Sugar Snap Peas – We started the second planting of this crop. We are grateful that the peas are doing well with the timely rains.

Kohlrabi – A garden favorite. I love to peel it, cut it up like an apple and dip in peanut butter.

Tomatoes – A few Fourth of July and cherry Sungold tomatoes. I love the size of the Fourth of July for a quick lunch, and the Sungolds…well I never would have thought that I would love eating a tomato at 6 a.m.! There are a lot of green tomatoes on the vines. Hopeful for a good next few weeks.

This week’s variety of peppers.

Peppers – A variety are making an appearance in the garden. There will be some super-hot ones forth coming. Meanwhile, I encourage you to try the smaller red peppers, Sweet, Cherry Stuffer.

Beets – Detroit Dark Red Beets – eat them raw or roast them. Learn more here.

Potatoes – Red Nordlan potatoes. Great for the grill, mashed or potato salad.

Summer Squash – Zucchini, Peter Pan and Sunburst varieties. TIP: use your summer squash like your zucchini. None of these need to be peeled when using them.

Sunflowers, Zinnias and Hydrangeas – These should brighten up your home. Put a splash of bleach in the water to help them last longer.

Recipe of the Week

We are blessed with to many eggs and zucchini … so here is my solution!

Zucchini-Parmesan Bake

3 large eggs

1/2 cup canola oil

3 cups shredded zucchini (about 1 pound)

1 cup reduced-fat biscuit/baking mix

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and oil until blended. Stir in remaining ingredients.

2. Transfer to a greased 10-in. ovenproof skillet. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Source: Taste of Home