June 28, 2017

Summer is officially here and you will start to notice that some crops will begin to appear in your baskets on a weekly basis, at least for several week bursts. This week we have apricots again, probably for the last time this season. Part of being a CSA member is sharing in the abundance (or scarcity) of whatever is being harvested at that moment, and sometimes that means a lot of one item for several weeks in a row. There are other things you might only get once. So while some of you may love apricots (or any crop) and others may be sick of it, try to enjoy the absolute freshness and “now” of each item you receive. And if you simply cannot eat another bite of any particular crop, try to find a way to preserve it while it is available, or pass it on to a friend.

As I mentioned in my last email, Whipstone Farm had a hard freeze last week, so pickings from their farm are a little slim. One of their offerings this week is dill. I know it can be hard to use that much fresh dill before it goes bad, but dill also freezes and dries easily, so we hope that you can enjoy it even if it’s later in the season. Our weather is too hot for dill to thrive later in the summer when cucumbers are in season, so if you are hoping to make pickles later this summer you will definitely want to save this dill.

For those of you that still have fennel around from last week (and radishes from a few weeks ago), I made the Shaved Radish, Fennel, and Parmesan Salad last night and it was delicious! It was super easy and I highly recommend it. I know the strong flavors of vegetables like fennel and radish can be intimidating, but the flavors in this recipe melded together wonderfully and really mellowed the fennel and radish out. If you are feeling nervous about trying your fennel, give this recipe a try!

Have a great week!
Meghan

What’s in your basket – June 28th

Apricots – Spring Creek Ranch
Dill – Whipstone Farm

Garlic – Willowbrook Farm
Kale – Willowbrook Farm
Salad mix – Willowbrook Farm
Spring red onions – Willowbrook Farm
Summer squash – Willowbrook Farm
Turnips – Whipstone Farm

Future watermelons… yum.

Brian, from Spring Creek Ranch and Garlands’ Farm, had a beautiful rainbow of apricots and plums at Sedona Community Farmers’ Market this past week.

It’s hard to believe that salad mix is still surviving this heat!

Next fruit up on deck: plums from Willowbrook Farm.