It’s still tough to get a large in one photo.  This one is missing the cherry tomatoes, but they wouldn’t have fit anyway.

Here’s what we were expecting to receive this week:

• 1 bag of oats, 1.5 lbs.
• 1 bunch red Russian kale
• Either 1 bag (approx. 1 lb.) mixed sweet and hot baby peppers or 2 ct. zucchini/squash
• 1 lb. beans
• 1 bunch French Breakfast radishes
• 1 pint blackberries or 1 cantaloupe
• 1-2 Candy onions, depending on size
• 2 green peppers
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1 package (1.25 lbs.) green onion bratwursts, made from Berkshire pork
• 1 piece grass-fed Swiss cheese from Heritage Grass Farms (12 oz.)
• 2.5 lbs. San Marzano Roma tomatoes
• 1 bunch carrots with tops
• 1-2 cucumbers depending on size

I’m probably going to make some sort of kale sausage ragout from the newsletter with the leek, brats, zucchini, garlic, kale and tomatoes.  Some of these ingredients we just picked up and others I have left in my fridge.  I have some beans ready to go in the freezer and will pull them out tonight.

Carrots and beans will make good side dishes to go with our brats.  I’ll probably pickle the radishes.

I’m going to chop and freeze some peppers and dehydrate some of the others.  The plums were a nice surprise, I’m sure they’ll disappear quickly.

The cherry tomatoes will be weekend snacking for Stephen and Nick.

I will probably use the cheese with a quiche.  I have some eggs to use soon.  We eat oats everyday for breakfast, so these will disappear quickly.

I’ll probably make a few more pickles with the cucumbers since we are short on lettuce.

The photo doesn’t do the cantaloupe justice.  It’s the size of a watermelon!

All in all, it’s another great week with Fresh Fork.  We love not going to the grocery store much.  Our list for our last trip to Heinen’s was yellow bananas, buns for brats and a cookie treat for the kids.  I can’t wait to see what’s in the bag next week!

Trevor was all set up when we arrived.  He had his sign out and cold water available as we checked in and received a schedule.

First up was a tractor ride out to the fields.  We past bee hives, pastured Berkshire hogs, and soon arrived at the field of oats that was ready to be processed.

Joel was uncovering the reaper-binder and starting telling us about the process.  Trevor was asking lots of questions on our behalf.  It was quite informative.

Soon the equipment was up and running.  The reaping part of the machine is what cuts down the grain.  In this case, feed oats were being processed.  The binder uses twine to tie the cut stalks into sheaves.

We had nice seats in the wagons while we watched the horses go by a few times.

Once the sheaves are dropped out of the reaper-binder, they are stacked by hand into shocks to dry.

I’ll be back tomorrow with what happens next.

Here’s what we were expecting to receive this week:

Small CSA:

• 1 dz. pasture raised chicken eggs
• 1 lb. breakfast patties
• 3 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes
• 1.5 lb. bag untoasted organic oats
• 1 bunch beets with tops
• 1 lb. fingerling potatoes
• 3 lbs. turnips
• Quarter peck Melrose Apples

Here’s a group shot:

The tomatoes are from the missing ones last week.  Nick was glad to see them.  I actually had to buy eggs at the store this week, so I was happy to get them.  I see some pumpkin bread and waffles in our new future.

We were low on apples this week too.  I actually picked some up at the store.  I’m hoping to go picking one more time, but the weather has not been cooperating.  Since at least 2 members of our household eat oats for breakfast everyday, these will be gone in no time.

We have a good stash of potatoes going at the moment since we’ve gotten them in both CSAs and from our garden.  I want to make a couple of new dishes, but I haven’t decided what.  The breakfast patties (part bacon and part sausage) look delicious.  Maybe we’ll have them for dinner with pumpkin waffles soon!

We’ll probably make soup with the turnips.  My first thought was 3 pounds is a large amount of turnips.  But, we can work with it.  It’s not as familiar because we don’t get them often.

We have beets from our other CSA this week also.  We really like Harvard beets and don’t usually make them any other way.

It’s been a great season.  Next week is the last pick up for the summer CSA.

Small CSA:

• 1 bunch beets with tops
• 1 bunch carrots with tops
• 1 head cabbage
• 2 ct zucchini
• 2 ct squash
• 1-2 cucumbers depending on size
• 1 quart yogurt
• 1 head bibb lettuce
• Approx 1.5 lbs tomatoes
• Approx 2 lbs sweet black cherries
• 1 lb grassfed ground beef

Here is what we received:

So, it looks like the black raspberries were an unexpected bonus this week.  Everything looks fabulous.  We’ll be feasting well for the holiday weekend.

In addition to the above, I had placed an order for extras via the Fresh Fork website.  It worked well.  I ordered maple syrup, oats, 2 wheat flour, chorizo sausage, whole wheat linguini and 2 bunches of spinach.  It was just under $30.  I probably wouldn’t order the flour again since I didn’t realize they were one pound packages.  The oats are just to try in a granola recipe.  The spinach was the most delicious spinach that I ever had last week and I have the perfect recipe for it (along with the pasta), and we weren’t expecting any this week.   We also really enjoyed the chorizo two weeks ago and I was glad that it was in stock this week.

Between two CSA pick ups and the field night this week, our fridge is well stocked with veggies.  I’ve put together a simple lists of dishes to prepare this weekend in hopes to use many of the items up.

Menu Planning for CSA items this week:

• Camembert / brie herbed cheese over spinach and linguini
• Kolhrabi/radish au gratin
• Salad with quinoa, beans, chorizo, etc.
• Harvard beets
• Summer squash fritters or baked squash fries
• Carrots
• Cole slaw (with apples, onion, cabbage, etc.)
• Salads (with cucumber, radishes, red pepper)
• Stuffed cousa squash (with quinoa or rice and ground beef, onion, etc.)
• Beet greens
• Foil pack glazed carrots

It will be a weekend full of cooking and eating local!