CSA Week 7

Howdy, Misfit Members! Here's what's in the box this week:

• Beets

• Cauliflower

• Summer squash

• Zucchini

• Chard

• Kale

• Hot banana peppers (bi-weekly only)

• Purple kale (double bi-weekly only)

• Party pan squash (double bi-weekly only)

I'm going to post a couple additional recipes this week, so keep an eye out for the bonus blog. I didn't want this one to get too long for you guys!

---

Lentil Soup with Chard

Ingredients:

• 1 cup small pasta, like elbows

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1/2 cup onion, chopped finely

• 1 cup dry green lentils, rinsed

• 1 tbsp rosemary

• 1 bay leaf

• 7 cups vegetable stock

• 3-4 cups cauliflower, chopped

• 2 cups Swiss chard, stems removed and tightly packed

• Parmesan cheese and/or parsley

Directions:

• Boil pasta until tender and drain.

• Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add olive oil, heat and add onion. Saute until tender. Add the lentils, rosemary and bay leaf to the pot, as well as salt and pepper to taste.

• Stir thoroughly, then add cauliflower and vegetable stock.

• Cover the pot, but leave the lid off just a crack. Simmer for 25 minutes, or until the lentils are tender (not soft and falling apart).

• Add chard to the pot and stir to incorporate. Cook for 5 more minutes, until tender.

• Add pasta and discard the bay leaf.

• Garnish with parsley or Parmesan cheese.

*Just a note- You could also add kale to this recipe if you like your soups jam-packed with greens.

---

Things are growing like crazy! This week's weather has been great. The rain and then milder weather has been awesome to finish out the cauliflower and get another week out of the kale. It's also kicked the tomato plants into high gear. I can hardly keep up with them! We have thousands of green tomatoes on the vines, so it's only a week or two away from fresh tomatoes! We also have small green and purple beans on the vines, and still a few hundred green peppers not quite ready to be picked. The squash have also kicked into overdrive.

Y'all, this is the biggest cauliflower I've ever grown and I'm pretty proud of it. I was able to grow one this big without it becoming ricey or bolting by growing it in my high tunnel.

I promise we will have cucumbers at some point this season. I'm on crop number 4 so fingers crossed this one sticks. The vines are growing pretty well and I noticed a couple flowers yesterday so we should be good to go with this one. This wasn't the crop I thought would give me the most trouble this year, but you ever know how the weather will be from year to year!

Weekly reminder to wash your produce! Have a great week!