September 9 Whole Farm and Summer CSA

Full Share: Corn, Squash, Carrots, Napa Cabbage, Chard, Broccolini, Marjoram, Heriloom, Red Onion, Aronia Berry

Half Share: Squash, Carrots, Chard, Broccolini, Heirloom, Red Onion, Aronia Berry

Flower Bouquet: Cosmos, Celosia, Statice, Lisianthus, Flax Pod, Zinnia, Buckwheat, Marigold, Orach

Howdy CSA members! We hope you have been enjoy the start of September and the weather as it slowly cools down. We have been slowly gearing toward fall here at the farm! U-Pick season as transitioned to apple and aronia berries as well as a surprise batch of strawberries. We are continuing to press cider two days a week with a steady flow of custom cider apples coming through the market stand. This last weekend, RCF hosted the GVLT Field Day event where over 250 community members joined together for farm fresh food, family games, and opportunity to learn about GVLT’s mission and current objectives. If you stop in the market stand this week, you’ll notice that we decorated with some of our dried flowers harvested from this summer’s flower field. These flowers will be used in dried bouquets throughout the fall and winter, but are also for sale if any catch your eye. Lastly, don’t forget you can purchase heirloom tomatoes in 20lb boxes. Boxes of No.2 tomatoes are soldier $40 and boxes of No. 1 tomatoes are sold for $75. You can order in advance, or stop in the market stand as we have a few boxes ready for pick-up.

CSA boxes this week showcases some produce that we haven’t seen in a few weeks such as napa cabbage, broccolini, and red onion, as well as some new produce; aronia berries and marjoram! Aronia berries are very similar to choke cherries in that they are very tart and have a strong mouth-drying effect, so they’re mainly used to make juices, purées, jams, jellies, syrups, teas, and wines. Aronia berries are considered one of the richest sources of plant antioxidants, which are said to offer many health-promoting properties. Aronia berries are commonly used in baked goods, syrups, and smoothies as most prefer to enjoy them in compliment to other flavors. Check out the recipe below for an Aronia berry simple syrup that can be added to summer drinks or topped on pancakes and ice cream. You can also substitute any berry in a baked good recipe for aronia berries; however, keep in mind that the final flavor may be more tart. If you’re wanting to incorporate aronia berries into a savory dish, check out the recipe below for artois berry BBQ sauce. Marjoram is part of the mint family and has an earthy and woodsy flavor, with notes of balsam-like pine and citrus. Warm, sharp, and bitter, the taste is reminiscent of oregano and thyme. Marjoram partners well with meats; especially pork and lamb (we have some at the market stand!) as well as stews and sauces. Check out the recipe below for a fresh marjoram soup to try on this upcoming chilly weekend. Additionally, don’t forget you can always dry out your herbs in the oven on the lowest setting to be used at a later date.

Recipes:

Aronia Berry Syrup: https://www.gastronomblog.com/aronia-berry-syrup/

Aronia Berry BBQ Sauce: https://foragerchef.com/wild-grape-aronia-or-elderberry-bbq/

Fresh Marjoram Soup: https://www.soscuisine.com/recipe/fresh-marjoram-soup

Have a lovely week!