In Your Box:
- Basil
- Beets
- Broccoli or cucumbers
- Carrots
- Head lettuce
- Scallions
- Snap Peas
- Summer squash
Farm News
This past weekend brought the annual “Rails to Trails” festival down the road in Watertown, and it was so nice to take some time off the farm and get back into civilization a little bit. Both of our boys marched in the parade–Nathan for soccer and Adam for karate–so for once Nina and I were left to collect all the candy for ourselves! Nathan was also involved in a summer youth theater program in town, and his final performances were over the weekend as well.
There’s always more jobs that need done on the farm, but it was a welcome break to take a couple days off for the first time in months. I’m so thankful for my family and the “excuse” they provide to stop working and put my feet up once in a while!
A couple of upcoming dates to make note of:
- We will be on family vacation to South Dakota the week of August 14th. There will be no delivery on Aug 15th or 17th but we will still plan on a full 18 weeks of delivery, wrapping up in October.
- The Minnesota Garlic Festival is coming up on August 12th in Hutchinson! For more info on this celebration of local foods and all things garlic, check out http://www.MNGarlicFest.com . Hope to see you there!
This week’s box
This week brings our last harvest of snap peas, wrapping up just before our beans start coming in earnest. We hope you’ve enjoyed them! They take a long time to pick even a small amount, but the taste more than makes up for it.
I had a strong harvest for our first planting of basil, and it brings its welcome aroma to our boxes this week. My favorite delivery days are when we have basil in the boxes, and the powerful smell of basil accompanies me in the van as I make my way around the Cities. Our basil was not washed, since wet basil tends to mold quickly and doesn’t keep well. You’ll want to wash the leaves right before using, though. If you’re not able to use it all for fresh herbs or in pesto, it can also be dried. Just hang it upside down in a dark closet with low humidity and the leaves will eventually turn dry and brittle. They can then be crushed for recipes using dry basil.
Our first broccoli heads are coming in this week, which is always a popular time in our house. Broccoli keeps well in the fridge for 7-10 days and can also be frozen (just do a search for “blanching broccoli”). We freeze a lot of broccoli and thaw it out throughout the winter for soup. We didn’t have enough for everyone yet, so some boxes will receive cucumbers instead.
Roasted Carrots and Broccoli
From wellplated.com
Ingredients:
- 6 medium carrots, peeled
- 1 large head broccoli, cut into florets
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Generously coat a large rimmed baking sheet with non-stick spray.
- If the carrots are thick, cut them in half lengthwise. Cut diagonally into 1 ½-inch thick slices, then place the carrots in the center of the baking sheet. Add the broccoli florets to the baking sheet with the carrots.
- In a small bowl, stir together the Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Drizzle the vegetables with the oil, then sprinkle on the spice mix. Toss to coat the vegetables evenly, then spread them into an even layer.
- Place in the oven and roast for 20 minutes, until they are browned and tender, tossing once halfway through. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Enjoy hot.
Coming up
Next week’s box should have summer squash, red onion, head lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, beans, tomatoes, kale and cucumbers.
Fox & Fawn Farm 