CSA News for the Week of August 19th

Reminder: This week we will be distributing vegetables, fruit, eggs, dairy, meat and trout.

This Week's Vegetable Share:

• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Tomatoes
• Head Lettuce
• Green Beans
• Cucumbers
• Eggplant
• Arugula
• Zucchini (off-farm pickup only)
• Garlic

Finally, a little heat! Warmer temperatures this week are really helping to accelerate the ripening of our tomatoes and peppers. You can expect these two crops in greater abundance during the coming month.

This Week's Fruit Share:

• Red Grapes
• 'Ozark Premier' Plums
• Nectarines

 

Blueberry season has come to an end, and it won't be long before the Klugs have picked the last of the peaches and the nectarines, too. The final month of the fruit share will feature plums, raspberries, pears, grapes, and apples. 

 

This Week's Dairy Share:

• Mild Raw Milk Cheddar from Brunkow Cheese in Darlington, WI
• Brun-Uusto (a traditional Finnish cheese) from Brunkow Cheese
• Plain Lowfat Yogurt from Sugar River Dairy in Albany, WI
• Cultured Butter with Sea Salt from Nordic Creamery in Westby, WI



This map used to hang on a wall in the farmhouse office. Each little wheel of cheese represents a different cheese factory or farmstead dairy. So far this season we have enjoyed dairy products crafted by a dozen different producers in the southernmost part of the state, and there's still much to look forward to!





 

This Week's Meat Share:

• Bratwurst and Porkchops from Byers Family Farm, Brodhead, WI
• Beef Stew Meat & Ground Beef from Riemer Family Farm, Brodhead, WI
• Assorted Steaks from Riemer Family Farm



All of the beef for the meat share is raised by our good friends, Bryce and Jen Riemer, along with Bryce's parents, Kathy and Loren Riemer. Their farm is located in Decatur township on the northwest side of Brodhead where the fertile soils produce abundant crops and lush pastures. (photo courtesy of Jen Riemer)

 



The Riemer family has been raising Hereford cattle since 1927. We recently came across these old photos, taken on their farm in October of 1963. That was the year Willis and Lenora Riemer, Bryce's grandparents, hosted the National Cornpicking Contest. Farmers came from all over the country to compete as thousands of spectators cheered them on.

 

 



In this photo, Willis and Lenora (and their dog, Boots) seem to be enjoying the festivities. Bryce and Jen, along with their three little girls, now live in Willis and Lenora's big Italianate brick farmhouse and are taking over the reins of the family farm. They have quite a legacy to carry on, and so far they're doing a terrific job. Their naturally-raised beef is the best!



This Week's Featured Recipes

Eggplant Caponata Crostini
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for grilling

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons golden raisins

2 tablespoons pine nuts

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes

1/2 cup tomato paste

1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tablespoons sugar, plus more if needed

1 eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/3 cup white-wine vinegar

Coarse salt

8 1/4-inch-thick diagonal slices baguette

 

In a 5-quart Dutch oven or pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion, raisins, pine nuts, garlic, and red-pepper flakes; cook stirring occasionally, until onion has softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Add tomato paste, cocoa powder, and sugar; cook, stirring, until tomato paste is fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggplant, vinegar, and 1/3 cup water.

 

Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is tender and mixture is thick, 7 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and more sugar (up to 1 tablespoon), as desired.

 

Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush both sides bread with olive oil. Grill, turning once, until toasted and grill marks appear, about 2 minutes per side. Top grilled bread with caponata. Caponata can be refrigerated up to 5 days in an airtight container; let cool completely before storing.

Spicy Nectarine & Yogurt Salsa
2 cups chopped fresh tomato
2 ripe nectarines, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 serrano pepper, seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Chill for at least an hour. Serve with grilled fish, chicken or tortilla chips.

Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, Swiss chard, melons, fingerling potatoes, red onions, basil, kohlrabi, grapes, apples and more!