July 20

Farm Notes

Today marked Week 6 of our Summer CSA! I can’t believe that here are only 3 weeks left of this session, then we will take a 3 week “break” (and by break, I really mean prep + plant like mad for fall) before we return with a 12-week Fall CSA session.

Speaking of the Fall CSA… more details + the opportunity to sign up will be coming very soon! We’re planning to start the Fall CSA the 2nd week of September, and it will run through the end of November/early December. In the next week or two I’ll first open fall sign-ups to our current CSA customers, and if any spots remain I’ll open them more widely. I’ll be totally upfront that there will be fewer shares available for this fall session, as I know that I’ll want to focus my energy on the sweet baby boy that we are preparing to welcome to the world (due Oct 1)! I’m so grateful to have an amazing team of ladies who are ready and excited to run the CSA while I take time to focus on our little one, and I just want to make sure that the CSA is an appropriate size/scale that they can easily manage things while I’m taking time off. This is all to say that we’re stoked for a delicious fall season ahead, so stay tuned for more details about all the goodness to come from this little farm and our small but mighty team!

Back to the present, here’s a snapshot of the contents of our Tuesday full shares:

Our Week 6 Tuesday full shares contained allll the tomatoes (cherries, romas, heirlooms and slicers), fairytale and globe eggplant, green beans, new potatoes, garlic and onion.

Our Week 6 Tuesday full shares contained allll the tomatoes (cherries, romas, heirlooms and slicers), fairytale and globe eggplant, green beans, new potatoes, garlic and onion.

Kitchen Notes

Okra is a summer veggie that keeps you on your toes… the pods start coming in at a trickle, and with each passing week the harvests begin to slowly (but exponentially) increase… and by the time late July rolls around, the okra goes GANGBUSTERS. We aren’t quite at "gangbusters” level just yet, but in the next 1-2 weeks we will definitely be hitting #peakokra…. so I feel like it’s a good time to talk about some of my favorite ways to cook this (sometimes divisive) veggie.

Okra has a reputation for being “slimy” – which isn’t inaccurate! My general philosophy for getting the most enjoyment out of okra is to either A) embrace the sliminess and make a stew/sauce (like this stew), or B) get rid of any hint of slime by roasting/grilling/broiling the pods at a high heat.

Today I’m going to share a recipe for the latter strategy, for simple roasted okra – which I LOVE to pair with some romesco sauce. This is a “no recipe” kind of recipe… just 4-5 ingredients and 15ish minutes in a hot oven, and you’re ready to dig in.

Crispy Roasted Okra

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 pound okra

  • 1-2 tablespoons olive oil

  • Kosher salt, to taste

  • 1 teaspoon paprika

  • Dash of wine wine vinegar or a squeeze of lemon juice

PREPARATION

  1. Preheat oven to 450°F.

  2. Cut the thicker stem end off each okra pod, then cut the okra in half lengthwise and place on a rimmed baking sheet.

  3. Add the olive oil, salt (I usually start with 1/2 teaspoon), and paprika, and use your hands to toss and coat the okra halves. Roast in your oven for 15-20 minutes, stirring the okra twice while cooking for even browning. The okra is ready when it is tender and lightly browned/crispy.

  4. Right when the okra comes out of the oven, add a splash of white wine vinegar or a squeeze of lemon juice for a little extra zip. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Enjoy right away while hot for maximum crispiness!

Today’s Stats

  • Low temp: 65F

  • High temp: 85F

  • Sunrise: 6:15am

  • Sunset: 8:31pm

  • Moon phase: Waxing Gibbous

  • Additional notes: Cloudy, humid, cooler than usual!