Sandy Spring CSA

July 22, 2009: This week’s featured fruits and vegetables are: sweet corn, leeks, beans, zucchini, cucumbers, peaches, salad mix (and, Farmer Pam says, maybe peppers, if they can get them picked!)

A little slice of life on the farm from Farmer Pam:

It is a steamy day here – we are so hoping that those tomatoes will ripen up – they have been painfully slow this year – they do like this humid weather.

We are busy getting some plants together to send to Johns Hopkins Bayview – some of the patients there will be planting a garden.

And now, a few CSA housekeeping notes:

PLEASE RETURN THOSE BOXES - this is the time when boxes get piled up in the garage or trunk of the car. Remember, they are part of your share, so if you want food instead of new boxes for your money, please bring them in when you pick up.

AUGUST 1 is the first deadline to sign up for the Fall CSA - click here for details. The cost for returning members is $195. CSAs have become very popular, as evidenced by the many CSA-related articles appearing in newspapers and online. Don’t wait too long - we do have a limit, and we want everyone who wants to come back for the Fall to be able to do so!

Recipes: Romancing the Squash

With peaches and maybe peppers joining the corn and zucchini in our boxes, I know that at our house it will be time to break out one of my favorite recipe combinations: spicy corn and squash cakes with peach salsa. I’ve pointed you to the salsa recipe that I use, but there’s a wealth of recipes out there - here are five more to play with. Those corn and squash cakes with salsa and a little sour cream are a full meal at our house.

Those who still have a few potatoes hanging around from last week might enjoy “green bean, zucchini, and potato stew.” According to recipe comments, this Greek stew “is often eaten cold, accompanied by hunks of country bread and feta cheese,” which sounds great for these hot summer days.

Food for Thought: Growing Farmers

Those of us interested in local food should pay attention to a comment made by farmer Will Smith of Growing Power, during the Q&A following the food documentary Fresh: this movement is not only about growing food - it’s about growing farmers.

We need the farmers who will be the future of the local farm movement. With this in mind, everyone may be interested in this article by the Mother Nature Network, featuring 40 farmers under 40. Read and be inspired about the future!