Hi everyone,
We’re now over 3/4 of the way through the season. The recent warm weather doesn’t make it feel like it, but fall is right around the corner.
With the end of the season in sight, we have to start thinking about what is next for Gard Mo. In the near future, we’re working to put together a fall program. Rather than the straight raw produce of CSA Club, we’re thinking about trying out something slightly more prepared. The working idea at the moment is “Soup Club.” We’re still working through the details and will share more as soon as we have our carrots in a row. But don’t let that stop you from letting us know what you would like to see from us in the fall since nothing is finalized yet.
In the longer term, figuring out what’s next is a little tougher. We never expected Gard Mo to make us rich. Between our dedication to zero-waste and making the shares as easy for you all as possible, the work and time it takes to put everything together is considerable and only grows as the CSA Club grows. Then adding in our conviction that the CSA Club must remain affordable and accessible to make sense at all, Gard Mo is not necessarily sustainable as it exists today. Fortunately, we have some ideas up our sleeve.
This week’s recipe takes advantage of the beets in this week’s share and feels fitting for this weekend’s rainy weather.
Hope you all enjoy the share!
-Ben
Another happy surprise in the shares. The stems on these were particularly large so lots of it to enjoy in any vegetable medley you might be cooking.
Watermelon radishes are a little deceptive from the outside; green on the top fading to a pale white and then pink blushed at the tap root. On the inside they’re a strikingly vibrant red. If you like the spiciness of radishes (they’re pretty spicy), they look amazing thinly sliced on a salad. Otherwise consider a quick pickle for an eye catching garnish.
Psych! No beets in the share this week. Instead we’re giving you pickled beets. These particular beets were from a Group B share back in August. We’ll pickle the beets that came with this week’s shares and share them with Group B next week to spread the love.
Cortlands are a McIntosh x Ben Davis hybrid developed in Geneva, NY in 1898. They’re great for salads or fruit plates since they don’t turn brown quickly after being cut. They’re tart with a nice sweeetness and with a flavor that made me think of brown sugar.
Macoun (“Mc-cow-an”), a cross between McIntosh and Jersey Black, is the third McIntosh offshoot that we’ve had this year. These have a great subtle floralness and lack of acidity that makes the sweetness really stand out.
This will likely be the last melon of the season. It was a bit of a slow start for melon this year, but boy did we get our fill.
A fun mix of a different colored carrots. We think that each of colors taste a little different, so definitely taste each of them! I think my favorite are the ruby orange, or white ones.
Yukon Golds have a beautiful yellow tint with thin skins, making them an awesome all purpose potato. They’re great for soups, mashed, or just roasted. Think potato and leek soup. These are still fresh dug and I would consider them ‘new’ so recommend keeping them refrigerated.
This variety of kale is a little frilly with mild flavor and pretty dark red color. It’s hardy and sautés well.
