The Last share of the season includes: Thai Basil, Purple Daikon Radish, White Potatoes, Yellow & Purple Carrots, Green Cabbage, Fennel, Cured Sweet Onions and our first of the season Cantaloupe.
As this is our Last 2018 Spring Season CSA Share we would like to take this opportunity to say Thank You to all of our loyal members for investing in our Farm and appreciating the fruits (and vegetables) of our hard labor. Our farm was first created from the support of our CSA members and continues to be a very treasured and valuable relationship. We are continuously modifying our program to fit the needs of a changing society and we value the feedback our members provide. We will be taking a quick, welcomed summertime break but we’ll be back in October with new varieties of delicious Fall vegetables for you, your families, friends and neighbors.
Can’t Wait that long? Find us at the Downtown Gainesville Farmers Market (on Wednesdays)
St. Augustine Farmers Market (Saturdays)
Winter Park Farmers Market (Saturdays)
or Simply Order What You Want Online with our new Online shopping system.
Cantaloupe- It’s not the sweetest cantaloupe you’ve ever tasted but you can thank the rain for that. With all this excess rain we were lucky to get a crop at all. These fruits, along with tomatoes thrive in dry weather conditions. Hopefully with the sunshine and minimal rainfall this past week will provide us with sweeter cantaloupes and watermelons. The surface of a cantaloupe can contain harmful bacteria therefore it is recommended to wash and scrub a melon thoroughly before cutting into it. The fruit should be refrigerated after cutting it and consumed in less than three days, I would recommend washing and prepping your melon as soon as you receive your share. Because of its mild flavor you might want to mix it with some sweet fruit like blueberries, strawberries or peaches or wrapping it with a salty prosciutto (Italian, thin sliced dry cured ham) for a favorite Italian antipasto. Prosciutto Wrapped Melon with Basil
Thai Basil- This wonderful smelling Thai basil is a specialty type of basil that you won’t find in most grocery stores. Widely used throughout Southeast Asia because of it’s flavor described as anise/licorice-like and slightly spicy, it holds quite nicely under high or extended cooking. Thai basil has small, narrow leaves, purple stems, and pink-purple flowers, all edible. Shaved Fennel with Lime, Sprouts and Thai Basil
Purple Daikon Radish- The word ‘daikon’ is Japanese for “great root”. Daikon type radishes are native to Asia where they have been cultivated for thousands of years. When grown in a cool climate the purple daikon will be mild, but when grown in warm to hot climates (Florida) the radishes will develop a more intense heat. Radishes are primarily eaten raw, however if you prefer to cook them and need some ideas take a look at 5 tasty ways to cook radishes..
Fennel- As a member of the carrot family the fennel plant, fennel- both frond and bulb are edible and possess both culinary and medicinal qualities. It has a flavor much like licorice/anise and is one of the primary ingredients in absinthe. Not sure what to do with fennel? Here’s a delicious Fennel and Basil Pesto recipe sure to be a crowd pleaser! Fennel has some very interesting healing properties and uses that you may have not known about. Check them out in this article! https://ehealthyfood.com/fennel-health-benefits-extraordinary-vegetable/
Cured Sweet Onions- Onions the powerfully delicious healing vegetable. Everyone knows onions are for eating but they also possess powerful anti-inflammatory qualities and antioxidants that can help you heal cuts and wounds, fight colds, and even soothe bee stings and other insect bites. Check out some of these homemade remedies using fresh onions to help cure what ails you, Onion-The Amazing ‘Cure All’ -HomeHealthyRecipes.com
Yellow & Purple Stewing Carrots- I’m sure by now you have tasted the difference between all the colorful carrots we provided throughout the CSA season. The orange baby carrots are by far the sweetest of the carrot variety while the yellow carrots provide a more “nuttier” flavor and the purple a mild to bitter flavor. Towards the end of the season the carrots start to lose their sweetness as well as their crispy texture, so they are best cooked in a stir-fry or try roasting them with this delicious past blog recipe by Amy Rupert Secol: Roasted Roots
White Kennebec Potatoes- Fry-em, dice-em, stew-em, roast-em. As one of the most versatile vegetables on the market it’s no wonder potatoes are the world’s fourth-largest food crop, following corn, wheat and rice. China leads the world in potato production, and, together with India, produces 37% of the world’s potatoes. In the US Idaho is by far the largest producing state growing nearly one third of the nation’s potatoes, next in line are Washington and Wisconsin followed by 33 other states. Florida is known for their potatoes as we are the #1 supplier of a potato variety used for french fries in fast food restaurants, how’s that for our claim to fame! Read more about the challenges that face the Floridan potato farmer in this article by Spudman.com- Florida’s Potato Industry changing, moving
Peace, Love and Good Clean Food -Shani Crider