CSA member

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Good-bye & thank you!

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Our son and the CSA are the same age. For the first season - back when the farm was a solo project of Jason’s - Silas was a newborn.

Fast forward and both the farm and boy are eight. The farm is now every bit a team effort, and the CSA is also at an end. Thank you so much for being a CSA member. Some of you have been with us for years. How appreciated you made us feel by signing up each season.

We hope you enjoyed your time with us. If you’d like to track down Plot Twist Farm produce next season, you’ll be able to find us at several locations.

The other night, the three of us talked about how we felt about the CSA ending. We agreed it was bittersweet. We all have new things happening in our lives, and it feels like an exciting time. But something that was a force of good in our lives is ending, and it’s impossible to not feel a bit of sadness.

The farm has always been a blend of grit, goodwill, and great luck. We brought the grit, and it was you who always brought the goodwill by supporting a small farm. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you.

~ Stella & Jason

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Summer to fall

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tomatoes and squash.jpg

This is Jason’s haul from last night. We’re nearing the end of the big tomato harvests, and now it’s time to move on to squash and other autumn crops.

All of the tomatoes are heirlooms for this week’s CSA members. The yellow are pineapple, and the pink are brandywine. The green are ripe; they’re a variety named Aunt Ruby’s German green.

This was our first squash harvest of the season. We’ll continue stockpiling that for the last few weeks of the CSA. After we pack this week’s share, we’re down to three more CSA weeks.

~ Stella

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Panzanella - a summer taste of Tuscany

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I love food aha! moments. When someone introduces you to a simple and delicious ingredient or recipe. This happens at least once each season, thanks to a CSA member.

The recipe below is for panzanella, and it was one such moment. It was sent in by CSA member Mark. I used it in this week’s CSA newsletter, and also asked him to share a good Italian proverb about food. I’ll let the curious amongst us seek its meaning.

Mark’s explanation of panzanella is so interesting and clear, I’ll just let him take it from here.

~ Stella

“Mangia bene e caca forte e non aver paura della morte.” - Italian folk saying

“Mangia bene e caca forte e non aver paura della morte.” - Italian folk saying

HOW TO MAKE PANZANELLA

Panzanella is the epitome of Italian cucina povera or “poor kitchen.” Historically, this was the food of the impoverished. Now, it’s a catch-all phrase for an inexpensive dish that makes use of simple ingredients and is prepared easily.

Panzanella is a mixing of the word for bread - pane - and that of an archaic word for bowl - zanella. This high-summer dish is native to Tuscany, but one sees variations across the region.

Bread, tomatoes, red onion, basil, olive oil, salt, and pepper are at the core of panzanella.

This is a fool-proof recipe! That stale bread on your counter or buried in your freezer? Toast it, cube it, and put it into a bowl.

Then, add a number of diced, very ripe tomatoes and a few slivers of red onion. Thinly slice some basil and add it, along with some salt and a few grinds of black pepper.

Finish the dish with a healthy drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and toss it gently.

You’ll see variants of panzanella, depending on what’s in the fridge and needs to be eaten. When I have things like cucumbers, peppers, and celery on hand - as we CSAers have had recently - I often add them to the dish. Sometimes a bit of red wine vinegar or some capers is added to give the dish a boost. Italians closer to the sea often add anchovies to the mix, too.

Mangia bene!

~ Mark


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The aftermath

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empty bins.jpg

Here’s the scene on Thursdays after CSA share packing. Every ripe veggie on the farm finds a home each week, whether it’s in the CSA shares, sold to a shop or at market, donated, given to a friend or family member, or in our tummies. There’s no food waste on the farm.

As always, many thanks to Gene for his assistance. And thanks to Fawn, too.

~ Stella