Big Red Farm Share, September 3

HARVEST

Full Share:

• 1 head lettuce
• 1 bunch chard
• 1 lb summer squash
• 1 lb potatoes
• 1 quart cherry tomatoes
• 1 heirloom tomato
• 1 quart green and yellow beans
• 1 colored pepper

Half Share:

• 1 head lettuce
• 1/2 lb summer squash
• 1/2 lb potatoes
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1 heirloom tomato
• 1 pint green and yellow beans

Extras:

• pick-your-own raspberries -- 1/2 pint per customer, we'll provide the containers
• pick-your-own herbs and flowers -- no limit, but please remember others are coming to pick after you!  We'll provide clippers; herb/flower garden is past the hoophouses inside the fenced field
• 2nd-quality tomatoes
• Jalapeno peppers

RECIPES

This week, we're switching to a new potato variety: the very reliable and delicious Kennebec!  Originating in Maine, this is another thin-skinned, white-fleshed potato, distinguished by its large size, disease resistance (at least in our fields, which is saying something), and excellent flavor.  Though potato varieties (with the exception of Yukon Gold) still don't have the name recognition that has changed the tomato and apple worlds in recent years, Kennebecs are becoming more widely known and requested by chefs, which is how these things start!

Kennebecs are waxy and hold their shape, so they're great in the potato salad and gratin recipes we've already talked about this season, but they also make great fries.  I love traditional French fries as much as the next person -- I'm only human -- but I don't deep-fry at home (though I am occasionally nostalgic for my days in the commercial kitchen with the industrial deep-fryer!), so this week we tried these Kennebec Oven Fries.  Probably any variety of potato would be pretty great with this treatment, but I can tell you that the Kennebecs really shone.  These fries would be perfect alongside a burger with a frilly leaf of red lettuce and a thick slice of heirloom tomato... just a thought.

PICK-UP LOCATION AND DETAILS

Share pick-up takes place at the farm, on Thursdays between 3:00 and 6:00pm. Pull into the Lawrence Township community gardens and follow the gravel road uphill to the left. Please remember to return last week's bags and/or containers, and sign in when you take your share. Any payment can be placed in the envelope next to the sign-in sheet. See you at the farm!