Seasonal changes always get me thinking and reflecting. What was a success this time around? What needs to change for next time? What new vegetables are coming in that I'm excited to cook? Which ones are leaving that I need to make the most of before next year?
Our main change right now is the end of the Summer CSA season at the end of August and the beginning of the Fall CSA next week. A lot of our members join us for the full year, so we have lots of familiar faces and names. But we also have some new folks that we're so excited to welcome to the CSA world!
And while we're starting the "Fall CSA", a lot of the vegetables in the upcoming week's shares still look pretty summery! We have the last of our tomatoes to send out and the pepper plants are still going strong. Our okra crop is finally coming in strong and a late planting of green beans have matured just in time.
All of this overlap is A-OK with me! I've always been slow to welcome Fall, desperately clinging onto all the warmth, light, and summer goodness that I can. So, a gentle ease in to this next season is much appreciated; thank you veggies!
As we harvest the first winter squash, I'm still snacking on cherry tomatoes. My weekly field walks take me past luscious fall crops as well as loaded pepper plants. The okra flowers feel summery and fresh while the slow weeding tasks of our storage root crops remind me of the colder days to come.
I also must say, it's a pretty fantastic time to be cooking! I made a rice salad last night with lentils, tomatoes, cucumbers and roasted squash cubes. Only now can you get that fantastic combo of seasonal flavors.
While you can, stock up on those tomato sandwich lunches and cucumber salads. The tomatoes might not be as pristine as earlier in the summer, but they are oh so flavorful! It's a great time to be roasting, pickling, and snacking on peppers, from sweet to hot and everything in between.
And after this week of extreme heat, hopefully the days will cool off to give our field crew a break! It's been a sweaty time out there lately and a dry one too. We got a bit of a storm yesterday afternoon, but we definitely need more.
Whether you're a part of our CSA or not, we hope you are embracing this seasonal shift and enjoying all the bounty it brings. Happy September and happy cooking!
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