Letter from a Farmer,

Our farm is comprised of 350 acres of land that we rent with different kinds of leases from different parties. Since 2000, we have had a 99 year lease from Equity Trust on 150 acres where we have the on-farm housing for some of the farm staff, tomato & ginger high tunnels, and barns for our cattle. We own all of the infrastructure but not the land underneath. This land is protected for agriculture in perpetuity, the land can only be leased by a farmer and only a farmer can purchase the infrastructure and improvements on the land. The infrastructure can only be sold at a price that is affordable to farm, separate from the social pressures of increasing property values. Meaning this land and infrastructure will always be available and affordable for farmers.

In 2010, we started leasing 116 acre property from Open Space Institute. (OSI also owns the development rights to most of the land that we farm, adding another layer of protection to keep the land open.) We only used around 40 acres of the property for pasture and hay. The remaining acreage is wetland and woodland. It's too wet or floods too frequently to be used for farming. In 2015, we started working with The Wetland Trust as a location for their wood turtle study. When we started to discuss the long term future of this property it made sense for The Wetland Trust to own the wetland portion of the land and for Equity Trust to own the the farmland portion.

Through some creative problem solving the three non-profits accomplished this goal in March. Open Space Institute holds the development rights for the whole property. The Wetland Trust has 73 acres dedicated to wetland habitat along the Kinderhook Creek. Equity Trust added an additional 43 acres to our long term lease, so Roxbury Farm CSA now has 193 acres that are secure for us to farm into the future and protected for the farmers who follow. We are grateful to the three organizations for making this happen and especially to Equity Trust for their ground breaking work to make agricultural land affordable and accessible to farmers. ~Jody

Egg Shares start this week. Please only take an egg share if your name is on the list. If your name isn't on the list and you want an egg share please contact the farm and we can make up this week's share another week.

Cover Crop peas in flower

Our neighbors dropped off some beverages for us during the broccoli harvest last week.

FRUIT: Week of July 10

EGGS: THIS WEEK

BEEF #1: NEXT WEEK



CHICKEN #1: Week July 17

If you can't pick up your egg or meat share a particular week, please contact the farm and we can hold your share and send it another week.

ROXBURY FARM CSA

GRASS FED BEEF

We have beef available to purchase by the cut or by the quarter of a steer

Click HERE to see what cuts are available

Click HERE to purchase a quarter of a steer

Eggplant on their way.

This week's full share: head lettuce, parsley, basil, cabbage, bok choi or broccoli, summer squash, zucchini, garlic scapes, scallions, radishes, cucumbers, arugula, and kale

This week's small share: head lettuce, parsley, basil, cucumbers, bok choi, arugula, radishes, and scallions

head lettuce, arugula, turnips, fennel, cabbage, basil, scallions, zucchini, summer squash, cucumbers, and kale

COOKING TIPS AND RECIPES

We recommend signing up for the Farm Share newsletter from Alexandra Stafford. It has great cooking tips, recipes, and other helpful items to help you make the most use of your share. Click HERE to sign up. If you have a website, blog, or newsletter as a go to for CSA share recipes please share them with us!

Garlic Scapes: cut up and use just like you would garlic. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge. You can also store them like a cut flower in a jar of water in or out of the fridge.

All Farm Greens: Rinse in cold water and spin dry before storing in a vented plastic bag in your fridge.

Basil & Parsley: Trim bottom of bunch and put in a jar of water on your kitchen counter.

Radishes: store in a vented plastic bag in the fridge (with or without greens)

Scallions: store in a vented plastic bag in the fridge

Cukes, Zucchini, and Squash: for short term storage they can be in cool spot in your kitchen. For more than a few days they store better in the fridge.

Cabbage: Store in the fridge. When you are ready to prepare it, trim off the bottom stem and a few outer leaves. This cabbage is tender enough to be eaten raw, too.

Garlic Scape-Parsley Butter

1 stick unsalted butter (4 ounces; 115g), softened

1/4 cup (about 10g) packed fresh parsley leaves

1 tablespoon (15ml) juice plus 2 teaspoons (10ml) zest from 1 lemon

2 or 3 garlic scapes

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Blanch the scapes to make them tender.  Combine butter, parsley, lemon juice and zest, and garlic scapes in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until garlic and herbs are chopped and lemon juice is incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper and pulse to combine. Wrap butter tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for several months. If you don’t have a food processor, mince parsley and garlic scapes and mash into softened butter with a fork. www.seriouseats.com

Simple Cabbage Salad

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground pepper

8 cups shredded green cabbage (from 1 small head)

Whisk lemon juice, oil, parsley, mustard, honey, garlic powder, salt and pepper together in a large bowl. Add cabbage and toss to coat; let stand for 10 minutes. Toss again; serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 hour before serving. www.eatingwell.com

Scallion and Arugula Dutch Baby Pancake



¾ pound arugula

4 large eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup all-purpose flour

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 large scallions, thickly sliced

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Remove the top rack in the oven and preheat to 450°. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the spinach until wilted, about 1 minute. Drain and let cool. Squeeze the spinach dry and coarsely chop it.

In a blender, mix the eggs, milk, flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, 1/8 teaspoon of pepper and the nutmeg until smooth.

In a 12-inch cast-iron skillet, melt the butter. Add the scallions and cook over moderate heat until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until heated through, about 1 minute; season with salt and pepper. Increase the heat to high and cook for 1 minute without stirring. Pour in the batter, sprinkle with the Parmesan and transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden. Cut into wedges and serve hot or warm. www.foodandwine.com