Letter from a Farmer,

There is one advantage of the truck/driver situation we have been experiencing; I have gotten to visit all of the CSA sites multiple times this season. There was an 8 year stretch that I didn't do any deliveries at all and I wasn't familiar with the delivery routes at all. Now I know the Westchester and NYC routes in my head. I do admit I much prefer the farm fields over the highways of downstate NY but it was great to see how all of the sites run and the work the site hosts & site coordinators put into making the sites run smoothly. And in NYC I got to see the work of the volunteers along with the site coordinators to get the boxes of veggies up & down stairs and down tight hallways. When we all put out heads (and bodies) together, we can deliver a lot of food to many people efficiently and smoothly. It is impressive. I am grateful to all of you for making this CSA thing work for so many years.

On that note, a gentle reminder to follow the share list posted at the site. The farm team works hard to make sure every site gets the correct amount of items so everyone gets their shares. If someone mistakenly takes an extra garlic or pint of tomatoes that means another shareholder won't get theirs. And please make sure to only take fruit, eggs, and meat if your name is on the list. Contact the farm if you have any questions! Your attention to detail makes sure everyone gets what they ordered. Thank you!

We also have Roxbury Farm CSA pork raised on our farm available to order by the quarter, half, or whole (or a 15 lb - 18 lb pork share). We purchase the piglets when they are 8 weeks old from a farm in Massachusetts. On our farm they live in a wooded pasture with two shelters bedded down with straw. We feed them certified organic grain from Green Mountain Feed in Vermont. They always have access to clean water, fresh feed, and shelter. Plus plenty of shaded pasture to run around and make wallows to cool off in. We have all of our meat processed & cryovac packaged by a USDA certified processor, Trinity Meat Company. Click HERE to find out more about purchasing quarters, halves, or wholes. Or HERE to purchase a share.

Our sweet potato harvest party is coming up on Saturday, Sept. 21 (see box below for more details). We hope to see you on the farm! ~Jody

ORDER ROXBURY FARM CSA CERTIFIED ORGANIC BEEF

You can order certified organic beef raised on our pastures on our website. Place your order and it will be delivered to your CSA site with your veggies. Look for a cooler and a bag inside with your name on it. You won't be charged anything when you order as everything is priced by weight. We will send you an invoice once we weigh and pack your order. You can then pay by credit card or send us a check.

Click HERE to order today.

Early morning kale harvest

Watermelon radishes peaking out of the soil.

COMING IN NEXT WEEK (may change depending on weather and crop conditions) sweet corn, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, scallions, carmen sweet peppers, hot peppers, collards, eggplant, and parsley

Second Chicken Shares: THIS WEEK Week of August 19



Third Beef Shares: Week of September 9

Sweet Potato Harvest Party: Saturday, September 21 from 9 am to 1 pm. Join us in the field for harvesting then a potluck and our own grassfed burgers on the grill for lunch.

Keri's baby corn friend.

This week's full share: head lettuce, scallions, sweet corn, plum tomatoes, carmen sweet peppers, garlic, jalapenos, kale, fennel, slicing tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, and beets.

This week's small share: Scallions, sweet corn, plum tomatoes, carmen sweet peppers, kale, fennel, garlic, slicing tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, and beets

FRUIT SHARE: peaches

COOKING TIPS AND RECIPES

A NOTE ABOUT PEPPERS: Our sweet peppers and bell peppers are very easy to freeze for the winter. Just slice them up and put them in freezer bags and stick them in the freezer until winter time. No need to cook or blanch first.

Beet, Lentil, & Kale Salad

Salad

• 3 medium sized beets, quartered (greens removed and saved for another use)
• 1 medium sized yellow or red onion, sliced into 1/4 inch thick wedges
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• 1 cup green or brown lentils, rinsed and picked over
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
• 1 bunch of kale, torn into bite size pieces
• olive oil
• 1/4 cup hazelnuts

Dressing

• 1/4 cup tahini
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons honey
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons water + more to thin as needed

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 425F. Toss the beets and onion on a baking sheet with the thyme, pepper flakes, salt, pepper and olive oil. Roast until the beets are tender and the onion is golden brown and lightly crisp. About 35-45 minutes. Toss halfway through cooking.
2. Meanwhile add the lentils to a pot with 2 cups of water, the bay leaf and the garlic cloves. Bring a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed and the lentils are cooked. About 20-25 minutes.
3. In a large bowl massage the kale with a little olive oil until the leaves are tender and bright green.
4. In a small skillet over medium heat toast the hazelnuts until lightly browned. Remove from the heat and roughly chop them.
5. Using an immersion blender or small food processor blend all of the ingredients for the dressing until smooth and creamy. Taste for seasonings and adjust as needed. If need be add a touch more water or oil to thin as needed.
6. Add the roasted beets, onions and half of the lentils to the bowl with the kale. Sprinkle with the hazelnuts and drizzle with half of the dressing. Toss to coat. Add more lentils and dressing as desired.

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Roasted Fennel & Beets

• 1 bunch of beets, greens removed (save for another use) and cut into 1/4 inch thick wedges
• 1 fennel bulbs, trimmed and sliced into 1/4 inch thick wedges
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• salt and pepper
• 3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons fennel fronds, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons minced parsley
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• coarse sea salt

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 425F. Toss the beets, fennel, fennel seeds, salt and pepper with the olive oil. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and roast in the oven until tender and golden brown, about 35-40 minutes. Toss the veggies halfway through cooking.
2. While the veggies roast prepare the gremolata. In a small bowl mix together the fennel fronds, minced parsley, garlic, lemon zest and a hefty pinch of coarse sea salt. Set aside.
3. Remove the veggies from the oven and toss with the gremolata. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Scallion Miso Butter with Vegetables

Butter

• 1 bunch of scallions, diced, white and light green parts only
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) of good quality unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 Tablespoons white miso
• 1 Tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar

Veggies

• carrots
• sweet carmen peppers
• fennel
• toasted sesame seeds

Preparation

1. Heat a little olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the scallions and cook, stirring often until tender and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and place the scallions, along with the butter, miso and rice vinegar in a food processor and puree until smooth. Taste test and adjust seasonings as needed.
2. Serve with veggies and toasted sesame seeds

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