Letter from a Farmer,

Well, the 2023 CSA season started out with a bang last week. Hail and apocalyptical smokey skies made for some weird days here on the farm and for delivering vegetables. On Monday, when the sun came up bright red and hazy most of us stood watching scratching our heads as to what was going on up there. Linnea, who has lived and farmed in California for many years, informed us that is what happens when there is smoke in air. While we are always aware of the west coast fire season, experiencing it here on the east coast is eye opening. I feel lucky this kind of thing is a rarity in my farming life. We took a literal sigh of relief this morning when the sky was blue and the air was clear again.

Tuesday night the sky darkened and then turned green behind the smoke. Rain fell followed by a few minutes of small hail. Fortunately the hail didn't last long or do major damage to our crops. We have experienced hail in the past that left the farm looking like a lawn mower ran over all the crops. The leafy greens and bok choi took the hardest hit this time. This morning we were tossing out more chard than we were putting in bunches. You will find some holes in your bok choi and chard but they are still tasty. Farming friends a bit further north in the county got hit much harder than us. It's a difficult time of year to get that kind of storm. We hope their crops grow out of the damage as quickly as ours are.

On top of harvesting and washing veggies we continue to irrigate, make hay & straw, rotate the cows on pasture, weed, seed, and plant and keep the farm as tidy as possible. Plus repairing machinery and irrigation systems. June is crazy busy time of year on all farms. When we run into other farmers out in the world (at Lowes or the hardware store) we joke about how we will see them sometime on the other side of June or July. We are all digging into the work that it takes to make sure we have a successful summer and fall on our farms. I am heading back out to make sure we keep our weeds under control and our crops watered on this blue sky day. ~Jody

Thank you for your kind words and messages of care and support last week. They are felt and appreciated.

The steers watching us seed carrots in the hazy sky.

Searching for plumbing parts at Lowes with farm dog Teddy.

FRUIT: Week of July 10

EGGS: Week of June 19

BEEF #1: Week of June 26



CHICKEN #1: Week July 17

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

Harvesting bok choi with a bit of hail damage.

This week's full share: scallions, parsley, broccoli, zucchini or summer squash, kale (not pictured) basil, head lettuce, bok choi, and chard

This week's small share: tatsoi, summer squash or zucchini, head lettuce, bok choi, chard, and basil

arugula, radishes, mini cabbage, kale, basil, scallions, zucchini/summer squash, cucumbers, head lettuce, and bok choi

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!

Swiss Chard with Scallions

1 bunch Swiss chard, with stems, washed

3 tablespoons butter or olive oil, or to taste

1 bunch scallions, cut into quarter-inch lengths

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Cut the Swiss chard into large pieces, plunge it into boiling water and cook it until the stems are just tender.

Drain, shock under cold water and drain again. Squeeze out as much water as possible. Put the chard on a board and chop it up with a large knife.

Melt the butter or olive oil in a deep pot. Add the scallions and cook them over moderate heat until just tender. Add the chopped chard, toss well, season to taste, & serve. www.nytimescooking.com

Stir Fried Bok Choy with Peanut Sauce

1 pound bok choy

1 tablespoon grapeseed or canola oil (or other high flashpoint oil)

2 tablespoons sliced shallots

2 cloves garlic (minced)

3 tablespoons peanut butter

¼ cup water

1 tablespoon fish sauce

2 teaspoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon brown sugar

¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts

Trim the ends of the bok choy. Wash, pat dry with paper towels, and then set aside.

Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add oil, and then stir in the shallots and garlic. Cook for about 1 minute, or until soft.

Stir in the peanut butter, water, fish sauce, rice vinegar and brown sugar. Stir sauce until well combined and simmer on low heat for about 30 seconds, or until the sauce thickens.

Increase heat to medium-high heat, and then stir in the bok choy. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the bok choy is tender and just wilted.

Garnish with the roasted peanuts and serve warm. www.foodandwine.com

Bok Choy and Kale Fried Rice

For the Fried Garlic:

1 whole head of garlic, peeled

Kosher salt

1/4 cup vegetable oil

For the Fried Rice:

3 cups day-old cooked jasmine or short grain rice (see note)

2 cups chopped kale (about 4 ounces)

2 cups chopped bok choy (about 4 ounces)

1 Thai bird's eye chile, finely

minced

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

1 teaspoon soy sauce

For the Fried Garlic: Transfer garlic to the bowl of a food processor or mini food processor. Pulse until garlic is very finely chopped but not a paste, about 12 short pulses, scraping down sides as necessary. Set aside 2 teaspoons and toss remaining garlic with a pinch of salt in a small bowl.

Set a fine-mesh strainer over a heat-proof bowl. Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and cook, stirring. Garlic should maintain a gentle bubble. If bubbling vigorously, reduce heat. Cook until garlic is light golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes, then immediately strain. Transfer garlic to a paper towel-lined plate to cool.

For the Fried Rice: Heat 1 tablespoon garlic oil in a wok over high heat until smoking. Add the kale and bok choy, season with salt, and stir-fry until the vegetables are bright green and barely wilted, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Heat 1 more tablespoon garlic oil in the wok over high heat until smoking. Add reserved raw minced garlic and bird's eye chile and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add rice and stir immediately, breaking up any large chunks and adding remaining garlic oil as necessary to prevent sticking.

Season rice with salt and white pepper, then add soy sauce. Return kale and bok choy to rice and toss to combine. Transfer to a warm serving bowl and sprinkle generously with fried garlic. Serve immediately. www.seriouseats.com