Letter from a Farmer,

It's bucket season on the farm, when we are filling all of our harvest buckets with peppers, eggplant, tomatoes. Our hands and arms are green from the tomato plants that give off a sticky coating when we search for fruits amongst the leaves. The trucks are full of bright jewel colored veggies as we drive back to the barn. Dinners are quick salads straight from the fields for our tired bodies.

Normally this time of year you also get garlic in your share. Unfortunately that cold snap on May 18 that took out most of the peaches and cherries in our area also damaged the garlic. The temperature went down to 28 -29 degrees that night which is very unusual for that time of year. Normally our last frost is May 15. Garlic can take frosts so we don't cover them with row cover. A frost of 32 to 33 degrees is quite different from a freeze of temperatures below 30 degrees. The plants were just big enough that the freeze killed some of them. We are grateful that all of our other crops were under row cover that night so nothing else froze.

We purchased garlic seed (garlic cloves) in 2002. Since then we have saved some of the garlic crop each year to re-plant for the following season's harvest. In all of these seasons we have never lost a crop to frost or freezing temperatures. The garlic we grow has adapted to grow well in our soil and under our growing conditions. Many of you have helped us to harvest and plant the garlic over the years. It has become our own variety. We don't want to loose it.

The garlic that did survive the cold will almost be enough to re-plant for the 2024 season. If we would give it out in the shares, we wouldn't have enough to plant this fall. Besides our attachment to the garlic variety, purchasing seed garlic is very expensive, between $12 to $15 per pound (we need around 500 lbs). There are also new pests that can be moved from farm to farm on seed garlic; adding difficulties to garlic growing if they end up on your farm.

We ask for your patience and understanding as you wait for your garlic until August of 2024. We apologize to all you garlic lovers out there as we know this is a crop you all look forward to eating. While we had the quickest garlic harvest day ever, we are just as disappointed as you are to not have garlic in our shares this year. We promise it will be back next summer! ~Jody

2023 Sweet Potato Harvest Party!!

Please join us on Saturday, September 23 at 9:00 am

for the sweet potato harvest.

We will grill Roxbury Farm CSA burgers at 1:00 pm and celebrate with a potluck lunch. Please bring a dish to share!

Click HERE to let us know you will be attending.

We are located at 2343 State Route 9H, Kinderhook, NY 12106. The easiest way to find us is to type in this whole long thing into Google Maps: Roxbury Farm Commercial Delivery Access Road. Other GPS and Apple Maps take you to the wrong location. Our farm entrance is just south of the Martin Van Buren National Historic Site and just north of the intersection of County Route 25 on the west side of Route 9H.

Summer abundance in the barn

CHICKEN #2: THIS WEEK

BEEF #3: Week of September 4

PORK SHARES: In late September or early October

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

PORK and BEEF

We have our own beef and pork available to purchase by the cut.

Click HERE to see what cuts are available

head lettuce, carrots or beets, sweet corn, arugula, plum tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, slicing tomatoes, eggplant, carmen sweet peppers, hot peppers, scallions and cilantro or dill

First of the tunnel tomatoes

This week's full share: head lettuce, cantaloupe, cherry tomatoes, basil, sweet corn, carmen sweet peppers, bell peppers, poblano peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, parsley, green beans, and scallions

FRUIT SHARE: peaches

This week's small share: head lettuce, cherry tomatoes, potatoes or green beans, sweet corn, carmen sweet peppers, poblano peppers, parsley, and and scallions

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!

Quick Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce

2–3 lbs cherry tomatoes, stems removed

1/4 cup good-quality olive oil, plus more for roasting

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 Tbsp fresh garlic, minced

small handful of fresh basil leaves

3–4 sprigs, fresh thyme, stems removed

kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400℉.

Toss the tomatoes with just enough olive oil to lightly coat, then spread out in an even layer onto a rimmed sheet pan or large baking dish. Roast for 25-30 minutes, until the tomatoes have burst and are just beginning to shrivel. Remove from the oven, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and set aside.

Meanwhile, add the 1/4 cup of olive oil to a heavy-bottomed sauce pot. Heat over medium-heat until the oil begins to shimmer. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to sweat and soften, about 4-5 minutes.

Add the garlic, stir to combine, and continue cooking for another few minutes until the garlic is golden.

Add the roasted tomatoes (including all of the cooking liquid in the pan), and the herbs, and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Turn the heat down to low, partially cover the pot with the lid (leaving about a 1-inch gap), and let simmer for at least 25 minutes – and up to an hour – stirring infrequently as the sauce cooks.

Remove the pot from the heat, and let cool for 10-15 minutes. (Carefully!) Transfer the sauce to a blender (or use an immersion blender), and blend until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.

Pour the sauce into pint-size canning jars or other air-tight containers.

Will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator, or 3 months in the freezer. www.forkknifeswoon

Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes and Grilled Scallions

1 lb tomatoes—peeled, seeded and chopped

14 large scallions, 4 chopped

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

10 ounces campanelle or farfalle pasta

In a food processor, pulse three-fourths of the tomatoes with the chopped scallions and the 1/4 cup of olive oil to a coarse puree; season with salt and pepper.

Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Drizzle the whole scallions with olive oil and season them with salt and pepper. Grill the scallions over high heat until lightly charred and tender, about 1 minute per side. Transfer the grilled scallions to a work surface and cut them into 1-inch pieces.

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the tomato-scallion puree and the grilled scallions; toss well. Season with salt and pepper. Top the pasta with the remaining chopped tomatoes and serve. www.foodandwine.com

Basil & Parsley Rice

1 cup lightly packed basil and parsley leaves and tender stems

1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth (one 14-ounce can; may substitute any homemade broth; see headnote)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup)

1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced (optional)

1 cup basmati rice or other long-grain rice (uncooked), rinsed and well drained

Combine the herbs, broth and salt in a blender; process until the herbs are finely chopped and the liquid is flecked with green.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and the garlic (to taste, if using) and cook, stirring a lot, until fragrant and soft, but not browned at all, about 4 minutes.

Stir in the rice so it’s evenly coated; cook for about a minute, then add the herbed broth.

Once the liquid comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook the rice until all the liquid has been absorbed and the grains are tender, 18 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Uncover; gently fluff with a fork to re-distribute the herbs. Let the rice sit, uncovered, for 3 to 4 minutes, which will help stabilize its texture.

Taste, and add more salt, as needed. Serve right away. www.washingtonpost.com