Labor Day may mark the change of seasons and customs, but there’s plenty of Summer to come as far as our fields are concerned. Shout out to the Wild Hare Crew who harvested crate after crate of sweet little Cantaloupes, Cucumbers and Heirloom tomatoes from the greenhouse, so many Roma Tomatoes and Romano Beans. Tomorrow, they’ll harvest fresh Celery, lovely Napa Cabbage and a whole lot of ears of Wild Hare Organic Sweet Corn. The only thing better than that corn is the crew that grew it. Mark and I want you to join us in sending huge thanks to David, Claire, Emilie, Esme, Hazel, Kelly, Maple, Tim and Zack—for the long days, tough jobs, new experiences, brightness and straight up goodness that you each bring to this farm.
I know that many of you out there might be looking at tomato plants totally laden with pale green fruit, waiting patiently for it to ripen after that late-August cooldown we experienced. But, this is my annual reminder not to sleep on September. Somewhere in the midst of adapting to new routines (around school in our house, mostly) and shorter days, I find genuine joy in knowing that the food that we’re growing this time of year helps us hold onto Summer a little bit longer. (Not to mention the sheer volume of it. Someone’s got to eat all of this food we’ve had in the works!!!) So, here’s to enjoying all of the good stuff yet to come over our next and final four weeks of Summer at Wild Hare.
Katie
PS: 2024 Fall Invoices and Fall signup info for our current CSA members will go out starting next week!
IN THE FARMSHARES THIS WEEK:
Napa Cabbage
Tomatoes
Romano Beans
Sweet Corn
Celery
Cucumbers
Mini Cantaloupes
RECIPES & SEASONAL TIPS
NAPA CABBAGE SALAD WITH BUTTERMILK DRESSING
Smitten Kitchen
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
1 pound Napa cabbage, cored and thinly sliced crosswise (4 cups)
6 radishes, diced
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced diagonally
ROMANO BEAN SALAD
I Heart Vegetables
1lb Romano beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
Salt to taste
CORN AND TOMATO SALAD WITH TORN CROUTONS
Joshua McFadden
Kernels cut from 3 ears sweet corn, plus the milky pulp scraped from the cob (about 2 cups total)
1 pound tomatoes (all shapes and colors), cored and cut into wedges or chunks, or whatever looks pretty
3 to 4 scallions, trimmed (including ½ inch off the green tops), sliced on a sharp angle, soaked in ice water for 20 minutes, and drained well
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups Torn Croutons (recipe after link)
1/2 cup pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 handful basil leaves
1 handful mint leaves
Extra-virgin olive oil
CRUNCHY NOODLE & TOFU SALAD
Hetty Lui McKinnon
For the Dressing
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
1 tablespoon sesame oil
For the Salad
2 carrots, peeled and julienned
2 stalks celery, trimmed and julienned
12 ounces napa or green cabbage leaves, finely sliced (about 4 cups)
1 (7- to 8-ounce) package baked tofu, sliced
6 scallions, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
2 cups store-bought fried noodles (often sold as chow mein noodles)
⅓ cup toasted slivered or sliced almonds (optional)
MINESTRONE SOUP
Love & Lemons
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, grated
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups white beans or kidney beans, cooked, drained, and rinsed
1 cup chopped green beans
4 cups vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 cup small pasta, elbows, shells, orecchiette
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
Pinches of red pepper flakes
Grated Parmesan cheese, optional, for serving