CSA #10 (7/29/2025)
Special Apple Ordering Opportunity!
A few times each year, Henry’s sister (and organic fruit grower) Teresa has extra fruit. This week she has a limited number of half-bushels of the crisp, tart-sweet Pristine apples pictured above. These are seconds, meaning they are generally smaller, and with more blemishes than first — perfect for apple crisps and all your other favorite apple recipes, or for eating out of hand.
Click below to order, and then pick them up at your usual CSA time and place tomorrow (July 29).
The strong winds that accompanied Friday night’s rain knocked down trees and limbs, and flattened a section of the corn.
Farm Notes: More rain, and high winds, too!
From last Thursday through the early hours of this morning, the farm got a total of about 5 inches of rain. The heavy rains came at a bad time for the melons, and could affect their flavor (more water = less flavor), and could also lead to vine diseases causing the plants to die. But we’re crossing our fingers all ends well, and are grateful that we will not have to water any crops for a good, long time now.
As soon as the soil dries out enough to plant, we will be able to get fall crops and cover crops in, assuming the cooler temperatures that are predicted finally come!
Walla Walla Onions are sweet and mild, perfect raw in salads or on sandwiches.
In Your CSA This Week
Beets, many of them quite large, so you may get only one or two in your share. The Golden Grex and the Rainbow Lutz varieties both have Sugar Beet genetics, meaning they are sweet and large. But don’t let the size scare you! They are not overmature, merely big and healthy and super-happy following the rain.
Green Peppers
Onions - Most will be Walla Walla Sweets, a large teardrop-shaped onion that is excellent raw in beet salads, egg salads, salsas, and the like. Because of its high sugar content, put it in your refrigerator if you’re going to keep it more than a few days, since it can spoil when left at room temperature.
Cucumbers
One of the following Herbs (or possibly a choice between 2 or 3 of them): Lemon Basil, Mint, Fennel, or Shiso
One or more of the following, depending on how much of each is ready to harvest in the morning: Tomatoes, Green Beans, Sweet Corn
Henry’s showing off a nice pair of Golden Grex beets, which are tender, flavorful, and easy to prepare! If you have a pressure-cooker, cook the whole beets for about 15-20 minutes, then slip off the skins. Or you can halve, quarter, or cube them, and then boil or roast until tender.
Food Notes: Beet Dip
My sister Teresa introduced me to this recipe, which has become a favorite way to prepare them, and to have a quick snack with the beet spread on toast or crackers.
This recipe comes from Omaya Cooks, known for her traditional Syrian recipes. Similar recipes are found throughout the Middle East, and you can adapt it as you like — for example by adding the mint or lemon basil from your share this week.
You can find similar recipes online, some of which call for putting all the ingredients in your food processor, which is super-easy and makes a smooth dip for vegetables or chips.
Beet Mutabal (Beet Dip, aka Beet “Hummus”)
Ingredients
about 2 lbs beets, boiled or roasted
2 or more cloves garlic, crushed
8 oz labneh or Greek yogurt
3/4 c tahini
2 tbsp olive oil, plus more to serve
3 lemons, juiced, plus more to taste
1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
Boil, roast, or pressure-cook your beets.
Allow the beets to cool, then peel them. Grate them using the grating attachment on the food processor (the easiest) or on a box grater.
Transfer to a bowl and add garlic, labneh or Greek yogurt, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt.
Adjust seasoning, place in a serving bowl, and drizzle with additional olive oil. Serve with pita chips or on bread or toast.
Don’t forget to order your half-bushel of Pristine Apples now!