Our prayers have been answered! RAIN! and a few days of <90oF. Since it is very close to the longest day of the year, plants are putting on like crazy.

This week’s bags will have:

• Kale or Amaranth (spinach substitute)
• Cucumbers
• Zucchini
• Eggplant
• Peppers
• Onion
• Fresh Herbs

If you are planning to do any preserving, canning, dehydrating, or freezing, start thinking about it now. Next week and the following 2 weeks will be the best time to get bulk products before it gets too hot, dry or the days get significantly shorter. I expect to have the following available in bulk in the next few weeks, watch the EXTRAS listings to begin ordering bulk items.

Bulk items will include:

• Roma tomatoes (think salsa, spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, tomatoes for soup)
• Green beans (canning is the best way to preserve summer flavor)
• Cucumbers (try refrigerator pickles for all the taste and none of the slaving over the stove)
• Eggplant (try caponata or baba ganoush)
• onions (canned carmelized onions anyone or Chef Guy’s famous pickled onions)
• Garlic (Paul’s favorite - pickled garlic)
• Turnips -and radishes in the fall (yes you can pickle them)
• Pumpkin, sweet potato or winter squash butter (in late summer/fall)
• Potatoes for old fashioned convenience food
• Beets - pickled or not, these are great for a quick winter supper salad
• Cabbage - homemade sauerkraut is fantastic and wonderful for you!
• Kale for kim chi

Stocking Up, and many other books and web sites are available now for the renaissance in preserving summer goodness in modern kitchens. New recipes have great combinations of flavors inspired by today’s chefs and our expanding experience with international cuisine.

The CSA keeps growing every week! Thank you for telling your friends.

This week in your share you will get: (see the site - click through the links on the list of what we are growing for some good ideas on how to use these, my blog is having issues tonight)

• fava beans
• zucchini
• sorrel
• cukes
• onion and green garlic
• baby fennel bulbs

Other items available this week in the extras…

• onions
• green garlic
• beets
• turnips
• kale dinosaur
• cabbage
• dill
• green beans
• sorrel
• new potatoes
• summer squash
• zucchini
• eggplant
• green tomatoes
• radish
• Swiss chard
• kale - Red Russian
• cherries
• eggs
• hand crafted soap
• hot peppers
• sweet peppers
• others…check out the site

I hope with this heat we’ll see ripe tomatoes next week for extras and the following week for shares. Perhaps by then we’ll have okra as well.

We are working on the fall planting plan. We are going to plan on making it through the summer and keep harvesting into the fall. If you have not already filled out our survey, please do, so that we can plant specifically for our CSA members.

Keep cool and we’ll see you Wednesday!

Your personal farmers -

Paul & Coleen

Sue & Carl

Forgive the short newsletter this week I am still in shock from my friend Tiffany Maher’s (NSU chemistry professor’s) death. She used to help us in our booth at farmer’s market and managed the local knitting group. She will be sorely missed.

This week’s vegetables include:

• Red Russian Kale or cauliflower
• Mizuna (salad green) or amaranth (red salad item that can be used in place of spinach) or spinach
• Turnips or radishes
• Green beans
• Squash blossoms or a mix of fresh herbs

Red Russian Kale can be used similarly to spinach but has a bit more of a “greens” taste, not nearly as strong as mustard greens, however.

Try making pickles out of your turnips. Check out this link for a neat recipe that will be thrilling you for many meals. Radishes can be done that way as well.

Green beans can be done so many ways. I really enjoy them dried. My friends like them roasted.

Squash blossoms are great stuffed, in quesadillias, lightly cooked with olive oil and kosher salt. Many people like them fried.

You can use fresh herbs with any of these vegetables.

On the extras list this week you can get:

• Squash
• Cucumbers
• Green tomatoes
• Peas - English, snow or snap
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Cabbage
• Dinosaur kale
• New potatoes
• Fava beans
• Swiss chard
• Green beans
• Baby carrots
• Eggs
• Soap

AND CHERRIES! Oklahoma doesn’t grow Bing cherries but our “tart” cherries are sweet enough to eat out of hand as a snack, put in desserts, preserves, jams, jellies or anything else you can think of…sherbet anyone? Our cherry tree is loaded right outside our front door.

Please remember we need payment before Wednesday via Paypal if possible or a week or more ahead on checks. If you need some extras  you can pay by check for these when you pick up your share.

If you are going to be away. Please let me know so that we don’t harvest for you. If you are not currently getting the newsletter via email please forward me your email, I am trying to make sure I have everyone’s contact information.

Thank you again for your support of local agriculture!

Here are some recipes for all those wonderful veggies in your basket this week… see previous blog entry for your basket list.

Grilled Beets with Rosemary Vinegar

Spinach & Beet Salad - consider substituting chopped Swiss Chard for the Spinach if you need to substitute.

Roasted New Potatoes

Garlic Butter New Potatoes - try these with green garlic or garlic scapes - you can order from the Extras list on heavensentfoodandfiber.com, The Market, Shop & Pick, Extras (or Special Add-ons)

Snap & Snow Peas - oh so easy!

Wow I have to try some of these cauliflower recipes! They make my mouth water just thinking about them.

Baby carrots Try this with honey as the glaze.

Green bean tempura - yum!

Good News! Lahoma Simmons with the Cherokee Nation is working on setting up for another drop point at headquarters on Hwy 62! If you are interested in a membership or picking up your delivery there, please contact me via email - heavensentfoodandfiber@gmail.com. Each new drop point will need 10 customers committed to a weekly CSA purchase (except for vacation and travel for work). If you live or work near another key point in the area and would like to recruit your friends, neighbors and co-workers let me know, we are still accepting memberships for this year.

Our nights are staying relatively cool, so the number of days it would normally take to get items to harvest is longer than normal. I am still hoping to have enough green beans mature for this week’s delivery. The squash, peppers and cucumbers are not numerous enough yet to put in the basket but we are able to sell the one or two orders of each that we expect to harvest. Shop the extras option on heavensentfoodandfiber.com - The Market- Shop & Pick - Extras pages. We need to have all the extras orders in by Tuesday at noon so that we have time to harvest and pack everything for Wednesday. Scroll through the following options and pick the extra items you want us to bring for you to buy on Monday.

• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Kale
• Peas
• New Potatoes
• Squash
• Lemon basil
• Thai basil
• Mint
• Thyme
• Green Beans
• Garlic Scapes
• Turnips
• Spicy salad mix
• Lettuce
• Edible Flowers
• Beets
• Arugula
• Baby Mustard Greens
• Mizuna
• Mixed Hot & Sweet Peppers
• Green onions
• Squash Blossoms
• Squash & Zucchini
• Rosemary
• Baby Carrots
• Kale - Red Russian
• Kale - Dinosaur
• Kale - Vates
• Cauliflower
• Spring onions
• Green Garlic
• Dill
• Baby Fennel bulbs
• Goat Milk & Honey Soap
• Yarn
• Roving