Appleton Farms Blog: Week 6: Sunflowers are Here!

Week 6 in the CSA

The change in weather this week has been quite a relief. The heat wave subsided on Tuesday and the drop in humidity has made for a happy farm crew. It’s been an extraordinary growing season so far, with timely rain and consist heat. Despite recent storms, we are drying out again and find ourselves moving irrigation around the fields. The weeds are also growing nicely and seem to take up most of our time outside of harvest!

This week we look to add fresh onions and eggplant to the share, which we are very excited about. It seems our careful hand weeding in the carrot field has paid off with a wonderful early season crop. In the pick your own field, flowers are blooming and perfect for bouquet making. We anticipate the addition of sunflowers this week as well!

This week the share will include:

Mixed greens
Head lettuce
Curly Kale
Beets
Carrots
Fresh Onions
Cucumbers
Yellow squash
Zucchini
Eggplant
Red Cabbage
PYO herbs
PYO flowers bouquets
PYO sunflowers

Despite our best efforts to keep a good stash of scissors for the pick your own field, every week many go missing. We encourage you to bring your own scissors if you plan on picking.

As a reminder, our hours for pickup have changed to Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 12:30-6:30PM. We are also open for pick your own on Saturdays, 8AM-Noon. Shareholders are free to pick up their share any day that best suits their schedule, and do not need to commit to the same day each week. Additionally, shareholders do not need to tell us which day they will be picking up.

Vegetable of the Week!

CARROTS are root vegetable, beloved by even the pickiest eaters. Perfect to eat raw, or cooked, the versatility of a carrot is just one of its many positive attributes. Carrots contain a high level of beta-carotene, an antioxidant that is critical for improving immunity, protecting skin and eye health, and fighting the free radicals that cause heart disease. Carrots, especially when juiced, can balance blood sugar and improve blood health. The delicious orange stalks are high in fiber, making them a super cleansing and fulfilling vegetable.

Carrots Two Ways

Pancakes:

2 cups grated zucchini

2 cups grated carrots

½ cup sliced scallion or minced fresh onion

1 TBSP + more for sprinkling fresh parsley, chopped

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup flour

1 tsp each baking powder and salt

½ tsp pepper

Oil for Frying

Grate zucchini and place in fine mesh strainer over a bowl or sink. Sprinkle with some salt and set aside for 10-15 minutes. Use a kitchen towel to squeeze out excess liquid and combine with other ingredients. Heat 1 TBSP oil in frying pan over medium high, and create pancakes out of ⅓ cup scoops. Fry until golden, flip, and repeat- adding more oil between batches. Enjoy with greek yogurt or sour cream.

Moroccan Spiced Hummus:

1 pound carrots, chopped

3 cloves garlic

4 TBSP oil, divided

1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained (if from can)

¼ cup tahini

2 TBSP lemon juice

¼ cup water (& more if necessary)

½ tsp each cumin, ginger, salt

¼ tsp each cinnamon, coriander, cayenne, allspice

⅛ tsp cloves

Fresh cilantro, to garnish

Preheat oven to 425, toss carrots and garlic with 2 TBSP oil, scatter on parchment lined baking sheet and roast until tender (20 minutes) Toss halfway through cooking. Combine all ingredients besides oil into food processor and run. Drizzle in remaining oil and blend until smooth- adding more water or spices as necessary for taste and texture. Enjoy with sliced cucumbers, in a massaged kale salad, in cabbage cups, or with pita and chips.

Farm Store News

The store has Appleton milk from our own cows. Try whole, low-fat, or cream top. Cream top is whole milk that is not homogenized -- most people shake it hard before serving. Please remember to bring back your glass bottles!

We also have Appleton cheeses -- 2 hard and 2 soft varieties -- as well as an ever-changing selection of cheeses, meat products (from the farm), and gifts. You can also sign up for Farm events, right at the store!

Farm Programs & Events