As kids head back to school and students move back to campus, we realize schedules are shifting!
Please take a minute to check your pickup location and time in Farmigo this week. If another site works better with your schedule, feel free to switch.
If you need to arrive extra early or extra late, or need a little wiggle room with your pickup time, please contact us or send a text before Tuesday at noon (for Wednesday folks) and before Friday at noon (for Friday/Saturday folks).
Boxes are packed alphabetically and wrapped together on pallets for delivery, so once everything is packed, we usually cannot reach an individual box early.
Bulk tomatoes are back! 🍅
Not every tomato we pick is perfect enough for the table. Tomatoes with large cracks, bruises, green shoulders, or other defects are considered seconds and are great for canning, sauce, salsa, or freezing.
We sell them by the 1/2-bushel box, about 20–25 lb each:
Regular Red Tomatoes: $20
Roma/Paste Tomatoes: $25
Please plan to process them within 24–48 hours for best quality.
Quantities depend on what is ripening, so filling out the form puts you on the request list rather than guaranteeing an order.
Tomatoes are finally coming in with some real abundance, muskmelons are still ripening by the truckload, and we harvested our first watermelon last week! Those should hopefully start showing up next week.
Tomorrow’s adventure is concrete. No, we're not being abstract... literally, we're pouring concrete. We’re pouring and finishing one truckload ourselves at the new/impromptu/temporary veggie packing area (called the headhouse), which means our normal entrance will be blocked while we’re also trying to wash, store, organize, and pack vegetables. So... that should be interesting. A few store items may be limited this week while we work around the chaos.
Justin started taking down our old packing area last week, salvaging any materials we can reuse. It's sad and somewhat bittersweet, but onward and upward we go!
But when it's done... oh baby, the fun we'll have with everything on wheels! After 20+ years of lifting heavy crates full of things, it will be nice to roll things around instead.
In terms of the fields, the fall crops are looking really good: kohlrabi, rutabagas, daikon, Napa cabbage, our last green beans, and fall carrots are all coming along beautifully. Keeping the deer out is a full-time adventure, but all in all, we've come to an agreement.
And this week we’re also getting Honeycrisp apples from our friend Cory Outwater at C&S Family Farm in Williamston. Cory works in apple research at MSU, and we always love getting a chance to support their small orchard.
We'll keep it brief this week since we're running behind!
This Week's Harvest
If you do not customize, you will receive the Farmer’s Choice Share this week, which includes theitems marked with asterisks (**).
Standard/Alternating/Monthly Shares: select up to 30 credits
Large Shares: select up to 60 credits
For this week:
Apples**: Honeycrisp from C&S Family Farm in Williamston! Cory works in apple research at MSU, and we’re excited to support Cory and Samantha’s small orchard.
Beets, Red only - without tops. We should have these for another 1-2 weeks, until they pause for a bit.
Cabbage- green or red. These should be around for another 2 weeks.
Celery- still going strong! We should have this until September.
Eggplant - 3 kinds:
Mini Mix
Long-Skinny or Asian-style
Italian Style
Garlic
Honeydew Melon!- limited, but these are orange on the inside!
Hot Peppers -
Mild to Medium: Hungarian hot, chilaca, jalapeno, and serrano
Medium to Hot: All the above plus red habaneros and cayenne.
Poblano: a lovely smoky-flavored pepper. Traditionally made into chiles relleños but also great in a deconstructed version that is less work.
Kale
Scarlet Curly only**
Muskmelon aka Cantaloupe**-these should be around for another 2-3 weeks.
Rutabaga - a hearty veggie that can be used like a potato. From the 2025 harvest.
Shishito Peppers- the roulette game of peppers! Most are mild, but every once in a while you'll get a surprisingly hot one.
Sweet Peppers -
Bell Mix: a mix of green and ripe bell peppers. Ripe bell peppers take a while to come in, so we don't have a ton yet.
Lunchbox Peppers**: a mix of red, yellow, and orange little snacking peppers. So tasty!
Tomatillos- a wonderful green-tomato-like veggie that is traditionally made into salsa verde or green enchilada sauce.
Tomatoes!
Cherry Mix**- our field-grown cherry tomatoes are mostly red this year, with our favorite variety being Sakura.
Juliet- a cross between a Roma and a cherry tomato. Not as sweet as a cherry and a little drier. Great for those with texture issues around cherry tomatoes.
Farmer's Choice**- the full assortment of tomatoes isn't in yet, so this will be a 2 lb bag of a mix of regular slicing tomatoes and heirloom-style tomatoes. In the future, these two types will be separated, but for supply reasons they are a single selection.
Hot peppers are one of those CSA vegetables that can pile up quickly if you’re not sure what to do with them.
This week we have everything from poblanos and Hungarian hots to jalapeños, serranos, cayenne, and red habaneros. Heat can vary quite a bit even within the same variety, so consider the first bite a test!
A few tips:
For less heat, remove the pale inner ribs and seeds before using.
For more heat: leave everything in.
Use gloves when handling the hotter peppers, especially habaneros and cayenne, and avoid touching your eyes.
Most hot peppers also freeze really well. You can freeze them whole or chopped and pull out what you need later.
Otherwise, store them in the fridge for about a week.
Quick-Pickled Jalapeños An easy refrigerator pickle for jalapeños, serranos (or really any chile pepper). Great on tacos, sandwiches, nachos, burgers, or anything that needs a little acidity and heat!
Roasted Poblano Crema A smoky, creamy sauce made with roasted poblanos, Greek yogurt, lime, and garlic. Good on tacos, rice bowls, roasted vegetables, or as a dip.
Homemade Hot Sauce A simple, cooked hot sauce made with fresh peppers (this calls for fresnos, but any ripe pepper works), garlic, onion, vinegar, and a touch of sweetness. You can adjust the heat depending on whether you use milder peppers or habaneros.
