We call it a break because you’re not receiving deliveries. But the work continues while we prepare for Fall.
Your next delivery will be on 9/13 if you pick up on Thursdays and 9/15 for Saturday pick-up.
We look forward to seeing you then. And now, it’s back to work! Be well!
We missed you all so much last week that we had to reschedule and add another delivery in this week! I know we’re supposed to be on a CSA break so I hope this doesn’t inconvenience anyone. Remember, if you aren’t able to make your pick-up, please invite a friend to pick up on your behalf. I’d attempted to calculate how long we could store the winter squashes and still allow us to finish on time the week before Thanksgiving. But then after announcing the 3 week hiatus – the rains began punctuating harvests of crops I really didn’t want you to miss. One specifically is Edamame soybeans. You may be familiar with these as appetizers in Japanese Restaurants. We grew a variety called Envy. We harvest them still on the plant, banding them up like a large bouquet. You can gently steam the furry pods and then sprinkle with sea salt for a delicious snack between meals or during a movie night.
The other reason we had to do a run this week is due to limited refrigerated real estate. Watermelons, Cantaloupes, and Eggs were stacked to the ceiling in our coolers. We had to act, it was becoming a safety hazard in there. We still have more winter squash to share with you once we return to regular weekly deliveries. On the way as well are sweet potatoes, salad mix, Jerusalem Artichokes and more.
Other farm news… we put up the last of the bat houses this week. And we’re getting down and dirty weeding like ninjas again. And after a productive weekend of field prep with our new (used) tractor, we’re now waiting on clear skies and drier fields to finish making beds to transplant the first round of Fall crops.
Here’s the menu for this week! (and don’t forget to return your boxes)
Meat CSA: (call us on Mondays for any additional a la carte orders: 229-641-2081 – web orders click here)
2x Grass-fed Tenderloin – Derived from the most tender muscle of the beef carcass, these steaks are the master of all steaks. Savor them for the evenings that really count. They lend themselves well to grilling, broiling and pan frying.
Pasture Raised Chicken Breast – Our ground free-range, pastured, heritage cross chicken. Our chickens are raised with no antibiotics or added hormones. Our chickens are also Step 5 rated by the Global Animal Partnership, which is the highest animal welfare rating.
Pasture Raised Chicken Wings – 2 – 2.5 lbs
Pasture Raised Eggs:
12 beautiful assorted color eggs (mostly dark brown), from our own lovely ladies that range freely on certified organic pasture. The eggs are washed, candled and graded fresh for you each week.
(Want another dozen or not on the Egg CSA, Call to order this week and we’ll bring them to you : 229-641-2081)
Organic Vegetables:
Watermelon (yellow, pink or red meat)
Cantaloupe
Edamame soybeans (Just pick them off the plant, rinse them off then steam them and sprinkle with sea salt. Delicious!)
Mixed Eggplant
Sweet Peppers
Hot Peppers – Small bag
Mixed Okra (Burgundy and Clemson Spineless – a full pound and slightly bigger this week for those wanting to try pickling. )
1 bunch Basil (Genovese, Purple Ruffles, Thai, or Cinnamon)
Greetings again! What a great week of food to share with you. But first, let’s talk again about the three-week hiatus coming up…
If you receive your shares on Thursdays, your next delivery (after tomorrow’s delivery) will be September 6th.
If you pick up on Saturdays in Columbus: You pick up this weekend, then again on Saturday Sept 8th. However, an extra Egg CSA pick-up will be held on Aug 18th. (Remember, we still owe you make-up eggs from the summer ration week.)
If that’s still confusing, don’t worry – please call me at 478-718-7991 and I’ll fumble through a better explanation.
On the farm-front, we’re getting boat loads of rain wight when we really need to be prepping more fields for our fall transplants. We built a new shade tunnel to house the transplants in the meantime. Also, we dug some big holes around the farm this week for the poles which will support our bat houses. If you’ve spent much time around south Georgia, you’ve observed our healthy mosquito population. So, we’re inviting several guests to move in and dine on our abundant supply of “skeeters.” We’re putting up 4 houses and each house can hold 600 bats.
Finally, we said goodbye to our original flock of laying hens. The old ladies served us very well with daily companionship and efforts tilling up, weeding and eating insects in the field that grew our potatoes this year, and also fertilizing what will be the raspberry patch next year. And all the while, they gave us eggs every day. Let us be thankful…
Meat CSA: (call us on Mondays for any additional a la carte orders: 229-641-2081 – web orders click here)
2x Grass-fed NY Strip Steaks – The most popular grilling steak that is derived from the loin of the beef carcass. This steak lends itself well to those who cherish a great steak in any type of situation.
2x Pasture Raised Ground Chicken (1lbs) – Our ground free-range, pastured, heritage cross chicken. Our chickens are raised with no antibiotics or added hormones. Our chickens are also Step 5 rated by the Global Animal Partnership, which is the highest animal welfare rating.
Pasture Raised Eggs:
12 beautiful assorted color eggs (mostly dark brown), form our own hens that range freely on certified organic pasture. The eggs are washed, candled and graded fresh for you each week.
(Call to order this week if not on the egg CSA : 229-641-2081)
Vegetables:
Mixed Winter Squash: Acorn Squash or Delicata
Mixed Squash, patty-pans, and Zucchini
Mixed Potatoes
Mixed Eggplant
Cucumbers
Sweet Peppers
Hot Peppers – Small bag
Mixed Okra (Burgundy and Clemson Spineless – a full pound and slightly bigger this week for those wanting to try pickling. )
1 bunch Basil (Genovese, Purple Ruffles, Thai, or Cinnamon)
Tomatoes (No tomatoes this week – Don’t worry, the fall planting is on it’s way to the rescue)
1 Herb bag (Pineapple Sage) – here’s some helpful info and recipes (http://theessentialherbal.blogspot.com/2009/05/pining-for-pineapple-sage-recipes.html)
It may be the first week in August but it already hints of Fall. We started picking Winter Squash this week! Most of the big colorful squash will cure for around 10 – 20 days before heading into cooler environs. Once you receive them in September, you can keep them in your root cellar (if you’re cool enough to have one of those – and I’m definitely jealous if you are). But until then, we can and will be enjoying the Winter Squashes that have a more tender skin, and so don’t require a curing period. This week we will have Acorn squash – OR – you may be one of the lucky few to be receiving Cantaloupe. Many of our Cantaloupe succumbed to the weather, which was so dry and hot for so long and then became all too soggy for several days. In fact, as is often the case with our homegrown goodies, the exterior may be flawed on your melon, but please take care to avoid the bad spot and enjoy the other 95%. We planted enough for everyone to have cantaloupe for two weeks and it was disappointing to only harvest the few. So if you get a melon, please savor it in honor of the rest of us who didn’t. Next week, you can look forward to Delicata and mixed Acorns. And don’t fret too much if melons are really your thing, September should bring you more watermelons.
It seems to be another week of scrumptious bounty in the Meat CSA. And in honor of Chicken’s return to the box, we have Sage as an herb option in the veggie box. The Stevia looked so great this week I had to share it too. Remember, you can dry out any herbs that you don’t get around to eating. Just hang it upside down in a cool, dry, area of your home that gets a little airflow.
After next week’s CSA delivery, we will be taking the summer break. For at least 2 weeks, maybe 3 (the plants decide, not me), there will be no deliveries on Thursdays. (Please go ahead and return your boxes, all of them if you have an extra lying around somewhere – you know who you are) However, we will keep setting up at the Columbus Market. Again, No CSA delivery, but if you miss us you could come say hello and return your boxes anyway. Also, we will be giving out the make-up Egg CSA share the weekend of 8/18.
Ok, enough boring news, let’s talk food…
Meat CSA: (call us on Mondays for any additional a la carte orders: 229-641-2081)
1x Grass-Fed Bottom Round Roast (3lbs)
1x 8 Way Cut Chicken
1x Chicken Legs (2lbs)
Pasture Raised Eggs:
12 beautiful assorted color eggs (mostly dark brown), form our own hens that range freely on certified organic pasture. The eggs are washed, candled and graded fresh for you each week.
(Call to order this week if not on the egg CSA : 229-641-2081)
Vegetables:
Cantaloupe or Acorn Squash
Mixed Squash, patty-pans, and Zucchini
Purple Onions
Mixed Eggplant
Sweet Peppers
Hot Peppers – Small bag
Mixed Okra (Burgundy and Clemson Spineless)
1 bunch Basil (Genovese, Purple Ruffles, Thai, or Cinnamon)
Tomatoes (Mixed heirlooms and hybrid varieties, also Sungold Cherries – Don’t worry, the fall planting is on it’s way to the rescue)
1 Herb bag (Stevia or Sage)
I bag Sweet Potato Greens (We received several good reviews on these – if you didn’t try them the last time, here’s your second chance! – see previous post on cooking tips)
***Don’t forget, your ‘maters are bagged separately, so don’t leave them behind when you grab your box. Enjoy!
White Oak Pastures 