CSA Week 12

You can see from this share that we are straddling the line between summer and fall vegetables! Next week is an OFF week for the CSA and we will be firmly on the fall side of the line when the shares resume. 

It may seem a little early to be thinking of the 2020 season yet, but the next season is always at the back of my mind and I wanted to share some informal details about my plans. As mentioned earlier, we received a grant to extend our greenhouse, which means that I will now have the ability to extend the growing season. This excites me because it allows me to level my workload across the year rather than concentrate it all within a shorter period. It also excites me because it means more fresh, local vegetables for longer! Here are the basic plans for next year (exact prices and dates will follow later in the fall):

• We will be dividing our CSA shares into three sections: Spring, Summer, and Fall. 
• The Spring Share will be 6 weeks long and run from mid-May to the end of June.
• The Summer Share will be 12 weeks long and run from early July to the end of September.
• The Fall Share will be 6 weeks long (3 bi-weekly deliveries) and run from early October to early November. 
• Members may choose to sign-up for 1, 2 or all 3 shares. Those that sign up for all 3 and pay in full will receive a price discount.

This means that we will be increasing from 18 weeks of vegetables to 24 weeks of vegetables! I hope many of you will choose to sign up for all 3 seasons, as this provides us with the most stability and least amount of administrative work. However, I recognize that moving from 18 weeks to 24 weeks means a increase in price and time commitment that some may not want and so we are trialing having 3 separate shares for the 2020 season. All the current features of our shares (vacations days, trade-in options, payment options) will remain the same. Let me know what you think (while there is still time for me to make some adjustments)!

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The first of the winter squash are in your shares this week and I am excited! Winter squash are a favourite of mine. This week, you can choose between Spaghetti Squash or Red Kuri Squash. As the name suggests, Spaghetti Squash are perfect as a pasta replacement and are commonly served with your favourite tomato sauce. Red Kuri are my hands-down favourite for soup. Their flesh is rich and delicious and the skin is thin and tender so you don't need to peel - simply puree the skin into the soup. For further inspiration, check out these recipes:

Roasted Kuri Squash Soup with Harissa and Crispy Chickpeas
Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Eggplant Puttanesca
How to Roast Spaghetti Squash
​A Simple Recipe for Roasting Red Kuri Squash