Week 11! Over the Mid-Season Hump!

Week 11! Over the Mid-Season Hump!

Hello Followers!!
Welcome to week 11! Some of you may be surprised to learn, based on the questions we've been receiving, that your veggie boxes and our pop-up market stands continue THROUGH OCTOBER.  MRR CSA subscriptions are 18-20 weeks, meaning we provide you fresh produce as close to Halloween as possible!

🥕 What’s in the Box:
A quick list of what you might find in your box this week.

Head Lettuce

Salad Mix

Large Tomatoes

Cherry Tomatoes

Swiss Chard

Parsley

Microgreens

Red/Yellow Sweet Peppers

Hot Peppers

🌿 Featured Item: Swiss Chard

We're beyond excited that Lisa Stravakas from Renew Wellness has decided to contribute her wealth of knowledge on the health benefits of eating and utilizing fresh produce and herbs. Thank you Lisa!! 

SWISS CHARD

 

🌱 Therapeutic Benefits in Ayurveda

1. Liver & Blood Purification

  • Its bitter taste (tikta) and cooling virya support Rakta dhatu (blood) and Pitta-related liver imbalances.
  • Can be beneficial in acne, skin conditions, or inflammation.

2. Pitta-Pacifying Diet

  • Due to its cooling and detoxifying nature, it's excellent in summer or for those with high Pitta (anger, acidity, rashes).

3. Digestive Benefits

  • Light and mildly bitter taste helps stimulate Agni and clear Ama.
  • However, excess raw Swiss chard may increase Vata and cause gas or bloating, especially in those with weak digestion.

4. Rich in Minerals

  • Its iron, calcium, and magnesium content nourishes Rasa and Majja dhatus (plasma and nervous tissue).
  • Pairs well with ghee or sesame oil to support absorption and reduce its drying nature.

Here are some potential herb drug interactions with Chard. Please see your health care provider for more information.

  • Diuretic: Diuretics may clear pharmaceutical drugs more quickly, lowering the effect. Avoid if taking water pills or pharmaceutical diuretics.
  • Lowers-blood-sugar: Avoid if taking diabetes or other blood sugar lowering medication

🍽️ Recipe of the Week:  

Swiss Chard and Gruyère Gratin: Cheesy Green Goodness

https://hellorecipes.net/recipes/swiss-chard-and-gruyere-gratin-cheesy-green-good/#recipe-card


Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil (15ml)

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup) (140g)

2 cloves garlic, minced (6g)

1 ½ pounds Swiss chard, stems removed, roughly chopped (about 680g)

½ cup heavy cream (120ml)

½ teaspoon salt (2.5g)

¼ teaspoon black pepper (0.5g)

Pinch of nutmeg

1 cup Gruyère cheese, shredded (about 113g)

¼ cup panko breadcrumbs (25g)

1 tablespoon butter, melted (14g)

Directions:

Wash and chop the Swiss chard, removing the tough stems.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Sauté onion until softened. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.

Add Swiss chard to the skillet and cook until wilted and tender. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Pour in heavy cream and simmer briefly to thicken slightly.

Transfer the Swiss chard mixture to the baking dish. Sprinkle with shredded Gruyère cheese.

Combine panko breadcrumbs and melted butter in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over the cheese.

Bake in a preheated oven (375°F/190°C) until golden brown and bubbly.

    📣 Farm News & Notes:

    Things at the farm have been running somewhat smoothly, which is good considering we are now over halfway through the season and would hope to have some things figured out by now!  Derek continues to work on automating things in the greenhouses, such as installing float valves on all of our reservoirs to limit the risk of running out of water when we aren't around. 

    You might've noticed some extra cracking and splitting on some of your heirloom-style tomatoes.  This is unfortunately common when we start getting cooler nights and more unpredictable temperatures, as the tomatoes do not flourish with temperature swings.  We are trying to hold off as long as possible to start running our propane heaters at night, but we may have to start soon with cooler temps looming.  Fortunately, the cracking doesn't really affect flavor!

    We have also started planning our annual Harvest Dinner!  Those of you who participated in our Earlybird Sale last October will be receiving your invitation shortly!  It's shaping up to be a very special event.  We can't wait!  To participate next year, keep an eye out for information regarding our 2026 Earlybird Sale, which will be released in October of this year.

    Lastly, we are nearing the last few weeks of our beloved Anaconda Community Market.  This market has been a BLAST for us this season, and we will miss our vendor-buddies that we've made this year. We will be continuing to set up in Anaconda, either in front of BigHorn Bottle Shop or over at Durston Park (where we were at the start of the season).  The Drummond Market is also ending, but we will be in usual spot through October.  We will be sending out information on that next week!

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    COME VISIT US!!

    Whether your a CSA member or not, you can always come by our pop-up market stands!

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