Fresh From the Farm: Keep it Cool

Summer sun means fun-filled days outside, but it also can leave us craving cool things. While the items in this week’s boxes may not be cold in temperature, the way they grow, the stories behind them, and the unique ways you can prepare them will make you say, wow, cool! We have a recipe for a hearty breakfast to help start your day calm, cool, and collected, and the inside scoop on grocery add-ons to make your next Sunday barbeque the place to be.

Super Scapes

We hope that the last few weeks have whet your appetite for garlic scapes. We have received our first delivery of the year from Witch Cat Farm, which specializes in garlic and grows over 30 varieties of hard and soft neck garlic. These curlique tops of garlic plants have all of garlic's pungent flavor, without any pesky papery peels. Scapes have a limited season, but you can stock up this week and make a batch of Scape Pesto to see you through, or use them with wild abandon in all sorts of recipes from Scape Tart to Tempeh and Scape Stir-Fry. The coolest part about scapes? They are a sustainable vegetable because not only are we able to use the bulb but we are also able to work with the shoots as well, leaving nothing to waste.

Meet Calaloo

It seems that each week, we get a new type of green from Atlas Farms. This week is no different: calaloo will be included in boxes for the first time this season. Commonly grown in the Caribbean and West Africa, calaloo made its way up north to western Massachusetts when laborers came up to work on farms in the area and brought with them this staple of Caribbean cooking. Calaloo has excellent flavor and provides another wonderful local leaf that we are able to enjoy all summer long. Enjoy this green's unique flavor in this recipe for Jamaican Style Calaloo. 

Boats of oats

Maine Grains has been working hard in central Maine to revitalize a town that we hit was hit hard by the closing of a paper mill by opening another kind of mill. Located in Skowhegan, Maine Grains processes and sells a range of locally-grown grains. Their rolled oats are a favorite. We recently used some to make overnight oats, and we are fans. This method of preparing oats requires no cooking and makes for a delicious way to start the day, and is a great way to highlight seasonal fruit. 

Grill Updates

Grilling season is here and hopefully many of you enjoyed a nice BBQ over the weekend. Knowing how fun getting together with friends, being outside and cooking good food is, we have worked to expand the many cookout related items that we offer as add ons. Fill your custom box with ketchup, mustard and relish, as well as grill-friendly veggies to be ready to host the hippest cook-out in town. Looking to shake up your grill game? Wow your guests with this Simple Grilled Romaine Salad. 

Happy 4th of July and have a delicious week!

This Week's Local Produce

All of the fruits and vegetables we deliver are grown without synthetic pesticides and are USDA certified organic. Interested in receiving produce that's both organic and locally sourced all year round? Check out our Local Dogma Box.