CSA pick up July 23

This week's shares finally have some heartiness to them!  Sure, greens and lettuces are grand, and with seasonal eating, you've just got to learn to love them, but I know that everyone has been hoping for some HEFT to their shares.  This week will finally start to provide that! All commercially grown Saskatoons in Manitoba are sprayed with a fungicide in the blossom stage.   When planted in an orchard, Saskatoons are vulnerable to several different fungi that cause the blossom to abort (ie, no fruit production).  We are currently working with a farmer to help them find organic certified fungicides that are effective enough to consider using.  Until that time comes, the only saskatoons that we can put in your CSA shares are the ones harvested in the wild.  Some hearty folk braved mosquitoes and ticks to get you these goodies!!  You'll note the flavour of the wild saskatoons to be more intense than cultivated ones. Last year's CSA end of year survey suggested that many people wanted more fruit in their CSA.  In an attempt to balance the high cost of fruit, with people's preferences, you get a choice this week!  At the till when you get your share this week, you will be able to choose EITHER a pint of gooseberries OR a bunch of Kale for your share! The gooseberries are green, tart and perfect for a sauce, crisp, jelly or other invention.  I like to take tart fruit like gooseberries, black currant, rhubarb or sour cherries and turn them into a sipping liquor.  You can use the recipe that we have on our recipe blog!  Just adjust the portions according to the volume of fruit that you have and proceed. This week you get new potatoes!  Potatoes are tubers that grow under ground.  In their native Peru, milder winters meant these tubers (the potatoes), prepare to survive the winter by shedding all of their moisture and building up starches.  The starchy potato stays under ground until the spring when the built up starches feed new growth when weather permits.  Who cares?!?!  Despite potatoes not being able to survive in the ground over a Manitoba winter, the potato has the same strategy here.  That means that early summer potatoes have not built up their protective starches.   The flavour and texture difference in early season to late season potatoes is incredible.  Right now these beauties will have a smooth buttery texture.  They are fabulous boiled and served with butter lemon and dill, or turned into THE BEST potato salad that you will ever have.  For lots of different recipes check out our blog.  I always boil up more new potatoes than I will need for a meal as there is nothing like fried new potatoes for a Sunday brunch treat!  Our Manitoba potatoes will have the 'new potato' taste and texture for a couple of months.  After which point the potatoes will notice that the daylight hours are shorter and will start building up starches for winter survival.   Sigh. Full shares to contain a minimum of 7 of the following items.  Remember, eat the items at the top of the list first and work your way down to the less perishable stuff! Red serrated lettuce, Organic Baby dill, Spray Free Saskatoons, Wild harvested so assumed spray free Strawberries, Spray free Cucumber, Spray Free Bunched Beets, Organic Broccoli, Organic Potatoes, Organic CHOICE!  Green Kale (organic) or Gooseberries (spray free)   Half shares to receive a minimum of 5 of the following items Saskatoons, wild harvested spray free Zucchini, spray free Cucumber, spray free Broccoli, organic Potatoes, spray free CHOICE!  Green Kale (organic) or Gooseberries (spray free)