This week we are adding a few of our Harko Nectarines to your Harvest box.  We used to call them the "Ugly Nectarine" because they didn't have a pretty finish.  However, they do make up for it in flavor.  If they need to ripen a little just leave them on your kitchen counter for a few days.

We also have "bulked-up" your boxes as our harvest has been very bountiful with all the hot weather...we hope you enjoy the variety!

As our summer CSA season comes to a close next week, we ask that you give us your fall membership rollover as soon as possible so we can plan accordingly.  We have had a successful first season and have enclosed a survey that we would greatly appreciate you filling out and returning next week.  This will help us enhance the CSA program in seasons to come. 

We thank you again for being a part of this wonderful farm-to-community relationship and hope you have enjoyed it as much as we have!

Norm and Cinda
Glen and Wendy


In this week's box:

• "Candystore" Corn, a Lehne favorite

• Fingerling Potatoes from Suzie & Asinette at Big Lick Farm

• Shallots

• Kentucky Wonder Beans

• Harko Nectarines

• Bok Choy

• A Salsa Starter Kit: Tomatoes, Anaheim Peppers (mild hot), Jalapeno Peppers (hot) and Cilantro

• Slicing Cucumbers

• Swiss Chard

• Herbs of the week: A Mixed Herb Bundle: Chives, Thyme, Garlic Chives, Parsley, Summer Savory

1 to 2 lbs Tomatoes
1 to 2 Anaheim Peppers
1/2 medium Onion
1 Garlic clove
1/4 C Cilantro
1/4-1/2 tsp Salt to taste
1 to 22 T Lemon Juice

Chop all ingredients.  For even more heat use more peppers like jalapeno (1 for medium heat or 2-3 for hot) and/or remove seeds for less heat.  Enjoy with tortilla chips!

2 cucumbers
1 small red onion
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons dried dill or 2 tablespoons fresh

Slice the cucumbers lengthwise and slice thinly.  Thinly slice the onion.  In a colander, toss the cucumber and onion with the salt and let it sit and drain for 20 minutes.  Press the liquid out of the vegetables and rinse well with cold water.

in a medium bowl combine the vinegar and sugar and stir well.  Add the cucumber mixture and toss to coat.  Stir in the dill.

Ingredients
1 lb Kentucky Wonder Beans, snapped and destringed
1 to 2 T butter
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation
Put 1-2 inches of water in a medium saucepan.  Fill with beans.  Cover and steam for 8-10 minutes until soft, not mushy, when pierced with a fork.  Drain water and add butter, salt and pepper.  Serve warm...Enjoy!

KENTUCKY WONDER BEANS

This heirloom variety, introduced before 1864, then known as 'Texas Pole[', 'Kentucky Wonder' has been a popular variety since its introduction because of its excellent flavor.  A heavy producer, it is meaty and tender.  Growing well even in hot climates, it out-produces most other pole bean plants with heavy crops of 9" long, gently curved, oval pods.  It is a multi-use bean that is great for drying, shelling, and fresh green beans.  Grow it up poles, trellises, fences, or a teepee made of poles.  Additionally, pole beans mature throughout the growing season and therefore yield a larger overall harvest in the same amount of garden space as bush-type beans.  Most commercial green bean cultivars grown today are bush-type.  This is primarily because they are mechanically harvested.

Kentucky Wonder beans are much larger than Blue Lake beans and one drawback of these beans is they do have a string that needs to be removed before cooking.

Enjoy them this week as part of your family's table fare!

Ingredients
1 1/2 to 2 pounds fingerling potatoes
4 tablespoons cider vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste
3/4 to 1 cup fresh mixed herbs, coarsely chopped (our mix this week: chives, garlic chives, thyme, parsley, summer savory)
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped shallots
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation
Cover potatoes with salted cold water by 1-inch, then simmer until just tender, 10-15 minutes.  (Potatoes will continue to cook after draining; do not overcook or they will break apart.)  Drain potatoes and rinse under cold water until slightly cooled.  Halve lengthwise and cut into bite size pieces.  While still warm gently toss with 1 tablespoon vinegar. Cool potatoes to room temperature, then season with salt and pepper.

While potatoes cook, in a food processor pulse mixed herbs, shallots, garlic until finely chopped..  Add oil, zest and remaining 3 tablespoons vinegar in a food processor until finely chopped.  Toss potatoes with herb dressing.

Nectarines, like peaches, probably originated in China over 2,000 years ago and were cultivated in ancient Persia, Greece and Rome.  They were grown in Great Britain in the late 16th or early 17th century, and were introduced to America by the Spanish.

The word 'nectarine' means sweet as nectar, and this is very likely the obvious origin of the name. 

A nectarine is a fuzz-less variety of peach.  It is NOT a cross between a peach and a plum.  Fuzziness is a dominant trait of peaches.  Occasionally when peach trees are crossed or even self pollinated they will produce some fruit whose seeds will grow into nectarine trees and others which will be peach trees.  Nectarines will sometimes appear on peach trees, and peaches sometimes appear on nectarine trees!  It is impossible to tell which seeds from nectarine trees will produce nectarine bearing trees, so commercial growers take branches which produce nectarines and graft them onto peach trees.  The branches will continue to produce nectarines.