[Week 8] Two Reasons to Love the Farm Share Even More

Hello Farm Share Friends:

On Sunday I went to the Schenectady Green Market for the first time this summer. I have never seen it so bustling, and upon seeing the tables spilling with all the spoils of the season, I felt immediate gratitude for belonging to a farm share for two reasons:

1. Focus. At this point in the summer, I’ve received nearly two months of farm share deliveries, and I’ve had my fill of greens! This helped me focus: as tempting as the fresh heads of lettuce, bags of arugula, and bundles of kale and Swiss chard looked, I didn’t need them. And so, I loaded up my bags only with items I had yet to receive, namely tomatoes, corn, and green beans.

2. Quantity control. Try as I might to show restraint, I always buy too much at the farmer’s market. And when I bring home my haul, it somehow multiplies further in volume. This past Sunday, I could not resist the 3 quarts of green beans for $13, and though not a single bean will go to waste, I probably didn’t need 3 quarts of green beans. This made me appreciate the quantity control the farm share provides, and I love that the decision is made for me: 2 cucumbers, 1 fennel, 1 pint of snap peas, etc.

Friends, the bounty at the farmer’s market was inspiring, thrilling, and so darn beautiful all at once. I discovered a new tomato (see below!) and I bought a heap of squash blossoms, which I piled onto a pizza Sunday evening. All of this said, the experience made me even more thankful for the farm share model.

This week we are expecting corn (!!) and tomatoes (!!) and I couldn’t be more thrilled. There are many great ways to cook corn, and if you’re looking for a reader-favorite method, check out this post: The Easiest (Best?) Way to Shuck (And Cook) Corn.

Most recently I tried a method one of you — hi Dede — sent me, and I loved it: fill up a pot with water and bring to a boil, drop in the ears of corn, cover, turn off the heat, and let stand for 5 minutes. Done!

Week 8 Vegetables

This week I’ll use the head lettuce first. Everything else will keep fine in the fridge or on the countertop for one week.

• head lettuce → Salads

• corn