Multi-Colored Cherry Tomatoes and Sweet Potatoes!

cherry tomatoes

This week I want to talk about the cherry tomatoes that we received at the Tempe CSA last week because they came in all sorts of different colors, and this was not something that I had ever seen before! I was not sure if they were multi-colored because they were either not quite yet ripe or over-ripe, so I wanted to do some research to find out. Apparently, cherry tomatoes grow to maturity in a variety of different colors, though most people are only used to seeing the red ones at the super market. While I was sitting at the CSA last week I started snacking on my share of these tomatoes because I wanted to see how they tasted, and I could not tell the difference between the red ones that we are all used to seeing and the other colored ones. Some that I tried were yellow, dark purple, green, orange, and a combination of all of these colors. The picture to the left shows all of the different colors that we had last week at the CSA, but there are many other colors that can be found in other gardens. Many of our members are very excited when they see that we have tomatoes available at the CSA, so this week was especially good because there were shares of not only these cherry tomatoes, but also regular tomatoes and tomatillos!

Also, this week I was very excited to see that we had green beans available for the first time that I have been working with the Tempe CSA. These were really tasty, as most of the vegetables that we receive are, and I am hoping that we get another share of them next week! We also received some sweet potatoes this week, and I am not sure what the best way to cook them is yet. I look forward to hearing the different ways that our members used them over the past week when they come in tomorrow because they are always giving me great ideas! They are here pictured to the right. I am assuming that they can be cooked in the same way that regular potatoes are cooked, but I hope there are some creative ideas that our members have come up with that I can use to cook mine. I look forward to using some of mine to make sweet potato fries! Please feel free to comment about any good recipes that you came up with this week for your food, or to ask any questions to other members!

Purslane and Tomatillos This Week!

We've had a few new and interesting options in the two weeks since the new season started, and I'd like to take the time to talk about them because there were a lot of members that had not heard of them before! We have a much smaller turn out this season than we did last season due to many of our members traveling for the summer or moving, but all of the new selections that we have had this summer have made our returning members very excited! First, we have purslane pictured on the right. It is considered to be a weed, and this was the question of many of the members that came through the CSA on Thursday. The whole plant is edible in its entirety, and it can be used for many different culinary options. As many members who already knew about purslane mentioned, it is a great leafy vegetable to cut up and add to a raw salad. Other uses include adding it to a stir fry or a soup for some extra flavor. Last, it is similar to spinach so it can also be cooked this way for those who enjoy the taste! It can be found in many countries all over the world, and it has more of a sour or salty taste so it can be coupled with many different foods! I enjoyed it so much that I started eating it raw while I was finishing up the day at the Tempe CSA last Thursday, and I am hopeful that we are able to get some more this week!

The next new option that we received last week were tomatillos, pictured on the left. There were some members that were very excited about this selection and some that had never heard of it before. I was in the latter category, so I decided to do some research to find out about them! They were first grown in Mexico and are often found in different Mexican dishes, especially in green sauce, but now they are grown throughout the Western Hemisphere. The fruit has a husk that it grows inside, and at full maturity they reach a bright green color. They have a tart or sour taste, so many people do not enjoy eating them raw and would rather roast them or mix them in with vegetables and spices. I have yet to try mine, but I will probably use it to make a salsa with some chopped tomatoes, onions, garlic, and jalepeno! I look forward to hearing what some of our members have chosen to do with their share in the past week so that I can pass that information along to those who have not yet figured out a good way to use them!

The Summer Season

This week marks the start of the sumer season at the Tempe CSA, so I thought I'd discuss some of the vegetables and fruits that grow to maturity during this period of time. The produce that I discuss will not necessarily show up at the Tempe CSA because that is completely dependent on what the Crooked Sky Farm is able to provide us with, but these are great options to grow in a personal garden if gardening is one of your hobbies! There are a lot of fruits that grow during the summer, so I think that some of our members at the CSA will be happy with the variety that they will receive this season. For instance, last week we received watermelon for the first time since I started my internship and many people were excited to see them.

Some other fruits that show up during the summertime are apples, plums, apricots, berries, melon, cherries, grapes, limes, mangos, and peaches. It would be great to see some of these selections at the CSA because I know that there are a lot of fruit lovers out there. However, if we do not get them in at the CSA, Arizona is know for having a great climate to grow fruit trees in. Anyone can easily plant one of these trees if the have a place to put them so that they can enjoy these delicious selections during the summer. While they make take a few years to mature, if residents have a permanent place that they are living or if they can become a part of a community garden these are both viable options.

Sadly, the summer season has lost us many members at the CSA due to people going on vacation or moving away. Hopefully the new members that have joined and the existing members that have renewed will be able to continue on with us in future seasons so that the Tempe CSA can continue to grow and provide great local and organic food to people in the city.