Hello farm friends!

It's been another muggy, uncomfortable week in the field and we are hot and sweaty, as usual.  This heatwave situation seems to have become the unfortunate new norm, so I have decided to stop commenting on it.  I mean, how many times can I say it?  It's hot.  From here on in, you can assume that, unless otherwise stated, we, and our crops, are thirsty and overheated.  No more pointing it out.  Starting now :-).

On a cooler note, we are very excited to report that farmstand sales have been gradually increasing and have reached a point that justifies an upgrade to our veggie storage situation!  With this year being our first venture into selling farmstand-style, we were reluctant to invest in refrigeration at the actual farmstand until we knew that we would have farmstand customers.  We also didn't want to just lay our veggies out on a table (especially in this crazy you-know-what; starts with 'h' and rhymes with 'beat') and sell them to you all limp and dried out (we're fresh-obsessed, too, you know).  As a result, up until now, we have been running back and forth to the main fridge in our packing shed to fill orders while our customers patiently wait (thank you, patient customers!!).  But we shall run, and customers shall wait, no more!  Because last week we ordered a commercial fridge - one of those two-glass-doors, see-all the-awesome-veggies-in-it fridges!  Soon (in about a week or so), fresh, cool veggies will be accessible right at the farmstand!!  We are pretty darned excited.  We hope you are, too :-)

Beans are the hot, up-and-coming item at the farmstand this week!  Hurray!  Bright and early tomorrow morning, we'll be out harvesting the season's first batches of green and yellow beans and, on Thursday, you will have your choice of either (or both!)!

If you would like to preorder a veggie box on any given week, you can do so by clicking on the preorder button, below!

All preordered veggie boxes will be "Farmer's Choice Boxes" in that they will contain a selection of veggies of our choosing.  If there is a veggie that you absolutely must have, you may want to come by and select it yourself, just to be sure!

You may not receive every vegetable that is on offer on any given week and not all boxes will be the same.  They will all, however, be of the same value (according to the size of box you ordered) and your veggies will always be fresh and delicious!

Please note that we will have a limited number of Farmer's Choice boxes available each week - if we are sold out, you will receive a sold-out message when you try to place your order.

Payment can be made by e-transfer or with cash at pick-up.

Now, you're never going to hear me complain about salad greens, but I will admit that a non-lettuce based salad at this time of year is a welcome change!  And when I need that welcome change, I like to welcome green beans!  I am a person who is happiest when there is a green item on my plate (for both aesthetic and nutritional reasons) so, in my opinion, green beans are the perfect lettuce alternative when it comes to summer salads.  Green bean salads can be elegant yet easy, delightfully crunchy and oh, so tasty.  One of my go-to green bean salads is this little gem of a recipe, that satisfies all of these qualities at once.  For lunch, I might add feta or goat cheese to it.  Or hardboiled egg or canned tuna!  For supper, it makes a mighty tasty side dish to pretty much anything, including chicken, fish, veggie or hamburgers...It also makes a beautiful addition to a salad plate, made up of a variety of salads and sliced tomatoes.

As we are harvesting our beans tomorrow, I'm afraid that I don't have a picture of the finished dish to show you.  You'll just have to use your imagination!

Lemon Walnut Green Bean Salad 

Adapted from Nourishing Meals, by Alissa Segersten & Tom Malterre

• 1 1/2 lbs fresh green beans, ends trimmed
• 1 cup walnuts or pecans (omit if nut-free or try pumpkin seeds!)
• 2-4 tbsp snipped fresh chives or chopped green of green onions
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp seasoned salt or sea salt (or more, to taste)
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring a medium sized pot of water to boil.  Add green beans and blanch for 4-5 minutes.  Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water until cool.  Place in a large bowl.

Place the nuts in a baking dish and roast in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes.  Transfer to a plate to cool, then chop.  Add to the green beans.

Add the remaining ingredients and toss together.  Serve and enjoy!  If you're not going to serve right away, leave the nuts out until ready to serve; otherwise, they will get soggy!

Green Beans Amandine

Now, just in case my mention of haricots verts amandine got you curious or, worse, salivating, I am including a recipe for those as well.  Don't want to leave you with green beans on your hands and no haricots verts amandine recipe.  What kind of farmer would I be??

Best Ever Green Beans Recipe - Cookie and Kate

That's all for this week, folks!  Wishing you all a fantastic week and hope to see you at the farmstand.

Enjoy your veggies!

Anna & Patrick