Fermentation Summer by Wendy Myers-Jennings

 Fermentation Summer

by Wendy Myers-Jennings

We as a family have been focusing more on our gut health, and so one way we're using our CSA veggies is to make fun ferments! In years past we would make vinegar pickles with our cucumbers, but this year we made fermented pickles instead! Make a salt brine and plunk your cucumbers in there - add any seasonings you prefer. Let it sit out for several days in a covered jar, burping the lid once a day. Once it reaches the desired taste, put in the fridge and enjoy!

 

Ball jar with homemade fermented pickled cucumbers.  Photo by author.

 

Another ferment we made was beet kvass - scrub your beets, chop, then put in a salty brine. I've read that beet ferments can get moldy easily, so if you can add some sort of fermentation starter to your jar (lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, kraut brine) then hopefully you can avoid mold! Beet kvass is a sour yeasty drink that is an amazing tonic for your liver and can be super helpful for constipation (not that I know anything about that...).

Ball jar with homemade fermented beets.  Photo by author.

Happy fermenting!

  

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Interested in learning more about the Norwood CSA? Check out our Info Page.

Cyclospora Outbreak: Do we have to cook lettuce? by Patrice Hall

 Cyclospora Outbreak: Do we have to cook lettuce?

By Patrice Hall

There has been some talk regarding the cyclospora outbreak this year, and the conversation has centered around possibly cooking lettuce.  According to the CDC, Cyclospora can pass to humans by consuming unwashed produce, however most people normally wash their produce before eating it.  On July 17, 2026, Taylor Farms de Mexico recalled all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico. Of course, our CSA sources our food from our local farm, Norwich Meadows farm.  This is the best reason to join a CSA; we can eliminate risks from overseas farms, our food is fresher because it is not traveling long distances, and we can always contact our farmer, Zaid, in case any issues arise.

The CDC site also states that the “best by” date has passed so the lettuce you would buy in grocery stores should be safe:

The best-by dates for these recalled products have passed and they should no longer be available in stores or restaurants. If you check your home and have recalled lettuce, do not eat it. Throw it away or return it. Wash items and surfaces that may have touched the recalled lettuce using hot soapy water or a dishwasher.

 

Operative word here is “should”, we never know the daily practices of farms which we are not familiar with, let alone farms outside of the US.  The US imports lots of different food items which we do not grow domestically such as tropical fruit.  Lettuce is something we grow, however when you go to the supermarket or grocery store you have no idea where the items are grown.  Even mixed leaf salad kits have greens which are sourced from various locations, and they will be mixed so we wouldn’t know which portion was grown where.

 

So, to answer the question in the title, do we have to cook our lettuce?  My answer is, absolutely not if you are eating locally grown produce, just wash it as you normally would.  People who buy produce from supermarkets and grocery stores, maybe they have to just to be safe.  Nowadays there are many food recalls, just stay up to date on the latest, also keep the CDC’s website bookmarked (cdc.gov) for details.  

 

Details on the cyclospora outbreak can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/cyclosporiasis/outbreaks/07-26/index.html

Also, here is an interesting article on bagged salad kits: https://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/bagged-salad-history

 

Happy eating!

  

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Interested in learning more about the Norwood CSA? Check out our Info Page.

When in Doubt, Stir-Fry! by Wendy Myers-Jennings

When in Doubt, Stir-Fry! 

by Wendy Myers-Jennings 

This is our 4th or 5th CSA season and we are so excited to dive in to another summer and fall of yummy vegetables! For some reason, every year I have a hard time coming up with ways to prepare the vegetables we receive in the early weeks of the season. I am the only salad-eater in my home and since we tend to get a lot of lettuces and other leafy greens this time of year, I sometimes feel a bit lost as to what to cook. This year I am determined not to let this food go to waste; this week, my solution was a stir-fry!

Sautee pan on a stove with mixed vegetables and fava beans.  Photo by author.

In this stir-fry are fava beans, kale, green onions, and pac choi, along with a few non-CSA items. A simple sauce pulls it all together, served over rice. For the fava beans, in years past I blanched the beans to then peel the outer skin, but this year a CSA friend told me he never does! Verdict: I prefer the extra skin peeled, so blanching it is.

Enjoy!

Stir-fry adapted from the recipe, Rainbow Chicken Stir Fry.  

Blanched Romano Bean Dream (NOT Vegetarian Style!) - Better the Next Day by Chelsea S. Yamada

 Blanched Romano Bean Dream (NOT Vegetarian Style!) - Better the Next Day

by Chelsea S. Yamada  

7/11/2026

My partner graciously offered to lead Norwood CSA bi-weekly mixed meat night! I contributed to the side dish, 

so I decided to write our blog post about it, and honestly I’m not sure anyone knows exactly which delicious 

flavorings went into the meat main course. Either way, the mixed meat roulette spun us beef stew meat to 

experiment with. Inspired by the classic Romano beans side dish with lemon and garlic, we ended up using 

all the beef’s juices from the package to create an unforgettable sauce (no flour, but it felt like a roux). 

 

This, our Friday night dinner turned into Saturday morning brunch, and even tasted better the next day. 

The bean portion was quite an armful!

 

Recipe below.  

Blanched Romano Beans in Beef Stir Fry Sauce

CSA ingredients: Stew Meat - Don’t pour out the liquid from the bag!, Romano beans, dried seasonings

Other ingredients: Onions, garlic, vinegar, lemon, oil, and seasonings. Optional: Maple syrup

1. Blanch the beans. Trim ends of Romano beans. Blanch - or boil, for five minutes, and then 

   cool immediately after in an ice bath.

2. Make your drippings. Save the blood from the meat package in a small bowl. Stir fry stew 

   meat and chopped onions in oil. Remove the ingredients and leave the drippings in the bottom 

   of the pan.

3. Combine sauce ingredients in small bowl. To the meat juice, add a generous amount of 

   chopped garlic, vinegar (we used balsamic) and optionally, maple syrup. 

4. Reduce. Add sauce to your pan of flavorful meat drippings with another splash of oil if 

   needed. This sauce thickened quickly and was inspired by a balsamic reduction.

5. Toss the sauce with the beans.

6. Serve with plenty of lemon juice - we had our Romano beans with onions and stew meat over rice.

Yum!

Since the beans were so delicious and not that photogenic, I wanted to add a more photographic PSA for 

the Bainbridge Avenue Garden upcoming event next weekend, and a photo-based I-Spy game to play with 

an aspiring gardener!

Visit the Bainbridge Avenue Garden in person on Sunday July 19th for a family-friendly event of paper-making, 

veggie juicing and more.

Can you find the following Bainbridge Garden plants or their aspects of interest? For answers, see the photos below. 

1. Dahlia, cultivated from an edible tuber

2. Cempasuchil, or marigolds

3. Cucumber flower

4. Pápalo, a delicious herb

5. African Pelargonium, an annual showy geranium 

6. Corn flower

7. Milkweed pod

8. BONUS! Spotted Lanternfly in its red spotted second instar, or molting phase (trigger 

   warning! In the photo, I already squished it)

—

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Photo answers:

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

6. 

7. 

Bonus question…  trigger warning! I squished it in the photo!

8. 

Can’t Ig-Nor-e that Summer’s Back - Unpacking the Week 1 Farm Box by Chelsea S. Yamada

 Can’t Ig-Nor-e that Summer’s Back - Unpacking the Week 1 Farm Box

by Chelsea S. Yamada

June 10, 2026

As you can see, our fridge was nearly empty awaiting our Norwich Farm boost. I spread out a lovely fabric blanket to absorb excess 

moisture and to liven up the tableau. The beets, lettuces, Choi and garlic went hydro. Talking to farm members this evening, 

I was happy to meet Bronx neighbors whose children are raised on this CSA. Someone generously passed me an unwanted 

fennel - what a good problem to resolve! I would have julienned the fennel on the spot for an easy Italian Salad, but please folks, 

don’t be like me and remember to buy your LEMONS!

Fridge interior featuring eggs and various vegetables laid out on the shelves and in the crisper. (Photo by author.) 

 

Speaking of lemons, I wanted to experiment with the lemon mint, to see if it preserved better hanging to dry or in the fridge. My thyme 

is now an herb sushi roll wrapped in paper towel. In the fridge, the thyme dries out slowly so you can use it fresh, but the paper towel 

prevents it from rotting out. How do you use thyme? It’s my favorite!

Herbs tied in paper towel hanging on the open door of a wooden kitchen cabinet. (Photo by author).

Here’s a picture of the thyme in my boiled egg, lettuce, red beet greens, and kohlrabi greens salad (I ATE THE ENTIRE THING!!!)

Salad made of thyme, boiled egg, lettuce, red beet greens, kohlrabi greens, and cheese in a glass bowl. (Photo by author).

My lazy salad dressing included a surprisingly coherent blend of coconut oil, kosher pickle juice and seeded mustard. I’m sorry 

the cheese was already a nibbled shape by the time the salad came together!

It was lovely meeting the faces of Week A under the gazebo. I’m a gardener for work, so if any garden members could say hello I’d 

really appreciate it! 

 

P.S.— does the garden know that the plant in the middle of the garden is an invasive mugwort weed? It was all I could do not to rip it 

out during tonight’s CSA hours.

Community garden plots with plants growing in beds, with mugwort growing the center.  (Photo by author).

Cheers to the Norwood CSA!

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Interested in learning more about the Norwood CSA? Check out our Info Page: https://norwoodfoodcoop.blogspot.com/2021/10/how-to-join-norwood-csa.html

Making Peach Jam by Patrice Hall

 Making Peach Jam

By Patrice Hall 

This is a recipe for canning Peach Jam, and I am referencing my Ball Book of Canning and Preserving book and the National Center for Home Food Preservation site https://nchfp.uga.edu/. 

Peaches in a blue bowl in a steel sink. Photo by author.

Ingredients needed:

4 each ½ pint Ball jars with the lids and bands (I prefer the wide mouth jars)

*Prepared Peaches 2 2/3 cups

Fruit Pectin (3 tablespoons)

Sugar 3 1/3 cups

 

Instructions:

Clean the jars with soap and water then boil them in a large canning pot to make them hot.  While this is happening, you prepare the peaches by peeling, pitting them, then finely chop them, then sprinkle them with the lemon juice.  When the canning pot with the jars is boiling well you can remove the jars then set aside with the lids and bands.  Keep the canning pot boiling so you can use it right away after you fill the jars.

Mason jars and lids in a pot of water on a stove.  Photo by author.

 

Combine the prepared peaches and fruit pectin in a large saucepan.  Bring this to a rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly.  Add the sugar, stirring to dissolve.  Return to a full rolling boil, boil hard for 1 minute while stirring constantly.  Remove from heat then skim the foam.  Then ladle the hot jam into the hot jars leaving ¼ inch headspace.  Place the lid on the jar with the band and close to fingertip tight.  Place the jar in the canning pot, repeat until all jars are filled.  Place top on canner and boil jars for 10 minutes (consult the National Center for Home Food Preservation site for altitude adjustments).

Packet of pectin, glass measuring cup, canning tongs, funnel, and other canning tools.  Photo by author.

 

After the Processing time is finished let the pot cool a bit by taking the lid off before taking jars out to cool on a counter covered with a towel (this is so the glass jars won’t break with the sudden change in temperature).  You may hear a popping sound, that means that the lids are sealed on the jars which is a good thing   I left my jars to cool overnight, my son wanted to eat some right away(!), so I let him.  In this case, once opened the jar must stay in the fridge.  The rest of the unopened jars can go in the cabinet if sealed properly, if not then it must go in the fridge.  The way you can tell is by pressing on the button on the lid, if it is still raised after 24 hours then it is not sealed.  This is very important because you can avoid getting sick by keeping the unsealed jars in the fridge. 

This is a fun and easy way to preserve some extra fruit, and you can make your own jam without all of the preservatives.  

 

 

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Interested in learning more about the Norwood CSA? Check out our Info Page: https://norwoodfoodcoop.blogspot.com/2021/10/how-to-join-norwood-csa.html