We’re grateful for our partner farms who help us to fill out the share with flavor and variety! This week we have potatoes from Hill Side Farm and rosemary from High Ground Gardens. And as the seasons go on we’re excited to share food from Three Stone Farm, Blue Heron Farm and more. As a Collective, Community Supported Agriculture goes beyond the relationship between our owner farms and members, it includes supporting and support from fellow farmers too!

fruit bowl this week

• cantaloupe melons - rolling acres organics

• golden plums - bittner singer

• apricots - red jacket orchard

this week’s Remembrance cheese

• Mozzarella - with a slice of tomato and some u-pick basil?! say no more!

preorder and pickup

PEACHES - pickup NEXT week, 8/17-8/20 - Beckens

HOT PEPPERS - red ember cayenne - these peppers make an amazing hot sauce! Or dry them for use all winter - pickup this week, 8/10-8/13 - Remembrance

CHEESE & YOGURT from Remembrance. Orders placed today to be filled next week.

updates from the farm & friends…

FARM TO FOOD TRUCKS, MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Our annual Farm to Food Truck Fundraisers for Healthy Food For All are on! We’re welcoming Stone Bend Farm on 8/31 and Van Noble Farm on 9/28 — events are at Stick and Stone Farm from 4-7pm, during CSA pickup!

on our plates…

Tomato Grits with Corn, Bacon & Peppers

by Sara May. DIETARY INFO: gluten-free, contains dairy and meat (both optional)

• 1 large tomato

• ½ cup stone-ground grits or polenta (such as Farmer Ground Flour’s polenta)

• Kosher salt & freshly cracked pepper, to taste

• 4 ounces thick cut bacon (such as Wixom Farm’s) OR 4 oz tempeh bacon

• 5-6 scallions or 1 small onion

• 1 ear corn

• 1 jalapeno (upick) OR 2 shishitos (upick) /1 small sweet pepper

• 2 tablespoons sour cream (optional)

• ¼ cup soft herbs (upick parsley, mint, basil, tarragon, cilantro or a mix)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place a box grater inside a shallow bowl. Grate tomato against the large holes of the grater until all that remains is flattened tomato skin and stem; discard. 

2. Place grated tomato pulp and 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan and add a healthy pinch of kosher salt. Bring to a rapid boil over high heat. Stream in grits, whisking vigorously. Immediately reduce heat to a simmer.

3. Simmer grits, stirring frequently to prevent sticking, while you assemble the rest of the dish. The mixture will start to feel dry and a little sludgy, add a tablespoon of water to loosen and continue to simmer. (You will probably have to repeat this step a few times) Grits will take about 30 minutes to cook fully, so start them first while you cook bacon and chop the remaining vegetables.

4. Slice bacon into ¼” pieces. In a large skillet, cook bacon until browned and crispy on both sides. Remove bacon from rendered bacon fat with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to blot. Carefully pour off most of the bacon fat into a heat-proof container, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the skillet. (If using tempeh bacon, you’ll have to add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to crisp it in the pan and an additional tablespoon of oil to saute the veggies.)

5. Chop veggies: thinly slice the white bottoms & green tops of scallions. Remove kernels from the ear of corn. Remove seeds and ribs of pepper and small dice.

6. To the skillet with the reserved bacon fat add the scallions, corn kernels and diced peppers. Saute until slightly softened, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir cooked bacon into the vegetable mixture. 

7. When the grits are creamy and soft, stir in sour cream (optional, but adds a lovely tang!). Season with kosher salt and lots of freshly cracked black pepper. Divide grits between two bowls and top with the bacon-vegetable mixture. Garnish with assorted herbs.

More in-season inspiration…

• Rosemary, potatoes (could add onion!): Rosemary Rosted Potatoes

• Sweet peppers, onion, tomatoes, u-pick basil: Peperonata

• Sweet peppers, corn, onions: Sweet Pepper & Corn Relish

• Eggplant, upick basil, RF yogurt: Grilled Eggplant & Peach Caprese Salad

• Cabbage, sweet pepper: Cold Sesame Noodle Salad

• Cabbage, cucumber, tomato, upick basil: Summer Veggie Sandwich

• Melon, cucumber, upick herbs: Watermelon & Cucumber Skewers

• Potatoes, squash, onion, upick thyme: Herbed Summer Squash & Potato Torte

• Potatoes, onion, corn, pickled cucumber: Baltimore Summer Potato Salad

U-Pick Gardens

open 7 days/week during daylight hours. unlimited use for Full Plate vegetable share members only. No picking in tunnels or fields, no dogs, please do not block farm roads & stay off machinery. see more u-pick info and maps!

AT STICK AND STONE FARM (see map)

Creekside Garden: follow the mowed path along the roadside garden walking away from the barn to find this new and abundant garden! Lots of parsley, thai basil, basil and perilla, and some cherry tomatoes for the picking. Not many paste tomatoes yet, but coming soon :)

Roadside Garden: All the flowers carry on steadily ❀ Plus tomatillos, ground cherries, and hot peppers. FIND DETAIL MAPS & PEPPER GUIDE HERE.

Behind the barn: Elderberries, get ‘em before the birds do! (do not eat raw)

AT THE YOUTH FARM PROJECT (see map)

The main garden is ready for picking!! Loads of flowers! Herbs like basil and parsley. Plus cutting celery, green hot peppers, all the fun greens, and some tomatoes, husk cherries and tomatillos too! Enjoy!