Ground Cherry Salsa
…and more fun items from my CSA share
The angle of the sun has shifted, the kids are headed back to school and football fans are restless. All signs that summer is threatening to end. But because my Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) membership lasts until October – I’m refusing to admit summer is over. Having the freshest in-season fruits and veggies over several months is perhaps the most obvious reason to have a CSA. But your purchase of a CSA share or subscription also provides important support to local farmers throughout their growing season. I find that I plan my meals around what’s in my CSA box each week, so we actually end up eating more fruits and vegetables. Another one of my favorite things about belonging to a CSA is that it exposes me to unique produce items that I may never purchase otherwise - or that may not even be available from the grocery. Last week I received a pint of ground cherries. Ground cherries are housed in little paper husks sort of like mini tomatillos. Inside the husks are marble-sized orangish-yellow fruits that have a sweet-tart taste described by some as a tomato mixed with pineapple or mango. I had never tried these little gems. At first I wasn’t sure what to do with them, but they quickly found their way into a slightly sweet ground cherry salsa.
A ground cherry peaking out of her husk.
What is a CSA?
If you’re not familiar with CSAs, the idea is that you purchase a membership or subscription to a local farm, thereby supporting community agriculture. It’s a direct relationship with the people who actually grow your food. There are varying models based on which farm you choose, but typically you receive a weekly or biweekly box of locally grown fruits and veggies over a set number of months. Some farms deliver and others require you to do the pick-up. Some CSAs allow you to pick the size (i.e., 2 people, family of 4, etc.) and the frequency.
The last two summers I belonged to the Frisky Girl Farm CSA. I would go online each week and pick from what was available and my account would be debited. They also offer a good selection of veggies at their farm stand throughout the summer.
This year I joined the Fall City Farms CSA. This was. my son’s first job. During the summers he hoed, sowed and mowed, and in October, he weighed pumpkins and made apple cider and donuts. He was farmer Cody from age 13 through high school and even some weekends when he was home from college. So, I have a soft spot for these folks. Their CSA is set up differently. You don’t pick and choose what you want. Rather it’s a surprise each time. I didn’t know if I would like this as I’m prone to wanting to know what to expect –but I ended up loving opening my box each week to see what surprises were waiting for me. It’s like opening a present … I pull out each item one at a time and joyfully admire it while my brain starts thinking about how I’m going to prepare and eat everything.
Last week when I received my ground cherries, it was like being presented with a little kitchen challenge.
Ground cherry salsa
Ingredients
1 cup ground cherries, measured before removing husks (approx.)
2 small tomatillos
¼ of a red onion
About a 1/3 of a 14.5-oz can fire roasted salsa style tomatoes
½ lime, juiced
1 clove garlic, peeled
1/2 jalapeno
1/4 cup (palm full) of fresh cilantro leaves
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp cumin
Dash red pepper flakes
Directions
Remove the husks, rinse and pat dry the ground cherries. Place ground cherries into the bowl of a food processor or blender. Slice the tomatillos in half and add to the bowl. Cut the onion in quarters and drop in. Pour in one-third to up to half the can of fire-roasted tomatoes. Add the lime juice, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro and seasonings. Pulse until well combined and no more large chunks remain. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.
Refrigerate for an hour or more. Enjoy with chips of your choice!
More fun items from my CSA
Example of one of my CSA boxes. I even received eggs a few times.
In addition to the ground cherries, some of the other fun items I’ve received are rainbow chard, shishito peppers, several varieties of basil, purple carrots, oh and purple cauliflower! I love to see all the beautiful heirloom tomatoes hiding in my box. This year was my first taste of fresh fennel. I’m still deciding how much I like it — it definitely smells and tastes like licorice. Growing up I would never try radishes and I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve never bought snap peas. But I ended up making several salads with both. One week I picked up a beautiful panisse lettuce with lobed leaves, and another time I received a beautiful purple Napa cabbage. I’m amazed at the variety of vegetables Fall City Farms is growing.
Crunchy and refreshing. I made several renditions of this radish, snap pea & fennel salad this summer. This one includes chopped dates and mint with a light dressing of olive oil, fresh lemon juice kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.
Panisse lettuce is an oakleaf variety and looks like a curly head of hair. Nearly too pretty to eat!
Join a CSA
If you’ve never tried a CSA and would like to, just Google CSAs in your area. Summer is the most popular but some offer other seasonal options. Check early in the year because they can sell out quickly. The idea is that people buy a “share” of the farm’s bounty in advance, which helps farmers plan efficiently. In my area, Snoqualmie Valley Farmer’s Cooperative, which comprises 21 local farms, looks like another good option. Another idea is to visit local farmers markets now, sign up for their newsletters or follow them on social media so you’ll be notified when their CSA memberships open.
I can’t wait to see what else awaits for me over the next month. I’m anticipating more tomatoes, some beautiful fall squash, kale and maybe some beets. But right now, this snow leopard honeydew melon is waiting for me on my counter. I just sliced her open and had my first taste. Tastes like summer.
