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Every week we will send several recipes that make use of the produce you are receiving in your bag. We also have a significant collection of recipes. Please send us your own recipes, too--either favorites from your cookbooks or your own concoctions.
Note on storing salad greens: Try to keep as much air in your bags as possible. This will keep your greens fresher longer and prevent wilting.
Quick-Pickled Cucumbers
From The CSA Cookbook, Voyageur Press, 2015 (For sale at the garden!)
Note: These pickles are simple and tasty and we'll have samples at the garden this week. I used apple cider vinegar instead of rice, because that is what I had on hand. And my Korean red pepper powder was the hot variety and I plan to use LESS next time -- whoa! Hot stuff!
Sweet Japanese Pickles
1 pounds cucumbers
2 tsp. salt
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 ½ Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
Spicy Korean Pickles
1 pound cucumbers
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
2 tsp. Korean red pepper powder
1 tsp. sugar
1 scallion (I omitted it because I didn't have it)
1 garlic clove, minced (I used a scape)
In a colander, toss the cucumbers with the salt and let drain in the sink for one hour. Give them a good toss once or twice to shake off as much liquid as possible.
In separate bowls, combine the other ingredients. Add the cucumbers and toss to coat. Cover and chill. They store well in the refrigerator and the flavor deepens over time.
Carrot Top Salsa
Note: Use this condiment as a dip for chips and bread, a marinade for meats and vegetables, or a drizzle for omelettes and roasts.
2 cups minced carrot greens (leaves and tender stems only)
3 Tbsp. minced garlic
3 Tbsp. minced fresh oregano
2 Tbsp. minced jalapeno pepper
1 to 1 1/4 cups olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Add all of the ingredients to a medium bowl and stir to combine. (Use more or less oil as desired, to make a chunkier or a thinner sauce.) Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight while the flavors intermingle. Carrot top salsa only gets better with age, so you'll know it's good when the carrot tops have turned a deep, muted shade of army green.
Decand the salsa into a jar and refrigerate. The oil may congeal in the cold temperature, but this will not affect the flavor. Bring the salsa to room temperature before serving.
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Shared by longtime garden friend, Norma Dickau.
Note: Chocolate Zucchini cake is the perfect comfort dessert, and the "Garden Birthday Dessert" of the week. Inspired by the Sisters, we enjoy opportunities to celebrate each other. Today was Mitch's "Surprise Garden Birthday" and this was the dessert we shared together. Mitch's real birthday does not fall during the garden season, so we chose today to surprise him with a little celebration.
½ cup softened margarine
2 ½ cups flour, unsifted
½ cup vegetable oil
4 T. cocoa1 ¾ cup sugar
½ tsp. baking powder
2 whole eggs1 t. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ cup sour milk
½ tsp. cloves
2 cups finely diced, not shredded, zucchini
¼ cup chocolate chips (I use at least 1 cup; never be stingy with chocolate chips!)
Cream margarine, oil and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla and sour milk; beat well with a mixer. Mix together all the dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture. Stir in diced zucchini. Spoon batter into greased and floured 9x12x2-inch pan; sprinkle top with chocolate chips. Bake at 325 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick or cake tester come out clean and dry. This really needs no frosting; it is moist and very tender.
TIPS: To finely dice large zucchini, slice it lengthwise and scoop out the pulp and seeds. Chop remaining half circle. If the skin is tender, it will not need to be peeled. To make sour milk, add 1 tsp. lemon juice to ½ cup whole or skim milk. Let stand 5 minutes before using.
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We are also clearing out the last of some of our first plantings of greens: Joi choi and Chinese cabbage. These crops were new to us this year, have produced well and I hope you have enjoyed them. We've planted more in hopes of bountiful greens throughout the entire season. We also planted more turnips, radishes, kohlrabi, Carlton and Swiss chard for a fall harvest. It's a fun change from our summer weeding and harvesting rhythm to rip out old spinach plants, till up the soil again, rake and plant seeds -- it feels like a continuous cycle of hope.
Meet Erin Stout!
The Girl Scouts were on parade on Monday, enjoying the flowers of our garden: sunflowers, zinnias and flowers that will turn into eggplant, watermelon, tomatoes and winter squash. We have just two more programs for this year: Painting and Digital Photography. Tell your friends and contact Kendra to register your troop for fun at the garden: (320)-250-5668 or 
Common Ground Garden is a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm, where members purchase a share of vegetables and each week during the farm season receive a bountiful box of fresh produce. We pride ourselves on producing fresh, clean, healthful food picked at the peak of flavor and nutrition. As much as we are able, we grow our vegetables without the use of any chemical herbicides, pesticides or fertilizers. We use cover crops, rotations, compost and ingenuity to produce your food in a way that's healthy for you and for the community. When necessary for pest control or to combat disease, we use only products approved for organic gardening.