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Fruits

Okra

Photo Source: Unsplash

What’s Below:

About Okra

Cooking & Storage

Recipes

ABOUT Okra

Okra is a tall, heat loving plant that generously produces fruit at the peak of summer through to the early fall, and has origins in Ethiopia that go back at least 3,000 years. It’s in the Mallow family with cacao beans and cotton, and it’s name has origins in Twi, Igbo, and Bantu languages (okuru, nkuruma, and ngombo respectively), with its Bantu name being the reason its also known as gumbo, both as a plant and the dish.

Okra is an herbaceous yet mildly sweet fruit that can range in color from green to white and red. It has a slimy texture in the center that can be used as a thickening agent for soups and stews!

COOKING & STORAGE

  • Edible parts: Fruit

  • Medicine and Nutrients: Okra is rich in vitamin C, B6, iron, and calcium.

  • Storing and Shelf Stability: Refrigerate your okra unwashed and untrimmed in a paper bag in the crisper drawer for three to five days.

Ways to Prepare 

  • RAW: Enjoy them diced up in a salsa or salad; sliced on a sandwich; or just as is with a sprinkle of salt and your favorite herbs or spices alongside some pungent cheese.

  • COOKED: Okra is a staple in Creole and Southern cuisine. It can be sauteed, deep-fried, or simmered in soups and stews, such as gumbo. Raw okra can even be pickled. 

RECIPES

Authored and compiled by Maya Marie of Deep Routes, Ayllen Kocher, and Amara Ullauri

Winter Squash

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What’s Below:

About Winter Squash

Cooking & Storage

Recipes

ABOUT WINTER SQUASH

Winter Squash is a delicious, hearty fruit that comes in a several varieties that range in taste and texture, from sweet to nutty and creamy to delightfully stringy. These versatile, fall fruits grow on vines and have their origins across North, South, and Central America where they’ve been cultivated by Indigenous peoples for at least 10,000 years. It’s believed that the word squash comes from the Narragansett word for “eaten raw” askutasquash." While it is possible to eat many varieties of winter squash raw, many people prefer to eat the skin, flesh, and seeds cooked.

The winter squash most folks have heard of is pumpkin, with acorn and butternut right behind them. Here at Rock Steady we grow two varieties of winter squash, which are kabocha and butternut squash. Kabocha is a Japanese squash with a green outer shell, with a flavor that’s described as sweet potato mixed with pumpkin. Butternut squash is a hybrid of a pumpkin and gooseneck squash, and is often described as being sweet, but nutty tasting.

Butternut squash

Butternut squash

Kabocha squash

Kabocha squash

COOKING & STORAGE

  • Edible parts: Fruit

  • Medicine and Nutrients: Depending on the type winter squash have varying levels of different nutrients, but most are a great source of potassium, fiber, vitamin C, and beta-carotene.

  • Storing and Shelf Stability: Store kabocha at room temperature in a cool, dry and dark place for up to 1 month. Refrigerate cooked and cut kabocha squash and use within 2-3 days. Store sliced kabocha in plastic wrap, foil or a sealed plastic bag. If you store uncut butternut squash, it will keep for 3-4 months in a cool, dry place. Discard if it becomes soft, squishy, or moldy.

  • Ways to Prepare: Winter squash can be roasted, fried, simmered, stewed, and added to soups with or without their skin peeled. The seeds can be seasoned with spices and roasted.

RECIPES

Authored and compiled by Maya Marie of Deep Routes, Ayllen Kocher, and Amara Ullauri

Melons

2021 Pollinators Amanda and Alexx enjoying some cantaloupe.

What’s Below:

About Melons

Cooking & Storage

Recipes

ABOUT MELONS

Melons are deliciously juicy fruits that grow on bushy vines and are plant cousins of cucumber and squash. They have multiple points of origin across Africa and Southeast and West Asia where they’ve been cultivated for about 4,000-5,000 years. There are many types of melons that come in a variety of shapes and sizes, however the most well known ones are watermelons, cantaloupe, honey dew, and bittermelon.

Here at Rock Steady Farm we’re growing watermelons and cantaloupe which you can learn more about below.

D enjoying a cantaloupe.

Cantaloupe has origins across Southeast and West Asia, specifically India and Iran, where its been cultivated for at least 4,400 years. The word cantaloupe is believed to come from the Italian town of Cantalupo where it became popular thanks to a Pope being obsessed with it at the time. They’re also known as muskmelons which comes from the Persian word for perfume, and in India the Hindi word for melon is Kharbhuj खरभुज. All this is to say that there are many names for this sweet little fruit, that speak to its honey like scent and taste which has helped it maintain its popularity in Mediterranean and South West Asian cuisines to this day.

Mika enjoying some yellow watermelons!

Watermelons are native to Egypt and Libya, as well as Southern Africa, where they were first cultivated over 5,000 years ago and became valued for to their drought tolerance. Early watermelons had really bitter flesh and were most prized for their nutrient dense seeds. Overtime they would be bred to have a sweeter flesh surrounding the seeds, but the nutritious seeds have remained important especially in West African dishes like Egusi.

In the African diaspora of the Americas watermelon have come to symbolize liberation and joy for many Black people. And despite decades of harmful marketing campaigns, that are still somewhat pervasive in the minds of people today, many Black folks have resisted such stereotypes by continuing to both grow and enjoy the refreshment that watermelon has to offer.

COOKING & STORAGE

  • Edible parts: Fruit and seeds

  • Medicine and Nutrients:  Both Watermelons and Cantaloupe are a great source of vitamins C and A, as well as potassium.

  • Storage: Melons can be kept at room temperature until they’re fully ripe, and when ripe they should be kept cool in the fridge. There’s lots of debate as to whether or not melons can ripen off the vine on their own, but if you place a melon in a paper bag with an apple or banana it will encourage the melon to ripen somewhat. Ripe melon slices or cubes can be stored in an airtight container or wrapping for about a week. Melons can also be cut up and stored in the freezer, which make a sweet alternative to ice cubes for drinks.

  • Ways to Prepare: Although the raw pulp of melons are the most popularly eaten part of the plant, their seeds are prized in some Black and Brown cultures (particularly West African and South East Asian cuisines) to make soups and stews, or toasted as a snack. The rinds of melons can also be cooked like winter squash, used to flavor dishes like soup, or brined to make a crunchy pickle.

RECIPES

Authored and compiled by Maya Marie of Deep Routes

Summer Squash

Pattypan squash in the center!

Pattypan squash in the center!

What’s Below:

About Summer Squash

Cooking & Storage

Recipes

ABOUT Summer squash

Summer squash is a fruit in the same family as cucumbers and winter squash. It’s earliest cultivation has been traced to Central America, particularly in Mexico where it’s been grown, cooked, and enjoyed anywhere from 7,000 - 10,000 years (depending on the type). They’ve also been included in the Indigenous agricultural practice used across several Indigenous groups of the Americas and known most ubiquitously as “The Three Sisters”. The Three Sisters are three plants that support each others’ growth and include corn, beans, and squash.

Many parts of the summer squash can be used including the fruit, leaves/shoots, and flowers. All of its parts are popular to cook with across Central American cuisines in stews, fillings for tacos or quesadillas, as well as fried and sauteed. Different types of summer squash like Zucchini have gained popularity in Southwest Asian, North African, Japanese (e.g. fried in tempura), and French (e.g. in Ratatouille) cuisines.

Summer squash have a softer, thinner skin than their winter/storage counterparts (think pumpkins) that is perfectly edible, with varying degrees of light to dense flesh. These colorful fruits come in quite the variety of types, and some of the ones we grow on the farm are listed in our photos (above and below). The flavors can range from sweet to nutty.

Zephyr squash

Zephyr squash

Zucchini is being held up here!

Zucchini is being held up here!

COOKING & STORAGE

  • Edible parts: Fruit, leaves/shoots, and flowers (blossoms)

  • Medicine and Nutrients: Squash fruits are rich in minerals like magnesium and potassium as well as vitamins C, B6, and A. They also provide a significant source of fiber. The leaves contain all of that plus iron and zinc. The flowers have a significant source of calcium, fiber, as well as vitamins A and C.

  • Storage: Store summer squash by gently wiping the fruit with a damp cloth and then placing it in a perforated plastic bag (to maintain humidity) in the vegetable crisper of the refrigerator. Do not store summer squash in the refrigerator for more than 4 days.

Ways to Prepare 

  • RAW: Some types of summer squash can be eaten raw like zucchini and crookneck if they’re cut into super thin slices, strips, or “noodles”.

  • COOKED: Summer squash fruits and leaves can be sautéed, roasted, grilled, broiled, steamed, and braised; as well as added to soups, stews, and sauces. The flowers are best eaten raw or fried; either alone, in salads, or to fill tacos or quesadillas.

RECIPES

Authored and compiled by Maya Marie of Deep Routes, Ayllen Kocher, and Amara Ullauri.

Eggplant

Eggplant from the farm!

What’s Below:

About Eggplant

Cooking & Storage

Recipes

ABOUT EggplantS

Eggplant is a warm season plant that produces hearty fruits that come in an array of sizes and range in color from purple to white and striped. They have their origins in East and Southeast Asia, particularly India and China where they were first cultivated thousands of years ago before being brought over to Western and Southern Europe where they became popular.

Eggplant is a fruit that peaks from July to October here in the Northeast, and is a staple in Asian and North African cuisines as well as in Mediterranean cuisines. There are tons of varieties out there but some of the most common fall into the category of Asian varieties (which are typically longer and more tender), Italian varieties (which are wider and more dense), and mini varieties.

A Deep Violet Asian Eggplant

Mini Eggplants

A Striped Italian Eggplant

COOKING & STORAGE

  • Edible parts: Fruit

  • Medicine and Nutrients: Eggplants are rich in potassium, fiber, vitamin C and B6.

  • Storing and Shelf Stability: Place uncut and unwashed eggplant in a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator crisper where it will keep for a few days.

Ways to Prepare 

  • RAW: Eggplant can be eaten raw, and it has a pleasant taste and spongy texture.

  • COOKED: It is more commonly cooked though, and the taste becomes more mild and a bit richer. Eggplant can also be grilled, baked, pan fried, marinated, slow cooked, roasted, in salads (cooked), pureed, and stir fried. 


RECIPES 


Authored and compiled by Maya Marie of Deep Routes, Ayllen Kocher, and Amara Ullauri

Tomatillos

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Tomatillos are considered a key ingredient in Mexican cuisine. However, it was the Aztecs that were the first to domesticate them in 800 BC. Also known as “tomate verde (green tomato)”, tomatillos have a vibrant, tart flavor. They can be eaten raw, sauteed, boiled, roasted, broiled, fried, and in soup. 

Storage: Tomatillos can be kept in the fridge for 2-3 weeks. Store them loose in an unsealed paper bag. To help keep them fresh and free of bruises, don't peel back the husks until you're ready to eat them.

Recipes and Ideas: 

  1. Chef Aaron Sanchez's Salsa Verde

  2. 27 Summertime Tomatillo Recipes

Cucumbers

Photo Source: Eric Prouzet

What’s Below:

About Cucumbers

Cooking & Storage

Recipes

ABOUT Cucumbers

Cucumbers are a refreshing fruit that has been cultivated for at least 3,000 years. Some researchers believe they have their origins in Southeast Asia, specifically India; whereas others believe they were first grown in Southwest Asia, specifically the region that encompasses Iraq and Kuwait. Either way, over time cucumbers have spread across Asia and the Mediterranean into the Americas and become a favorite treat during hot growing seasons. The fruits are typically at their peak from May through August.

COOKING & STORAGE

  • Edible parts: Fruit

  • Medicine and Nutrients: Cucumbers are a great source of hydration thanks to their high water content (96%), and are also a good source of vitamins C and K, and minerals like potassium.

  • Storing and Shelf Stability: To store your cucumbers, wash them and dry them thoroughly. Place cucumbers in the warmest spot of your refrigerator for up to a week.

Ways to Prepare 

  • RAW: The go-to way to enjoy cucumbers is raw, maybe with a little salt and pepper; however you can combine them with other fresh fruits and vegetables, or pickle them.

  • COOKED: Cucumbers can be roasted, stir fried, sauteed, and baked.

RECIPES

Authored and compiled by Maya Marie of Deep Routes, Ayllen Kocher, and Amara Ullauri

Tomatoes

Slicer tomatoes

Slicer tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes

What’s Below:

About Tomatoes

Cooking & Storage

Recipes

ABOUT tomatoes

Tomatoes are a warm season plant that produces delicious fruits that come in an array of colors, shapes, and sizes. They have their origins in the Andes of South America where they’ve grown for over 9,000 years, but it wasn’t until wild tomatoes made their way to Central American region of Mexico, that tomatoes began to be cultivated and domesticated. There they would breed tomatoes into the larger, more flavorful ones we know of today.

Using tomatoes to make sauce is one of the most common ways they’re prepared today, and is also one of the more traditional ways that Aztec peoples would use them in combination with chilis. They would also preserve them through drying, and use them as medicine for respiratory issues and physical aches.

Here at Rock Steady our tomatoes are ready sometime between May through October. We have cherry and slicer tomatoes that can be orange, yellow, green, or dark red! Their taste ranges from sweet to tart, and overall very juicy.

COOKING & STORAGE

  • Edible parts: Fruit, and leaves (in moderation/as seasoning)

  • Medicine and Nutrients: Depending on their color (specifically those that are red or deep orange) tomatoes can be an excellent source of lycopene, they’re also a great source of vitamin C, B6, and magnesium.

  • Storing and Shelf Stability: Perfectly ripe tomatoes should be kept at room temperature on the counter away from sunlight. Make sure they're in a single layer, not touching one another, and stem side up. Consume within a couple of days. Overripe tomatoes that are soft to touch with very red flesh are best kept in the fridge.

Ways to Prepare 

  • RAW: Enjoy them diced up in a salsa or salad; sliced on a sandwich; or just as is with a sprinkle of salt and your favorite herbs or spices alongside some pungent cheese.

  • COOKED: Tomatoes can be roasted, baked, raw, in salads, grilled, pureed, and in soups. 

RECIPES

Authored and compiled by Maya Marie of Deep Routes, Ayllen Kocher, and Amara Ullauri

Hot Peppers

Hot peppers .jpg

What’s Below:

About Hot Peppers/Chilis

Cooking & Storage

Recipes

ABOUT Hot Peppers/Chilis

Hot Peppers (or Chilis) are fruits in the same family as tomatoes and tobacco, and are distinct from sweet peppers in that rather than being herbaceous/sweet tasting, they have some heat to them that is typically rated 3 or higher on the Scoville scale. Their heat is loved by many and can be used in a variety of ways in the kitchen. On the Northeast they peak from June - October, but in warmer climates they can grow almost year round.

Chili Peppers have their origins across South and Central America where they’ve been cultivated for at least 8,000 years and were first cultivated by Indigenous Peruvian and Bolivian people. From South and Central America they’ve spread to the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia due to the trans-Atlantic Slave Trade as well as Indigenous peoples’ own trading routes, and dispersal by animals and the elements. Hot peppers have thus become widely important in the spice mixes, marinades, curries, stews, sauces, and stir-fries of Black and brown people across the globe.

Here at Rock Steady, we grow a lovely variety of hot peppers. Please look out for them in your CSA share throughout the summer and early fall. Hannah, our CSA Coordinator, gave a pepper lesson last season and I thought it would be great to include here! Thanks Hannah! 

In the picture above, from left to right: 

  • Shishito: A sweet Japanese pepper with loads of flavor - some of them have a little kick, but they’re not very hot. The kick is mostly in the seeds. 

  • Poblano: A mild chile pepper, with an earthy flavor. Not too spicy. 

  • Islander: A mild, slightly sweet bell pepper (no spice). 

  • Jimmy Nardello: These are mild, sweet and almost fruity in flavor. Very snackable. They have kind of a bumpy texture, which is how you’ll know them apart from their very hot look alike, next to them! 

  • Cayenne: Long, red and smooth. They are hot, hot, hot! You can dry them and make them into red pepper flakes, or make your own hot sauce if that’s your thing.

COOKING & STORAGE

  • Edible parts: Fruits (and seeds if you want that heat!)

  • Medicine and Nutrients: Peppers are an incredible source of potassium, vitamin C, iron, and fiber.

  • Storing and Shelf Stability: Store these peppers in your crisper drawer for up to a week or more. For longer term storage, you can freeze them whole.

Ways to Prepare 

  • RAW: Hot peppers can be eaten raw if you like heat, but not a lot is needed. Add the flesh and/or seeds to salsas, vinaigrettes/dressings, salads, or drinks for an added kick. They can also be fermented to make hot sauces.

  • COOKED: Hot peppers can be sauteed, roasted, grilled, pickled, braised, and broiled.

RECIPES

Authored and compiled by Maya Marie of Deep Routes, Ayllen Kocher, and Amara Ullauri

Sweet Peppers

What’s Below:

About Sweet Peppers

Cooking & Storage

Recipes

ABOUT Sweet Peppers/Chilis

Sweet Peppers/Chilis are fruits in the same family as tomatoes and tobacco, and are distinct from hot peppers, in that rather than being spicing their flavor can range from being herbaceous to bitter to sweet. On the Northeast they peak from June - October, but in warmer climates they can grow almost year round.

Peppers, both sweet and hot, have their origins across South and Central America where they’ve been cultivated for at least 8,000 years and were first cultivated by Indigenous Peruvian and Bolivian people. From South and Central America they’ve spread to the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia due to the trans-Atlantic Slave Trade as well as Indigenous peoples’ own trading routes, and dispersal by animals and the elements. Sweet peppers have thus become widely important in the marinades, curries, stews, sauces, and stir-fries of Black and brown people across the globe.

COOKING & STORAGE

  • Edible parts: Fruits

  • Medicine and Nutrients: Peppers are an incredible source of potassium, vitamin C, iron, and fiber.

  • Storing and Shelf Stability: Store your peppers in your refrigerator crisper drawer for a week or more. In the fridge, raw sweet peppers will last between 1 and 2 weeks. You can also roast peppers over a flame to blacken them, then peel the char, and freeze them as a way to preserve them for the out-of-season months.

Ways to Prepare 

  • RAW: The green peppers in the photo above have a slightly bitter, sharp flavor and their texture is crispy. Add them to salsas, vinaigrettes/dressings, or salads.

  • COOKED: Sweet peppers can be sauteed, roasted, grilled, broiled, stuffed, stewed, and stir-fried. 

RECIPES

Authored and compiled by Maya Marie of Deep Routes, Ayllen Kocher, and Amara Ullauri

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