This week’s box includes: Watermelon, heirloom and slicer tomatoes, okra, sweet Italian peppers, garlic, cucumbers, potatoes, spaghetti squash. You can see a photo that can help with identification on our Facebook page or check out our weekly video on Instagram.
Need storage instructions? Visit our fruit & veggie home pages. Click on the pic and a new page opens with storage instructions and a list of recipes curated by Conne Ward Cameron over the years.
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It’s official. With this week’s delivery we’re in the second half of the 2026 CSA. Nighttime temps are dipping lower, fewer hours of sunlight each day … the spaghetti squash in this week’s box makes it official. Fall is nigh.
The yellow oblong hard-skinned spaghetti squash is always the first “winter squash” vegetable that we see each year. Winter and summer squash are in the same cucurbit family; the winter varieties are harvested at full maturity, have hard seeds, and thick skins. They can be stored for long periods of time.
Spaghetti squash won’t last as long as a butternuts, so you’ll want to eat this one soon. Our spaghetti squash page shares storage recommendations with links to dozens of recipes. I love Conne’s suggestions from previous years that used cooked squash in sweet recipes.
The most common treatment is to roast it, then shred the fibers into ‘noodles’ topped with tomato sauce, parmesan, or butter. Occasionally I’ll roast it first, then refrigerate the chunks and figure out what to do with it later. To roast, cut into quarters, scoop out the seeds and pulp, lightly oil, sprinkle with salt & pepper and place cut side down on a baking sheet. Cook at 375F until tender, 30-40 minutes.
Heirloom tomatoes returned again this week! I noticed some whoppers in the boxes – those German striped varieties can get very big. If you didn’t get a box last week, see our last week’s notes re: the challenges we face in getting these old-school varieties to you. We think it’s worth the risk, but occasionally they don’t weather the transport well.
The pink heirloom tomatoes are quite mushy. Last week mine dissolved before I thought to eat it. Eat that one immediately or mix chopped tomatoes with a bit of garlic, olive oil and salt & pepper. Conne’s method for dealing with less-than-perfect tomatoes is brilliant.
Also, think tomatoes with okra. I found this recipe for Warm Okra and Tomato Salad in our archives. Okra with cheese, pecans and bacon? Intriguing. Substitute chopped tomatoes for the cherry tomatoes and you’ve got your Salad of the Week, courtesy of the Washington Post.
Warm Okra and Tomato Salad
1 pound okra, sliced lengthwise
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper
2 cups grape tomatoes
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese or feta
5 slices thick-cut bacon (about 5 ounces), cooked and coarsely crumbled
1/2 cup raw pecan halves
1 shallot, finely grated or minced
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Warm bread, for serving (optional)
Roast the okra: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees.
In a large, ovenproof skillet or pan, toss the okra with 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon pepper and arrange in a single layer as best you can. Transfer to the oven and roast 15 minutes, or until the okra is just starting to turn brown in spots.
While okra is roasting, make the vinaigrette: in a small bowl whisk together the shallot, lemon zest and juice, mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Slowly add the 1/2 cup oil, whisking constantly until emulsified.
Remove the okra from the oven, add three-quarters of the vinaigrette, toss to coat and again spread the okra in a single layer in the pan. Add the tomatoes, cheese, bacon and pecans and dot with the rest of the dressing. Return the pan to the oven and roast an additional 5 minutes, or until the tomatoes just start to shrivel.
Serve family-style, with warm bread, if desired.
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Wishing you cooler evenings for warming foods,
~Suzanne