What’s Inside This Week?
July 30, 2026
Essentials Box
- Lettuce Head, 1ct, $3.00
- Lemon Cucumber, 1lb, $4.00
- Radish, 1 bu, $3.00
- Grapes, 1lb, $5.00
- Basil, 3oz, $3.00
- Stir-Fry Greens, 8oz, $5.00
Original Box
- Essentials Box, plus:
- Slicing Cucumbers, 1lb, $4.00
- Avocados, 1lb, $5.00
- Butter Lettuce, 8oz, $5.00
- Cherry Tomatoes, 1 pint, $3.00
Hearty Box
- Original Box, plus:
- Eggplant, 1lb, $4.00
- Carrots, 1 bu, $3.00
- Arugula, 8oz, $5.00
- Parsley, 3oz, $3.00
Farmers Market Week is coming — Aug 2–8!
We’re celebrating Farmers Market Week with Route 1 Farmers Market. The first box of every new farm box subscription that starts during that week has 100% of its dollars donated. If you know anyone thinking about joining us, this is the week to do it.
Field Notes
Jeremy finished the three-week irrigation and pumphouse project this week — mostly. The pipes are buried, the pumps are pumping (not the ones we originally planned on, but they’re doing the job), and the sprinklers are spraying. This system is a big deal beyond just convenience: it’s what will run irrigation out to the wildlife habitats and hedgerows for the pollinator project, replacing the hand-watering that’s been eating up so much of our week.
And that hand-watering has paid off. We now have over 80 plants in the ground across Wildlife Habitat 5 and Wildlife Habitat 3, with a loss of only 2 plants — a strong survival rate for a planting this size. We’re watering three times a week to keep everything happy while the root systems establish, which typically takes 1–2 years. Once the new irrigation is fully connected to these zones, we’ll need a lot less time watering by hand.
Megan on pickaxe duty this week, breaking through compacted dirt to get plants in the ground.
Waylon and Zoe pitching in on the digging. Every hole counts toward the 80-plus in the ground.
Some of that ground was tough going — compacted well beyond what compost and a light till could fix, so out came the pickaxes. Lots of wheelbarrows of mulch got toted and shoveled too. It’s slow, physical work, but every hole dug is another native plant with a home.
Waylon has a small shovel sized just right for him — and he puts it to work.
Chloe and Everest, working as a team to keep the squirrels and skunks in check.
Storage Tips
Greens: lettuce head, butter lettuce, arugula, stir-fry greens → wrap in a towel, bag in the fridge; use within 5–7 days.
Roots: radish, carrots → fridge crisper, bagged; remove greens if attached and store separately.
Herbs: basil → jar of water on the counter, never the fridge. Parsley → damp paper towel, bagged in the fridge; use within 4–5 days.
Cucumbers: lemon cucumber, slicing cucumbers → fridge crisper, unwashed; use within 5 days.
Nightshades: cherry tomatoes, eggplant → counter, never the fridge; use within a few days.
Fruit: grapes → fridge, unwashed until ready to eat; keeps 1–2 weeks. Avocados → counter to ripen, then fridge.
Grilled Eggplant & Cherry Tomato Salad with Parsley
A grilled eggplant cherry tomato salad is one of the best ways to use both vegetables at their summer peak — smoky charred eggplant, juicy bursts of cherry tomato, and a bright parsley-lemon dressing. This grilled eggplant cherry tomato salad works warm off the grill or at room temperature.
Ingredients
- 1lb eggplant, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
- 4 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/3 cup crumbled feta
- Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
Instructions
- Brush eggplant rounds with 2 tbsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Grill or grill-pan over medium-high heat, 4–5 minutes per side, until charred and tender. Let cool slightly, then cut into bite-size pieces.
- Whisk remaining olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice for the dressing.
- In a bowl, combine grilled eggplant, cherry tomatoes, and parsley. Toss with the dressing.
- Top with feta and red pepper flakes if using. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Getting the most out of eggplant — a few things worth knowing
Eggplant has a reputation for being tricky, but most of that comes down to one issue: too much moisture leads to mushy, greasy results. Grilling solves this better than almost any other method, because the direct heat evaporates surface moisture quickly and gives the flesh a smoky char that roasting or sautéing can’t quite replicate. A grilled eggplant cherry tomato salad like this one shows off eggplant at its best — tender, smoky, with real structure instead of the soft, watery texture it’s sometimes known for.
If you don’t have a grill, a cast iron grill pan or even a regular skillet on medium-high heat works well — just make sure the pan is hot before the eggplant goes in, and resist the urge to move the slices around too much so they get real contact time with the heat.
Cherry tomatoes are doing double duty in this dish — their sweetness balances the eggplant’s slight bitterness, and halving them lets their juices mingle into the dressing as everything sits together. This is a flexible formula, too: swap the parsley for basil or mint, add crumbled goat cheese instead of feta, or fold in this week’s arugula for a peppery base underneath everything.
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