Any share changes must be submitted to lucsa@theurbancanopy.org by Monday at 11AM
This Week’s LUCSA Box
For Boxes Delivered 7/30, 7/31, 8/1 2025
Fresh Produce:
Hakurei Turnips
Peaches
Green Beans
Garlic
Cabbage
Zucchini
Weekly Staples:
Whirlwind Cold Brew
Mushrooms
Bread
Eggs
Weekly Add-Ons
Add locally-sourced food and home goods to your box to round out your CSA delivery. Add-ons save trips to the grocery store and allow you to get more of what you want conveniently delivered inside your LUCSA share.
Access the Add-On Shop through our member portal.
This Weeks Featured Sale:
Beeler’s Bacon — On Sale $7.00
Applewood smoked uncured bacon, from Madison, IA. No nitrates or nitrites added except for the naturally occurring nitrates in sea salt and celery powder.
No antibiotics ever. Casein & gluten free. Vegetarian fed. No gestation crates (12oz)
*Reminder: Your Add-On Order form must be submitted by Monday at 11AM
Item Spotlight: Peaches
Peaches, botanically classified as Prunus persica, are a category of stone fruits belonging to the Rosaceae family. The skin is taut and typically thin, showcasing variegated red, pink, yellow, and ivory hues and they are found in round, oval, or flat saucer shapes. Peaches are delicate and can be easily bruised or damaged on their surface if handled roughly.
Ripe Peaches are edible raw or cooked and range in flavor based on the individual variety, with many showcasing sweet, sugary, tart, tangy, fruity, and floral flavors.
Look out for peaches from Mick Klug in your next share!
Recipe Links: Peach Calabrian Chili Jam Mini Peach Galettes With Cardamom and Goat Cheese Peach, Bacon, & Tahini Toasts
Add On Item Spotlight: Finn’s Ranch Eggs
Extra eggs are back in our add-on shop and available for purchase!
One dozen farm-fresh eggs with deep golden yolks
No GMOs, antibiotics or drugs ever
Hens forage on regenerative pastures
“We treat our animals, our staff, and our customers with kindness and respect. And we’ve learned the importance of caring for our land in the same way: partnering with nature by practicing regenerative agriculture which results in healthier products and a more sustainable future for all of us. We love what we do. And love doing it for you.”
— The Finns Alex, Sean, Matt, & Nico
Substitutions
Items for those already opting out of beverage, bread, mushrooms, or eggs OR having a conflicting allergy; subject to change, even if specified. Please refer back to this newsletter throughout the week for updates
Red Potatoes — Recipes
Nichols Farm and Orchard (Marengo, IL)
Storage Tip - Keep cool, dry and out of direct light, on your counter, in a cupboard or in a perforated paper bag, for a few weeks.
Tomatillos — Recipes
Wild Coyote Farm (Berrien Springs, MI)
Storage Tip - 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.
Basil — Recipes
Wild Coyote Farm (Berrien Springs, MI)
Storage Tip - To keep basil perky for more than a few meals, trim the stems as you would flowers to remove dried-up ends, then stick the bunch in a tall glass of water. Loosely cover the basil with a plastic bag and keep it on the counter. This method allows moisture to stay in while ethylene escapes, making for basil that remains vibrant for nearly a week.
Head Lettuce — Recipes
Wild Coyote Farm (Berrien Springs, MI)
Storage Tip - The lettuce will come in a green compostable bag, remove your greens from the bag and store them in a plastic container or bag with a paper towel covering them for up to a week in the fridge.
*Farming is never 100% Predictable
Please keep in mind that share contents may vary due to market availability so contents may vary slightly from this list. We appreciate your flexibility.
Pro-Tip for Produce Longevity
When your share arrives, immediately unpack your produce and move into proper storage containers!
Always Wash Before Eating
As a general best practice with all produce including ours, we recommend washing produce before eating.
Please Remember to Save and Return LUCSA Packaging
We request that you return your wax box, egg cartons, and pint containers during your next delivery. Help practice sustainability by helping us re-use all of these items for future deliveries.
Notes from the Farm
On our farm, we grow in raised beds on top of pavement. The beds heat up quickly, which has benefits (we can start seeding a little earlier in the spring) and drawbacks (our soil gets very hot this time of year. Some crops, like peppers and eggplant, thrive in the warm soil, while other things bolt, shrivel, or die. In order to maintain some diversity in crop type this time of year, we use shadecloth to protect our more delicate crops from the heat.
The turnips in this week's shares have been hanging out under shadecloth for the past week, which has protected their delicate greens and allowed them to continue to grow. Because turnips grow close together, their greens also block the soil from direct sunlight, but for other crops that may leave portions of the soil exposed, mulching is a great strategy to help keep your plants cool.
For more recipe ideas, follow us on Instagram
Our recipe reels provide additional information on how to use produce and processing items each week!
We have created a handy Produce Guide which includes most items you will be getting in your box this season and through out the year. It is helpful for identification and has lots of storage tips, and also includes a log of recipes. It’s not a bad idea to bookmark this page!
Previous Boxes
If you missed a week and want to see what was in a previous share, we archive a PDF of all our previous newsletters here.
You can also use it to look at previous seasons if you are interested to see what crops are coming.