I can't believe I forgot my password. Its been a month since I've posted and I have a lot to say.
We had a good Thanksgiving and hope you did too.
The weather has been like winter; cold and wet. I didn't get my fall plowing done because it was so wet in October and November. This will have a effect on next years crops, but one we can handle.
We have been getting seed catalogs in the mail, I love all the varieties. I put in calls to the local seed companies for cover crops and grain crops.
We'll that's it for now but I will be posting more now that I have my password back.
Later,
Chris
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Farm Notes, CSA week 22
October 30 & 31, 2008, CSA Week 22
“Food is not a commodity but rather a relationship, a relationship between species that underpins life on the planet. We can never be healthy as individuals without a healthy agriculture providing our food. Healthy agriculture, in turn, is dependent upon healthy ecosystems. Eating is not about consumption and nutrition but rather it's about living within a balanced and whole nature.”
-Michael Pollan from a lecture given at Bates College
We have been thinking and talking a lot lately about the direction in which we want to take the farm. The ideal for us is not a monoculture (which even having the CSA alone is) but rather a diversified model that uses pasture land for grazing animals, flat “crop” land for raising some grains, and building areas that will become fertile garden plots. Think about this: the animals, crops and vegetables all work together. As the cows and sheep graze the pastures, they are suppressing weeds and encouraging grasses to grow by keeping the growth short. While they graze, they fertilize, and if chickens and other birds are allowed to follow them in a rotation, they will pick through the “cow pies” to find tasty worms and such…perfect chicken food along with the green grass. They are doing those grazing animals a further favor by keeping potential parasite issues down and they are spreading the “fertilizer” around. Pigs and chickens might be put in a garden area that you want “tilled” for next year. They can root around, cleaning up roots, grubs, and maybe some yummy turnips or beets planted there just for them. They, too, will add fertility to that garden plot, while it provides them with gourmet fare! In exchange, you’ll have better yields on crops planted anywhere those animals were; whether it be hay or grain for their feed or vegetables or small grains for ours. Raising food needs to be about healthy relationships between the land, the animals and plants growing on it, and the farmers stewarding it. A farm can only realize its true potential if these relationships exist.
Bringing it out to the next level, choosing the foods to purchase and prepare and actively participating in their preparation can bring a whole new perspective in life. Some nights, sure, it’s about getting something to eat on the table. But other times…oh! The fun and memories of roasting pie pumpkins to try and come out with the perfect custardy filling for that from-scratch crust, or rolling out fresh pasta over a bottle of wine with friends, or waking up to that delectable Thanksgiving day turkey smell. These meals are about relationships with people and with food. And, how much more the kick we get from roasting pumpkins we grew ourselves, using the fresh eggs laid by Buddy’s chickens, milk from a friend’s cow, wheat from a couple of counties away, and a heritage breed turkey raised humanely by a local farmer!
We are thankful for many things. Our wonderful, growing family, our health, our bright future. Each day, when we sit down together to eat, we give thanks. Not always about the meal, but just about anything that we are thankful for or looking forward to, as an example for our children to take the time to reflect in a positive way over meals. We are thankful for the relationships we were able to build this year, and for the opportunity to have been your farmers through this season. Many thanks for your patience, perseverance and encouragement. We hope that you will continue to build relationships with local farmers and your food!
Cider-Glazed Roots with Cinnamon Walnuts
3 pounds assorted root vegetables, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup apple cider
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon butter
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. If using parsnips, quarter lengthwise and remove the woody core before cutting into 1-inch pieces. Whisk cider, brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish until the sugar is dissolved. Add root vegetables and toss to coat. Cover the baking dish with foil.
3. Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and stir the vegetables. Continue cooking, uncovered, stirring every 20 minutes or so, until the vegetables are glazed and tender, about 1 hour more.
4. Meanwhile, place walnuts in a small skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and add butter, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Stir until the butter melts and the nuts are coated. Spread out on a plate to cool slightly.
5. Transfer the vegetables to a serving dish and sprinkle with the cinnamon walnuts.
From Eating Well, November/December 2008
Roasted Pear-Butternut Soup with Crumbled Stilton
Stilton cheese and pears are a classic combination--the salty milky blue cheese balances the sweet, floral taste of the pears. Roasting the pears and the butternut squash caramelizes their sugar, maximizing their inherent sweetness. You can serve this creamy soup as a first course or with a salad and crusty bread for a light autumn supper.
2 ripe pears, peeled, quartered and cored
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 2-inch chunks
2 medium tomatoes, cored and quartered
1 large leek, pale green and white parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced and washed thoroughly
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
Freshly ground pepper to taste
4 cups vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
2/3 cup crumbled Stilton or other blue-veined cheese
1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh chives or scallion greens
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Combine pears, squash, tomatoes, leek, garlic, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper in a large bowl; toss to coat. Spread evenly on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 40 to 55 minutes. Let cool slightly.
3. Place half the vegetables and 2 cups broth in a blender; puree until smooth. Transfer to a large saucepan. Puree the remaining vegetables and 2 cups broth. Add to the pan and stir in the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
4. Cook the soup over medium-low heat, stirring, until hot, about 10 minutes. Divide among 6 bowls and garnish with cheese and chives (or scallion greens).
From Eating Well, October/November 2006
“Food is not a commodity but rather a relationship, a relationship between species that underpins life on the planet. We can never be healthy as individuals without a healthy agriculture providing our food. Healthy agriculture, in turn, is dependent upon healthy ecosystems. Eating is not about consumption and nutrition but rather it's about living within a balanced and whole nature.”
-Michael Pollan from a lecture given at Bates College
We have been thinking and talking a lot lately about the direction in which we want to take the farm. The ideal for us is not a monoculture (which even having the CSA alone is) but rather a diversified model that uses pasture land for grazing animals, flat “crop” land for raising some grains, and building areas that will become fertile garden plots. Think about this: the animals, crops and vegetables all work together. As the cows and sheep graze the pastures, they are suppressing weeds and encouraging grasses to grow by keeping the growth short. While they graze, they fertilize, and if chickens and other birds are allowed to follow them in a rotation, they will pick through the “cow pies” to find tasty worms and such…perfect chicken food along with the green grass. They are doing those grazing animals a further favor by keeping potential parasite issues down and they are spreading the “fertilizer” around. Pigs and chickens might be put in a garden area that you want “tilled” for next year. They can root around, cleaning up roots, grubs, and maybe some yummy turnips or beets planted there just for them. They, too, will add fertility to that garden plot, while it provides them with gourmet fare! In exchange, you’ll have better yields on crops planted anywhere those animals were; whether it be hay or grain for their feed or vegetables or small grains for ours. Raising food needs to be about healthy relationships between the land, the animals and plants growing on it, and the farmers stewarding it. A farm can only realize its true potential if these relationships exist.
Bringing it out to the next level, choosing the foods to purchase and prepare and actively participating in their preparation can bring a whole new perspective in life. Some nights, sure, it’s about getting something to eat on the table. But other times…oh! The fun and memories of roasting pie pumpkins to try and come out with the perfect custardy filling for that from-scratch crust, or rolling out fresh pasta over a bottle of wine with friends, or waking up to that delectable Thanksgiving day turkey smell. These meals are about relationships with people and with food. And, how much more the kick we get from roasting pumpkins we grew ourselves, using the fresh eggs laid by Buddy’s chickens, milk from a friend’s cow, wheat from a couple of counties away, and a heritage breed turkey raised humanely by a local farmer!
We are thankful for many things. Our wonderful, growing family, our health, our bright future. Each day, when we sit down together to eat, we give thanks. Not always about the meal, but just about anything that we are thankful for or looking forward to, as an example for our children to take the time to reflect in a positive way over meals. We are thankful for the relationships we were able to build this year, and for the opportunity to have been your farmers through this season. Many thanks for your patience, perseverance and encouragement. We hope that you will continue to build relationships with local farmers and your food!
Cider-Glazed Roots with Cinnamon Walnuts
3 pounds assorted root vegetables, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup apple cider
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon butter
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. If using parsnips, quarter lengthwise and remove the woody core before cutting into 1-inch pieces. Whisk cider, brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish until the sugar is dissolved. Add root vegetables and toss to coat. Cover the baking dish with foil.
3. Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and stir the vegetables. Continue cooking, uncovered, stirring every 20 minutes or so, until the vegetables are glazed and tender, about 1 hour more.
4. Meanwhile, place walnuts in a small skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and add butter, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Stir until the butter melts and the nuts are coated. Spread out on a plate to cool slightly.
5. Transfer the vegetables to a serving dish and sprinkle with the cinnamon walnuts.
From Eating Well, November/December 2008
Roasted Pear-Butternut Soup with Crumbled Stilton
Stilton cheese and pears are a classic combination--the salty milky blue cheese balances the sweet, floral taste of the pears. Roasting the pears and the butternut squash caramelizes their sugar, maximizing their inherent sweetness. You can serve this creamy soup as a first course or with a salad and crusty bread for a light autumn supper.
2 ripe pears, peeled, quartered and cored
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 2-inch chunks
2 medium tomatoes, cored and quartered
1 large leek, pale green and white parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced and washed thoroughly
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
Freshly ground pepper to taste
4 cups vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
2/3 cup crumbled Stilton or other blue-veined cheese
1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh chives or scallion greens
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Combine pears, squash, tomatoes, leek, garlic, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper in a large bowl; toss to coat. Spread evenly on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 40 to 55 minutes. Let cool slightly.
3. Place half the vegetables and 2 cups broth in a blender; puree until smooth. Transfer to a large saucepan. Puree the remaining vegetables and 2 cups broth. Add to the pan and stir in the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
4. Cook the soup over medium-low heat, stirring, until hot, about 10 minutes. Divide among 6 bowls and garnish with cheese and chives (or scallion greens).
From Eating Well, October/November 2006
Farm Recipes, CSA week 21
October 23 & 24, Week 21
Instead of notes, this week we gave out a survey with the following recipes on the back. A copy of the survey is on the CSA page of our website.
Glazed Turnips
2 lb small to medium (2-inch) turnips
About 1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Garnish: chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Peel turnips, then halve horizontally and quarter halves. Arrange turnips in 1 layer in a 12-inch heavy skillet and add enough water (about 1 1/2 cups) to reach halfway up turnips. Add butter, sugar, and salt and boil over moderately high heat, covered, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Boil turnips, uncovered, stirring, until tender and water has evaporated, about 8 minutes.
Sauté turnips over moderately high heat, stirring, until golden brown,about 5 minutes more. Add 3 tablespoons water and stir to coat turnips with glaze.
From February 2001 Gourmet Magazine, recommended to us by Eleanor Oldham
Root Vegetable Stew with Herbed Dumplings
Stew4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
8 ounces Italian sausage links, hot or sweet
2 pounds assorted root vegetables, peeled and diced
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or rosemary
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 cups chopped dark, leafy greens, such as beet, turnip or kale
Dumplings
1 1/4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or rosemary
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1. To prepare stew: Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add sausages and cook until browned on all sides, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a clean cutting board. Let cool slightly and cut into 1-inch pieces.
2. If using parsnips, quarter lengthwise and remove the woody core before dicing. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until barely tender, about 4 minutes. Add root vegetables and cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic and sage (or rosemary) and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth and bring to a simmer, stirring often.
3. To prepare dumplings: Meanwhile, whisk whole-wheat flour, cake flour, sage (or rosemary), baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Add egg and milk and stir until a stiff batter forms.4. When the stew reaches a simmer, stir in greens and the sausage and return to a simmer. Drop the dough, about 1 tablespoon at a time, over the stew, making about 18 dumplings. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover and cook undisturbed until the dumplings are puffed, the vegetables are tender and the sausage is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
From Eating Well Magazine, November/December 2008
Instead of notes, this week we gave out a survey with the following recipes on the back. A copy of the survey is on the CSA page of our website.
Glazed Turnips
2 lb small to medium (2-inch) turnips
About 1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Garnish: chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Peel turnips, then halve horizontally and quarter halves. Arrange turnips in 1 layer in a 12-inch heavy skillet and add enough water (about 1 1/2 cups) to reach halfway up turnips. Add butter, sugar, and salt and boil over moderately high heat, covered, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Boil turnips, uncovered, stirring, until tender and water has evaporated, about 8 minutes.
Sauté turnips over moderately high heat, stirring, until golden brown,about 5 minutes more. Add 3 tablespoons water and stir to coat turnips with glaze.
From February 2001 Gourmet Magazine, recommended to us by Eleanor Oldham
Root Vegetable Stew with Herbed Dumplings
Stew4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
8 ounces Italian sausage links, hot or sweet
2 pounds assorted root vegetables, peeled and diced
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or rosemary
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 cups chopped dark, leafy greens, such as beet, turnip or kale
Dumplings
1 1/4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup cake flour
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or rosemary
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1. To prepare stew: Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add sausages and cook until browned on all sides, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a clean cutting board. Let cool slightly and cut into 1-inch pieces.
2. If using parsnips, quarter lengthwise and remove the woody core before dicing. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until barely tender, about 4 minutes. Add root vegetables and cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic and sage (or rosemary) and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth and bring to a simmer, stirring often.
3. To prepare dumplings: Meanwhile, whisk whole-wheat flour, cake flour, sage (or rosemary), baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Add egg and milk and stir until a stiff batter forms.4. When the stew reaches a simmer, stir in greens and the sausage and return to a simmer. Drop the dough, about 1 tablespoon at a time, over the stew, making about 18 dumplings. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover and cook undisturbed until the dumplings are puffed, the vegetables are tender and the sausage is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
From Eating Well Magazine, November/December 2008
Farm Notes, CSA week 20
October 16 & 17, 2008, CSA Week 20
We are living during a very interesting time in history. We have been struck over the last several weeks by how surprised and unprepared for this financial mess our government is. The writing has been on the wall for quite some time and “Plumber Joe” has known that we are in a recession – not “headed into” one – and that it’s going to get worse before it gets better. I was listening to Vox Pop on WAMC the other day, and the guest was an associate professor of economics at the College of Saint Rose. He made a couple of interesting points on this matter that have been on my mind since I heard them, so I thought I would share them.
There was one caller who asked about whether things are so bad now and only going to get worse because peak oil and high energy costs would keep us from ever being able to go back to the way of life we now know…should we just invest in farm land, seed, animals, and farm implements so as to be able to take care of ourselves? The professor laughed a little, but then proceeded to say that the caller made a good point about farmland – that it is one of the best investments you could make because, as he sees it, the cost of it today is relatively cheap compared to what it will be in years to come as the demand increases – which he thinks it will.
He then made the point that there are basically two schools of thought about this economic crisis – the first is the more mainstream – that markets ebb and flow and that staying invested over the long term will pay off. The second is that because of the diminishing availability of cheap fossil fuels, we are headed into the “long emergency” a la Jim Kunstler…so take out your money and do exactly what the caller suggested – pay off your debt and do whatever it takes to take care of yourself. I was really surprised to hear this from an economics professor; not that he necessarily subscribed to the second school of thought, but that he acknowledged it and that he thinks that farmland is a sound investment during this time of turmoil.
Chris and I have long felt that investing in land and biological energies are the safest types of investments. Not only are we investing in ourselves rather than some unknown entity, person or corporation, but we can physically see our dividends day by day. As members of a CSA, I’m guessing that this strikes a cord with all of you – being able to invest something – even just $500 in a share – and then being able to see that return fairly quickly, and even in a bad year. So, thanks for investing in us – and hopefully in more local farmers, too – and for helping to preserve a way of life that we will all start to depend on again.
This week’s share includes mustard greens, Asian greens and potatoes from our farm, and carrots and acorn squash from Stoneledge Farm.
Mustard Greens Gratin
1 pound stemmed mustard greens
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus extra for baking dish
3 whole eggs, beaten
10 ounces ricotta cheese
2 ounces grated Parmesan (approximately 1/2 cup)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for garlic and mushrooms
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 cup crushed round butter crackers
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Remove any large stems from the greens and wash them thoroughly; do so in a sink with at least 5 inches of water. Moving the leaves around in the water and allowing them to sit for a few minutes to allow the sand or dirt to fall to the bottom of the sink. Once clean, roughly chop the greens. You should have 1 pound finished greens once they are stemmed. (Weigh the greens after stemming, but before washing.) After washing the greens, place them in a salad spinner to thoroughly dry them.
Butter a 9 by 11-inch or 2 1/2-quart baking dish and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
In a large, 13 by 11-inch roasting pan set over 2 burners on medium heat, melt the butter in 1 corner of the pan. Add the garlic, mushrooms, and a pinch of salt and cook until the mushrooms give up their liquid, approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Add the greens and cook until they are wilted, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. The greens will reduce to less than 1/4 of their original volume and begin to look like thawed, frozen spinach. Remove the pan from the heat.
Add the greens to the egg and cheese mixture and stir to thoroughly combine. Pour into the prepared baking dish, top with the crackers, place on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and serve.
Lemon Sesame Glazed Greens
1 to 1 1/4 pounds stemmed hearty greens, mustard greens, or kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lemon, zested
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Remove any large stems from the greens and wash them thoroughly; do so in a sink with at least 5 inches of water. Moving the leaves around in the water and allowing them to sit for a few minutes to allow the sand or dirt to fall to the bottom of the sink. Once clean, roughly chop the greens. You should have 1 to 1 1/4 pounds finished greens once they are stemmed. (Weigh the greens after stemming, but before washing.)
Heat a large 13 by 11-inch roasting pan set over 2 burners on medium heat. Once hot, add the olive oil. Add the garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Add the greens and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, tossing continually. Add the red pepper flakes and the sesame seeds. Toss to combine. Adjust seasoning, if needed. Serve immediately.
From Alton Brown of Good Eats on Food Network
We are living during a very interesting time in history. We have been struck over the last several weeks by how surprised and unprepared for this financial mess our government is. The writing has been on the wall for quite some time and “Plumber Joe” has known that we are in a recession – not “headed into” one – and that it’s going to get worse before it gets better. I was listening to Vox Pop on WAMC the other day, and the guest was an associate professor of economics at the College of Saint Rose. He made a couple of interesting points on this matter that have been on my mind since I heard them, so I thought I would share them.
There was one caller who asked about whether things are so bad now and only going to get worse because peak oil and high energy costs would keep us from ever being able to go back to the way of life we now know…should we just invest in farm land, seed, animals, and farm implements so as to be able to take care of ourselves? The professor laughed a little, but then proceeded to say that the caller made a good point about farmland – that it is one of the best investments you could make because, as he sees it, the cost of it today is relatively cheap compared to what it will be in years to come as the demand increases – which he thinks it will.
He then made the point that there are basically two schools of thought about this economic crisis – the first is the more mainstream – that markets ebb and flow and that staying invested over the long term will pay off. The second is that because of the diminishing availability of cheap fossil fuels, we are headed into the “long emergency” a la Jim Kunstler…so take out your money and do exactly what the caller suggested – pay off your debt and do whatever it takes to take care of yourself. I was really surprised to hear this from an economics professor; not that he necessarily subscribed to the second school of thought, but that he acknowledged it and that he thinks that farmland is a sound investment during this time of turmoil.
Chris and I have long felt that investing in land and biological energies are the safest types of investments. Not only are we investing in ourselves rather than some unknown entity, person or corporation, but we can physically see our dividends day by day. As members of a CSA, I’m guessing that this strikes a cord with all of you – being able to invest something – even just $500 in a share – and then being able to see that return fairly quickly, and even in a bad year. So, thanks for investing in us – and hopefully in more local farmers, too – and for helping to preserve a way of life that we will all start to depend on again.
This week’s share includes mustard greens, Asian greens and potatoes from our farm, and carrots and acorn squash from Stoneledge Farm.
Mustard Greens Gratin
1 pound stemmed mustard greens
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus extra for baking dish
3 whole eggs, beaten
10 ounces ricotta cheese
2 ounces grated Parmesan (approximately 1/2 cup)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for garlic and mushrooms
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 cup crushed round butter crackers
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Remove any large stems from the greens and wash them thoroughly; do so in a sink with at least 5 inches of water. Moving the leaves around in the water and allowing them to sit for a few minutes to allow the sand or dirt to fall to the bottom of the sink. Once clean, roughly chop the greens. You should have 1 pound finished greens once they are stemmed. (Weigh the greens after stemming, but before washing.) After washing the greens, place them in a salad spinner to thoroughly dry them.
Butter a 9 by 11-inch or 2 1/2-quart baking dish and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, ricotta, Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
In a large, 13 by 11-inch roasting pan set over 2 burners on medium heat, melt the butter in 1 corner of the pan. Add the garlic, mushrooms, and a pinch of salt and cook until the mushrooms give up their liquid, approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Add the greens and cook until they are wilted, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. The greens will reduce to less than 1/4 of their original volume and begin to look like thawed, frozen spinach. Remove the pan from the heat.
Add the greens to the egg and cheese mixture and stir to thoroughly combine. Pour into the prepared baking dish, top with the crackers, place on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and serve.
Lemon Sesame Glazed Greens
1 to 1 1/4 pounds stemmed hearty greens, mustard greens, or kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lemon, zested
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Remove any large stems from the greens and wash them thoroughly; do so in a sink with at least 5 inches of water. Moving the leaves around in the water and allowing them to sit for a few minutes to allow the sand or dirt to fall to the bottom of the sink. Once clean, roughly chop the greens. You should have 1 to 1 1/4 pounds finished greens once they are stemmed. (Weigh the greens after stemming, but before washing.)
Heat a large 13 by 11-inch roasting pan set over 2 burners on medium heat. Once hot, add the olive oil. Add the garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Add the greens and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, tossing continually. Add the red pepper flakes and the sesame seeds. Toss to combine. Adjust seasoning, if needed. Serve immediately.
From Alton Brown of Good Eats on Food Network
Farm Notes, CSA week 19
October 9 & 10, 2008, CSA Week 19
Our growing season continues, despite the widespread frost that covered most of the area this past week. We benefit from a Hudson River sponsored micro-climate that extends our growing season. As you can see from this week’s share, the greens and turnips are absolutely loving it and coming along splendidly. Cabbages are getting nice heads, scallions and carrots are getting bigger, too. We’ve had a couple of nice suppers on our baby carrots as we thin them out…steamed with a little of the green head still on…Alex won’t eat anything else when we have them!
This is the second week in a row we’ve given turnips, and we will be giving more in the remaining weeks. Several members have asked me what to do with them, and while I have included a recipe for them as a side dish, it’s also worth noting that they make a wonderful addition to soups and stews; simply dice into a similar size as your other ingredients and add when you put in carrots or potatoes (the cooking time is similar). Don’t forget that the greens are edible, too – they taste better if you blanch them first in some boiling water, then drain, cool and sauté. They make a nice addition to pasta, or if you can sauce them up a little, a great topping for polenta. Back to stews, if you are looking for something to do with your squash this week, last Thursday I tried adding butternut squash and dried cranberries to a venison stew…it was an absolutely wonderful marriage of sweet and savory that we will certainly use again!
Autumn is the time of year that it becomes very easy for us to remember one of our biggest reasons for wanting to farm – our love for good food! We both love to cook and find new recipes. We also love the flavors and textures that good, clean, locally grown produce offers – things you really can’t find in produce that is grown only for the amount of production, uniformity, and shipping-hardiness it has. Look at all the varieties of potatoes alone that we’ve grown just this year! Then there are the squashes, the greens, the tomatoes….the list just goes on and on. We hope that everyone is enjoying the harvest as much as we are, and that you’ve been able to try something new and get creative with your veggies.
This week’s share includes turnips with greens, Asian greens and potatoes from our farm, and carrots, butternut squash and cauliflower from Stoneledge Farm.
Turnip and Apple Puree
Cooking watery vegetables with rice ensures that they will have a creamy texture when mashed. The apple helps to temper the strong flavor of the turnips.
1 pound turnips, peeled and cut into 1” chunks
3 cups milk (2 cups will be left over for another use)
Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, sprinkle of nutmeg
2 ½ Tbsp white rice
1 small apple or pear, peeled, cored and quartered
2 tsp butter
Place turnips in saucepan, add milk, ½ tsp salt and a couple grinds of pepper. Bring to a boil over moderate heat. Stir in rice, lower heat, partially cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add apples and simmer 10 minutes longer, or until turnip is very tender. (the milk will curdle, but the curds will be incorporated when the vegetables are pureed.) Drain in a colander set over a bowl to save the cooking liquid.
In a food processor or blender, puree the mixture for 1-2 minutes, until perfectly smooth, adding a tablespoon or two of cooking liquid if needed. (Save the remaining flavorful liquid for soup; it can be frozen.) Season with salt, nutmeg and pepper and add butter. Process to mix.
From A New Way to Cook, by Sally Schneider
Steamed Asian Greens with Honey Soy Sesame Dressing
1 1/2 pounds spinach, bok choy, Chinese broccoli, or a combination
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, plus more for garnish
Pour about 1-inch of water into a wok and bring it to a boil over high heat. Put the greens into a bamboo steamer and cover. Put the steamer into the wok and steam the vegetables for about 5 minutes or until they are just tender. (A vegetable steamer or other improvisation of this would work fine, too.)
Meanwhile make the dressing by combining the soy sauce, vinegar, honey, oil, and 1 teaspoon sesame seeds in a small bowl. Put the cooked greens onto a serving platter, drizzle the dressing over them, and toss well to coat. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve immediately.
Shredded Root Vegetable Pancakes
This will work nicely with any combination of potatoes, carrots, beets, turnips, rutabaga, or celeriac.
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3 tablespoons chopped scallions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 cups assorted root vegetables, shredded
2 slices cooked bacon, crumbled (optional)
6 teaspoons canola oil, divided
Sour cream for garnish
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Whisk egg, flour, scallions, dill, horseradish, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Stir in vegetables and bacon (if using).
3. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook 4 pancakes per batch: place about 1/4 cup vegetable mixture in a little of the oil and press with the back of a spatula to flatten into a 2- to 3-inch pancake. Cook until crispy and golden, 1 1/2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the pancakes to the prepared baking sheet. Continue with 2 more batches, using the remaining 4 teaspoons oil and vegetable mixture. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Serve garnished with sour cream, if desired.
From Eating Well Magazine, Nov/Dec ‘08
Our growing season continues, despite the widespread frost that covered most of the area this past week. We benefit from a Hudson River sponsored micro-climate that extends our growing season. As you can see from this week’s share, the greens and turnips are absolutely loving it and coming along splendidly. Cabbages are getting nice heads, scallions and carrots are getting bigger, too. We’ve had a couple of nice suppers on our baby carrots as we thin them out…steamed with a little of the green head still on…Alex won’t eat anything else when we have them!
This is the second week in a row we’ve given turnips, and we will be giving more in the remaining weeks. Several members have asked me what to do with them, and while I have included a recipe for them as a side dish, it’s also worth noting that they make a wonderful addition to soups and stews; simply dice into a similar size as your other ingredients and add when you put in carrots or potatoes (the cooking time is similar). Don’t forget that the greens are edible, too – they taste better if you blanch them first in some boiling water, then drain, cool and sauté. They make a nice addition to pasta, or if you can sauce them up a little, a great topping for polenta. Back to stews, if you are looking for something to do with your squash this week, last Thursday I tried adding butternut squash and dried cranberries to a venison stew…it was an absolutely wonderful marriage of sweet and savory that we will certainly use again!
Autumn is the time of year that it becomes very easy for us to remember one of our biggest reasons for wanting to farm – our love for good food! We both love to cook and find new recipes. We also love the flavors and textures that good, clean, locally grown produce offers – things you really can’t find in produce that is grown only for the amount of production, uniformity, and shipping-hardiness it has. Look at all the varieties of potatoes alone that we’ve grown just this year! Then there are the squashes, the greens, the tomatoes….the list just goes on and on. We hope that everyone is enjoying the harvest as much as we are, and that you’ve been able to try something new and get creative with your veggies.
This week’s share includes turnips with greens, Asian greens and potatoes from our farm, and carrots, butternut squash and cauliflower from Stoneledge Farm.
Turnip and Apple Puree
Cooking watery vegetables with rice ensures that they will have a creamy texture when mashed. The apple helps to temper the strong flavor of the turnips.
1 pound turnips, peeled and cut into 1” chunks
3 cups milk (2 cups will be left over for another use)
Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, sprinkle of nutmeg
2 ½ Tbsp white rice
1 small apple or pear, peeled, cored and quartered
2 tsp butter
Place turnips in saucepan, add milk, ½ tsp salt and a couple grinds of pepper. Bring to a boil over moderate heat. Stir in rice, lower heat, partially cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add apples and simmer 10 minutes longer, or until turnip is very tender. (the milk will curdle, but the curds will be incorporated when the vegetables are pureed.) Drain in a colander set over a bowl to save the cooking liquid.
In a food processor or blender, puree the mixture for 1-2 minutes, until perfectly smooth, adding a tablespoon or two of cooking liquid if needed. (Save the remaining flavorful liquid for soup; it can be frozen.) Season with salt, nutmeg and pepper and add butter. Process to mix.
From A New Way to Cook, by Sally Schneider
Steamed Asian Greens with Honey Soy Sesame Dressing
1 1/2 pounds spinach, bok choy, Chinese broccoli, or a combination
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, plus more for garnish
Pour about 1-inch of water into a wok and bring it to a boil over high heat. Put the greens into a bamboo steamer and cover. Put the steamer into the wok and steam the vegetables for about 5 minutes or until they are just tender. (A vegetable steamer or other improvisation of this would work fine, too.)
Meanwhile make the dressing by combining the soy sauce, vinegar, honey, oil, and 1 teaspoon sesame seeds in a small bowl. Put the cooked greens onto a serving platter, drizzle the dressing over them, and toss well to coat. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve immediately.
Shredded Root Vegetable Pancakes
This will work nicely with any combination of potatoes, carrots, beets, turnips, rutabaga, or celeriac.
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3 tablespoons chopped scallions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 cups assorted root vegetables, shredded
2 slices cooked bacon, crumbled (optional)
6 teaspoons canola oil, divided
Sour cream for garnish
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Whisk egg, flour, scallions, dill, horseradish, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Stir in vegetables and bacon (if using).
3. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook 4 pancakes per batch: place about 1/4 cup vegetable mixture in a little of the oil and press with the back of a spatula to flatten into a 2- to 3-inch pancake. Cook until crispy and golden, 1 1/2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the pancakes to the prepared baking sheet. Continue with 2 more batches, using the remaining 4 teaspoons oil and vegetable mixture. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Serve garnished with sour cream, if desired.
From Eating Well Magazine, Nov/Dec ‘08
Farm Notes, CSA week 18
October 2 & 3, 2008, CSA Week 18
Change is in the air. Change is happening all around us; we have an election that is sure to bring out more citizens to vote then in a long time, we have a banking crisis that is going to bring change to our lives in an unknown number of ways and we have, obviously a changing season. It seems like we woke up one day and autumn had arrived! The leaves are changing to their beautiful reds, yellows and shades of orange, while people decorate their homes with colorful mums and pumpkins. The days are growing shorter and the weather is cooling. The days of 90 plus degrees are over as are the 9 PM hilling of potatoes…until next year!
Our gardens are enjoying the changing weather as well. The fall crops love these cool evenings and shorter days; the turnips have formed nicely and the greens have excelled. Our cabbage is forming nice tight heads and will make some lovely braises in a couple of weeks when we harvest it. The potatoes are all in out of the ground and are being stored in our garage for now. While they did not yield the quantities we had hoped for, we certainly have enough for everyone to try a wonderful selection over the next five weeks.
We are settling into our new home and already enjoying the close proximity of the farm and our community here in New Baltimore. We are becoming involved with community events and organizations, like the New Baltimore Conservancy and Ag Committee. Chris wants to start a community based organization that will look at how New Baltimore can become more self-sufficient. Sustainable New Baltimore will look at what resources we have and how better can they be managed, from a citizens point of view. Chris is even thinking about running for a town board seat next year, but we’ll have to see about that one.
From our point of view the greatest contribution we can offer to New Baltimore (and surrounding towns) is to feed our fellow citizens. This is a great challenge and a great responsibility. We feel very strongly that Community Supported Agriculture is a great model and we hope to expand our membership from within New Baltimore next year. We are also looking forward to being vendors again next year at the New Baltimore Farmers Market. And we have been approached by Coxsackie-Athens and Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk school districts to grow food for the Farm to School program. We are looking forward to all these great challenges.
We’re sending out an email today just to remind everyone that there are five weeks (including this one) left of share pickups; so the last pickup days for this season will be October 30 & 31. Sorry for any redundancy, but it seems like everyone prefers a different form of communication!
Greens with Bacon and Balsamic Vinegar
This method may be used with mature greens such as dandelion, kale, turnip, mustard and collard that need special handling to tenderize them and soften their often overly bitter or peppery flavor. First, steam them, drain and cool them, and dry them in a salad spinner. Then, braise the greens in a small amount of bacon or pancetta fat (along with the crisp bits of meat) to enhance and mellow their flavor. A splash of sweet balsamic vinegar at the very end adds a sweet/sour counterpoint to the greens.
They will be equally good hot or at room temperature. When cooked in pancetta fat, they are especially delicious on pasta.
1 pound mature greens, tough stems discarded, rinsed and drained
½ ounce lean thick sliced bacon or pancetta, cut into ¼ inch pieces
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1/8 cup Balsamic Vinegar
Steam the greens, and spin dry in salad spinner. In large skillet, cook the bacon, covered, over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally until it has rendered its fat and is crisp. Increase heat to high and add the greens and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook until the greens are tender, about 3-5 minutes. Remove the lid, reduce heat to moderate, and cook until any liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook one extra minute to mellow the flavor. Generously pepper, adjust salt as necessary, and transfer greens to warm platter. Add balsamic to the pan and boil down to about ½ a tablespoon. Drizzle over greens and serve.
From A New Way to Cook, by Sally Schneider
Mashed Potato Embellishments
Just a few ideas for taking simple mashed potatoes to a new level.
Basic mashed potato recipe:
1 ¼ pounds thin skinned potatoes, scrubbed or peeled
1 ½ tsp sea salt and freshly ground pepper
¾ cup buttermilk, warmed
1 tbsp butter
Place potatoes and 1 tsp of salt in saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are fork-tender. Drain, reserving ¼ cup of cooking water.
Return potatoes to the pan and set over low heat, uncovered for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, to let the potatoes dry out a little (too much moisture will dilute their flavor). Mash the potatoes with a potato masher or fork, and then beat in buttermilk with a wooden spoon until fully incorporated. If you prefer the potatoes creamier, add some of the reserved cooking liquid. Beat in the butter, remaining salt and pepper. Serve warm.
1. Seasoned with Fragrant Oil…at the end of mashing, stir in rosemary, white truffle or toasted walnut oil in place of butter.
2. Basil mashed potatoes…pound 30 medium basil leaves with ¼ tsp sea salt into a fine paste using a mortar and pestle, adding one tbsp olive oil. Stir the puree into finished mashed potatoes. Makes a great side for seafood, lamb or veal.
3. Smashed Potatoes with Crushed Black Olives…Mash potatoes coarsely so they are still very lumpy. Add one tbsp fruity olive oil for the butter, and stir in ½ cup coarsely chopped or crushed pitted black olives, such as Nicoise, Kalamata or Gaeta.
Change is in the air. Change is happening all around us; we have an election that is sure to bring out more citizens to vote then in a long time, we have a banking crisis that is going to bring change to our lives in an unknown number of ways and we have, obviously a changing season. It seems like we woke up one day and autumn had arrived! The leaves are changing to their beautiful reds, yellows and shades of orange, while people decorate their homes with colorful mums and pumpkins. The days are growing shorter and the weather is cooling. The days of 90 plus degrees are over as are the 9 PM hilling of potatoes…until next year!
Our gardens are enjoying the changing weather as well. The fall crops love these cool evenings and shorter days; the turnips have formed nicely and the greens have excelled. Our cabbage is forming nice tight heads and will make some lovely braises in a couple of weeks when we harvest it. The potatoes are all in out of the ground and are being stored in our garage for now. While they did not yield the quantities we had hoped for, we certainly have enough for everyone to try a wonderful selection over the next five weeks.
We are settling into our new home and already enjoying the close proximity of the farm and our community here in New Baltimore. We are becoming involved with community events and organizations, like the New Baltimore Conservancy and Ag Committee. Chris wants to start a community based organization that will look at how New Baltimore can become more self-sufficient. Sustainable New Baltimore will look at what resources we have and how better can they be managed, from a citizens point of view. Chris is even thinking about running for a town board seat next year, but we’ll have to see about that one.
From our point of view the greatest contribution we can offer to New Baltimore (and surrounding towns) is to feed our fellow citizens. This is a great challenge and a great responsibility. We feel very strongly that Community Supported Agriculture is a great model and we hope to expand our membership from within New Baltimore next year. We are also looking forward to being vendors again next year at the New Baltimore Farmers Market. And we have been approached by Coxsackie-Athens and Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk school districts to grow food for the Farm to School program. We are looking forward to all these great challenges.
We’re sending out an email today just to remind everyone that there are five weeks (including this one) left of share pickups; so the last pickup days for this season will be October 30 & 31. Sorry for any redundancy, but it seems like everyone prefers a different form of communication!
Greens with Bacon and Balsamic Vinegar
This method may be used with mature greens such as dandelion, kale, turnip, mustard and collard that need special handling to tenderize them and soften their often overly bitter or peppery flavor. First, steam them, drain and cool them, and dry them in a salad spinner. Then, braise the greens in a small amount of bacon or pancetta fat (along with the crisp bits of meat) to enhance and mellow their flavor. A splash of sweet balsamic vinegar at the very end adds a sweet/sour counterpoint to the greens.
They will be equally good hot or at room temperature. When cooked in pancetta fat, they are especially delicious on pasta.
1 pound mature greens, tough stems discarded, rinsed and drained
½ ounce lean thick sliced bacon or pancetta, cut into ¼ inch pieces
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1/8 cup Balsamic Vinegar
Steam the greens, and spin dry in salad spinner. In large skillet, cook the bacon, covered, over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally until it has rendered its fat and is crisp. Increase heat to high and add the greens and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook until the greens are tender, about 3-5 minutes. Remove the lid, reduce heat to moderate, and cook until any liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook one extra minute to mellow the flavor. Generously pepper, adjust salt as necessary, and transfer greens to warm platter. Add balsamic to the pan and boil down to about ½ a tablespoon. Drizzle over greens and serve.
From A New Way to Cook, by Sally Schneider
Mashed Potato Embellishments
Just a few ideas for taking simple mashed potatoes to a new level.
Basic mashed potato recipe:
1 ¼ pounds thin skinned potatoes, scrubbed or peeled
1 ½ tsp sea salt and freshly ground pepper
¾ cup buttermilk, warmed
1 tbsp butter
Place potatoes and 1 tsp of salt in saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are fork-tender. Drain, reserving ¼ cup of cooking water.
Return potatoes to the pan and set over low heat, uncovered for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, to let the potatoes dry out a little (too much moisture will dilute their flavor). Mash the potatoes with a potato masher or fork, and then beat in buttermilk with a wooden spoon until fully incorporated. If you prefer the potatoes creamier, add some of the reserved cooking liquid. Beat in the butter, remaining salt and pepper. Serve warm.
1. Seasoned with Fragrant Oil…at the end of mashing, stir in rosemary, white truffle or toasted walnut oil in place of butter.
2. Basil mashed potatoes…pound 30 medium basil leaves with ¼ tsp sea salt into a fine paste using a mortar and pestle, adding one tbsp olive oil. Stir the puree into finished mashed potatoes. Makes a great side for seafood, lamb or veal.
3. Smashed Potatoes with Crushed Black Olives…Mash potatoes coarsely so they are still very lumpy. Add one tbsp fruity olive oil for the butter, and stir in ½ cup coarsely chopped or crushed pitted black olives, such as Nicoise, Kalamata or Gaeta.
Farm Notes, CSA week 17
September 25 & 26, Week 17
We hope everyone has been enjoying the fresh vegetables every week. We sure have! We love all the flavors and textures of summertime. We are now moving into the fall crops, they are best roasted in a warm oven. They help take the chill out of the air in our homes and put a warm feeling in our bellies.
We spent this week digging potatoes. Lots and lots of potatoes! We planted 60 rows of 25 different varieties, adding up to about an acre. Chris dug the first eight rows by hand (and pitchfork) and last week we obtained a hand-me-down tractor from my dad that we were able to hook up a digging attachment to, which has made the job far easier. With the help of Chris’s parents and Grandmother, we harvested 34 rows on Wednesday and are trying to get the last 16 harvested this morning and tomorrow before it starts raining. While it is tiring work, we have a lot of fun doing it…we liken it to digging for gold. The soil opens up and you find all these wonderful buried treasures you would never have guessed were there on the surface. And the varieties! Fingerlings, reds, purples, whites, yellows – smooth skins and russeted – all different flesh colors, from stark white to pink and blue blushed to creamy yellows. We hope that everyone will be as excited as we are to try them all!
We hope everyone has been enjoying the fresh vegetables every week. We sure have! We love all the flavors and textures of summertime. We are now moving into the fall crops, they are best roasted in a warm oven. They help take the chill out of the air in our homes and put a warm feeling in our bellies.
We spent this week digging potatoes. Lots and lots of potatoes! We planted 60 rows of 25 different varieties, adding up to about an acre. Chris dug the first eight rows by hand (and pitchfork) and last week we obtained a hand-me-down tractor from my dad that we were able to hook up a digging attachment to, which has made the job far easier. With the help of Chris’s parents and Grandmother, we harvested 34 rows on Wednesday and are trying to get the last 16 harvested this morning and tomorrow before it starts raining. While it is tiring work, we have a lot of fun doing it…we liken it to digging for gold. The soil opens up and you find all these wonderful buried treasures you would never have guessed were there on the surface. And the varieties! Fingerlings, reds, purples, whites, yellows – smooth skins and russeted – all different flesh colors, from stark white to pink and blue blushed to creamy yellows. We hope that everyone will be as excited as we are to try them all!
Farm Notes, Week 16
September 18 & 19, Week 16
Well, as many of you know we closed on our house, last Tuesday, in North Greenbush. What a relief to be finally done with that. Friday morning we will buy our new home in New Baltimore. The circle is almost complete. The circle you ask? Yes the circle.
As many of you know I grew up in New Baltimore. I also worked on a farm in town. I worked all through my school days for Alex Kriel. After finishing high school, I went on to community college continuing to work for Alex and another full time job. When Alex passed away in 1998
(I can’t believe its been 10 years) I was the farm manager for the Kriel Farm for 3 years while I finished my bachelor’s degree from SUNY Albany. (Looking back I don’t know how I did all the work on the farm and took a full load of courses each semester.) All those years, what I heard from the farmers in town - Alex included - was that there is no money in farming. Every time someone told me that, I would ask what they meant. Some would say there is no future, others would say you can’t find help and without help you can’t make any money. Others would tell me commodities were priced to help the big mega farms out in the mid-west (basically farm subsidies) and we can’t compete with them. Then I would ask why they were still farming. Some would say they didn’t know how to do anything else, others would say they like being outdoors and as long as the farm could pay the taxes they would continue to make hay. I even had a couple tell me if they stopped they figured they would die because they wouldn’t know what to do with themselves!
At no time did any of them tell me that there was a living in farming. This is exactly what they were doing…making a living. I went to college to get a better job and hopefully have a better living standard then my parents did. For a while that was okay. But the farm kept calling me back. Every free chance I had I was working for the Kriel farm. I kept listening to the little voice in my head, way in the back under all the everyday stuff. That little voice was a farmer I met along time ago; while we were talking, after about an hour of so, he told me I was born a farmer. He said he could tell that I had the passion, drive and heart to be farmer. He also said that folks can be trained to be farmers and some will succeed but most won’t. Keep my head to the grindstone and one day I would have the life that I wanted. Well – he was right. I have the life that I want. I have a great wife who supports me, a beautiful son who I love more everyday, another child due in January and the career that I want. Moving back to my hometown was not easy but it was worth the long, windy ride home. The circle.
Well, as many of you know we closed on our house, last Tuesday, in North Greenbush. What a relief to be finally done with that. Friday morning we will buy our new home in New Baltimore. The circle is almost complete. The circle you ask? Yes the circle.
As many of you know I grew up in New Baltimore. I also worked on a farm in town. I worked all through my school days for Alex Kriel. After finishing high school, I went on to community college continuing to work for Alex and another full time job. When Alex passed away in 1998
(I can’t believe its been 10 years) I was the farm manager for the Kriel Farm for 3 years while I finished my bachelor’s degree from SUNY Albany. (Looking back I don’t know how I did all the work on the farm and took a full load of courses each semester.) All those years, what I heard from the farmers in town - Alex included - was that there is no money in farming. Every time someone told me that, I would ask what they meant. Some would say there is no future, others would say you can’t find help and without help you can’t make any money. Others would tell me commodities were priced to help the big mega farms out in the mid-west (basically farm subsidies) and we can’t compete with them. Then I would ask why they were still farming. Some would say they didn’t know how to do anything else, others would say they like being outdoors and as long as the farm could pay the taxes they would continue to make hay. I even had a couple tell me if they stopped they figured they would die because they wouldn’t know what to do with themselves!
At no time did any of them tell me that there was a living in farming. This is exactly what they were doing…making a living. I went to college to get a better job and hopefully have a better living standard then my parents did. For a while that was okay. But the farm kept calling me back. Every free chance I had I was working for the Kriel farm. I kept listening to the little voice in my head, way in the back under all the everyday stuff. That little voice was a farmer I met along time ago; while we were talking, after about an hour of so, he told me I was born a farmer. He said he could tell that I had the passion, drive and heart to be farmer. He also said that folks can be trained to be farmers and some will succeed but most won’t. Keep my head to the grindstone and one day I would have the life that I wanted. Well – he was right. I have the life that I want. I have a great wife who supports me, a beautiful son who I love more everyday, another child due in January and the career that I want. Moving back to my hometown was not easy but it was worth the long, windy ride home. The circle.
Farm Notes, Week 15
September 11 & 12, 2008, CSA Week 15
WOW!! It feels good…really good to finally be done selling our house. Now we can complete the process of buying our new home; this should go much smoother than the sale did. We are hoping to be moved in there within the next two weeks.
The cooler days and nights have been wonderful. The brassicas seem to think so too; they are absolutely beautiful and we will begin harvesting them next week, starting with a nice braising mix that will include mustards, Chinese cabbage and young turnip greens. The rain we’ve been getting seems to be coming at exactly the right time, too – it has been helping along all of our fall crops and making potato digging easier. Speaking of potatoes, this week some of you will be getting French Fingerlings, which have a beautiful pink hue and have a wonderful waxy texture. They make incredible oven fries if you are looking for a good way to use them – I’ve included my basic recipe on the back.
Unfortunately, last week brought the end of our tomatoes. While they were not as plentiful as we had hoped they would be, we still certainly enjoyed them very much, and hope that you all did as well. As with many crops, we will simply have to look forward to better harvests next year! We’ll be growing all of the same tomato varieties again (plus more if Chris has his way about it), and will be using some different methods, including raised beds and IRC plastic to hedge our bets for healthier plants, higher yields, and a longer season.
This week’s share includes our potatoes, along with kale, red leaf lettuce and sweet onions from Slack Hollow Farm.
Spicy Potato and Kale Soup
¼ cup halved and sliced chorizo sausage (hot Italian sausage will work, too)
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 14oz can chicken broth
1/3 cup water
1 small potato, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
4 cups kale, ribs removed, thinly sliced
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Heat large saucepan over medium heat. Add chorizo and cook, stirring until browned; about 2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; wipe out the pot.
Heat oil in the pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 2 min. Add broth, water, potato and garlic; increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cove r and cook, stirring occasionally until the potato is tender, 6 to 9 minutes. Lightly mash the potato with a wooden spoon. Add kale, a handful at a time, waiting until it has wilted before adding more. Adjust heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is tender, about 5 minutes. Add reserved chorizo and season with pepper.
Makes 2 servings, 1 ½ cups each.
Indian-Spiced Kale and Chickpeas
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-1 ½ pounds kale or mixed greens, coarsely chopped
1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp garam masala
Salt to taste
1 15-oz can chickpeas
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add kale and cook, tossing with two large spoons, until bright green about 1 minute. Add broth, coriander, cumin, garam masala and salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is tender, 8-10 minutes. Stir in chickpeas; cove r and cook until the chickpeas are heated through, a minute or two.
Serve over brown rice and top with a spoonful of plain yogurt and some chutney.
Makes 2 servings, 1 ½ cups each.
Oven Fries
Potatoes
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
Ground Fennel and Coriander Seeds OR fresh chopped sage, rosemary or thyme leaves
Heat oven to 450. Slice potatoes into quarters or eighths, depending on desired size. Rinse twice in cold water, and pat dry. Toss potatoes with a generous amount of olive oil, salt, pepper and spice mixture or herbs. Spread into a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake 20-30 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden brown and a little crisp on the outside.
WOW!! It feels good…really good to finally be done selling our house. Now we can complete the process of buying our new home; this should go much smoother than the sale did. We are hoping to be moved in there within the next two weeks.
The cooler days and nights have been wonderful. The brassicas seem to think so too; they are absolutely beautiful and we will begin harvesting them next week, starting with a nice braising mix that will include mustards, Chinese cabbage and young turnip greens. The rain we’ve been getting seems to be coming at exactly the right time, too – it has been helping along all of our fall crops and making potato digging easier. Speaking of potatoes, this week some of you will be getting French Fingerlings, which have a beautiful pink hue and have a wonderful waxy texture. They make incredible oven fries if you are looking for a good way to use them – I’ve included my basic recipe on the back.
Unfortunately, last week brought the end of our tomatoes. While they were not as plentiful as we had hoped they would be, we still certainly enjoyed them very much, and hope that you all did as well. As with many crops, we will simply have to look forward to better harvests next year! We’ll be growing all of the same tomato varieties again (plus more if Chris has his way about it), and will be using some different methods, including raised beds and IRC plastic to hedge our bets for healthier plants, higher yields, and a longer season.
This week’s share includes our potatoes, along with kale, red leaf lettuce and sweet onions from Slack Hollow Farm.
Spicy Potato and Kale Soup
¼ cup halved and sliced chorizo sausage (hot Italian sausage will work, too)
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 14oz can chicken broth
1/3 cup water
1 small potato, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
4 cups kale, ribs removed, thinly sliced
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Heat large saucepan over medium heat. Add chorizo and cook, stirring until browned; about 2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; wipe out the pot.
Heat oil in the pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 2 min. Add broth, water, potato and garlic; increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cove r and cook, stirring occasionally until the potato is tender, 6 to 9 minutes. Lightly mash the potato with a wooden spoon. Add kale, a handful at a time, waiting until it has wilted before adding more. Adjust heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is tender, about 5 minutes. Add reserved chorizo and season with pepper.
Makes 2 servings, 1 ½ cups each.
Indian-Spiced Kale and Chickpeas
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-1 ½ pounds kale or mixed greens, coarsely chopped
1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp garam masala
Salt to taste
1 15-oz can chickpeas
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add kale and cook, tossing with two large spoons, until bright green about 1 minute. Add broth, coriander, cumin, garam masala and salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is tender, 8-10 minutes. Stir in chickpeas; cove r and cook until the chickpeas are heated through, a minute or two.
Serve over brown rice and top with a spoonful of plain yogurt and some chutney.
Makes 2 servings, 1 ½ cups each.
Oven Fries
Potatoes
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
Ground Fennel and Coriander Seeds OR fresh chopped sage, rosemary or thyme leaves
Heat oven to 450. Slice potatoes into quarters or eighths, depending on desired size. Rinse twice in cold water, and pat dry. Toss potatoes with a generous amount of olive oil, salt, pepper and spice mixture or herbs. Spread into a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake 20-30 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden brown and a little crisp on the outside.
Updating Postings
I'm finally getting around to updating the blog with the rest of the season's notes. We did skip a few weeks when we were in the middle of moving...and there were a couple of weeks where the main notes were administrative, so I'm not going to bother with putting them up.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Farm Notes, Week 11
August 21/22, 2008, CSA Week 11
Some dry weather has arrived. This will help the new plantings but it’s a little too late for some crops. As the next few days stay dry we will begin digging potatoes. We trialed 20 plus varieties this year and will give everyone some of each and some great recipes. The tomatoes are coming into the last leg of production and we hope everyone has enjoyed some of the colors and flavors. Next year we will have all the varieties we had this year and more. Speaking of next year, we want to look forward to what our plans are for Otter Hook Farm.
We started digging a pond in the front pasture to see if it would hold water. Well, it holds water so we will be expanding it in the fall. It’s been really cool to see all the wildlife enjoying the pond already; we have frogs and other amphibians, dragon flies (which we don’t remember seeing last year), all sorts of birds and we are sure there are other animals we haven’t seen in the daylight. (And of course, our dogs take themselves swimming all the time!) The future pond located in the hayfield also holds water; for this pond we will hire a large excavator to dig a two tiered pond. The center will be about 20 feet deep and around the edge will range from 4-6 feet deep. We believe this is the best approach for our soil type. I can’t wait for the first fish that Alex catches and the first farm-raised fish dinner!
We are also planning to change the area that we have for raising vegetables. Seeing how many tomatoes and squash we have lost in the lower garden has been a real emotional drain, and a wake up call that if the weather does not cooperate completely, we will have loss again. So, we are going to put the lower garden back into hay production. We now have an area about 4 acres in size plowed and disked, this will serve as our main garden next year. We plan to add some composted cow manure and rock powders to it this fall, and we are going to try some raised beds in this new area, but because making the beds are so labor intensive we are going to build just a few. We are going to use some IRT plastic next year to help control weeds; we really dislike using plastic but until we can get our weeds under control it is a compromise we will make.
When things slow down some in the early fall we will begin clearing the front pasture lot in preparation for installing fence in the spring. This is a part of our long term goals for the farm. It will serve as a place we can graze our milk cows, small beef herd and some sheep. These animals will help build fertility in our garden and clean up the pasture bringing in the natural grasses that grow in our area. Oh, and we can’t forget that the pasture will also be home to our draft horses. The use of animal power will help us break the chain with fossil fuel use, increase fertility, help fight global climate change and most of all it will be really incredible to work along side these big, beautiful beasts.
We want to thank everyone for their kind and encouraging words, especially those who have assured us that what we are going through this year is exactly what CSA is about; you taking the risk with us. While this is true, because we are only halfway through the season and won’t be able to harvest much of what we had planned, we feel like we collected some “pay” for work we now can’t do. So, it is in that spirit that we will be moving forward with buying some produce from two other local, organic farms for at least part of the remaining season; Stoneledge Farm in Cairo (Greene County), and Slack Hollow Farm in Argyle (Washington County). Since we are buying the produce in bulk, we can get a slightly better price, and so make whatever money we might have refunded our shareholders for that work not done go a little further towards putting more food on our collective tables.
This week’s share includes heirloom tomatoes (OHF), summer squash (OHF & SLF), lettuce (SHF), and sweet onions (SHF). Enjoy!
Panzanella
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon stone ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
3-4 cups diced tomatoes
4 cups cubed whole-wheat country bread
1/4 cup thinly slivered red onion
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
1 4 1/2-ounce cans sardines, optional
Whisk oil, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add tomatoes, bread, onion, basil and capers. Toss to combine. Let the salad sit for about 5 minutes to allow it to absorb the dressing's flavors, stirring occasionally. Serve at room temperature.
We enjoy this recipe every summer (with the sardines!) I started off with a recipe, but have modified it enough that it really is mine, now.
Calabacitas
Enjoy this traditional Southwestern dish of sautéed summer squash, onions and peppers as a side or as a vegetarian filling for tacos.
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 poblano or Anaheim chile pepper, seeded and diced
2 cups diced zucchini
2 cups diced summer squash
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and chile; cook, stirring, until soft, about 4 minutes. Add zucchini, summer squash and salt; cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in cilantro (if using).
From Eating Well Magazine, May/June 07
Lentil & Bulgur Pilaf with Green & Yellow Squash
Based on a traditional Lebanese Lenten dish, this recipe makes a terrific meatless meal. Serve with warm whole-wheat flatbread or pita and a dollop of tangy plain yogurt.
4 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 1/4 cups brown lentils, rinsed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
Freshly ground pepper to taste
3/4 cup coarse bulgur (see Ingredient note)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 small yellow squash, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or dill
1. Combine broth, lentils, onion, bay leaf, salt, allspice and pepper in a 3-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Add bulgur and cook until the lentils and bulgur are tender and the liquid is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes more. Remove the pilaf from the heat, discard the bay leaf and stir in lemon juice.2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini, squash, garlic and lemon zest; saute for 5 minutes. Stir in parsley and cilantro (or dill). Season with pepper. Stir into the pilaf. Serve hot.
From Eating Well Magazine, March/April 97
Some dry weather has arrived. This will help the new plantings but it’s a little too late for some crops. As the next few days stay dry we will begin digging potatoes. We trialed 20 plus varieties this year and will give everyone some of each and some great recipes. The tomatoes are coming into the last leg of production and we hope everyone has enjoyed some of the colors and flavors. Next year we will have all the varieties we had this year and more. Speaking of next year, we want to look forward to what our plans are for Otter Hook Farm.
We started digging a pond in the front pasture to see if it would hold water. Well, it holds water so we will be expanding it in the fall. It’s been really cool to see all the wildlife enjoying the pond already; we have frogs and other amphibians, dragon flies (which we don’t remember seeing last year), all sorts of birds and we are sure there are other animals we haven’t seen in the daylight. (And of course, our dogs take themselves swimming all the time!) The future pond located in the hayfield also holds water; for this pond we will hire a large excavator to dig a two tiered pond. The center will be about 20 feet deep and around the edge will range from 4-6 feet deep. We believe this is the best approach for our soil type. I can’t wait for the first fish that Alex catches and the first farm-raised fish dinner!
We are also planning to change the area that we have for raising vegetables. Seeing how many tomatoes and squash we have lost in the lower garden has been a real emotional drain, and a wake up call that if the weather does not cooperate completely, we will have loss again. So, we are going to put the lower garden back into hay production. We now have an area about 4 acres in size plowed and disked, this will serve as our main garden next year. We plan to add some composted cow manure and rock powders to it this fall, and we are going to try some raised beds in this new area, but because making the beds are so labor intensive we are going to build just a few. We are going to use some IRT plastic next year to help control weeds; we really dislike using plastic but until we can get our weeds under control it is a compromise we will make.
When things slow down some in the early fall we will begin clearing the front pasture lot in preparation for installing fence in the spring. This is a part of our long term goals for the farm. It will serve as a place we can graze our milk cows, small beef herd and some sheep. These animals will help build fertility in our garden and clean up the pasture bringing in the natural grasses that grow in our area. Oh, and we can’t forget that the pasture will also be home to our draft horses. The use of animal power will help us break the chain with fossil fuel use, increase fertility, help fight global climate change and most of all it will be really incredible to work along side these big, beautiful beasts.
We want to thank everyone for their kind and encouraging words, especially those who have assured us that what we are going through this year is exactly what CSA is about; you taking the risk with us. While this is true, because we are only halfway through the season and won’t be able to harvest much of what we had planned, we feel like we collected some “pay” for work we now can’t do. So, it is in that spirit that we will be moving forward with buying some produce from two other local, organic farms for at least part of the remaining season; Stoneledge Farm in Cairo (Greene County), and Slack Hollow Farm in Argyle (Washington County). Since we are buying the produce in bulk, we can get a slightly better price, and so make whatever money we might have refunded our shareholders for that work not done go a little further towards putting more food on our collective tables.
This week’s share includes heirloom tomatoes (OHF), summer squash (OHF & SLF), lettuce (SHF), and sweet onions (SHF). Enjoy!
Panzanella
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon stone ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
3-4 cups diced tomatoes
4 cups cubed whole-wheat country bread
1/4 cup thinly slivered red onion
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
1 4 1/2-ounce cans sardines, optional
Whisk oil, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add tomatoes, bread, onion, basil and capers. Toss to combine. Let the salad sit for about 5 minutes to allow it to absorb the dressing's flavors, stirring occasionally. Serve at room temperature.
We enjoy this recipe every summer (with the sardines!) I started off with a recipe, but have modified it enough that it really is mine, now.
Calabacitas
Enjoy this traditional Southwestern dish of sautéed summer squash, onions and peppers as a side or as a vegetarian filling for tacos.
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 poblano or Anaheim chile pepper, seeded and diced
2 cups diced zucchini
2 cups diced summer squash
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and chile; cook, stirring, until soft, about 4 minutes. Add zucchini, summer squash and salt; cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in cilantro (if using).
From Eating Well Magazine, May/June 07
Lentil & Bulgur Pilaf with Green & Yellow Squash
Based on a traditional Lebanese Lenten dish, this recipe makes a terrific meatless meal. Serve with warm whole-wheat flatbread or pita and a dollop of tangy plain yogurt.
4 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 1/4 cups brown lentils, rinsed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
Freshly ground pepper to taste
3/4 cup coarse bulgur (see Ingredient note)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 small yellow squash, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or dill
1. Combine broth, lentils, onion, bay leaf, salt, allspice and pepper in a 3-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Add bulgur and cook until the lentils and bulgur are tender and the liquid is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes more. Remove the pilaf from the heat, discard the bay leaf and stir in lemon juice.2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini, squash, garlic and lemon zest; saute for 5 minutes. Stir in parsley and cilantro (or dill). Season with pepper. Stir into the pilaf. Serve hot.
From Eating Well Magazine, March/April 97
Friday, August 15, 2008
Farm Notes, Week 10
August 14/15, 2008, CSA Week 10
We have focused very much on the weather in our newsletters this season, and, as farmers, that is what we find ourselves doing every day…it is the single biggest determining factor for how the season goes. And this season is not going well. We need to state some facts about what is happening at the farm and with harvests, and then ask for your input on what to do.
We have had 12 inches of rain on our farm in the last month, and the current weather pattern is showing little promise for change.
That amount of rainfall has resulted in standing water in our main garden field for the last three weeks.
Standing water has had the following effects:
· Summer Squash and Cucumber plants are contracting powdery mildew, producing fruits that rot quickly, and the plants are dying.
· Tomato plants have drowned in the field, and the ones that have survived are producing little fruit. When it rains just prior to harvest, the fruit splits and we can’t include it in the shares. We are down to 60 living tomato plants left of the 250 that were planted.
· Bean plants have contracted fungal diseases and are dead and dying.
· Winter squash are extremely stressed, and we are not sure how many plants will survive or how many fruits they will yield.
· We are worried that some of the potatoes might be rotting.
· Seeds planted just prior to and in the start of this rainy spell have not germinated; they have rotted on the ground. Included in this are lettuce, greens, carrots and beets.
· Since the rain, we have not been able to get into our main garden to cultivate or plant anything more, as further cultivation would only make matters worse.
We have enough tomatoes, summer squash, cucumbers, beets and Swiss chard to give some mix of these this week and for several more weeks. Our smaller “Barn” Garden has good drainage, and has been planted with fall greens, turnips, carrots and cabbage, but those crops will not be ready for at least another month – some of them not until October. We have reached the cutoff date for planting anything more to be harvested this season.
These are simply stated facts about what is happening at Otter Hook Farm this season. We feel terrible for you, as shareholders in this enterprise, that you are dealing with these meager harvests along with us; as farmers we understand that sometimes there are crop failures. But we know that many of you are new to CSA, and are probably used to simply going to the supermarket and buying whatever you feel like, so not getting what you expect is a new experience. To those of you in this situation, we hope this year has not turned you off to future CSA membership, whether it is with our farm or another.
We have been asking ourselves and now are asking you…what should we do? The course of action we are leaning towards is continuing to supplement our produce with goods from other local organic farms for the remainder of the season. We are, of course, still hoping for the best from our own harvest, and will hand out the most we can from that. We welcome any input or suggestions that anyone has, and we will assume that if we do not hear from you, that you support our decision to supplement, and we will proceed in that fashion.
Farm Notes, Week 9
August 7/8, 2008, CSA Week 9
As we enter this “last” month of summer, we are noticing changes going on all around us. The days are warm, but the nights are cooler, the air has that end of summer smell, and we are hearing the fall insects starting to play their music as we retire for the evening. Our fall plantings of brassicas, greens and root crops are in the ground, and Chris has begun digging some potatoes. The winter squash are forming and the melons are swelling. We have some new wax beans in flower now to replace the ones we lost from all the rain two weeks ago. The pieces are in place for the remainder of our harvests. It feels like we can breathe again; sort of. We realize that we have no control over the weather that comes our way and its effects on the plants, so we have stopped worrying about the things we won’t harvest and, instead, are focusing on the crops we will harvest. The weeds are out of control in some areas, but we have come to accept that they have been more tenacious than we have been able to be this year. They have all day every day to grow, and we have the equivalent of a couple of hours each week to pull them out. So, we are harvesting what we can from amongst them and talking about the ways that we will do things differently next year to make the situation better. We are scoping out a couple of new garden plots for next year so that we can put the current ones to cover crop to rest and build some organic matter. We have a couple of pond areas laid out, so we will be able to irrigate, making dry weather less of an issue. We’ll be collecting all the manure we can from local farms to compost and then fertilize, as well as applying lyme to all the garden areas and some of the fields. We may build some raised beds for certain crops within the gardens, and we are choosing spots for permanent raised beds in which to grow perennial herbs.
I think we will look back at this summer and think of it as a season of transition. We have been living between two houses, knowing that we were selling ours but not knowing where our new home base would be, working two jobs, pulling Alex out of his routine every time we get him into one. Now that we have found a new home and are looking at two closings this month, calm is settling over us. We are making the transition from relative chaos to order. We took a break today and walked through the gardens. I was blown away by the number of butterflies that were everywhere. Then, I walked within about ten yards of a fawn before I even realized she was there! These are the moments that make me realize how glad I am that we are doing this. These are the experiences my children will remember; living and working in harmony with nature.
A couple of notes: The tomato festival we had planned for August 23 has been cancelled, due to the number of plants we lost from flooding in the garden. This also means that the number of tomatoes in the shares will be less than we hoped, but they will be there! Also, our eggplants and peppers never fully recovered from the hail storm back in June, so we will not have either of those items in the shares this season.
We would also like to express our appreciation for everyone’s understanding and support this season; it has really helped us get over some of our down moments this summer.
Cucumber Salad with Sesame
1 Large or 2 Small-Medium Cucumbers, peeled and seeded
1 Tbsp raw unsalted peanuts (or use pine nuts or hazelnuts for a different taste)
1 Tbsp black sesame seeds (use white if you don’t have black)
1 green chili
1 tsp cumin seeds
coriander/cilantro
salt to taste
1 - 2 tsp oil - toasted sesame, olive, or peanut
Chop cucumbers into small cubes. Remove the stems and finely slice the green chilli. Finely chop the coriander/cilantro.
Heat a small pan, add the sesame seeds and toast them for a minute or two. Watch carefully, as they overcook very quickly. Remove from the pan and keep aside.
Add the raw peanuts or pine nuts to the pan and sauté them until roasted. Remove them from the heat and crush the nuts with a pestle.
Heat the oil in the pan and add the cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds turn brown, add the green chili, and remove the pan from the heat.
Add the cucumber, and salt. If it splatters too much, cover the pan until it dies down. Stir through and allow the cucumber to warm. You can put it over a very gentle flame for a moment or two but no longer.
In a mixing bowl, combine the cucumber mixture, crushed nuts, toasted sesame seeds and chopped coriander/cilantro. Serve immediately or at room temperature.
Source: http://vegeyum.wordpress.com/2008/06/01/cucumbersalad/
Cucumber Salad with Mint & Feta
1 lb cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
¼ red onion (or several small) thinly sliced and cut into 1-inch segments
2 or 3 red radishes, thinly sliced
10 mint leaves, thinly sliced
White vinegar
Olive oil
¼ lb feta cheese
Salt and fresh ground pepper
In medium sized bowl, gently toss cucumbers, onion, radishes and mint with a little bit of vinegar and olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving, sprinkle with feta cheese. Serve immediately, serves 4.
Source: www.elise.com/recipes/archives
As we enter this “last” month of summer, we are noticing changes going on all around us. The days are warm, but the nights are cooler, the air has that end of summer smell, and we are hearing the fall insects starting to play their music as we retire for the evening. Our fall plantings of brassicas, greens and root crops are in the ground, and Chris has begun digging some potatoes. The winter squash are forming and the melons are swelling. We have some new wax beans in flower now to replace the ones we lost from all the rain two weeks ago. The pieces are in place for the remainder of our harvests. It feels like we can breathe again; sort of. We realize that we have no control over the weather that comes our way and its effects on the plants, so we have stopped worrying about the things we won’t harvest and, instead, are focusing on the crops we will harvest. The weeds are out of control in some areas, but we have come to accept that they have been more tenacious than we have been able to be this year. They have all day every day to grow, and we have the equivalent of a couple of hours each week to pull them out. So, we are harvesting what we can from amongst them and talking about the ways that we will do things differently next year to make the situation better. We are scoping out a couple of new garden plots for next year so that we can put the current ones to cover crop to rest and build some organic matter. We have a couple of pond areas laid out, so we will be able to irrigate, making dry weather less of an issue. We’ll be collecting all the manure we can from local farms to compost and then fertilize, as well as applying lyme to all the garden areas and some of the fields. We may build some raised beds for certain crops within the gardens, and we are choosing spots for permanent raised beds in which to grow perennial herbs.
I think we will look back at this summer and think of it as a season of transition. We have been living between two houses, knowing that we were selling ours but not knowing where our new home base would be, working two jobs, pulling Alex out of his routine every time we get him into one. Now that we have found a new home and are looking at two closings this month, calm is settling over us. We are making the transition from relative chaos to order. We took a break today and walked through the gardens. I was blown away by the number of butterflies that were everywhere. Then, I walked within about ten yards of a fawn before I even realized she was there! These are the moments that make me realize how glad I am that we are doing this. These are the experiences my children will remember; living and working in harmony with nature.
A couple of notes: The tomato festival we had planned for August 23 has been cancelled, due to the number of plants we lost from flooding in the garden. This also means that the number of tomatoes in the shares will be less than we hoped, but they will be there! Also, our eggplants and peppers never fully recovered from the hail storm back in June, so we will not have either of those items in the shares this season.
We would also like to express our appreciation for everyone’s understanding and support this season; it has really helped us get over some of our down moments this summer.
Cucumber Salad with Sesame
1 Large or 2 Small-Medium Cucumbers, peeled and seeded
1 Tbsp raw unsalted peanuts (or use pine nuts or hazelnuts for a different taste)
1 Tbsp black sesame seeds (use white if you don’t have black)
1 green chili
1 tsp cumin seeds
coriander/cilantro
salt to taste
1 - 2 tsp oil - toasted sesame, olive, or peanut
Chop cucumbers into small cubes. Remove the stems and finely slice the green chilli. Finely chop the coriander/cilantro.
Heat a small pan, add the sesame seeds and toast them for a minute or two. Watch carefully, as they overcook very quickly. Remove from the pan and keep aside.
Add the raw peanuts or pine nuts to the pan and sauté them until roasted. Remove them from the heat and crush the nuts with a pestle.
Heat the oil in the pan and add the cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds turn brown, add the green chili, and remove the pan from the heat.
Add the cucumber, and salt. If it splatters too much, cover the pan until it dies down. Stir through and allow the cucumber to warm. You can put it over a very gentle flame for a moment or two but no longer.
In a mixing bowl, combine the cucumber mixture, crushed nuts, toasted sesame seeds and chopped coriander/cilantro. Serve immediately or at room temperature.
Source: http://vegeyum.wordpress.com/2008/06/01/cucumbersalad/
Cucumber Salad with Mint & Feta
1 lb cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
¼ red onion (or several small) thinly sliced and cut into 1-inch segments
2 or 3 red radishes, thinly sliced
10 mint leaves, thinly sliced
White vinegar
Olive oil
¼ lb feta cheese
Salt and fresh ground pepper
In medium sized bowl, gently toss cucumbers, onion, radishes and mint with a little bit of vinegar and olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Just before serving, sprinkle with feta cheese. Serve immediately, serves 4.
Source: www.elise.com/recipes/archives
Farm Notes, Week 8
July 31/August 1, 2008, CSA Week 8
The weather is, yet again, our main concern for this week. Between the five inches that came last Wednesday and Thursday, and then the extra two inches that came on Saturday night, we were still harvesting this week standing in ankle-deep mud. Too much water, as well as too little, is a stress on plants. Respiration takes place through the roots of plants as well as the leaves, and when they are left in mud for too many days, their roots will begin to rot and the plants will die. We had some tomato, bean, squash and pumpkin plants die, and we have our fingers crossed for many others.
So, with much regret we have to tell everyone that our tomato harvests will be small and the varieties will be less then we had hope for. We had 100 tomato plants under 2 inches of water for about 4 days and now they are all dead; the other plants have survived, but are not looking too healthy. Having said that we are cancelling the Tomato Festival that we had such high hopes for; we really wanted everyone to enjoy all the varieties.
With the heavy rain that we received over the weekend we had some soil erosion, not really bad like some of our other veggie growing friends. The good news is the soil didn’t leave the farm; it got caught by the pesky weeds that are growing in between our rows (see, nature knows how to take care of itself).
While harvesting the beans this Wednesday the soil was like a slurry; trying its best to take the shoes off our feet. Samantha surrendered to the mud and went bare foot; she like the way the mud feels between her toes!
Now for some good news! The beets that we planted a few weeks back are starting to get some size to them and we will hopefully be harvesting them in the next couple of weeks. This weekend we will start pulling some of the potatoes and letting them dry for next weeks share. The second round of cucumbers are starting vine and develop flowers so August should be full of cukes. The fall cabbage and sprouts are in the ground and well mulched. Wednesday evening, we planted more fall crops; turnips, beets, carrots, kohlrabi, Bok choi, and mustard greens. All of these went into our upper “barn” garden, which has better soil and less susceptibility to being bogged down in water than our main garden does, so we hope all these crops will live well and prosper!
This week there are no recipes, sorry; we have been packing like crazy and forgot to add them to the flash drive. They will be back next week. Thank you and have a good week.
The weather is, yet again, our main concern for this week. Between the five inches that came last Wednesday and Thursday, and then the extra two inches that came on Saturday night, we were still harvesting this week standing in ankle-deep mud. Too much water, as well as too little, is a stress on plants. Respiration takes place through the roots of plants as well as the leaves, and when they are left in mud for too many days, their roots will begin to rot and the plants will die. We had some tomato, bean, squash and pumpkin plants die, and we have our fingers crossed for many others.
So, with much regret we have to tell everyone that our tomato harvests will be small and the varieties will be less then we had hope for. We had 100 tomato plants under 2 inches of water for about 4 days and now they are all dead; the other plants have survived, but are not looking too healthy. Having said that we are cancelling the Tomato Festival that we had such high hopes for; we really wanted everyone to enjoy all the varieties.
With the heavy rain that we received over the weekend we had some soil erosion, not really bad like some of our other veggie growing friends. The good news is the soil didn’t leave the farm; it got caught by the pesky weeds that are growing in between our rows (see, nature knows how to take care of itself).
While harvesting the beans this Wednesday the soil was like a slurry; trying its best to take the shoes off our feet. Samantha surrendered to the mud and went bare foot; she like the way the mud feels between her toes!
Now for some good news! The beets that we planted a few weeks back are starting to get some size to them and we will hopefully be harvesting them in the next couple of weeks. This weekend we will start pulling some of the potatoes and letting them dry for next weeks share. The second round of cucumbers are starting vine and develop flowers so August should be full of cukes. The fall cabbage and sprouts are in the ground and well mulched. Wednesday evening, we planted more fall crops; turnips, beets, carrots, kohlrabi, Bok choi, and mustard greens. All of these went into our upper “barn” garden, which has better soil and less susceptibility to being bogged down in water than our main garden does, so we hope all these crops will live well and prosper!
This week there are no recipes, sorry; we have been packing like crazy and forgot to add them to the flash drive. They will be back next week. Thank you and have a good week.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Farm Notes, Week 7
July 24/25, 2008, CSA Week 7
The rain dance worked! We woke to the patter on the windows around 4:30 this morning and were able to drift back to sleep happily knowing that our plants are getting the drink they need. When Chris got to the farm this morning, the rain gauge read 2 inches already. With the 3-5 additional inches predicted for tonight into tomorrow, we’re hoping now that nothing gets washed away!
Last week, one of our members pointed out that the last couple of newsletters have been rather negative. He suggested that we should focus first on the positives that are going on, because there are most certainly lots of good things happening to us, both on the farm and personally. On the farm, we are learning a lot about the land; what we can grow, what areas need work to grow more, what crops do well in our conditions, which ones can and cannot handle different types of stress. We are getting some new ideas about how to plan our gardens for next year, and have found some excellent sources of advice on when to plant what. While it was still dry this past week, Chris and his cousin dug out a couple of potential pond spots with a backhoe and now that it’s rained, we see that both will hold water, which is good news for our irrigation issues. On a personal level, Alex just had his first birthday, and he is more and more of a joy to us with each passing day. We are expecting another baby in January; the pregnancy is going very well and I can feel the little one swimming around every day now. In this rough real estate market, we were able to find a buyer for our house in a short amount of time. We finally found a house that we both like that’s only a couple of miles from the farm…hopefully we will be lucky enough for the sellers to accept our offer on it.
Growing food for people is a responsibility we take seriously. We committed to all of our members for the entire season and when conditions (some within our control, some not) combine to make us question whether or not we can meet that commitment, it is hard to look on the bright side. It upset us to have to supplement the shares with produce from another farm. So, we apologize if the tone of the newsletter has been negative; the point of writing these notes is not to evoke sympathy or to make you feel down. We simply want to let everyone know what we are working on and thinking about while we learn just how different farming vegetables is from growing a vegetable garden. We are enjoying our time on the farm, working together to harvest and plan. We have chosen a profession that may not always be easy, but it allows us to spend time together even when we are working long hours, so all in all we remain optimistic about the remainder of this season, as well as seasons yet to come.
This past week, as I said, Chris dug out a couple of pond sites, he also did a lot of weeding around the tomato plants and planted more lettuce. The seeds that had germinated already were envigorated by the small amount of rain earlier in the week, which was encouraging. During the coming week, we plan to do more weeding, and also to plant our fall cabbage, kohlarabi, kale, asian greens and more carrots, along with our regular harvesting.
This week’s shares include summer squash, beets & lettuce. The beets and lettuce are from Stoneledge Farm again, and the summer squash are ours. We have green beans ready to pick but the rainy weather has delayed our harvest; picking beans while the plants are wet makes them susceptible to fusarium wilt (a fungus) that can attack and kill the plants very quickly, so we opted against harvesting them Wednesday & Thursday. Next week we will have plenty for everyone.
Roasted Beet Crostini
1 bunch beets with greens attached
16 1/2-inch-thick slices baguette, preferably whole-grain, cut on the diagonal
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or red-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 ounces creamy goat cheese
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.2. Trim greens from beets, reserving stems and greens. Place the beets in a baking pan, cover with foil and roast until very tender when pierced with a knife, 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the size of the beets. Uncover and let cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350°.3. While the beets cool, arrange baguette slices in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake, turning the slices over once halfway through, until toasted but not browned, about 14 minutes. 4. Thinly slice the beet green stems and finely chop the leaves; keep stems and leaves separate. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the stems and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the greens, vinegar and water and cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens are tender and the liquid has evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in salt and remove from the heat. 5. Peel the cooled beets and cut into 1-inch pieces. Place 3/4 cup beet pieces, goat cheese and pepper in a food processor and puree until smooth (reserve the remaining beets for another use). 6. To assemble crostini, spread about 2 teaspoons beet-cheese spread on each slice of toasted baguette and top with sautéed greens.
From Eating Well January/February 2008
Zucchini-Potato Latkes
1 pound zucchini, shredded
2 cups shredded cooked potato
2 medium shallots, minced, divided
1 egg, beaten
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and shredded
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
1. Preheat oven to 450° F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.2. Toss zucchini, potato, 3 tablespoons shallot and egg in a large bowl. Add breadcrumbs, feta, 1 tablespoon dill, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; toss to combine. Form the mixture into 12 patties.3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 6 patties, cover and cook until crispy and browned on one side, 2 to 5 minutes. Carefully transfer the latkes to the prepared pan, browned-side down. Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and patties. 4. Transfer the latkes to the oven and bake until firm and heated through, 10 to 12 minutes.5. Meanwhile, prepare tzatziki: Combine yogurt, cucumber, vinegar, the remaining minced shallot, 1 tablespoon dill and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a small bowl. Serve the latkes with the tzatziki on the side.
From Eating Well August/September 2006
The rain dance worked! We woke to the patter on the windows around 4:30 this morning and were able to drift back to sleep happily knowing that our plants are getting the drink they need. When Chris got to the farm this morning, the rain gauge read 2 inches already. With the 3-5 additional inches predicted for tonight into tomorrow, we’re hoping now that nothing gets washed away!
Last week, one of our members pointed out that the last couple of newsletters have been rather negative. He suggested that we should focus first on the positives that are going on, because there are most certainly lots of good things happening to us, both on the farm and personally. On the farm, we are learning a lot about the land; what we can grow, what areas need work to grow more, what crops do well in our conditions, which ones can and cannot handle different types of stress. We are getting some new ideas about how to plan our gardens for next year, and have found some excellent sources of advice on when to plant what. While it was still dry this past week, Chris and his cousin dug out a couple of potential pond spots with a backhoe and now that it’s rained, we see that both will hold water, which is good news for our irrigation issues. On a personal level, Alex just had his first birthday, and he is more and more of a joy to us with each passing day. We are expecting another baby in January; the pregnancy is going very well and I can feel the little one swimming around every day now. In this rough real estate market, we were able to find a buyer for our house in a short amount of time. We finally found a house that we both like that’s only a couple of miles from the farm…hopefully we will be lucky enough for the sellers to accept our offer on it.
Growing food for people is a responsibility we take seriously. We committed to all of our members for the entire season and when conditions (some within our control, some not) combine to make us question whether or not we can meet that commitment, it is hard to look on the bright side. It upset us to have to supplement the shares with produce from another farm. So, we apologize if the tone of the newsletter has been negative; the point of writing these notes is not to evoke sympathy or to make you feel down. We simply want to let everyone know what we are working on and thinking about while we learn just how different farming vegetables is from growing a vegetable garden. We are enjoying our time on the farm, working together to harvest and plan. We have chosen a profession that may not always be easy, but it allows us to spend time together even when we are working long hours, so all in all we remain optimistic about the remainder of this season, as well as seasons yet to come.
This past week, as I said, Chris dug out a couple of pond sites, he also did a lot of weeding around the tomato plants and planted more lettuce. The seeds that had germinated already were envigorated by the small amount of rain earlier in the week, which was encouraging. During the coming week, we plan to do more weeding, and also to plant our fall cabbage, kohlarabi, kale, asian greens and more carrots, along with our regular harvesting.
This week’s shares include summer squash, beets & lettuce. The beets and lettuce are from Stoneledge Farm again, and the summer squash are ours. We have green beans ready to pick but the rainy weather has delayed our harvest; picking beans while the plants are wet makes them susceptible to fusarium wilt (a fungus) that can attack and kill the plants very quickly, so we opted against harvesting them Wednesday & Thursday. Next week we will have plenty for everyone.
Roasted Beet Crostini
1 bunch beets with greens attached
16 1/2-inch-thick slices baguette, preferably whole-grain, cut on the diagonal
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or red-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 ounces creamy goat cheese
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.2. Trim greens from beets, reserving stems and greens. Place the beets in a baking pan, cover with foil and roast until very tender when pierced with a knife, 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the size of the beets. Uncover and let cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350°.3. While the beets cool, arrange baguette slices in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake, turning the slices over once halfway through, until toasted but not browned, about 14 minutes. 4. Thinly slice the beet green stems and finely chop the leaves; keep stems and leaves separate. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the stems and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add the greens, vinegar and water and cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens are tender and the liquid has evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in salt and remove from the heat. 5. Peel the cooled beets and cut into 1-inch pieces. Place 3/4 cup beet pieces, goat cheese and pepper in a food processor and puree until smooth (reserve the remaining beets for another use). 6. To assemble crostini, spread about 2 teaspoons beet-cheese spread on each slice of toasted baguette and top with sautéed greens.
From Eating Well January/February 2008
Zucchini-Potato Latkes
1 pound zucchini, shredded
2 cups shredded cooked potato
2 medium shallots, minced, divided
1 egg, beaten
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and shredded
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
1. Preheat oven to 450° F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.2. Toss zucchini, potato, 3 tablespoons shallot and egg in a large bowl. Add breadcrumbs, feta, 1 tablespoon dill, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; toss to combine. Form the mixture into 12 patties.3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 6 patties, cover and cook until crispy and browned on one side, 2 to 5 minutes. Carefully transfer the latkes to the prepared pan, browned-side down. Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and patties. 4. Transfer the latkes to the oven and bake until firm and heated through, 10 to 12 minutes.5. Meanwhile, prepare tzatziki: Combine yogurt, cucumber, vinegar, the remaining minced shallot, 1 tablespoon dill and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a small bowl. Serve the latkes with the tzatziki on the side.
From Eating Well August/September 2006
Farm Notes, CSA Week 6
July 17/18, 2008, CSA Week 6
Rain, rain, where are you? Not on our farm, that’s for sure. Last Sunday we got about 3/10 of an inch, and that’s been it for at least 3 weeks. It is dry!!! Not great for our crops, to say the least. Lettuce, arugala, and braising greens that had been looking great went to stunted and now burnt. The beets and other root crops are staying small because they need the water to get any size. The winter squash plants and melons are all smaller than they should be at this point in the season. Chris tells me that lettuce needs the equivalent of 1 inch of rain per week in order to grow properly, so that’s why it’s so far behind where it “should” be. By next year’s growing season, we will dig a couple of ponds that we’ll be able to pump water from for irrigation, but we currently have no real way to irrigate. It is a very frustrating place to be. So, where do we go from here? We spoke to Deb Kavakas of Stoneledge Farm this week about supplementing our shares with some of their produce. Stoneledge is a certified organic vegetable farm located in Cairo, NY. They have a 700 share CSA and sell some wholesale produce. They have been in business for over 15 years and have very kindly helped us out with produce and advice while we work through this rough patch.
Our summer squash seem to be faring ok through the lack of rain; their production was significantly more this week than last and we have several new plants in flower, so hopefully next week’s share will be all of our squash. Our green beans are flowering, so we should have those next week or the week after. And, a positive note about lack of water…the vegetables tend to be sweeter!
This week’s share includes Baby Onions, Swiss Chard, Summer Squash, Beets and Lettuce. All of the lettuce and beets and about 1/3 of the squash are from Stoneledge, and the rest of the squash, chard and onions are ours.
Swiss Chard Tacos with Caramelized Onion, Fresh Cheese and Red Chile
Serves 4
A 12-ounce bunch Swiss Chard (or collard, mustard or beet greens), thick lower stems cut off
1 ½ tablespoons oil, lard or bacon drippings
1 large white or red onion, sliced ¼ inch thick
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped or crushed through garlic press
About 1 tsp red pepper flakes
½ cup chicken broth, vegetable broth or water
Salt
12 warm corn tortillas
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled fresh cheese, such as queso fresco, feta, or goat cheese, for serving
About ¾ cup salsa or hot sauce, for serving
Cut the chard crosswise into ½ inch slices. In a very large (12 inch) skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown but still crunchy, about 4-5 min. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and stir for a few seconds, until aromatic, then add the broth or water, ½ tsp salt and the greens. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pan and cook until the greens are almost tender, chard needs about 5 min, collards 7-8 min.
Uncover the pan; raise heat to med-high and cook, stirring continually, until the mixture is nearly dry. Taste and season with additional salt if needed. Serve with warm tortillas, crumbled cheese and salsa.
For a heartier meal, you could add leftover chicken or steak the greens during the final few minutes of cooking. Flaked tuna or smoked salmon is a nice add-in, as is cubes of smoked firm tofu.
From Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless
Beet Salad with Lemon, Cilantro and Mint
Serves 4 to 6
1 ½ pounds beets, cooked and peeled
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon plus 2 tablespoons juice
2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped mint
½ teaspoon ground coriander
Salt and fresh ground pepper
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 handfuls salad greens
¼ cup oil-cured black olives (optional)
Cut the beets into quarters or sixths. Whisk together lemon zest and juice, onion, herbs, coriander, ¼ tsp salt, pepper to taste, and oil in a small bowl. Taste dressing on a beet and correct if needed. Toss the beets with enough dressing to coat lightly. Toss the greens with remaining dressing and arrange on salad plates. Add beets and olives to serve.
From Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, by Deborah Madison
Zucchini Noodles
Serves 4
4 small zucchini
1 cup prepared pasta sauce or creamy low-fat salad dressing
Run a vegetable peeler down the length of zucchini, creating long strips ("noodles"). Steam or microwave for 2 minutes; toss with pasta sauce or salad dressing.
From www.eatingwell.com
Rain, rain, where are you? Not on our farm, that’s for sure. Last Sunday we got about 3/10 of an inch, and that’s been it for at least 3 weeks. It is dry!!! Not great for our crops, to say the least. Lettuce, arugala, and braising greens that had been looking great went to stunted and now burnt. The beets and other root crops are staying small because they need the water to get any size. The winter squash plants and melons are all smaller than they should be at this point in the season. Chris tells me that lettuce needs the equivalent of 1 inch of rain per week in order to grow properly, so that’s why it’s so far behind where it “should” be. By next year’s growing season, we will dig a couple of ponds that we’ll be able to pump water from for irrigation, but we currently have no real way to irrigate. It is a very frustrating place to be. So, where do we go from here? We spoke to Deb Kavakas of Stoneledge Farm this week about supplementing our shares with some of their produce. Stoneledge is a certified organic vegetable farm located in Cairo, NY. They have a 700 share CSA and sell some wholesale produce. They have been in business for over 15 years and have very kindly helped us out with produce and advice while we work through this rough patch.
Our summer squash seem to be faring ok through the lack of rain; their production was significantly more this week than last and we have several new plants in flower, so hopefully next week’s share will be all of our squash. Our green beans are flowering, so we should have those next week or the week after. And, a positive note about lack of water…the vegetables tend to be sweeter!
This week’s share includes Baby Onions, Swiss Chard, Summer Squash, Beets and Lettuce. All of the lettuce and beets and about 1/3 of the squash are from Stoneledge, and the rest of the squash, chard and onions are ours.
Swiss Chard Tacos with Caramelized Onion, Fresh Cheese and Red Chile
Serves 4
A 12-ounce bunch Swiss Chard (or collard, mustard or beet greens), thick lower stems cut off
1 ½ tablespoons oil, lard or bacon drippings
1 large white or red onion, sliced ¼ inch thick
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped or crushed through garlic press
About 1 tsp red pepper flakes
½ cup chicken broth, vegetable broth or water
Salt
12 warm corn tortillas
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled fresh cheese, such as queso fresco, feta, or goat cheese, for serving
About ¾ cup salsa or hot sauce, for serving
Cut the chard crosswise into ½ inch slices. In a very large (12 inch) skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown but still crunchy, about 4-5 min. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and stir for a few seconds, until aromatic, then add the broth or water, ½ tsp salt and the greens. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pan and cook until the greens are almost tender, chard needs about 5 min, collards 7-8 min.
Uncover the pan; raise heat to med-high and cook, stirring continually, until the mixture is nearly dry. Taste and season with additional salt if needed. Serve with warm tortillas, crumbled cheese and salsa.
For a heartier meal, you could add leftover chicken or steak the greens during the final few minutes of cooking. Flaked tuna or smoked salmon is a nice add-in, as is cubes of smoked firm tofu.
From Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless
Beet Salad with Lemon, Cilantro and Mint
Serves 4 to 6
1 ½ pounds beets, cooked and peeled
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon plus 2 tablespoons juice
2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped mint
½ teaspoon ground coriander
Salt and fresh ground pepper
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 handfuls salad greens
¼ cup oil-cured black olives (optional)
Cut the beets into quarters or sixths. Whisk together lemon zest and juice, onion, herbs, coriander, ¼ tsp salt, pepper to taste, and oil in a small bowl. Taste dressing on a beet and correct if needed. Toss the beets with enough dressing to coat lightly. Toss the greens with remaining dressing and arrange on salad plates. Add beets and olives to serve.
From Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, by Deborah Madison
Zucchini Noodles
Serves 4
4 small zucchini
1 cup prepared pasta sauce or creamy low-fat salad dressing
Run a vegetable peeler down the length of zucchini, creating long strips ("noodles"). Steam or microwave for 2 minutes; toss with pasta sauce or salad dressing.
From www.eatingwell.com
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Farm Notes, Week 5
July 10/11, 2008, CSA Week 5
Growing pains…I think that’s what we’re feeling. We were harvesting carrots this evening and bunching them up for tomorrow when we found that we didn’t have enough for everyone. This isn’t the first time we’ve had to juggle…some of you get this and some get that so that we have enough of something for everyone. We really hate doing this, because every member deserves to get to taste all the wonderful flavors and textures that variety offers. There are several reasons for this juggling act, the first being how new we are to this. Last year, was our first year, but the number of shares was much smaller, so we always had more than enough of everything, even when the weather didn’t cooperate or we ran out of time for weeding. This year has been very different. We used a variety of charts and different CSA resources to figure out how much of what we would need to plant for our number of shares. The numbers were surprisingly different from different resources, but I suppose it really depends on what you like to give in the shares. Anyway, we are learning that some of the numbers we used were too low, so we are playing catch up while we wait for what we planted later to start producing. The weather has been another contributing factor; until lately it has been consistently inconsistent. One week it was so dry we had to irrigate to get seeds to germinate and stop transplants from dying, and then the next week we had so much rain there was standing water in the fields. Then there was the hail…we are still seeing some of the effects of that storm in that the squash and tomatoes are and will be later than we hoped. Since this is the kind of thing that farmers always complain about, I guess the weather will never be quite right – it’s just something you learn to work with. And, of course, we mentioned several weeks ago, our soils need a lot of work. Any time this is the case, weeds and pests can become (and usually are) a problem. As a short term remedy to all this, we are putting calls in to a couple of other organic growers in the area to see if we can supplement what we have until our production is up to what we need; we expect this to only be for a couple of weeks, and we will inform you about anything we have not grown that you do get in your shares.
On a more positive note, we just want to share some thoughts on biodiversity. As growers and big fans of heirloom vegetable varieties, we are supporting diversity by keeping lots of different genetics alive and productive. But biodiversity on our farm goes deeper than the varieties of vegetables we grow.
While we were picking our peas last Friday, we found a bird’s nest tucked right into the pea plants with 4 little brown speckled eggs in it. Mama bird sat on one of our posts and chirped at us while we picked, leaving a wide berth around the nest so as not to disturb it. Today while we were picking, we saw that the nest is still there, and the eggs haven’t hatched yet. We left it alone and when Chris came through with the tiller to turn the peas under, he left a nice oasis for the birds.
We have some milkweed growing in the pasture around the gardens (as well as some inside). Milkweed is the host plant for Monarch Butterfly caterpillars – it is the only thing they eat. We have the pleasure of finding those little striped beauties quite often, and last year we were also able to see them in their chrysalis and some after they had just hatched from it, hanging on our kale and Brussels sprouts, drying their new wings.
Clean tillage and eradication of weeds are not top priorities for us. Weeding is important, of course; we weed around plants and try to catch them before they go to seed, but there is so much biodiversity that we would miss if we didn’t have them at all!
This week’s share includes sugar snap peas, turnip greens, early onions, and carrots, beets, or summer squash. (All ours) We hope you are enjoying everything and we appreciate your patience with us as we muddle along.
Pasta Con Cime Di Rapa (Pasta with Turnip Greens)
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 lb pasta (I prefer orecchiette, but any hearty shape will work, like rigatoni, etc)
1 lb turnip greens (or broccoli rabe, kale, mustard greens, etc) cut into manageable pieces
6 garlic cloves, chopped (or 1 tbsp jar garlic)
2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
6 flat anchovy fillets (they really make this dish, but you can omit them)
3 tbsp grated Pecorino Romano cheese (or Parmesan)
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over moderate heat. Add the breadcrumbs and stir gently with a wooden spoon until golden brown. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, drop the pasta and turnip greens and cook until al dente.
Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet sauté the garlic, red pepper flakes, and anchovies in the remaining olive oil until the garlic is lightly browned.
Drain the pasta and turnip greens, add to the skillet and sauté for a couple of minutes. Mix well, top with breadcrumbs and cheese and serve.
Fresh Breadcrumbs
1 loaf stale Italian, French or potato bread (You can use "white" bread—but the flavor is not as good)
Dried herbs (optional)
Cut bread into slices and lay slices on a board or table to dry overnight. Alternately, you can dry bread in the oven set on the lowest setting for about 2 hours or until totally dry.
You can cut crust off or not—your preference. Put into food processor about 3 to 4 slices at a time, depending on size. Process for crumbs to your preference—fine, coarse, and medium. For this dish you would use fine breadcrumbs.
Take about 2 tbsp dried herbs (parsley, basil, oregano, sage, thyme—either one or a combination of your preference) and mix thoroughly with crumbs.
Store in airtight container. Use as you would regular crumbs.
By Nancy Caivano
Sesame Snap Peas with Carrots & Peppers
8 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed (about 2 cups)
1 small red bell pepper, cut into strips (about 1 cup)
1 large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Bring 2 inches of water to a boil in a pan. Put peas, bell pepper and carrot in a steamer basket and place in the pan. Cover and steam, stirring once, until crisp-tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl; add soy sauce, oil, sesame seeds and pepper; toss to coat. Serve warm.
From Eating Well June/July 2005
Method for Oven Roasting Vegetables
Evenly sized vegetables, such as beets, carrots, cauliflower, potatoes or onions (may be cut in pieces)
Olive oil
Salt, Pepper & Herbs to taste
Preheat oven to 425. Toss veggies in olive oil and seasonings to coat. Lay flat on baking sheet – works best in one layer.
Roast for until fork tender and slightly browned; the time will differ based on the vegetables and their size.
Roasting caramelizes the sugar in vegetables and makes them more palatable for some picky eaters.
Growing pains…I think that’s what we’re feeling. We were harvesting carrots this evening and bunching them up for tomorrow when we found that we didn’t have enough for everyone. This isn’t the first time we’ve had to juggle…some of you get this and some get that so that we have enough of something for everyone. We really hate doing this, because every member deserves to get to taste all the wonderful flavors and textures that variety offers. There are several reasons for this juggling act, the first being how new we are to this. Last year, was our first year, but the number of shares was much smaller, so we always had more than enough of everything, even when the weather didn’t cooperate or we ran out of time for weeding. This year has been very different. We used a variety of charts and different CSA resources to figure out how much of what we would need to plant for our number of shares. The numbers were surprisingly different from different resources, but I suppose it really depends on what you like to give in the shares. Anyway, we are learning that some of the numbers we used were too low, so we are playing catch up while we wait for what we planted later to start producing. The weather has been another contributing factor; until lately it has been consistently inconsistent. One week it was so dry we had to irrigate to get seeds to germinate and stop transplants from dying, and then the next week we had so much rain there was standing water in the fields. Then there was the hail…we are still seeing some of the effects of that storm in that the squash and tomatoes are and will be later than we hoped. Since this is the kind of thing that farmers always complain about, I guess the weather will never be quite right – it’s just something you learn to work with. And, of course, we mentioned several weeks ago, our soils need a lot of work. Any time this is the case, weeds and pests can become (and usually are) a problem. As a short term remedy to all this, we are putting calls in to a couple of other organic growers in the area to see if we can supplement what we have until our production is up to what we need; we expect this to only be for a couple of weeks, and we will inform you about anything we have not grown that you do get in your shares.
On a more positive note, we just want to share some thoughts on biodiversity. As growers and big fans of heirloom vegetable varieties, we are supporting diversity by keeping lots of different genetics alive and productive. But biodiversity on our farm goes deeper than the varieties of vegetables we grow.
While we were picking our peas last Friday, we found a bird’s nest tucked right into the pea plants with 4 little brown speckled eggs in it. Mama bird sat on one of our posts and chirped at us while we picked, leaving a wide berth around the nest so as not to disturb it. Today while we were picking, we saw that the nest is still there, and the eggs haven’t hatched yet. We left it alone and when Chris came through with the tiller to turn the peas under, he left a nice oasis for the birds.
We have some milkweed growing in the pasture around the gardens (as well as some inside). Milkweed is the host plant for Monarch Butterfly caterpillars – it is the only thing they eat. We have the pleasure of finding those little striped beauties quite often, and last year we were also able to see them in their chrysalis and some after they had just hatched from it, hanging on our kale and Brussels sprouts, drying their new wings.
Clean tillage and eradication of weeds are not top priorities for us. Weeding is important, of course; we weed around plants and try to catch them before they go to seed, but there is so much biodiversity that we would miss if we didn’t have them at all!
This week’s share includes sugar snap peas, turnip greens, early onions, and carrots, beets, or summer squash. (All ours) We hope you are enjoying everything and we appreciate your patience with us as we muddle along.
Pasta Con Cime Di Rapa (Pasta with Turnip Greens)
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 lb pasta (I prefer orecchiette, but any hearty shape will work, like rigatoni, etc)
1 lb turnip greens (or broccoli rabe, kale, mustard greens, etc) cut into manageable pieces
6 garlic cloves, chopped (or 1 tbsp jar garlic)
2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
6 flat anchovy fillets (they really make this dish, but you can omit them)
3 tbsp grated Pecorino Romano cheese (or Parmesan)
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over moderate heat. Add the breadcrumbs and stir gently with a wooden spoon until golden brown. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, drop the pasta and turnip greens and cook until al dente.
Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet sauté the garlic, red pepper flakes, and anchovies in the remaining olive oil until the garlic is lightly browned.
Drain the pasta and turnip greens, add to the skillet and sauté for a couple of minutes. Mix well, top with breadcrumbs and cheese and serve.
Fresh Breadcrumbs
1 loaf stale Italian, French or potato bread (You can use "white" bread—but the flavor is not as good)
Dried herbs (optional)
Cut bread into slices and lay slices on a board or table to dry overnight. Alternately, you can dry bread in the oven set on the lowest setting for about 2 hours or until totally dry.
You can cut crust off or not—your preference. Put into food processor about 3 to 4 slices at a time, depending on size. Process for crumbs to your preference—fine, coarse, and medium. For this dish you would use fine breadcrumbs.
Take about 2 tbsp dried herbs (parsley, basil, oregano, sage, thyme—either one or a combination of your preference) and mix thoroughly with crumbs.
Store in airtight container. Use as you would regular crumbs.
By Nancy Caivano
Sesame Snap Peas with Carrots & Peppers
8 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed (about 2 cups)
1 small red bell pepper, cut into strips (about 1 cup)
1 large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Bring 2 inches of water to a boil in a pan. Put peas, bell pepper and carrot in a steamer basket and place in the pan. Cover and steam, stirring once, until crisp-tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl; add soy sauce, oil, sesame seeds and pepper; toss to coat. Serve warm.
From Eating Well June/July 2005
Method for Oven Roasting Vegetables
Evenly sized vegetables, such as beets, carrots, cauliflower, potatoes or onions (may be cut in pieces)
Olive oil
Salt, Pepper & Herbs to taste
Preheat oven to 425. Toss veggies in olive oil and seasonings to coat. Lay flat on baking sheet – works best in one layer.
Roast for until fork tender and slightly browned; the time will differ based on the vegetables and their size.
Roasting caramelizes the sugar in vegetables and makes them more palatable for some picky eaters.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Farm Notes, CSA Week 4
July 3/4, 2008, CSA Week 4
Our busy summer is in full swing. As some of you know, we have been trying for some time to sell our home in North Greenbush so that we can move to New Baltimore to be nearer to the farm and expand on what we’re doing there. Well, we have found a buyer and expect to close by September 1st! So…expect us to be a little harder to get a hold of over the next couple of months; between packing and hauling and, of course, harvesting and taking care of the gardens, we don’t expect to be home much. We will do our best to keep up on email and have the website and blog updated regularly, but can’t make any promises!
Along the same vein, we had been planning to host a tomato tasting party and potluck at the farm in August. We feel that having a party at the farm might be biting off a bit more than we can chew this year, so we talked to the board of the New Baltimore Farmers’ Market (which we participate in every Saturday) about having our tomato festival there, instead. They emphatically agreed that this would be a wonderful market event. So, mark your calendars for Saturday, August 23rd!
The market runs from 9am – 1pm at Wyche Town Park in New Baltimore. For directions to the market and more details, visit their website at www.newbaltimorefarmersmarket.org. We will set up our tasting table between 9:00-9:30, and will keep the samples coming for the duration of the market. There will be live music and chef demos that day (using our tomatoes, of course!) We have 60 varieties of heirloom tomatoes growing, and the vast majority of them will be available to try. If anyone is free during the week before the festival, we would love to have some volunteer help with harvesting tomatoes for this event; mostly on Wednesday and Friday. Contact us if you think you can help!
Yesterday, Chris spent most of his time squashing potato beetles in their larvae state. Since we are catching them before they reach maturity (and start laying eggs!) we think that it’ll just take a couple more weeks of watching them before we are in the clear. The potatoes have grown into nice, healthy plants, some of which are flowering now, so we should have some new potatoes in about a month’s time. Our tomato plants seem to have recovered from the hail damage they sustained a couple of weeks ago, and are looking nice and healthy with some beautiful fruit coming on.
In this week’s share, you’ll be enjoying cabbage, peas, turnip greens, mustard greens and lettuce.
As a reminder, if you are unable to pick up your share or send someone to get it for you, it is donated to a local food pantry. We do not hold unclaimed shares, and we need to know in advance if you have an extenuating circumstance. Thank you, and enjoy the holiday!
Smokin’ Chipotle ‘Slaw
6 cups finely shredded cabbage
¾ cup Sweet Chipotle Dressing
Toss cabbage in dressing in large mixing bowl
Sweet Chipotle Dressing
1 Tablespoon diced onion
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
¼ tsp ground cumin
½ cup diced fresh tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2/3 cup rice vinegar
¼ tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 tablespoons honey
1-2 chipotles in adobo (canned in Mexican section of grocery store)
½ cup olive oil
Place all ingredients, except oil in a blender or food processor and blend until very smooth. Slowly add the oil, in a thin stream, while the blender is running and blend until all the oil is incorporated and the vinaigrette is completely emulsified. Will keep for 3-5 days in airtight container.
Also a nice dressing for hearty salad greens.
Note – this is a very forgiving recipe; I substitute and leave out ingredients I don’t have, and it still comes out great!
Chevy’s & Rio Bravo Fresh Mex Cookbook
Fresh Herb and Snap Pea Salad
8 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed2 tablespoons sliced almonds2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive, walnut or almond oil2 tablespoons fruity vinegar, such as raspberry or pomegranate 1/4 teaspoon salt1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper4 cups packed lettuce1/4 cup snipped fresh chives (1/2-inch pieces)1/4 cup chopped fresh tarragon
1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add snap peas and cook until bright green but still crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. 2. Toast almonds in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes. 3. Whisk oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add lettuce, chives, tarragon and the snap peas and toss. Serve sprinkled with the almonds.
Eating Well Magazine, May/June 2008
Pea and Tomato Pasta Salad
1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese1/2 cup buttermilk1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley2 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest1 teaspoon lemon juiceSalt & freshly ground pepper to taste8 ounces whole-wheat bowtie pasta8 ounces fresh sugar snap or snow peas, trimmed2 cups red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for cooking pasta.2. Meanwhile, puree cottage cheese until smooth in a blender or mini food processor. Add buttermilk and oil; process until smooth. Scrape into a storage container and stir in dill, parsley, Parmesan, lemon zest and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside in the refrigerator.3. Cook pasta in boiling water until just al dente, about 10 minutes. Add peas and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Drain and rinse under cold running water. 4. Place pasta and peas in a large storage container and toss with tomatoes and scallions. Season with salt and pepper. 5. Just before serving, toss salad with dressing.
Eating Well Magazine, July/August 1997
Our busy summer is in full swing. As some of you know, we have been trying for some time to sell our home in North Greenbush so that we can move to New Baltimore to be nearer to the farm and expand on what we’re doing there. Well, we have found a buyer and expect to close by September 1st! So…expect us to be a little harder to get a hold of over the next couple of months; between packing and hauling and, of course, harvesting and taking care of the gardens, we don’t expect to be home much. We will do our best to keep up on email and have the website and blog updated regularly, but can’t make any promises!
Along the same vein, we had been planning to host a tomato tasting party and potluck at the farm in August. We feel that having a party at the farm might be biting off a bit more than we can chew this year, so we talked to the board of the New Baltimore Farmers’ Market (which we participate in every Saturday) about having our tomato festival there, instead. They emphatically agreed that this would be a wonderful market event. So, mark your calendars for Saturday, August 23rd!
The market runs from 9am – 1pm at Wyche Town Park in New Baltimore. For directions to the market and more details, visit their website at www.newbaltimorefarmersmarket.org. We will set up our tasting table between 9:00-9:30, and will keep the samples coming for the duration of the market. There will be live music and chef demos that day (using our tomatoes, of course!) We have 60 varieties of heirloom tomatoes growing, and the vast majority of them will be available to try. If anyone is free during the week before the festival, we would love to have some volunteer help with harvesting tomatoes for this event; mostly on Wednesday and Friday. Contact us if you think you can help!
Yesterday, Chris spent most of his time squashing potato beetles in their larvae state. Since we are catching them before they reach maturity (and start laying eggs!) we think that it’ll just take a couple more weeks of watching them before we are in the clear. The potatoes have grown into nice, healthy plants, some of which are flowering now, so we should have some new potatoes in about a month’s time. Our tomato plants seem to have recovered from the hail damage they sustained a couple of weeks ago, and are looking nice and healthy with some beautiful fruit coming on.
In this week’s share, you’ll be enjoying cabbage, peas, turnip greens, mustard greens and lettuce.
As a reminder, if you are unable to pick up your share or send someone to get it for you, it is donated to a local food pantry. We do not hold unclaimed shares, and we need to know in advance if you have an extenuating circumstance. Thank you, and enjoy the holiday!
Smokin’ Chipotle ‘Slaw
6 cups finely shredded cabbage
¾ cup Sweet Chipotle Dressing
Toss cabbage in dressing in large mixing bowl
Sweet Chipotle Dressing
1 Tablespoon diced onion
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
¼ tsp ground cumin
½ cup diced fresh tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2/3 cup rice vinegar
¼ tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 tablespoons honey
1-2 chipotles in adobo (canned in Mexican section of grocery store)
½ cup olive oil
Place all ingredients, except oil in a blender or food processor and blend until very smooth. Slowly add the oil, in a thin stream, while the blender is running and blend until all the oil is incorporated and the vinaigrette is completely emulsified. Will keep for 3-5 days in airtight container.
Also a nice dressing for hearty salad greens.
Note – this is a very forgiving recipe; I substitute and leave out ingredients I don’t have, and it still comes out great!
Chevy’s & Rio Bravo Fresh Mex Cookbook
Fresh Herb and Snap Pea Salad
8 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed2 tablespoons sliced almonds2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive, walnut or almond oil2 tablespoons fruity vinegar, such as raspberry or pomegranate 1/4 teaspoon salt1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper4 cups packed lettuce1/4 cup snipped fresh chives (1/2-inch pieces)1/4 cup chopped fresh tarragon
1. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add snap peas and cook until bright green but still crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. 2. Toast almonds in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes. 3. Whisk oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add lettuce, chives, tarragon and the snap peas and toss. Serve sprinkled with the almonds.
Eating Well Magazine, May/June 2008
Pea and Tomato Pasta Salad
1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese1/2 cup buttermilk1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley2 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest1 teaspoon lemon juiceSalt & freshly ground pepper to taste8 ounces whole-wheat bowtie pasta8 ounces fresh sugar snap or snow peas, trimmed2 cups red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for cooking pasta.2. Meanwhile, puree cottage cheese until smooth in a blender or mini food processor. Add buttermilk and oil; process until smooth. Scrape into a storage container and stir in dill, parsley, Parmesan, lemon zest and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside in the refrigerator.3. Cook pasta in boiling water until just al dente, about 10 minutes. Add peas and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Drain and rinse under cold running water. 4. Place pasta and peas in a large storage container and toss with tomatoes and scallions. Season with salt and pepper. 5. Just before serving, toss salad with dressing.
Eating Well Magazine, July/August 1997
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Farm Notes, Week 3
June 26/27, 2008, CSA Week 3
NOTE FOR JULY 4TH FARM PICKUP NEXT WEEK: WE ARE CHANGING PICKUP TIME FOR THE HOLIDAY. PLEASE COME BETWEEN 9AM AND 11AM INSTEAD OF NORMAL AFTERNOON TIME.
This past week, we had several members as us about spinach (or lack thereof) in the weekly shares. This got us thinking that we should talk a bit about soil fertility, our experiences thus far on this farmland, and our philosophy about making the soils better.
Here’s the reason we make the jump from spinach to soil fertility. Spinach likes to grow in nutrient-rich soil, and needs quite a lot of nitrogen to grow well (which is a nutrient we are lacking in particular). The land where our gardens are has been a hay field for many years, and nothing has been added back in terms of fertilizer or manure during that time…just grasses being taken away. Believe it or not, taking the hay away without putting anything back is a huge draw on the soil’s resources, so at the present time, our soil needs work to become more fertile. Here’s what we are doing about it:
Rotating cover crops. Cover crops are usually grains or legumes that are planted for the purpose of being plowed under to add organic matter to the soil and help control weeds. We are working with mostly heavy clay soils, so adding organic matter helps to lighten the soil, increase water absorption, and free up some of the nutrients that clay holds onto to make them better available for the plants.
Applying compost to the land. We have a compost pile just north of our uppermost garden where we were putting Honest Weight’s excess compost. It has become too big a time burden to continue taking their compost, but we are now adding to the pile with horse and cow manure from local farms and animal owners. The manure is composted (broken down) before adding it to the fields.
Adding rock powders and sea solids. This helps to remineralize the land. Soil that has plentiful minerals will yield crops with plentiful minerals…and our bodies need the minerals just like the plants do! Most farms are only concerned with nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus (which are all important) but we want to take it further to get the trace minerals the soils and plants need, too.
As a short-term solution, we use fish emulsion as a foliar spray directly on the plants to give them a nutrient boost. We did plant spinach (quite a lot of it, actually) and we did spray it with our emulsion and we babied the plants, but we still did not get any real yields from it. Disappointing, but for now we just have to go with the plants that do grow well under the conditions we have. Within the next couple of years, as the fertility of the soil gets better and better, so will the vitality and vigor of the plants, and the varieties we are able to grow will increase, too.
Chris got the potatoes hilled up this week. He worked on weeding, and has been proactively searching out and squishing Colorado Potato Beetles and their larvae before they become a problem. We were fighting with Cucumber Beetles a couple of weeks ago, too (they chew on cucumber, squash and melon plants and pass along something called Bacterial Wilt, which will eventually kill the plants). We seem to be ahead on that battle front; Chris ended up dusting the plants with Diatomaceous Earth (tiny diatoms) which kills the beetles when they ingest it by cutting up their insides.
We have several small zucchinis on the plants and more blossoming, the tomatoes are covered in flowers and are getting some nice fruit on them. We pulled some beets and baby carrots, but don’t have quite enough ready yet (although they are looking great). The peas are covered in blossoms and small peas, but again, not enough to cover the shares this week…it’s looking good for next week, though! Enjoy the recipes, and remember that if you have any to share, feel free to send me an email with them so I can include when appropriate (otterhookfarms@yahoo.com). Thank you!
Warm Greens with Roasted Garlic Dressing
6 Cups Bite-Sized pieces of hearty salad greens (like Devil’s Ear)
Roasted Garlic Dressing (recipe follows)
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Place greens in a large salad bowl.
Heat Roasted Garlic Dressing in a small saucepan over medium heat until warm, 1-2 min. Add shallot and simmer until the shallot is softened, 3-5 min. Pour the warm dressing over the greens and toss until they are wilted and coated. Add pine nuts and goat cheese and toss again, slightly melting the cheese with the warm greens. Season with pepper.
Roasted Garlic Dressing
1 large or 2 small heads garlic
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons balsamic or red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/8 tsp salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Rub off excess papery skin from garlic without separating the cloves. Slice the tips off the head, exposing the ends of the cloves. Place the garlic on a piece of foil, drizzle with one Tbsp oil and wrap into a package. Put in a baking dish and bake until garlic is very soft, 40 min to 1 hour. Unwrap and let cool slightly.
Squeeze the garlic pulp into a blender or food processor (discard skins). Add remaining 3 Tbsp oil, vinegar, lime juice, salt and pepper and process until smooth.
Braised Mustard Greens with Golden Raisins
3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced 1 pound bacon, chopped 2 bunches mustard greens, chopped 3/4 cup chicken stock 1/4 cup golden raisins Salt and freshly ground black pepper
On medium heat, sauté garlic and bacon in a large sauté pan.
While bacon is cooking boil water in a large pot. Blanch mustard greens in boiling water until bright green. *Cook's Note: Add a few greens a little bit at a time into boiling water. Make room for more greens by pushing down with a spoon. Drain greens.
In a sauté pan with the bacon, add greens and garlic. Stir together. Add chicken stock and raisins. Mix well together. Add salt and pepper, for taste, and let simmer for 5 minutes.
Ginger-Garlic Sauce
This recipe can be used as a stir-fry sauce, dipping sauce for spring rolls or dumplings, or a marinade for chicken, pork or tofu.
½ cup Soy Sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.
This week’s recipes (except for the mustard greens) courtesy of Eating Well magazine.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
CSA Farm Notes, Week 2
June 19 & 20, 2008
Well, we are on to week 2. It was wonderful to meet all our new members and catch up with friends we hadn’t seen in a while! Hopefully everyone enjoyed last week’s share…we are certainly all looking forward to seeing the size and variety grow!
As mentioned last week, the weather has been a roller coaster ride. We were looking forward to the cooler days of this week; the heat and humidity were too much for the plants (and the farmers). Some of our peas and lots of our spinach were sunburned from those days over 95, and the broccoli all started to go to flower. Well, the rollercoaster ride is continuing. Late Monday (6/16) afternoon, a severe thunderstorm rolled over OHF. It brought with it heavy wind, rain and large hail. The plants were damaged by the hail. The heaviest hit include: eggplant, cherry tomatoes and big leafy vegetables. The greens will be ragged looking in your next few shares but will still taste great. The tomatoes should heal, but might be a couple of weeks later then planned. As for the eggplant, we may not get any this season.
Alex has a book he likes us to read him that’s called It Could Have Been Worse. It’s about a little mouse who keeps having accidents like falling into a hole, down a hill and into a stream all the while unknowingly escaping the cats, foxes and hawks who would like to eat him. When he gets home, he complains to his mother about all his cuts and bruises from his falls, and she tells him not to worry – it could have been worse! That’s what we are keeping in mind…we might be having weather and pest conditions that are making farming difficult for us, but it could be worse. We certainly are not including the variety and quantity we would like in the shares yet, but at least we are able to get you something each week. The flooding in the Midwest is a perfect example of how it IS worse for a lot of people, who have lost their homes and livelihoods to the rain and swelling rivers.
This week, we’ll be hilling up our potatoes; Chris just got a new (to us) Rototiller that can drag a hiller attachment to make that job easier and quicker than it would be with our hoes. We’ll also be busy battling back the weeds and grasses that grow so proficiently amongst our plants. Monday, before the storm, Chris was able to plant Arugala, Kale, Radicchio, Pac Choi and some more Mustard greens. If all else fails, there are always those leafy greens! Also on a happy note, the cabbage is starting to get nice heads, and we expect to harvest those for the first week in July. As long as the peas get over their sunburn, we should have those next week, and summer squash and beans should follow soon; likely by the second pickup in July. The beets and carrots are starting to really look nice, so we should start harvesting those within the next several weeks, too.
This week's share included a Salad Mix, Braising Mix, Collard Greens (at the co-op) and Lemon Balm (at the farm)
Tip for Storing Leafy Greens:Wrap in damp paper towels and place in cloth or perforated plastic bag. They should keep in the refrigerator this way for up to one week, as long as the towels are kept moist.
Well, we are on to week 2. It was wonderful to meet all our new members and catch up with friends we hadn’t seen in a while! Hopefully everyone enjoyed last week’s share…we are certainly all looking forward to seeing the size and variety grow!
As mentioned last week, the weather has been a roller coaster ride. We were looking forward to the cooler days of this week; the heat and humidity were too much for the plants (and the farmers). Some of our peas and lots of our spinach were sunburned from those days over 95, and the broccoli all started to go to flower. Well, the rollercoaster ride is continuing. Late Monday (6/16) afternoon, a severe thunderstorm rolled over OHF. It brought with it heavy wind, rain and large hail. The plants were damaged by the hail. The heaviest hit include: eggplant, cherry tomatoes and big leafy vegetables. The greens will be ragged looking in your next few shares but will still taste great. The tomatoes should heal, but might be a couple of weeks later then planned. As for the eggplant, we may not get any this season.
Alex has a book he likes us to read him that’s called It Could Have Been Worse. It’s about a little mouse who keeps having accidents like falling into a hole, down a hill and into a stream all the while unknowingly escaping the cats, foxes and hawks who would like to eat him. When he gets home, he complains to his mother about all his cuts and bruises from his falls, and she tells him not to worry – it could have been worse! That’s what we are keeping in mind…we might be having weather and pest conditions that are making farming difficult for us, but it could be worse. We certainly are not including the variety and quantity we would like in the shares yet, but at least we are able to get you something each week. The flooding in the Midwest is a perfect example of how it IS worse for a lot of people, who have lost their homes and livelihoods to the rain and swelling rivers.
This week, we’ll be hilling up our potatoes; Chris just got a new (to us) Rototiller that can drag a hiller attachment to make that job easier and quicker than it would be with our hoes. We’ll also be busy battling back the weeds and grasses that grow so proficiently amongst our plants. Monday, before the storm, Chris was able to plant Arugala, Kale, Radicchio, Pac Choi and some more Mustard greens. If all else fails, there are always those leafy greens! Also on a happy note, the cabbage is starting to get nice heads, and we expect to harvest those for the first week in July. As long as the peas get over their sunburn, we should have those next week, and summer squash and beans should follow soon; likely by the second pickup in July. The beets and carrots are starting to really look nice, so we should start harvesting those within the next several weeks, too.
This week's share included a Salad Mix, Braising Mix, Collard Greens (at the co-op) and Lemon Balm (at the farm)
Tip for Storing Leafy Greens:Wrap in damp paper towels and place in cloth or perforated plastic bag. They should keep in the refrigerator this way for up to one week, as long as the towels are kept moist.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
CSA Notes, Week 1
Each week, I will post the Farm Notes given out with the shares.
Welcome to CSA week 1! We have had an exciting spring so far on the farm; with the warm weather back in April we were able to get out nice and early to work the soil and plant…then the cool weather in May slowed our progress by not letting the plants do much growing! We also had to battle with flea beetles, who were dining in style on the brassicas that we had in early; you will see evidence of them on your radish tops and maybe a bit on the mustard greens. We had to till our first planting of mustards back in and start them over; the flea beetle damage was too much for them to get past and they simply were not getting any size. We used a row cover to get the batch you will be eating started – it is a white cloth that allows sun and moisture to permeate but keeps out those pesky bugs. We were hoping to not have to use covers and plastic, as we want our carbon footprint to be as small as possible, but we are learning that sometimes you have to give a little to get a lot back!
This week’s share includes Devil’s Ear Lettuce heads, a mix of Chinese greens (good as salad or sautéed with a little garlic and lemon!), Olympia Spinach or Radishes, Mint, and Oregano.
Lemon-Mint Vinaigrette
1/3 C Fresh Lemon Juice
1 TB Dijon Mustard
1tsp Sugar
1 Clove Garlic, Minced
1/3 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/3 C Chopped Fresh Mint
Salt & Pepper to Taste
Lebanese Potato Salad
¼ C Lemon Juice
3 TB Olive Oil
½ tsp Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
1/3 C Snipped Chives
¼ C Chopped Fresh Mint
- Boil Potatoes in Lightly salted water until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool for 20 min, then cut the cooled potatoes into ½ inch pieces.
- Wisk lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add potatoes and toss to coat.
- Just before serving, add chives and mint and toss gently.
Monday, May 26, 2008
2 weeks
Two weeks have gone by really fast! I can't believe its been two weeks since my last post. We have been getting a lot done at the farm, but there is still plenty to do. Since the last post we have planted beans, more mustard greens (the first batch the flea beetles enjoyed), some melons, squash and zucchini and lots of potatoes (600 lbs of seed potatoes to be exact). We also finished planting tomatoes; I really hope we have a great tomato year. Oh yeah, winter squash is in the ground too; Walthams Butternut and Zepplin Delicata. All the tomato plants have water and fish emulsion and some of the squash. And finally some pictures. One thats a really cool sunset after a storm. Enjoy!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Its been a few days since I last posted. The weather has been a little challenging the past few weeks.
But first some pictures. Purple peacock broccoli, cauliflower, self-seeded lettuce, peas and cover crop(rye and vetch).
First, we had really nice weather for April, almost too nice. Then we had 3 inches of rain in 3 days, the lower field was a giant puddle. Lastly, we have had a cold snap that included two nights of frost. The frost really set back our spinach, burned the leaves on our cauliflower plants and tip burned our cabbage plants. They are doing well now but set us back a week or two. The ground is getting drier now, just right for a cultivation and final disking. Tomorrow we are going to direct seed some of our squash and melons, more beans ( pole and dry) and cucumbers.
Also, we are getting ready to plant potatoes, we have 25 varieties to try this year!! Last year, we really enjoyed the finger potatoes that we grew, so we are growing all these again. By the weekend we should have 800 pounds of potatoes in the ground. Hope you like potatoes!!
Later, Farmer Chris
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