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
Thursday, August 21, 2008
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.
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