Holcomb Farm CSA

Help Wanted: Distribution Staffer and Summer Field Crew

2012-02-21T09:15:00.000-08:00

Summer Part Time Field Crew: We're looking for someone who can work fast outdoors and be part of our field crew. Assist with harvesting, transplanting, weeding, washing, and packing. Two full weekdays per week, between May 14 and August 31. Great for a college student's summer schedule. For more information, contact Susan at susan@holcombfarmcsa.org

CSA Distribution Staffer: We're looking for someone is enthusiastic about vegetables and the farm! Keep the produce displays stocked and looking good, manage signage in the distribution area, handle farm store transactions, help keep the farm shop tidy, and most importantly, provide a friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable presence for CSA members. Must be able to lift up to 50 lb produce crates and be available the following hours from June-October: Tuesdays 1pm-7pm, Thursdays 2pm-8pm, and Saturdays 8am-2pm. Contact sam@holcombfarmcsa.org

Holcomb Farm workshare program

2012-02-19T08:59:00.000-08:00

Holcomb Farm CSA offers the opportunity for members to participate in our workshare program, in which members commit to working 40 hours during the growing season in exchange for one CSA share. This can be a way for members to become more intimately involved in how we operate our farm and give folks a chance to make a meaningful contribution to our success. It is perfect for those who have more flexibility in their scheduling, who enjoy working outside (or in the greenhouse), and who are interested in investing in the livelihood of the farm.

Often workshare members will help with seeding in the greenhouse during the busy months of March and April (yes, our growing season starts this early!) or join the crew weekday mornings during the harvest season (June-Oct) to help harvest crops for our members. Members are trained on all tasks so no experience is necessary, but a strong body helps in doing physical work! If you have additional skills that you believe may be helpful to the farm (electrical, plumbing, carpentry or something other) don't hesitate to contact us.

If you are interested in more information, please contact me at susan@holcombfarmcsa.org

We like to meet all interested members in person and talk more about the program. Greenhouse seeding starts the last week in February so we're getting ready to go!

Hope to see you on the farm soon.

~Susan Mitchell, Assistant Farm Manager

Country Style Ribs - the cut to use for pork cutlets!

2012-02-10T10:19:00.001-08:00

One of the many cuts of pork produced from the butchering process is a somewhat lesser-known cut called Country Style Ribs. Most folks are used to traditional pork ribs, which have a bone. Country style ribs have no bone and are more similar in style to pork chops that we're all used to...minus the bone of course!

I myself had never cooked country style ribs (and didn't really know what to do with them!) until I saw an episode of America's Test Kitchen on PBS. They fully and completely test all their recipes to find what makes the absolute best ingredients. Country style ribs were the cut they found worked best in making sauteed pork cutlets.

Here is what they said about why this works best:

"Lean pork cutlets are flavorless without proper browning, but by the time the cutlets take on any color, they’re dry and lacking any tenderness. We wanted tender, browned cutlets with meaty flavor and a rich pan sauce to accompany them.

Instead of supermarket pork cutlets, we opted for a meatier-tasting cut: boneless country-style spare ribs. These ribs combine a large portion of the flavorful shoulder meat with minimal connective tissue and only a bit of bland tenderloin. Even better, because the ribs are sold portioned into relatively small pieces, they require little work to be fashioned into cutlets."

You can read more about their suggestions at http://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/detail.php?docid=23632

You can even watch an 8 min video on how to create this recipe of sauteed pork cutlets with mustard-cider sauce. If you can still find CT grown cider at this time of year, then great, otherwise I think you could get creative with another type of sauce or go without sauce at all.

So tell us what you think of the country style ribs!

~Susan Mitchell, Asst. Farm Manager

Online Farm Store open Feb 11-15

2012-02-10T08:16:00.000-08:00

The online farm store will open tomorrow, Saturday Feb 11th, and close at midnight on Wednesday Feb. 15th. Available this week are a few whole frozen turkeys from Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm. While we usually think of eating turkey at Thanksgiving, they are great any time of the year! Typically they are hard to come by at any other time than in the fall. We only have a few so get them while you can.

Sweet Pea chevre has increased in price by $.50 due to expenses incurred in production of this cheese. Available in so many different flavors, it remains a taste sensation. The goats at Sweet Pea have been having lots of babies in the past few weeks, with many left to kid (the correct term for a goat giving birth), so stop by their farm in North Granby to have a look at the little ones.

There will be bit of a lag time before our next set of greenhouse greens will be ready to harvest, so the produce is limited this week to carrots and cabbage. We are getting down to the last of our storage crops. Hope you enjoyed the potatoes last week!

Pickup for orders will take place on Saturday Feb. 18th from 10am - 2 pm.

Online Farm Store Opens January 14

2012-01-13T12:51:00.000-08:00

The online farm store will be open for ordering from 12 AM Saturday January 14 to Midnight on Wednesday January 18. Order Pickup is on Saturday January 21, 10AM-2PM at the CSA barn.

Click here to go to the store.

New this week:

1. Arugula!

2. Reduced price on cooking quality spinach. Larger leaves and a few cosmetic blemishes. Too ugly for a salad but the taste is great and the price is right!

We also have:
Carrots
Sunchokes
Cabbage
Kohlrabi
Pac Choi
Pork
Grass Finished Beef
Pasture Raised Lamb
Veal
Goat Cheese
Cow Milk and Yogurt
Maple Products
Local Jam
Goat Soap

Link to the online store: http://csa.farmigo.com/store/holcombfarmcsa

Water, Energy, and Tomatoes

2012-01-02T07:02:00.000-08:00

The New York Times just ran a front page article on large scale organic growing in the Mexican desert highlighting some of the vexing issues involved in supplying American markets with produce in the winter. The recent embryonic, but significant, upswing in winter marketing by locally-oriented growers (including Holcomb Farm) represents at least a partial response to challenge of providing fresh produce in the winter months without excessive energy or water use.

The main components of a local winter produce supply in the colder parts of the US are low energy systems like unheated hoophouses for greens production and simple climate controlled facilities for storage of root crops, winter squash, and other crops that can maintain excellent eating quality over a period of months. As fresh crop production re-develops in water rich parts of the country (including New England) pressure will be relieved on the dwindling aquifers and mountain snow packs in the arid West. The most important factor, though, is a shift in eating patterns to focus on those crops that can be produced locally. Salad greens, cooking greens, root crops and winter squashes can form the basis of a varied, nutritious, and delicious winter produce diet.

To order from our winter online store: click here.

For a list of winter farmers markets around CT, click here.

Sam

Crop Fertility Workshop at Holcomb Farm

2012-01-02T06:40:00.000-08:00

What: A talk on soil fertility by Reuben Stoltzfus
from Lancaster Ag  Products. Lancaster Ag is a
dealer in organic and biological  fertilizers (plus
livestock and human health products) in PA. Their 
focus is in the nutrient-dense,remineralization,
high brix, biological,  etc realm of agriculture. They
are a great regional, cost effective  source of many
materials important to organic growing. They also offer 
soil testing, advice and recommendations, responsive
customer service  (no small feat from a fertilizer
company), and a custom blending and  bulk spreading
service. They will come all the way to CT to spread bulk
minerals on your farm for a reasonable price.   Reuben
came last year and spoke about some of the scientific
and philosophical foundations of nutrient-dense
growing. This year he plans to cover some of the 
nuts-and-bolts approaches to making a fertilizer
plan for your farm.

After the  workshop, I'll lead an informal tour
of our winter greens  tunnels and/or equipment,
if anyone is interested.

Cost: Free!

Food: Potluck lunch. Please bring something to
share and show off your
winter cooking skills. We'll have plates, cups,
and utensils.

When: Tuesday, January 17, 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Where: Holcomb Farm, 113 Simsbury Rd.
West Granby CT, 06090. 
860-653-5554 or 860-844-8616 or my cell 860-944-5064.
Park in the lot  behind the farmhouse.

Hope to see you there!
Sam Hammer

Online Farm Store open Dec 31-Jan 4

2011-12-30T08:23:00.000-08:00

Get your local food to start off the new year right!

The online farm store will open tomorrow, Saturday Dec. 31, for orders. Products available this week include hard cheese and veal from Cato Corner Farm and fresh vegetables from our hoophouses including spinach, lettuce mix, and pac choi along with our storage crops of carrots, cabbage, kohlrabi and sunchokes. The chickens have left us so we no longer have eggs - please go out and support other local egg producers! With the recent and upcoming drop in temperature, some of the greens in our unheated hoophouses have taken a hit but hopefully they will be fine for next week.

The online store will close on Wednesday Jan 4th at midnight.
Pickup your items at the CSA barn on Saturday Jan 7th from 10am to 2pm. Refrigerated items will be in the walk-in cooler in a box or bag with your name on it, arranged alphabetically. Frozen meats will be in a separate freezer with your name on your item(s).

Thanks for supporting your local farm and help us spread the word that the online store is open to anyone.

http://csa.farmigo.com/store/holcombfarmcsa

Have a happy start to the new year!

Sam & Susan

Next Farm Store Pickup Date....2012!

2011-12-17T10:06:00.000-08:00

We will resume winter pickups every other Saturday starting on January 7th after we take a slightly longer break at this time of year. Enjoy all the delicious farm-raised products! We hope you are able to share our local bounty with your friends and family. Our online store is open to the public during the winter months and we certainly welcome new customers.

If you have any waxed boxes, please bring them back with you next time you come to the farm. We re-use them many times! They are not recyclable because they are waxed so don't try to put them in with your cardboard.

Happy winter and we'll see you again in 2012!

Susan and Sam

New Items in this Week's Farm Store

2011-12-09T13:33:00.000-08:00

The Online Farm Store opens for ordering at 12AM Saturday, December 10, and closes at midnight on Wednesday, December 14. Ordering is open to all.

Pickup will be Saturday, December 17th, 10AM-2PM at the farm.

New This Week in the Store:

Award Winning Cow Cheese from Cato Corner Farm, one of CT's best cheesemakers. Perfect for holiday cheese plates!

Sunchokes
Kohlrabi
Arugula
Pac Choi

We also have
Spinach
Carrots
Grass Fed Beef
Our own Pork and Eggs from animals raised on pasture and organic feed.
Goat Cheese
and More

We are expecting a delivery of lamb next week. If it arrives before the pickup on the 17th, we will offer it on cash basis during the pickup. Feel free to email me to check on availability.

Click here to go to the online store.

Catch and Carry: Old Hens Seek New Homes

2011-12-07T10:20:00.001-08:00

The time has come for our laying hens to enter retirement. They are nearly two years old and, although they are still laying, their rate of egg production is falling below the cost of feed. The hens are laying "old lady eggs," which are extra large in size and have more brittle shells. They still taste wonderful.

These ladies could still live for another few years, laying an occasional egg and providing endless amounts of backyard comic relief. For the next couple of weeks, we are offering the hens to anyone who would like a few feathered pets for $5/bird. Any remaining birds will end up in stew pots.

We plan to start a new, larger flock in February, in time for them to begin laying when the CSA Summer Share starts in June.

If you would like a hen or a few for your backyard flock, email sam@holcombfarmcsa.org or call 860-653-5554.

-Sam

Winter Online Farm Store, Round Two

2011-11-26T06:11:00.000-08:00

The online farm store is now open for ordering until midnight on Wednesday November 30. Ordering is open to both CSA members and non-members.

Order pickup is on Saturday, December 3, 10am-2pm at the CSA barn.

Produce this week includes:

Lettuce mix
Cabbage
Spinach
Carrots

We also have:

Our own eggs and pork from animals fed organic feed.
Cow milk and goat cheese from Sweet Pea Cheese
Grass Fed Beef from Tulmeadow Farm
Lamb from Sepe Farm
Maple Products from Sweet Wind Farm
and more

Any questions, email sam@holcombfarmcsa.org

Thank You

2011-11-22T11:48:00.000-08:00

Susan and I would like to express our thanks to our CSA members for your support during another season. Enjoy this video produced by Molly FitzMaurice at CT Public Television. As the days grow shorter and colder and fields empty, its a nice reminder of the harvests to be thankful for.

Outdoor Enthusiast: Meet your Vegetables

-Sam

2011 Summer Share Member Survey

2011-11-20T17:26:00.001-08:00

We would greatly appreciate your feedback!

Click here to take survey

Milk and Cheese Now Available in Online Store

2011-11-18T05:49:00.000-08:00

We just added cow milk, cow yogurt, and goat cheese from Sweet Pea Cheese to the online store.

We also have:

Our own tender greenhouse spinach, cold-sweetened carrots, and potatoes.
Our own organically fed pork and a limited supply of our own organically fed eggs.
Grass fed beef from Tulmeadow Farm
Maple products from Sweet Wind farm
Jam from Schultz' Apiaries
Lamb from Sepe Farm
and more!

Online Farm Store Now Open

2011-11-16T12:21:00.000-08:00

Here's the link to the online farm store. Order now for Thanksgiving!

The schedule:

Ordering Window: 11/16-11/20
Pickup Day: Tuesday 11/22 2pm-7pm

Ordering Window: 11/26-11/30
Pickup Day: Saturday 12/3 10am-2pm

Ordering Window: 12/10-12/14
Pickup Day: Saturday 12/17 10am-2pm

Ordering Window12/31-1/5
Pickup Day Saturday 1/7 10am-2pm

Ordering Window1/14-1/19
Pickup Day Saturday 1/21 10am-2pm

Ordering Window: 1/28-2/1
Pickup Day: Saturday 2/4 10am-2pm

Ordering Window: 2/11-2/15
Pickup Day: Saturday 2/18 10am-2pm

We'll continue for as long as we have product available.

We'll send a reminder email and blog posting each time the store opens.

Ordering should be pretty straightforward and is open to anyone on a first come first serve basis. If you have signed up for 2012 Summer Share, simply sign in with your existing account. If you haven't signed up for a 2012 share, you'll need to create an account, even if you were a 2011 member. Non-CSA members are also welcome to order.

Click on the tabs at the top - produce, beef, books, etc- to navigate t0 the various item categories. Inventory limits have been placed on each item so you will be able to see when an item has sold out.

For payment, we accept Visa and Mastercard only.

Turkeys and Winter Sales

2011-11-15T13:59:00.001-08:00

Reminder: This Friday November 18 is the deadline for ordering your local, fresh (not frozen) pasture raised turkey from Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm. Turkey pickup will be next Tuesday November 22, 2-7pm. The turkey order form is here.

We are planning to have our winter online ordering system ready in order for you to place orders (produce, pork, etc) for pickup on next Tuesday, but we are having some delay in finalizing the system. Hopefully we we'll have it up and running in the next day or so. We'll post an update as we know more.

Our final distribution for summer 2011!

2011-11-11T13:35:00.000-08:00

Although today is 11-11-11, tomorrow will be even better because it's the final distribution for the season! Come down to the farm one last time for your freshly harvested vegetables. We have been harvesting all week for much of each day, getting the last of everything that we can get. There's a great lineup of produce for tomorrow and opportunity to stock up on pork, beef, cheese, honey, maple, jam, and bread.

We will be offering:
carrots
potatoes
kohlrabi
sunchokes (aka jerusalem artichokes)
kale
baby pac choi
rutabaga
broccoli
cabbage

(note: broccoli, rutabaga, and cabbage are in limited quantities and will not be available for everyone)

Hope to see you at the farm! 9am-1pm

Impacts from late October storm

2011-11-10T03:43:00.000-08:00

A huge snowstorm in late October certainly caught us all by surprise. The long-term power outages and cold weather had most of us scrambling to find warm places, hot food, and running water. At the farm, the power outage was the least of our problems since we thankfully have a large generator, powered by the PTO on the tractor, which allows us to turn on lights, power the freezers and coolers, and run water from our well.

We spent much of the past week doing chainsaw work, as did many others, on the trees that had fallen on our deer fencing in the main field. One large tree was uprooted and fell on top of the pig houses, just narrowly missing our brand new hoophouse - thank goodness! Many large trees and limbs also fell in our Wells Rd field and Valley Brook field, both of which we rent. Those trees prevented us from even getting access to the fields, but in a few days time we got everything pretty well cleaned up. While the snow covered all the crops, there was nothing left to do other than chainsaw!

Often early snow is not too big of a problem for farms, but this year was an exception. Instead of a light snow that melted quickly, we were dealt with a very heavy snow that didn't melt for almost a week, combined with consistent nighttime temperatures hovering around 25 degrees. The heavy snow broke or crushed many of the greens we still had in the field but it was the cold that did the worst damage. To have such cold weather so early is quite unusual, even more so that it was sustained. When water in the cells of plants freeze, it expands and bursts the cell wall. When this happens through repeated freeze/thaw cycles, as we had last week, it causes normally crisp plants to become mushy. Vegetables that are more succulent, like fennel or lettuce, are the first to be affected. We lost a good deal of broccoli and cauliflower, all of our fennel, some napa cabbage, and much of our lettuce, kale, and collards. The cold also thwarts any meager plant growth that we have a this time of year so field greens haven't gotten much bigger in the past few weeks.

What an end to the season! Thankfully the greens that we are growing in our three houses are doing wonderfully. Our newest hoophouse, shown here, is seeded with lettuce mix, pac choi, a braising mix, and arugula. Greenhouse 1 is full of braising mix growing in trays, and Greenhouse 2, near the barn door, has some wonderful spinach growing in the ground and looks amazing! It warms up quite nicely on sunny days so that we have to open up the houses to cool them down a bit (the greens all prefer slightly cooler, not hot, temperatures). Read a previous blog posting explaining our new method for produce distribution during the winter. All of our members will have the opportunity to purchase delicious fresh greens from us - online shopping style!

~Susan

Simply Fresh by Julie Wern

2011-11-07T05:03:00.000-08:00

In my last edition of Simply Fresh for the season, I had planned on writing up some thoughts about this year’s CSA experience, but the incredible recent events of the storm and its aftermath has set me in a bit of a different direction. Instead I have a written a recipe that should look quite familiar to us all…..

East Coast Humble Pie serves Millions

Ingredients:

-Buckets and buckets of spring and summer rains leading to local crop damage/delay

-2 destructive storms with large-scale flooding and incredible tree damage

-Widespread power outages lasting upwards of 1 week

-6+ school snow days before mid November

-Shortages of water, gas, ice and firewood due to colossal power outages

-Significant disruptions in air and land travel over hundreds of miles

-Economic recession with high rates of unemployment

Method:

Mix all ingredients together in a large East Coast bowl. Season to taste with small miracles, helping hands, and random acts of kindness. Roll out crust of human grit, determination, and hard work. Pour in filling of utter powerlessness.

Bake in a very heated oven of frustration for days on end. Eventually turn out onto a cooling rack of surrender and take in the strong scent of humility. Savor the ultimate taste of gratitude when you bite into that humble pie and realize all the thousands of things, both large and small, that you have to be thankful for.

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Featured Item—Arugula

Arugula, or “rocket”, is a salad green that is very popular in Italy and the Mediterranean. It is often served raw, although it is sometimes cooked (or barely wilted) and is even used sparingly as an herb. It has a distinctive “peppery” flavor that becomes more intense the larger and older the leaves.

Arugula is truly a nutritional powerhouse. Super low in calories, it nevertheless packs a nutritional punch with high levels of vitamins, minerals, and phyto-nutrients. It is particularly high in vitamins A, C, and K, as well as folate, calcium and beta-carotene. Because of the abundance of nutrients, it seems a no-brainer to include arugula in your weekly meal planning, even in places you might not expect to use it. I recently tried just-wilted arugula in garlic mashed potatoes and found it delicious (see below for recipe. Even My 11 year old son liked it). Like I said, it’s a “no brainer”.

However, I also like the “kick” of a pure arugula salad. While I happen to adore the slightly bitter, peppery taste of arugula alone, many like to “cut” their greens with some sweet lettuce varieties, which is perfectly fine. However you like to do it, try making arugula salads with some of the following delicious combinations:

-Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese with a Citrus Vinaigrette

-Lemon and Fresh Fennel with Lemon Vinaigrette

-Tomato and Mozzarella with Balsamic Vinaigrette

-Strawberry and Hazelnut with Hazelnut or Poppyseed Vinaigrette

Because arugula is strongly flavored, it can stand up to almost any kind of vinaigrette. For example, dressings with strong herbs, mustard, anchovy, capers, olives, and stronger vinegars (like balsamic) do well with this salad green. See below for an interesting arugula salad idea.

Arugula is wonderful not only as the star green in a salad, but it also adds texture, color and nutrition to grain and/or potato salads. For example, try substituting arugula for parsely in tabouli or add chopped arugula to your favorite potato salad.

One often overlooked way to use arugula is in soups/stews. Added at the last minute, arugula offers a flavorful and interesting addition to your everyday meals. See below for a recipe for a hearty vegetarian stew using arugula.

In addition to soups/stews, arugula is also great on pizzas. Place atop pizza just as it comes out of the oven so that is wilts before drying out. One combination we particularly like in our family is chopped ham, marinara sauce, Italian blend cheese, and arugula (YUM!!). However, again, the possible combinations are endless.

I can’t talk about arugula without mentioning eggs. Arugula truly shines in frittatas, omelets, and stratas, perhaps because it really has a chance to stand out against the mild flavor of the egg. However, the less arugula is cooked the better…it does best when it is just barely wilted down.

Of course, I also can’t forget to mention the combination of arugula and pasta. Typically arugula is tossed with hot pasta and sauce just before serving, allowing the leaves to just barely wilt. Again, the potential combinations are endless. My favorite way to have arugula with pasta is to make an arugula pesto and toss it with hot pasta and a bit of pasta cooking liquid. Make arugula pesto as you would your favorite basil pesto. It is truly fantastic!

Choose arugula that is brightly colored and crisp. Avoid yellowed, wilted, or slimy greens. Loosely wrap unwashed arugula in plastic and place in the refrigerator. Store for about 3-5 days. Wash well, as arugula leaves can tend to harbor lots of sand.

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Burrata is a wonderful fresh Italian cheese that has a mozzarella exterior and a delectable cream and mozzarella center. It is just recently becoming available in this area. You can find it at whole foods markets or at select Big Y stores. I created this salad recipe after falling in love with one like it in California wine country.

Arugula with Burrata and Pesto Vinaigrette Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

- 2 tablespoons purchased or home-made pesto

- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

- 1-2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

- 4 handfuls arugula, about 4 cups

- 1 large roasted red pepper , thinly julienned

- 1-2 pieces Burrata, cut in halves or quarters

METHOD:

1. Whisk pesto, vinegar and olive oil together and taste. If too tart, add more olive oil. If too thick add a bit of water to thin.

2. Place cleaned arugula on 4 salad size plates. Sprinkle with roasted red pepper slices. Place Burrata in center. Drizzle with vinaigrette and serve.

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Arugula adds a special something extra to this hearty and delicious vegetarian stew.

Red Lentil and Vegetable Stew with Arugula Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

- 1 large onion, chopped

- 1 1/2 cups chopped peeled carrot

- 2 large celery stalks, chopped

- 1/2 teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary

- 1 teaspoon dried oregano

- 2 large garlic cloves, minced

- 1 14 1/2 ounce can organic diced tomatoes

- 5 cups home-made or purchased vegetable or chicken stock

- 2 cups red lentils, rinsed

- salt, to taste (I used 1 t with unsalted home made vegetable broth)

- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

- 3 cups roughly chopped fresh arugula

- 6 teaspoons Parmesan cheese, optional

METHOD:

In a stock-pot, heat olive oil over medium-low heat until hot. Add onion, carrot and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Add rosemary, oregano, and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add diced tomato with juices, broth, and lentils. Stir until combined. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until lentils and vegetables are tender, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat. Add salt, red wine vinegar and arugula. Stir until arugula wilts. Ladle stew in soup bowls. If desired, sprinkle with Parmesan.

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Why not add some extra nutrients and interest to an everyday staple…

Dairy Free Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Arugula Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

- 6 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1" pieces

- 6 peeled garlic cloves

- 1/2 cup vegetable broth

- 1/2 teaspoon salt, see note below

- 2 teaspoons butter substitute (optional)

- 1 cup arugula, chopped into bite-sized pieces

METHOD:

1. Place potatoes and garlic cloves in a pan with water that covers vegetables by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in a colander and allow to cool 3-5 minutes so that excess moisture escapes as steam.

2. Once potatoes have started to cool, place broth in a medium skillet over medium heat until it just begins to boil. Remove from heat. Add salt (if using homemade, unsalted broth, add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Otherwise salt to taste) and arugula and let sit for one minute for arugula to wilt.

3. Mash potatoes and garlic according to your preferred method (I like to use a potato ricer). Pour hot broth mixture over mashed potatoes and fold to incorporate. Serve.

Distribution is back!

2011-11-06T14:02:00.000-08:00

We're back for our final week of distribution for 2011! Hope everyone has been doing ok without power (yes, we are still without but have a generator so we're operational), checking on neighbors, and giving treats to all the tree and power crews out there when you see them at work. What very exceptional weather we've had this fall. And now we've got the time change to deal with! It will be dark at the farm if you come to pickup on Tues or Thurs evenings but we'll put a light out on the driveway to help you navigate.

We will have our regular pickups this week on Tues, Thurs and Sat.

No guarantees on types of produce for this week because we've still got some crop evaluation to do to determine the extent of damage to certain greens, many of which had stems or leaves broken by the weight of the snow, and to figure out if the fields are dry enough to dig carrots and potatoes.

(photos left to right: rows of cauliflower bent over, baby pac choi leaves snapped by heavy snow)

Your last share may include any of the following:
broccoli
cauliflower
napa cabbage
pac choi
carrots
potatoes
kale
rutabaga
sunchokes
arugula
lettuce
leeks
baby beets
cabbage

There are no PYO items any longer, except for a scant few perennial herbs which you're welcome to take.

See you soon - finally!
~Susan

Old Pickups

2011-11-03T11:09:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Bill Ryan and Jim Lofink for their meticulous attention spent on our well worn old F150 pickup truck. After numerous hours studying repair manuals, making trips to the parts store, crawling underneath the truck, reasoning, debating, and swearing - and occasional pizza breaks in the sun - they managed to patch up the old beast enough for us to keep using it a while longer.

Heroic volunteer efforts notwithstanding, our truck "fleet" is aging and each truck has unique limitations on it. The F150 is rusting fast and isn't safe for highway use (Bill nicknamed the truck "Total Oxidation."). Our big Isuzu flatbed is stuck in first gear and won't go over 10mph ( I guess that's why it was donated to us). Our '92 Dodge with the shed box on back is two wheel drive, gets stuck in the mud, has no heat, won't shift into 5th gear, and can't handle much weight. Our '69 Chevy is, well, 42 years old and really should be put out to pasture as someone's restoration project, not a working farm truck.

Long story short, we could really use a "new" full size 4WD pickup truck that is suited to on-road use. If you have a workable truck that you are looking to part with, consider a tax-deductible donation to the farm or a discounted sale of a truck in good condition. Any money not spent on a new truck can go toward other investments to keep the farm maintained and improving, such as additional deer fencing, gravel for farm roads, equipment storage sheds, a heated workshop, etc.

We are also in the market for some sort of off road vehicle that has a bed or can pull a harvest trailer in order to minimize the wear and tear on our road trucks when we use them as harvest vehicles. A big ATV, an army Jeep, a Unimog, etc. could fit the bill. Let me know if you have any leads.

Heck, while we're making wish lists, we could also use a backhoe or three-point-hitch backhoe attachment, a dump trailer, a small trailer or manure spreader that has tires about 62 inches on center (that can straddle our growing beds), an equipment trailer, commercial size lawnmower, chainsaw, and any number of other pieces of equipment large and small.

-Sam

CSA Distribution Canceled for Saturday November 5

2011-11-03T10:50:00.001-07:00

The snow still has not melted enough for us to harvest in preparation for distribution on Saturday.

Baring any more unforeseen circumstances, we should be back for our final week of Summer Share distribution next week. We expect to have plenty of carrots, napa cabbbage, and cabbage;probably some kale, arugula, broccoli, and lettuce; and possibly some potatoes if the ground dries out enough to dig the last of the crop, and possibly the last of the broccoli and cauliflower.

We are still accepting Thanksgiving turkey orders until Friday November 18. Click here for the turkey order form.

The winter greens are growing happily in the hoophouses. We'll start the winter online ordering program in a couple of weeks, with the first pickup being Turkey pick up day: Tuesday, November 22, 2-7pm.

We've been running the generator full tilt during the days keeping the freezers at temperature and allowing us to do computer work and pump water for egg washing and greenhouse watering.

The storm brought down a number of limbs and trees on our deer fence and in a couple of fields. Susan and Abigail - with help from neighbor David D. - have gotten their first chain sawing experience clearing the debris. Susan now reports major respect for the tree crew guys!

-Sam

CSA Distribution Canceled Nov 1 and 3 due to Instant Winter

2011-10-31T07:06:00.000-07:00

CSA distribution is canceled for Tuesday, November 1, and Thursday, November 3.

We can't harvest any crops in the field due to snow cover. If the snow melts enough and daytime temperatures are above 40 by the end of the week, which they are predicted to be, we will have distribution on Saturday, November 5.

Like most of the area, we are out of power here at the farm. We have a generator to run the CSA barn so our freezers and refrigeration are working and the well pump is working for produce washing. Even if power is out, we can still have distribution.

-Sam

Winter Sales

2011-10-29T06:12:00.000-07:00

In lieu of a Winter CSA Share, we will be offering an online produce ordering program this winter season.

While we don't have a good supply of storage crops to make a well balanced share, we will have a fair amount of fresh greens from the field (into December) and hoophouses (potentially through March) along with a small amount of root crops. We have one hoophouse full of spinach and another (our new one!) planted to arugula, mixed brassica salad greens, pac choi, and baby lettuce. Our transplant greenhouse is full of brassica salad mix growing in trays.

We will take orders and credit card payment through an online store:
You then come to the farm on the designated pickup day to pick up your produce. We will offer our pork and items from other farms as well through the online store.

We will "open" the online store several days before each scheduled pick up day and post what is available. We will have inventory limits on each item based on how much is available so you don't have to worry about ordering something and then it not being available. Orders will be taken on a first come first serve basis and will be open to anyone. We will announce through email, the blog, and the website when the store opens and closes.

The first pickup day will be turkey pickup day: Tuesday November 22, 2-7pm. The ordering period will be 11/14-11/20.

The following pickup dates will be on Saturdays every two weeks except for a three week break around the holidays: 12/3, 12/17, 1/7, 1/21, 2/11, 2/18, and so on, every two weeks as long as we have items available.

If you have signed up for a 2012 Summer Share, you already have an account in the Farmigo system and will be able to start ordering when the store is open. Anyone who doesn't have a 2012 Summer Share simply has to sign up for a free "Store Access" share in order to create an account. We will include registration instructions with each availability list.

This new system may simply be a one year phenomenon in reaction to our short supply of storage crops or we may decide to continue it for winter sales in the future based on customer feedback.

So, no Winter Share this year, but yes to winter greens!

This Week's Crops

2011-10-24T09:32:00.000-07:00

For the week of October 24th

Shares will include:
carrots

Shares may include:
Arugula
Kale
Chard
Kohlrabi
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Potatoes
Rutabaga
Lettuce

These will be the best testing carrots of the season since they only get sweeter as the temperatures drop and frost settles in. They are so much better than summer carrots! Same goes for kale and collards which are much sweeter after several frosts when the starches turn into sugars in the plant. And hold on to your hats! If you get a kohlrabi chances are it will be HUGE. This variety (kossack) is designed to get very large because larger root crops store better (for the winter) than smaller ones.

PYO - very last of the flowers and perennial herbs (we'll be mowing down the tomatillos)

Simply Fresh by Julie Wern

2011-10-24T04:44:00.000-07:00

End of Summer Season distribution will be....

2011-10-20T10:52:00.000-07:00

We plan on trying to make the summer season a full 20 weeks of vegetables which would make the final week of distribution the week of Nov. 7th with the last possible pickup date of Sat. Nov. 12th

There will continue to be fall greens, some broccoli and cauliflower, carrots and a smattering of other offerings. Our winter squash yields were very low this year due to low performing new fields that we grew on this year and some we thought we could grow on but couldn't because they were too wet in the early summer. We had to rearrange our crop plans which resulted in less acreage available for squash. In addition we had very bad deer damage on our hilltop fields where we had our butternut. These fields were excellent last year (the first year in production) and had no deer damage but the tides turned this year! There's always something new to deal with.

We'll see you for a few more weeks yet.

~Susan

This Week's Crops

2011-10-18T04:55:00.000-07:00

For the week of October 17

Shares will include:
greens (arugula, collards, or kale)
winter squash or potatoes

Shares may include:
parsnips
broccoli
cauliflower
rutabaga

Hopefully we'll have potatoes for everyone this week. We've dug some of our post productive beds and have some good yields. If the weather cooperates and we can keep flaming (see previous post) then we should be able to dig more as the week goes on.

PYO: We're near the end so there's just a bit left...some flowers and the very last of the tomatillos.

New "Hot Rod"

2011-10-17T05:40:00.000-07:00

Flaming is a common, chemical-free weed control practice in both agricultural and non-agricultural settings. With many weed species, only a brief exposure to a high temperature propane flame will burst enough cell walls that the plant will eventually die in minutes or hours.

Vegetable growers can use flame weeding for "stale seed bed" preparation. The term "stale seed bed" is borrowed from chemical agriculture where a planting bed can be render essentially sterile of viable weed seeds (as well as a lot of beneficial soil biology) through heavy application of herbicides. First a smooth planting bed is prepared well in advance of the scheduled planting date. Once a flush of small weeds has germinated, the flame is passed over the surface, killing the germinated weeds without disrupting the soil. Any time the soil is disturbed, more weed seeds are exposed to light and begin the process of germinating. By flaming one or more flushes of weeds before planting, we reduce the population of potential weeds that could compete with the crop.

We also use the flamer to control weeds in slow germinating crops, when the weeds come up faster than the crop does. Timing is critical! We have used a small hand held propane torch for years as part of our strategy to reduce competing weeds in our slow growing carrots and parsnips.

This year, we ran into a situation where flaming would be useful, but it was clear that we needed more horsepower than the hand held torch could provide. Our potato field was inundated with grass weeds to the point where we couldn't use our mechanical potato digger to harvest the potatoes. We decided to come up with a larger, tractor pulled flamer that could effectively burn off the weeds in our potato field. Burning a thick stand of grass is an expensive, gas-intensive proposition, and hopefully not something we will need to do very often in our potatoes. We felt, though, that it was worth it to acquire the tractor flamer to do it because it will enable us in the future to use flame to prepare some of our planting beds and more efficiently control weeds in our slow growing crops in the future.

We ordered the burner components from a manufacturer and a tank from our local propane supplier and then volunteer mechanic extraordinaire Bill Ryan set about to fabricate a cart for it and put it all together. In Bill's expert hands, what started out as a hastily conceived concept turned into a well built and highly functional new tool for the farm.

The flamer sounds like a jet engine when it is in use and it leaves the entire field smelling like a campfire.

-Sam

Simply Fresh by Julie Wern

2011-10-17T04:56:00.000-07:00

Featured Item—Parsnips

It may look similar to a carrot and comes from the carrot family, but parsnips are quite a different vegetable. Because they have no beta-carotene, parsnips are white. However, they are still quite healthful, boasting impressive levels of dietary fiber, potassium, folic acid, vitamin C and calcium. It is argued that they are actually sweeter than carrots, but they are definitely more fibrous and can be more bitter. Before the popularization of potatoes they were a staple starch, and during the Middle Ages they were more favored than carrots. Parsnips were introduced to America by the early European settlers, and while never quite as popular in the US as in other countries, they are becoming a favorite of farm devotees today.

Parsnips are best harvested in late fall, after the first frost, at which time the starches are turned into sugars, making the vegetable taste “sweet”. Indeed, the caramelized nutty sweetness of roasted parsnips is irresistible. Young parsnips don’t even need peeling and are considered sweet enough to eat raw, especially grated into salads or used as a crudité vegetable. However, if parsnips have been allowed to grow too big or remain too long in storage, they tend to get woodier and bitter. Thus, it is recommended that larger parsnips be peeled and that the “woody” core in the middle be cut out before preparing. Typically, you can tell once you make your first cut if the core seems overly tough and in need of being extracted. If you are unsure, taste the raw parsnip before continuing with your cooking preparation.

In the culinary world parsnips are often linked to carrots and potatoes. Cooking sources often recommend substituting parsnips for carrots or potatoes in soup, stews, roasts, mashes, and purees. Parsnips are also quite similar to turnips in texture and are easily interchangeable with turnips in recipes. However, it is important to keep in mind that they can have more of a bitter edge than carrots, potatoes or turnips, especially if older or if a woody core is not removed. Thus it helps to consider other elements in a dish before deciding to add parsnips. Avoid using them in dishes with predominantly bitter notes.

As mentioned above, parsnips can be eaten raw. However, they are most often cooked in this country and lend themselves to almost any cooking method. Boiling or steaming is a popular technique, especially for making mashes or purees. Parsnips mash especially well with potatoes, although they are good just as a mash on their own.

Parsnips are also tasty pureed in soups. Parsnip and apple is a popular combination for pureed soup. Potatoes, leeks, sweet potatoes, and squash would also combine well with parsnips in this method. See below for a pureed parsnip and potato soup recipe.

Because of their natural sweetness, parsnips are particularly good in preparations that introduce a complementary sweet note such as apples, apple cider, orange juice, sweet potatoes, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, etc. See below for a cream-less gratin recipe that uses sweet potatoes, parsnips, apple and apple cider.

Parsnips are wonderful roasted, either on their own or with other root vegetables. As mentioned above, roasted parsnips develop a great caramelized sweetness without adding anything other than a bit of oil, salt and pepper.

I understand that fried and “oven fried” parsnips are also quite good, although I have personally never tried them. The November 2010 issue of Food and Wine Magazine includes a unique recipe for “parsnip bacon” which is thin peelings of parsnip coated in oil, seasoned with a smoked salt, and baked until crisp. It sounds delicious doesn’t it!

Surprisingly, parsnips actually taste great in baked goods! They are a fun substitute or addition to sweet breads, muffins, or cakes that call for carrots. See below for an interesting recipe for Apple Parsnip Quick Bread.

So even if you think you hate parsnips, try some new ways of making them, or be mindful of cutting out bitter cores and/or avoiding other bitter flavors in the dish. Who knows, parsnips might just become a favorite in your house!

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Parsnip Potato Soup with Mushroom Pancetta Hash Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

Soup

- 1 ½ cups peeled and chopped parsnips, about 4-5

- 3 peeled medium potatoes, chopped

- 5 cloves garlic, peeled

- 3-4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

- 1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh thyme, divided

- 1 teaspoon salt, (if using salt free home-made broth)

- ¼ teaspoon white pepper

- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

- 1/4 cup fat free or regular half and half, or more to thin soup

Mushroom Pancetta Hash

- 2 teaspoons olive oil

- 1 ½ ounces Lean Pancetta, chopped into 1/4" pieces

- 8 ounces Baby Bella mushrooms, chopped into 1/4" pieces

- 1 or two peeled parsnips, cored if necessary, cut into 1/4" pieces

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

METHOD:

1. In a medium pot, place potatoes, 1 1/2 cups chopped parsnips, and 5 garlic cloves. Pour enough broth to just cover vegetables. Bring to a simmer and cook until vegetables are soft, about 10-15 minutes. Puree in a blender until smooth.

2. Pour soup back into rinsed pot. Add vinegar and half and half and heat just until hot throughout. If soup is too thick, thin with broth or half and half. Also add salt if necessary.

3. Meanwhile, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a medium size skillet over medium heat. Add pancetta and cook until it has rendered its fat and is crisp. If a lot of fat is left in the pan, spoon some out to keep the total to about 2 teaspoons. Add mushrooms, chopped parsnip, garlic, and 1 teaspoon thyme to pancetta. Sauté on medium heat until parsnips are tender, the mushrooms have released their liquid, and the liquid has almost evaporated, about 5 minutes.

4. Ladle hot soup into shallow bowls. Add about 1/4 cup hash in middle of soup and serve.

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Sweet Potato, Parsnip, and Apple “Gratin” serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

- 4-5 large peeled parsnips

- 1 large peeled sweet potato

- 1 large peeled baking apple like Jonah Gold

- 2 shallots, minced

- 1 tablespoon olive oil

- 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme

- ½ cup white wine

- ½ cup apple cider

- ¼ cup chicken or vegetable broth

- ½ cup Grated Asiago cheese, heaping

-1/3 cup chopped Pecans

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Spray an 8 X 8 glass baking dish with cooking spray or brush with olive oil.

2. Using a mandoline or the slicing blade of a food processor, thinly slice sweet potato, parsnips, and apple (cut apple around core or avoid core with mandoline)(some parsnip pieces will be very small which is fine). Halve larger sweet potato and apple slices.

3. In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-low heat until hot. Add shallots and sauté until soft and beginning to brown, about 4 minutes.

4. Add wine, cider, broth and thyme to shallots and bring to a boil. Add sweet potato, parsnip and apple pieces and stir well to mix up vegetables and coat with the wine mixture. Season well with salt and pepper and stir again to coat. Remove from heat.

5. Lay half the vegetable pieces in the prepared dish, allowing pieces to overlap haphazardly. Sprinkle with half the cheese. Lay remaining vegetables over the cheese, spreading evenly and smoothing top. Top with remaining cheese.

6. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes. Top with pecans and bake until vegetables are very tender, much of the liquid has evaporated and the top is light golden, about 10-15 minutes longer (for a total of about 1 hour). Allow gratin to sit for 10 minutes before cutting.

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This quick bread is not too sweet and is healthier than most quick bread recipes as it is reduced-fat and contains no butter.

Apple Parsnip Quick Bread makes 1 loaf

INGREDIENTS:

- 2 cups white whole wheat flour (see note below)

- 2 ¼ teaspoons baking soda

- 1 teaspoon apple pie or pumpkin spice

- ½ teaspoon salt

- ½ cup plain low fat yogurt

- 1/3 cup vegetable oil

- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce

- 1/3 cup honey

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 2 eggs, lightly beaten

- 1 cup peeled and grated parsnips

- 1 peeled, cored and grated apple

- ½ cup raisins

- ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 325. Spray a 9 X 5 inch loaf pan with baking spray.

2. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, spices, and salt.

3. In a small bowl whisk yogurt, vegetable oil, applesauce, honey, vanilla extract, parsnips, and apple until well combined. Add eggs and whisk just until incorporated. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture until just combined. Fold in raisins and nuts.

4. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan and smooth top. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Because of the honey in the recipe, the loaf tends to brown quickly. Do not be fooled, it will need at least 45 minutes and typically more to bake through. Also, if top gets too brown, gently lay a piece of foil on top to prevent further browning.

NOTES:

King Arthur Flour's White Whole Wheat Flour is sold in supermarkets. It is a whole grain flour ground from a variety of wheat that yields a lighter baking product than regular whole wheat flour, although both kinds are nutritionally similar. If you opt to use regular whole wheat flour, use half whole wheat and half regular flour.

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My husband loves these latkes and he doesn’t even realize they have parsnip in them. I make them gluten free using garbanzo bean flour, but you can use regular flour if you wish. I most often use larger parsnips for this recipe and avoid the core, as I find that the core doesn’t grate very well.

Parsnip and Sweet Potato Latkes Makes 6

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 cup peeled grated parsnips, see note below

- 2 cups peeled grated sweet potato

- 1/3 cup grated onion, pulp only, leave onion juice behind

- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

- 1/4 cup garbanzo bean or all purpose flour

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 1 heaping teaspoon minced fresh sage

- canola oil

METHOD:

1. Shred parsnips lengthwise on a box grater, turning parsnip around as you go to avoid shredding the core (which is fibrous and can be bitter. Save core for veggie broth). Place 1 cup grated parsnip in a medium bowl. Add grated sweet potato, onion, egg, flour, salt and sage to bowl and mix well to blend.

2. In a 10-12 inch skillet, heat about 1/8-1/4 inch canola oil over medium heat until hot. Test oil temperature by adding a tiny bit of latke mixture. It should sizzle lightly. Pat latke mixture into 6 patties (about 1/3 cup each), pressing down to make them fairly thin (the thinner they are the crisper and more likely they are to be cooked through). Add gently to skillet. Cook for 5-8 minutes on one side, until deep brown but not burned. Mixture should not brown too quickly or it will not cook all the way through. Adjust temperature as needed. Turn latkes and continue to cook until deep brown on second side, about 5-7 minutes. Remove to a paper-towel lined plate and pat to remove excess oil. Serve with applesauce or sour cream.

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This recipe is soooo delicious. It was highly adapted from Indian Cooking without Fat by Mridula Baljekar. Like most authentic Indian recipes it is a bit involved but it becomes manageable if you do it in stages. The sauce is so creamy, fragrant and decadent, you won’t believe you aren’t eating cream. I like to serve it with a simple grilled or roasted salmon sprinkled with salt and curry powder.

Fall Vegetable Korma serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

For Korma Sauce

- 3/4 cup ultra-filtrated skim (like Simply Smart brand) or regular 2% milk

- 1 large onion, thinly sliced

- 1/4 cup raw cashews

- 2 cardamom pods

- 1/2 cinnamon stick

- 1 tablespoon grated ginger

- 1 teaspoon grated garlic

- 1 tablespoon ground coriander

For vegetables

- 1 cup chopped peeled parsnips, cut into 1/2" pieces

- 2 cups cauliflower florets

- 1 cup trimmed green beans or broccoli florets, cut into 1/2" pieces

- 3 cups peeled and chopped butternut squash, cut into 1/2" pieces

- 2 teaspoons peanut or canola oil

- 1 large onion, chopped

- 1/2 teaspoon caraway seed

- 1 cup vegetable broth

METHOD:

1. For Korma Sauce: In a small saucepan, place milk, sliced onion, cashews, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, ginger and garlic. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until onion is very tender, about 10 minutes. Remove cardamom pods and cinnamon stick. Place remaining mixture in a blender and blend until completely smooth. (Can be made ahead. Place in airtight container and chill until ready to continue with recipe).

2. For Vegetables: Steam parsnips for about 5 minutes. Add cauliflower florets and steam until almost tender, about 5 more minutes. Add green beans and steam until all vegetables are tender, another 3 minutes. Remove vegetables to a large bowl, but keep water simmering. Place butternut squash in steamer and steam until just tender but not mushy (you want the squash to continue to hold its shape). Place squash in bowl with rest of vegetables. (Vegetables can be steamed ahead. Place in airtight container and chill until ready to continue with recipe).

3. In a large skillet, heat peanut oil over medium-low heat until hot. Add chopped onion and caraway, and cook, stirring frequently, until onion is tender (add tablespoons of water or broth if needed to keep onion from browning before it gets tender). Add 1 cup vegetable broth and milk-onion korma mixture and stir until combined. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat. Simmer until thick, about 4-5 minutes. Add steamed vegetables and turn gently with a spatula to mix well without breaking up the squash. Simmer, stirring very gently on occasion, until vegetables are heated through, about 5 minutes.

Rendering fat

2011-10-16T13:01:00.000-07:00

What some might consider a daunting task is surprisingly very simple. Rendering pork fat to create lard is very easy, economical, and a great source of locally-made fat. I started rendering fat only last year once I had an easy source of fat and the desire to reduce my purchases of olive oil (shipped from Italy) and butter, both of which are expensive to both the planet and my wallet. Don't let the word lard scare you. People have been creating and cooking with lard for thousands of years. It is actually lower in both saturated fat and cholesterol than an equal amount of butter. Leaf lard is considered the highest grade of lard with little pork flavor, making it ideal for baking. Wonder where those flaky crusts come from? Fat back is the next highest grade and comes from the fat just under the skin of the pig. This process can work with either type of fat. I use fat back but if you're a baker you'll likely want leaf lard.

So how do you do it?
1. Purchase a package of fat back from the farm store. Since it is frozen when you buy it, put it in your refrigerator for a day or two at home before you try to use it. Don't leave it in there too long or it will spoil.

2. Put the fat back in a large cast iron or heavy-bottomed pot with the skin side up. Set the burner on med-low and put a lid on it. The fat will slowly render (think the fat that comes off bacon when you cook it - this is the same process). Once some fat renders you can turn the heat down a bit if necessary.

3. Check on your fat periodically. It will take several hours to slowly cook down. The solid fat will become liquid and be a light yellow color. You can take out the skin from time to time and poor off the fat into a jar, then put the skin in the pot again.

4. I use a pint size ball jar since they can withstand boiling temperatures without cracking. I preheat the jar by filling it with really hot water just to warm up the glass. When I'm ready to poor off some fat, I empty the ball jar of water and starting filling it with liquid fat. When it solidifies it becomes white and opaque. It is shelf stable at room temperature and easy to spoon out this way. You can keep it in the fridge too if your kitchen is too warm. I use the fat as I would butter or olive oil....to cook my morning eggs in, to saute vegetables for dinner - anything! You can see how one pound of fat back made a bit more than half a pint of lard. There was still some fat attached to the skin, but I eventually gave up. The skin that remains in this process is known as "cracklings". I've never tried it but your dogs would probably love it.

So give it a shot! We have plenty of fat back in the freezer and I would be thrilled to have more CSA members making full use of what the farm produces. Feel free to email me if you have questions...susan@holcombfarmcsa.org

Here's to our own local lard!
~Susan

Name this location...

2011-10-16T12:58:00.000-07:00

One of his favorite places to hang out and sun himself. Do you know where it is? (many kids do!)

Simply Fresh—by Julie Wern

2011-10-12T07:01:00.000-07:00

Featured Item—Potatoes

Did you know that potatoes have been around since 5000 BC and that North Americans are one of the largest consumers of potatoes in the world? In fact, Potatoes have been an essential crop for many countries. We can even thank the potato for partly populating the US. In the mid 1800s a huge wave of immigration to the US occurred when Irish potato crops suffered from a fungus that decimated Ireland’s potato supply, threatening the population with starvation.

Potatoes are so central to our way of life today that it seems almost trivial to write about them. I mean we know our potatoes, right? We love them mashed and we love them fried and we are generally comfortable with potatoes in our pantry. So my challenge is to tell you something you might not know about the mighty potato and how to eat it!

Most of us know that there are generally two types of potatoes, each of which partly determines how we cook it. Starchy potatoes, like the infamous russet, become light and fluffy when cooked. Thus it is a great potato for mashing, baking, or frying. Waxy potatoes, like familiar red skinned varieties, hold up their shape and stay firmer during cooking, which makes them good candidates for adding to soups/stews or using in potato salads. However, you may not know that some varieties of potatoes, like Yukon Gold and others, fall somewhere in the middle of the starch continuum and are great cooked in a variety of ways.

We will have the pleasure of trying several varieties of potatoes at Holcomb farm. Some will fall in the middle category of starchiness such as the red gold (red skinned, gold flesh), the Kennebec (white skin white flesh), and the Keuka Gold(similar to the Yukon Gold). Other varieties will tend toward the waxy and include the Carola (brown skin, golden flesh) and The Red Pontiac (red-skinned).

As a nutritional source, potatoes are often underestimated. They are actually low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium and are a good source of vitamins C and B6, potassium and manganese, and are even a significant source of fiber.

Potatoes are best when they are free of bruises, sprouts or green spots. Greening in potatoes indicates the presence of a substance called solanine, which can be toxic. Either avoid potatoes with sprouts or greens spots, or be sure to completely cut the green away when using them.

Potatoes are best stored in a dark, dry space like a dry cellar or basement. They don’t do well refrigerated or exposed to warm temperatures. They are also not the best candidates for freezing, as the water in the potato tends to separate from the starch.

Most of us know a myriad of ways to cook a potato. However, below I have included some recipes that I have come across recently that are bit new and different. Happy potato cooking!

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Larger numbers of potato chips can be made by placing thinly sliced potatoes in a single layer on baking sheets in a 400-degree oven. But this recipe below is a quick, easy and very fun way to serve a quick snack via the microwave. If you do not have a ribbed microwave plate, place chips on a single layer on a paper-towel lined microwaveable plate.

Microwave Adobo Potato Chips Serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 large potato, or 2-3 small potatoes, very thinly sliced

- 1 teaspoon olive oil

- 3/4 teaspoon adobo seasoning with salt

METHOD:

In a small bowl, toss potato slices, olive oil and adobo. Using your hands, rub oil and seasoning over potato slices to distribute evenly. Place on one layer on a ribbed microwave plate (as in one designed for cooking bacon) sprayed with cooking spray. Cook on high heat for 5-10 minutes, or until slices are about ½ browned.

Cooking time varies with type of microwave, thickness, overall size of potato slice, and area of placement on the plate (generally outside slices tend to cook faster). Watch carefully as you go, cooking in smaller increments of time as slices start to dehydrate and brown. Some slices (like thinner, smaller, or outside pieces) will need to be removed before others to prevent overbrowning. Cool chips completely on a baking rack for a couple of minutes. Chips will crisp up significantly as they cool.

Note: try using other spices to flavor the chips such as chili powder, Parmesan, garam masala, garlic salt, etc….

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This potato dish is absolutely addictive. Most commercial garam masala spice blends are quite spicy so I have included a quick homemade recipe that won’t burn the tongue. If you prefer more spice, simply add more cayenne or use a commercial blend. The recipe was adapted from CuisineIndia.com.

Aaloo Mutter (Spiced Indian Potatoes and Peas) serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

- 6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes

- 1 1/2 cups frozen peas

- 2 teaspoons peanut oil

- 1 large onion, chopped

- 4 cloves garlic, minced

- 1/2 inch piece ginger, peeled and minced

- 1 teaspoon kosher salt

- 1 large tomato, chopped

- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

- 1-1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala, to taste

- 1 tablespoon cashews, raw preferred

- 1/2 cup vegetable broth

METHOD:

1. Steam potatoes until just tender throughout (potatoes can be boiled and drained, but they tend to break up more). Place peas in a bowl at room temperature to thaw while you prepare the rest of the dish.

2. In a large skillet, heat peanut oil over medium low heat. Add onion, garlic, ginger and salt, and sauté until onion is soft but not browned, about 8 minutes. Add tomato, turmeric, garam masala, and cashews and cook until tomatoes break down and mixture is thick. Place mixture in a blender with broth and blend until completely smooth. Place back in pan over medium heat. Add potatoes and peas, and cook until vegetables are heated through and sauce is thick, about 5 minutes. Add additional salt and garam masala if desired.

Quick and Not Too Spicy Garam Masala

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 tablespoon ground cumin

- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom

- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

- 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper, or more to taste

- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

METHOD:

Mix together. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

** This recipe was adapted from allrecipes.com

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We love this served under grilled or baked fish, especially swordfish. It was adapted from the License to Grill, by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby.

Potato Puree with Parsley and Lemon serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

- 4-6 medium red skinned or other waxy potatoes, depending upon size

- 3 tablespoons lemon juice

- about 5 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

METHOD:

Place potatoes in a large pan and cover with water by two inches. Bring water to a boil and reduce heat to keep to a medium bowl. Bowl for about 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain potatoes in a colander and allow to sit for 2-3 minutes for steam to evaporate. Place potatoes in the bowl of a food processor. Add lemon juice, and olive oil and blend until smooth (do not over-blend or potatoes will become gluey). Add in parsley and pulse to combine. Adjust salt and olive oil as necessary for taste and consistency. Serve on plates topped with grilled, broiled or baked fish (it is wonderful with grilled swordfish).

Order Your Thanksgiving Turkey

2011-10-12T06:43:00.001-07:00

We are again offering fresh , pasture-raised turkeys from Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm.

The turkey order form is here: here.

Please print it out and send it in with a deposit for each turkey you would like. Not limited to CSA members. Tell your friends!

Order due date: Friday November 18.

Turkeys can be picked up at Holcomb Farm CSA on Tuesday, November 22, 2-7pm.

Fall greens

2011-10-10T17:57:00.000-07:00

Each fall we grow a variety of greens, some hearty, some more delicate, to help satisfy that itch for delicious green vegetables. High in vitamins, minerals, and all that good stuff, greens cook quickly and can be added to just about any dish or eaten raw. We spend a lot of time
harvesting spinach and arugula, which is far more time consuming than harvesting kale, collards, or chard. Because it has such high value, we bag spinach and arugula for our members. Delicate cutting, followed by washing and sorting, spinning dry (we use the spin cycle of an old washing machine), then weighing and bagging it takes a very long time and involves many people in the process. Our variety of greens changes often throughout the week and over the course of several weeks. Kale and collards are the most frost tolerant of all the greens and we'll have them available through the end of the summer share and into the winter. Our fall spinach has all been picked and we are watching the growth of newly seeded spinach in one of our greenhouses which we'll pick from over the course of the winter. Spinach is also quite frost tolerant. It will freeze and thaw and still be ok, but we do have the capability of adding supplemental heat to that house should the temperatures really dip low. Arugula will continue producing for a few more weeks. We've got some of it under floating row cover (think a very thin blanket that lets in light and rain but keeps the temperature a bit warmer) to help it along as our day lengths continue to shorten and the weather cools off (it will be back to fall weather soon!). We should finish picking from our chard crop this week and will be lucky to get any regrowth from the plants since everything grows very slowly at this time of year. Rainbow chard is one of my most favorite vegetables from a visual standpoint - such a great combination of colors! And you can and should eat the stems too, which you can't really do as readily with kale or collards. You can use the stems of these along with tops and bottoms of other vegetables to make your own vegetable stock. Freeze it and you've got a base for some great winter soups.
Here's to being green and being powered by kale.....or collards or chard or spinach or arugula.

~Susan

This Week's Crops

2011-10-10T14:44:00.000-07:00

For the week of October 10th

Shares will include:
Greens (arugula, chard, or kale)

Shares may include:
peppers
eggplant
beets
parsnips
potatoes
winter squash
broccoli
cauliflower

Share offerings will vary a bit throughout the week due to some crop limitations (i.e. only select varieties of our cauliflower and broccoli is producing right now so we're not able to offer it every day - we aim for diversity in variety selection and they don't all end up producing at exactly the same time). Summer crops are ending, with Tuesday seeing the very last of the eggplant and very few peppers this week as well. New fall crops will be making appearances!

PYO
remaining flowers - mostly orange tithonia next to the road
dill
cilantro
tomatillos (we took down the stakes and trellising, schmushing lots of fruit in the process but there's still a bunch there is you want to grab them)

This Week's Crops

2011-10-03T11:48:00.000-07:00

For the week of October 3

Shares will include:
Greens (lettuce, spinach, kale, collards, chard or some combination thereof)
Peppers

Shares may include:
winter squash
eggplant
broccoli
cauliflower
potatoes

Simply Fresh by Julie Wern

2011-10-03T05:28:00.000-07:00

Featured Item—Curly Kale

Kale, a member of the cabbage family along with broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens and brussel sprouts, is what I call “King of the “H’s”: It is Hardy, Hearty, and Healthful. It actually gets sweeter in colder (even frosty) temperatures, does not lose its texture during prolonged cooking, is quite substantial and filling, and boasts incredible health benefits. It is low in calories, but includes a good amount of fiber and protein, is rich in vitamins K and C as well as calcium, and contains high amounts of cancer fighting antioxidants.

There are several varieties of kale, which differ mainly by the type of the leaf (generally curly or flat). Curly kale, featured in this week’s distribution, is one of my favorites because all the nooks and crannies afforded by the curly leaves means that they “cling” to sauces very well, offering incredible flavor when cooked in sauces or broths, or even tossed raw with vinaigrettes or dressings.

Curly kale is typically bright green in color and can contain long, sometimes woody stems. While the stem is edible, some find it too fibrous and opt to cut it away. However, the upper stem and central ribs can become tender with cooking, especially when cut into small pieces and given longer cooking times. In quick cooking recipes, it is usually recommended that stems and ribs be added and cooked first, followed by the more tender leaves.

Kale, especially younger or smaller leaves, can be very good added to or served on its own as a salad. It has a bitter edge and tougher leaves than tender greens so it tends to hold up well to strongly flavored vinaigrettes and ingredients.

One very fun way to serve kale is to make kale chips by baking the leaves in the oven on a low temperature. Last year I included a recipe for Lacinato Kale Chips that got rave reviews. While the chips are great with Lacinato Kale, they can also be made with any type of Kale, so I will reprint the recipe below.

Kale is wonderful cooked, but because its leaves are tougher than many greens, it often requires a little liquid to cook them without browning or drying them out. Thus, to sauté these greens, simply add a few tablespoons of water and cover the pan while cooking. Stir every couple of minutes and add more water as needed until the kale is tender.

This method of sautéing kale is essentially a kind of “braise”. Indeed, one of the best ways to cook kale is a traditional braise or simmer. The base for a kale braise can be water, broth, juice, wine or any combination thereof. See recipe below for an example (Kale and Apples Braised in Apple Cider).

Kale is also divine simmered into soups or stews at the end of cooking. See below for a recipe for a delicious Turkey Kielbasa, Kale and Tortellini Soup.

When selecting kale, choose deeply colored, crisp greens without yellow or brown spots. Small leaves are generally sweeter than large ones. Place your kale quickly in plastic in the refrigerator because warm temperatures can cause it to wilt.

Freezing kale is a great way to extend the harvest. The best way to freeze kale is to blanch it first in boiling water for about 2 minutes, and then plunge it into an ice water bath. Drain it, cool it, and then package and freeze it.

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These chips are addictive. Even kids love them. It was adapted from Allrecipes by Yogi.

Lacinato Kale Chips

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 bunch Lacinato kale, or other kale leaves

- 1 tablespoon olive oil

- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

METHOD:

1. Arrange racks in mid and lower third oven positions. Preheat oven to 300. Line two large baking sheets with parchment.

2. Wash kale leaves well and pat completely dry with paper towel.

3. Cut leaves in half lengthwise and then remove rib (at least 2/3's up). Cut leaves crosswise into 3 pieces.

4. In a large bowl, mix olive oil, vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt. Add kale leaves and toss well with hands, rubbing leaves between your fingers to distribute the oil mixture and to coat the leaves completely. Taste and add more garlic salt if desired.

5. Divide kale pieces between the two baking sheets, laying them completely flat and trying not to overlap any pieces.

6. Bake in oven for about 15-20 minutes, switching baking sheets on racks after 10 minutes. Kale chips should be airy and crisp. Avoid browning them or they will get bitter.

NOTES:

Try sprinkling with Parmesan as they first come out of the oven.

*****************************************************************

This stew is very hearty and only needs a roll or a small salad to accompany it.

If you do not plan to eat the whole stew at one sitting, add only the portion of the tortellini you plan to eat because it tends to get mushy and to thicken the stew as it sits in storage. For leftovers, reheat stew and then add reserved, cooked and refrigerated tortellini at the end of reheating until the pasta is heated through.

Turkey Kielbasa, Kale and Tortellini Stew Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 14 ounce package turkey kielbasa, sliced

- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

- 1 large onion, chopped

- 1 cup diced carrot

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary

- 6 cups vegetable or low sodium chicken broth

- 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice

- 1 19 ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

- 4 cups chopped kale, packed, with or without center ribs, tough stems removed

- 1 9 ounce package cheese tortellini

METHOD:

1. In a stockpot, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium-high heat and add one half of sliced kielbasa. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a medium bowl. Add second teaspoon of oil and reheat. Add second half of kielbasa and brown as with the first batch. Return pan to stove and reduce heat to medium-low. Add onion, carrot, garlic, and rosemary. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender, about 8 minutes. Increase heat to medium high. Add broth and canned tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to boil. Boil tortellini according to package directions. Drain.

3. Add drained cannellini beans, browned kielbasa, and kale to stew. Increase heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until kale is tender, about 10 minutes. Add cooked tortellini and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tortellinis are heated through, about 5 minutes. Serve.

***************************************************************

This is an addictive fall recipe for kale. It was simplified and adapted from Myrecipes.com.

Kale and Apples Braised in Apple Cider serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

- 4 thin slices pancetta, diced (or two slices bacon, diced)**

- 1/2 thinly sliced red onion

- 1 cup julienned apple

- 10 ounces chopped kale, any ribs or stems separated from leaves

- 1/3 cup apple cider

- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

- 1/4 teaspoon salt

- 2 tablespoons chopped toasted walnuts **

**Optional. If you do not use pancetta or bacon, add 2 teaspoons olive oil before adding onion and apple.

METHOD:

1. In a medium to large pot, heat pan over medium heat. Add pancetta (or bacon) and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove pancetta to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Remove all but 1 teaspoon grease. Add onion and apple, and sauté, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender, about 8 minutes.

2. Add apple cider, apple cider vinegar, and salt, and stir to combine. Add tough kale pieces (stems and ribs) and pancetta, and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes. Add kale leaves and re-cover pot. Continue to cook while stirring occasionally until kale is tender, about another 10-15 minutes. If at any time the mixture starts to dry out, add a few tablespoon of water and continue. Add additional salt if necessary. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with toasted walnuts. Serve.

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I knew this recipe was a winner when my son’s friend, who NEVER eats anything green, asked to taste these meatballs and LOVED them. So did my husband and son. They are great served as an appetizer or as part of a lunch or dinner.

I like using the chicken breasts chopped in the food processor because I think it is lighter, leads to a more tender product, and has a less “spongy” texture than commercially ground chicken. However, if you prefer, you can substitute the chicken breasts with a pound of commercially ground chicken.

Apple & Kale Chicken Meatballs in Apple Sweet & Sour Sauce

Makes about 30 meatballs

INGREDIENTS:

- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed

- 1/2 onion, shredded

- 1 apple, shredded

- 1/2 cup cooked finely minced kale, packed

- 1/4 cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs

- 1 teaspoon kosher salt

- 1 teaspoon chili powder

- 1 large egg, lightly beaten

- 1 12-ounce bottle chili sauce

- 1/2 cup apple jelly

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 400. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray foil with cooking spray.

Cut chicken into 1" chunks and place into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse repeatedly, stirring occasionally, until most pieces are pea size chunks but mixture has not completely turned to mush.

2. In a large bowl, mix onion, apple, kale, breadcrumbs, salt, chili powder, and egg until combined. Add chicken and mix gently just to incorporate. Be careful not to overwork mixture. Chill for 30 minutes.

3. Very gently roll mixture into 1 1/2" balls and place on baking sheet about 1/2" apart. You should get about 30 meatballs. Place in oven and bake until cooked through, about 12-17 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, in a small pan, heat chili sauce and apple jelly until jelly has melted and mixture is hot. Place hot meatballs in a serving bowl and pour hot sweet and sour sauce over them. Shake bowl gently to distribute sauce around the meatballs, but try not to stir too much, as tender meatballs will fall apart easily. Serve.

CSA Share Renewal Time

2011-09-30T14:07:00.000-07:00

Susan Mitchell, Harvest Queen

We are now accepting CSA share renewals from current members for the 2012 Summer Share season. To help cut down on our administrative costs and improve our record keeping accuracy, we are now using an online registration system called Farmigo.

We sent an email to the member list with a link to the new system. We are not posting it here because we are restricting renewals to current members only until November 30. After that we will begin offering remaining shares to those on the wait list. If you did not receive that email, you can either pick up a paper copy of the registration instructions at distribution or send me an email (sam@holcombfarmcsa.org) and I'll email you the info back (and check to see that we have your correct email on file.)

IMPORTANT NOTE: What the new system calls "Summer Share 2012" is the same thing as what we've called a "Half Share" the past few years: one share bag of produce each week plus pick your own (PYO) crops. If you wish to have two share bags per week (what was called a "Full Share"), you need to sign up for two "Summer Shares 2012."

If you are interested in doing a work share, email me or Susan directly. If you prepaid for multiple years' worth of shares last winter when we raised money for the spader, email Jill (jill@holcombfarm.org) and she will get you registered.

Other than the new registration system, the logistics for next season should work pretty much the same as it has this year. We do, however, plant to cut back slightly on the number of Summer Shares offered in order to have a bigger yield buffer during less-than-optimal production times, such as we had this year. This should help ensure that we can provide a consistent and satisfying supply of produce for our members. We haven't yet determined with Hartford Baking Company if we are going to do the bread share again.

We will again offer a small number of Winter Shares this year. Details will be announced soon.

We will send out a formal survey at the end of the season but we welcome your feedback any time.

Enjoy the Fall!

Sam

Sweet Potato Blossom

Watch for Traffic in Granby Tomorrow 10/1

2011-09-30T10:40:00.000-07:00

The Granby 225 Celebration is happening tomorrow. It includes a parade down Rts. 10 and 202 from 11:00 to 12:00. Roads will be closed in Granby Center. You may want to seek an alternate route if you plan to come through there at that time on your way to CSA distribution. Or you may want to stop at the festivities in Salmon Brook Park after the parade. More information here.

Halloween Cookie Decorating Class with Julie Wern

2011-09-29T06:59:00.000-07:00

Julie Wern of "Simply Fresh" invites you

to have a Spooky Fun Time

Decorating Halloween Cookies

Where: Holcomb Farm Workshop

When: Sat. Oct 29th, 1:00-2:30 pm

Who: Ages 6 and older (adults too!)

Cost: $25 per participant

Instruction and supplies included

It is recommended that children 6-8 come with a "helping" adult

Contact Julie Wern at jwern@comcast.net or at (860) 693-0117 to sign up. Payment expected to Julie Wern at time of event.

Discounted Theater Tickets for CSA Members

2011-09-27T04:18:00.000-07:00

CSA Member Catherine Noujaim sends along the following message:

I am a member of your CSA this year.  And I wanted to offer the members a discount on tickets to The Repertory Theatre, where I'm on the board.   We're the oldest community theatre in CT,  in our 66th season now.    We're a nonprofit.  We own our own building, and have a fantastic lineup for this year.  Anyway, I wanted to pass along the discount code, and ask if you could send it on to the members.  The code is Betty1946.  They will save 15% on a purchase, and it expires December 1, 2011.

Smoked Pork is Here

2011-09-27T04:12:00.001-07:00

Our sliced bacon ($10/lb) and bone-in full size hams (12-15lbs - $9/lb) are back from the smokehouse and ready for sale in the Farm Store.

If you have any requests for pork organs, feet, or other special cuts, let me know and I'll see if I can have the processor provide them from our second batch of pigs.

-Sam

This Week's Crops

2011-09-26T14:26:00.000-07:00

For the week of September 26th

Shares will include:
Peppers of various colors, shapes, and sizes
Greens (either lettuce, arugula, kale or collards and possibly more than one)

Shares may include:
eggplant
cucumbers
summer squash
sweet potatoes
carrots
winter squash
beets

PYO:
Basil (declining significantly but hunt around and you'll find some)
Dill
Cilantro
Raspberries
Flowers (large orange tithonia still remain near the road)
Tomatillos (may be pulled out by your distribution day but they might still be there too)
Hot Peppers (a few varieties may still have a few peppers...read the kiosk and look for the signs in the field)

Simply Fresh by Julie Wern

2011-09-26T11:18:00.000-07:00

Featured Item—Sweet Peppers

Sweet peppers are a general term for the variety of peppers that do not include the spicy ingredient Capsaicin. These include bell, cubanelle, wax, banana, pimento, sweet cherry, mild frying peppers, among many others. While the term sweet pepper technically includes mild green peppers, they are more often associated with the brightly colored red, yellow, or orange peppers, which tend to be sweeter than their green counterparts. Many, but not all, varieties of sweet peppers are green earlier in their maturation. If left to grow for longer periods they will turn red, orange, or yellow. However, some varieties stay green throughout the growing process.

We are lucky enough to sample several varieties of sweet peppers at the farm, many of which started out as shades of green, but which have started coming in red, orange or yellow as the season has progressed. The bell pepper varieties that we have been sampling are beginning to turn red or yellow. We have also experienced the whitish Flamingo pepper, which is now turning red; the lime colored Biscayne, which has become a deep orange; and the Purple Islander and Carmen Italian varieties that are turning red.

In addition to becoming more sweet, mature sweet peppers have significantly more vitamins, minerals and antioxidants than earlier picked peppers (which again, are often, but not always, green). Since earlier picked peppers still have a lot of nutritional value, that makes the more mature “sweet” peppers even more of a nutritional powerhouse. They are particularly high in vitamin C, lycopene, beta-carotene, and vitamin E.

At their peak, sweet peppers should be vividly colored, heavy for their size, and have smooth, non-wrinkled skin and a fresh looking stem. They should have no blemishes, soft spots or black areas. Shriveled stems, wrinkles, or soft areas suggest that they are past their prime. Store peppers, unwashed, in plastic in the refrigerator. They should last about a week. However, immature peppers (like many of the green bell peppers) will last longer in cold storage than the riper ones (typically the red, orange and yellow peppers).

Sweet peppers are wonderful raw in any crudite platter. I especially love them as a snack with hummus. Raw sweet peppers are also a gem in many different salads and go with about any kind of vinaigrette or dressing.

In cooked preparations, sweet peppers get soft and even sweeter. They are great in soups/stews, in just about any sauté, or roasted, grilled, and broiled. Roasted sweet peppers offer a versatile ingredient for many recipes. Try using them in dips, pasta dishes, salads, and casseroles. See recipe below for a quick and easy way to roast sweet peppers. Also see recipes below for potentially new ideas for cooked sweet peppers.

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My family has recently discovered the pleasure of flatbread pizzas. I came up with this one when I had carrot top pesto I needed to use, but it would be good with any homemade or commercial pesto.

The easiest and fastest way I find to roast peppers is 1. To cut off both ends of the peppers, make a vertical cut down one side, and then take a knife around the inner sides to remove the membranes and seeds. This will make one long pepper strip which can be flattened by pressing gently. 2. Coat pepper strips with olive oil or olive oil spray and place, skin side up, on baking sheet. 3. Broil about 6” from flame until skin is blistered and black and flesh is softened, about 5-8 minutes, depending upon your oven. 4. Place peppers in a zip-loc bag and seal. Allow to steam for 10 minutes, then peel and cut.

Flatbread Pizza w/ Pesto & Roasted Sweet Peppers serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

- 2 large sweet red or yellow peppers, roasted and skinned, cut into thin slices

- 1 slice Lavash or other large commercial flatbread, preferably whole wheat

- 2-3 tablespoons pesto, (try using Carrot Top and Parsley Pesto from this Blog)

- ¾ cup grated Italian blend or mozzarella cheese

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 425. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray or brush with olive oil. Spray both sides of Lavash with olive oil spray or brush with olive oil. Place Lavash on baking sheet and bake for about 4-5 minutes, turning once, or until Lavash bubbles and begins to brown on edges. Remove from oven and quickly spread a thin layer of pesto evenly over Lavash. Sprinkle evenly with cheese and then bell pepper strips. Return to oven and bake for 2-3 minutes, or until cheese has melted and Lavash is browned at the edges. Remove from oven and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into 4 pieces and serve.

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This recipe is a family favorite. It was adapted from Cooking Light to a) use an amount of chicken that is more typically sold in stores and that will feed a family of four b) to add a vegetable component (sweet red peppers) which goes great with the peanuty sauce, and c) to use canned tomatoes, since fresh tomatoes are just about gone for the season. Goes great with cooked brown rice.

Peanuty Chicken Curry with Sweet Peppers Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

- 2 teaspoons peanut oil

- 1 large onion, chopped

- 3 large cloves garlic, minced

- 1 very large sweet red or yellow bell pepper, (or two medium), cut into 1/4" thick slices (about 1 1/2" long)

- 1 14.5 ounce can organic diced tomatoes, drained

- 3 heaping tablespoons tomato paste

- 2 teaspoons curry powder

- 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth, preferably homemade

- 1/2 cup natural peanut butter

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne

- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced across the grain

METHOD:

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until onion is soft and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add sweet peppers and saute, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add drained tomatoes, tomato paste, and curry powder. Simmer, stirring frequently, until tomatoes have given up their juices and mixture is thick, about 5 minutes. Add broth, peanut butter, salt and cayenne and mix until blended. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add chicken, mix in well, and bring to a simmer. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until chicken is just cooked through.

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This lightened bread is great for breakfast, or even better served with soups (I recently served it with a Roasted Acorn Squash Soup). It is adapted from a recipe from October 1998 Cooking Light. I have added onion, sweet red pepper, and Pancetta, which I think is an addictive combination. Feel free to substitute bacon if you do not have pancetta.

Lighter Parmesan Scones w/ Sweet Peppers and Pancetta serves 8

INGREDIENTS:

- 6 thin slices pancetta, diced (about 2 ounces)

- 1/4 cup minced onion

- 1/3 cup minced sweet peppers

- 2 cups all purpose flour

- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

- 2 tablespoons sugar

- 1 teaspoon baking powder

- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

- 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 3/4 cup low fat buttermilk

- 2 tablespoons olive oil

- 2 large egg whites, lightly beaten

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a small skillet cook pancetta over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and pancetta is just crisp, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove pancetta pieces to a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Discard all but 1 teaspoon fat in the skillet. Place skillet back on medium low heat and add onion and peppers. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

3. Place flour, Parmesan, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, oregano, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk until combined. In small bowl, gently whisk buttermilk, olive oil and eggs. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Gently add in cooked pancetta and vegetables. Mix well to incorporate but try not to overwork the dough.

4. Drop all of dough onto center of parchment-lined baking sheet. Using dampened hands, gently pat mixture into an 8" diameter dome (you do want the top to be thicker than the sides). Place in oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden. Slide bread with parchment onto a cooling rack and cool.

The Shirts are In!

2011-09-19T11:11:00.001-07:00

  Thanks for everyone who bought or ordered these organic  shirts and supported the farm. They will be available at the farm store cashier  for pick up. If you still want to get a shirt, a rack of shirts will be  available to select a shirt from or fill out an order form if you don't see what  you want. Or call Debby to place your order and she'll get your shirts to the  farm: 860-413-9041

Why Are Most Carrots Orange?

2011-09-19T10:39:00.000-07:00

The domestication of the wild carrot began in southern Asia and the crunchy root naturally came in red, purple, white, yellow, and orange. Fast forward to 17th century when the fledgling Protestant republic of the the Netherlands, led by William of Orange and his descendants, was eager to express its unique national identity separate from the Catholic Spanish empire. Dutch plant breeders selected for the orange color in honor of the House of Orange.

The Dutch were and continue to be leaders in horticultural crop improvement (perhaps because of their dense populations and scarce, precious crop land, slowly claimed from the sea over the centuries) and the orange carrot soon contained many genetic advantages over other colors of carrots: larger size, more uniform shape, more refined texture and flavor, better germination and seedling vigor, resistance to shatter cracking, disease resistance, etc. The Dutch essentially invented the modern carrot and it happened to be orange. Subsequent breeding improvements and cultivation built on the Dutch improvements and focused on varieties of orange carrots. Today orange carrots are the global standard and the red, yellow, white, and purple versions are novelties that generally don't grow or taste as good.

-Sam

Simply Fresh by Julie Wern

2011-09-19T06:04:00.000-07:00

Featured Item—Carrots

Carrots are probably the most universally palatable vegetable. Even kids that won’t touch a green vegetable are typically not adverse to carrots. Sweet and crunchy when raw and even sweeter when cooked, carrots are definitely crowd pleasers.

While most of us have grown up knowing only the large orange varieties, carrot varieties can actually vary by size and color. They are typically categorized by length and can be white, yellow, orange, red, or purple.

Carrot greens are one of those vegetable tops that people tend to shy away from. Yet they can be delightful in various culinary preparations and offer a very healthful dose of chlorophyll and vitamin K. While slightly bitter, the greens are fun used sparingly in salads or as a garnish, or added to soups, omelets, or homemade veggie broth, and even made into pesto. They can also be dried to use throughout the winter as an herb. Be sure to clean the leaves really well, however, as they tend to hold a lot of grit.

Carrot roots are very high in Vitamin A (good for the eyes) and the antioxidant carotene (it was even named after the vegetable), but also contain impressive amounts of vitamin c, fiber, B6, and potassium.

Culinary uses for carrot roots are endless. The favorite of every crudité platter, they are a home run with most kinds of dips. They often play an understated role in salads and coleslaw, but shine when they star in their own theater. One of my favorite ways to serve carrots is shredded, as the main ingredient in a salad. Of course most of us know the famous carrot salad with mayonnaise and raisins, but try this healthful, delicious carrot salad made simply with shredded carrots, jalapeno, lime juice and olive oil FineCooking.

Cooked carrots are sweet and delicious. Some believe that steamed carrots retain more nutrients than boiled carrots. But carrots can also be sautéed, grilled, and roasted (they are especially good roasted with other root vegetables). They are also fabulous in baked goods (see recipe below for carrot muffins).

Try adding a bit of shredded carrot (and zucchini) to your favorite marinara sauce as it cooks, then blend it smooth. The blended sauce becomes a bit orange, but the sweetness of the carrot helps to cut the acidity of the tomatoes in a delicious way. The kids will never know there are vegetables in their sauce. See recipes below for some other great ideas for cooked carrots.

Choose carrots with moist, bright green tops that are under about 8” (after that they tend to get woody). The roots should be fairly uniform in shape and relatively smooth. Avoid any with pits, cracks or holes. Cut greens from roots, leaving about an inch or two of stem on roots, and place each separately, unwashed, in plastic in the refrigerator. The greens will deteriorate quickly, but the roots can last several weeks. Once the roots become limp or slimy they are no longer good to eat.

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This pesto is bright and fresh with a bit of sharpness due to carrot greens and Parmesan. It is delicious tossed with steamed carrots. Try also putting it on pizza, tossing it with pasta, placing it on fish, adding it to soups, or spreading it on sandwiches. Carrot top pesto can also be made with other nuts and cheeses for many delicious possibilities.

Carrot Top and Parsley Pesto Makes 2/3 cup

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 cup packed carrot greens, feathery leaves only

- 1 cup fresh parsley, packed

- 1/2 cup toasted slivered or sliced almonds

- 1 large clove garlic, roughly chopped

- 1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan

- 1/4 teaspoon salt

- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

METHOD:

In the bowl of a food processor, place carrot greens, parsley, almonds, garlic, salt and Parmesan. Blend until almost smooth. Add olive oil gradually through feed tube and blend until pesto is very smooth. Serve immediately. If refrigerate or freeze, make sure to press saran wrap to entire surface of pesto to avoid discoloring due to oxidation.

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Carrot cake is one of my family’s favorite sweets, but we look for lightened versions, as it can generally be too rich and unhealthful. I love my adaptation of a version from Cooking Light (Jan-Feb 2008). I eschew the frosting (it is so moist it doesn’t need it), and add a bit of white whole-wheat flour and some shredded coconut for more nutrition and fiber. I also make them into muffins, which are great as a breakfast or snack treat.

Carrot Muffins makes 9-10 muffins

INGREDIENTS:

- 1/4 cup white whole-wheat flour

- 1/2 cup all purpose flour

- 1/4 cup quick rolled oats

- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

- 1 teaspoon baking powder

- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

- 1/4 teaspoon salt

- 3/4 cup sugar

- 1/4 cup canola oil

- 1 2 1/2 ounce jar carrot baby food

- 2 large eggs

- 1 1/4 cups peeled and grated carrots

- 1/2 cup raisins

- 1/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut

METHOD:

1. Line 9 cups on muffin tin with pastry liners. Preheat oven to 325.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk flours, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another medium bowl, whisk sugar, oil, carrot baby food, and eggs until just combined. Whisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients, just until combined. Fold in carrots, raisins, and coconut. Fill muffin liners 3/4's full (you should get 9 or 10 muffins). Bake for about 20-22 minutes or until tops spring back and tester comes out clean. Remove from oven and carefully turn out onto a cooling rack.

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The following, easy to make soup is a delicious way to use up both carrots and the last basil of the season.

Carrot Basil Soup serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 pound trimmed carrots, sliced (peel if you prefer)

- 1/2 large onion, chopped

- 1 celery rib, sliced

- 1 large clove garlic, minced

- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

- 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth

- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, divided

METHOD:

In a medium stockpot, melt butter on medium-low heat. Add carrots, onion, celery and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally for 8-10 minutes, or until onion is translucent and soft. Add broth and dash of cayenne and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until carrots are very tender. Using a hand or regular blender, blend soup mixture with about 1 tablespoon minced basil until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with minced or chiffonaded basil.

This Week's Crops

2011-09-19T04:39:00.000-07:00

In good supply:
Carrots
Acorn Squash
Green and Colored Peppers

Shares May Also Contain:
Lettuce
Delicata Squash
Sweet Potatoes
Potatoes
Kale
Cucumbers
Summer Squash
Eggplant
Tomatoes
Watermelon

Pick-Your-Own:
Basil - still hanging in there!
Dill
Cilantro
Raspberries - Red and Golden

CSA distribution canceled for week of 9/12-9/17

2011-09-10T13:56:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, we need to cancel another week of distribution due to lack of produce.

It is important to us to make sure our members receive good value for their membership fee, so we will aim to make up this second skipped week along with the skipped week from July with later season crops.

The Farm Shop will be closed as well but PYO will be open (raspberries, basil, and the last bits of the flowers, edamame, and tomatillos). The Bread Share will be canceled for next week and made up at the end of the season.

For the most part, I feel we've been able to offer a decent to good produce selection each week during the season and we still have plenty of good crops still to come. The outlook for next week's crops is quite limited, however, so I'd rather just skip it than offer such a limited share and also risk not having enough to go around. The summer squash and cucumber that we have to harvest next week will go to our Fresh Access organizations.

The short answer as to why we aren't enjoying the usual September bounty is twofold:

1) Poor operational planning on my part that put us behind the curve early in the season with both planting and weed control. The biggest lesson I've learned this season is not skimping on spring and early summer labor. We've lost large percentages of a few crops to weeds including leeks and watermelon which should be harvested now, and celeriac, brussels sprouts, and parsnips which would have been harvested in October. In addition some crops that we had planned to be harvesting now (beets, kale, collards, chard, fennel, early winter squash) are still a week or more away from maturity.

2) Setbacks from the severe weather in recent weeks. The threat of high winds in the hurricane led us to remove the plastic on our tomato house, since the structure is not designed to take heavy wind or snow loads. The subsequent torrential rains accelerated the disease pressure on the tomatoes and shortened the crop by at least two weeks. In addition, flooded soil conditions basically killed most of our late cucumber crop (luckily we planted a portion of it on higher ground) and stunted our summer squash (it has started to come back).

Further complicating the produce supply is the delay in digging our potatoes, which look to have a decent yield out there underneath all the weeds. Like most organic potato growers, we normally have to deal with lots of weeds at harvest time which can clog the mechanical potato digger. This year, though, the grass weeds have achieved another order of magnitude. Novel conditions call for novel approaches and I've got a couple of strategies to try out. I'll let you know what works.

On the plus side, we have coming up nice crops of carrots, butternut squash, kale, cabbage, broccoli, arugula, rutabaga, pac choi, cauliflower, spinach, collards, chard, and fennel, as well as more peppers, lettuce, summer squash, and cucumbers. There may also be some sweet potatoes and beets in the mix but the jury is still out on those crops.

We are getting ready to plant our hoophouses to cold hardy greens for the Winter Share. Once we have a better sense of the amounts of storage crops that we'll have remaining once the Summer Share is fully accounted for, we'll announce the registration process.

We're also in the process of setting up a new online CSA registration system. We hope to have that operational by the end of the month. At that point, we'll begin renewals for 2012.

I apologize again for having to skip a week of distribution. These are some hard lessons for me to learn as a grower and I appreciate your patience and understanding.

-Sam

One amazing sunflower

2011-09-10T03:16:00.000-07:00

Long ago we started to see a random sunflower growing in our field of eggplant and because it was so curious that it was there, we just left it. It steadily grew all season and finally flowered two weeks ago, only to get knocked over by the hurricane. When I say sunflower, I don't mean a measly little plant - this one was so big it had a base like a tree that was probably the size of my arm! We all loved it because it brought an unexpected element to our eggplant field. Possibly a bird had eaten the seed and pooped it out as it flew over our field - pretty cool idea huh? Regardless of exactly how it got there, it's been fun to watch all season.
Our 2011 seasonal crew with our super huge sunflower: Jaime Flowers, Mike Paterson, Zoe Harris and Matt Hammer.

Have any amazing flower or vegetables photos of your own? Send me an email!

~Susan Mitchell
susan@holcombfarmcsa.org

Farmageddon Documentary at Real Art Ways

2011-09-07T05:15:00.000-07:00

The array of political coalitions, government agencies, industry groups, and interest groups that seek to control, influence, or profit from food production in the US is vast and hardly monolithic. Even within the USDA, pockets of money and people are working hard at promoting very different and often conflicting visions of the food system. That said, it is still safe to say that the balance of power - as primarily represented by the far reaching legislation and immense funding in the Farm Bill (legislated every five years with the next round coming in 2012) -still tilts towards the same major goals as it has the past few decades: centralized corporate food production, processing, and distribution; commodity subsidies geared towards leveraging US crops as a weapon in international relations while enriching a narrow segment of very large landowners and corporations that do all they can to continue the sweet deals they enjoy; and enough cheap calories and poverty programs to keep urban legislators from disrupting the flow of tax-funded largess.

The side effects of this system - the obesity epidemic, declining human health and food quality, major pollution and depletion of soil and water, increased food safety risks, the erosion of genetic resiliency, and the destruction of once vibrant rural communities - are cause for concern in many quarters. This growing awareness is coalescing into a stronger and stronger current of people working on the ground, in kitchens, in communities, in bureaucracies, and in legislative arenas to move us towards food systems that support widespread human and ecological health.

Part of this movement - itself hardly monolithic - is investigative reporting that raises our awareness of some the absurdities and tragedies carried out by corporate and government power under the guise of producing a "safe, abundant, and cheap" food supply while "protecting family farmers."

Farmaggedon is one such example. Playing at Real Art Ways in Hartford from September 16-22, it profiles government crackdowns, sometimes violent, on small farm operations that actually are providing safe and healthy food to their communities. Just as importantly, it asks why.

For more information, visit the Farmageddon site
and the Real Art Ways site.

-Sam

Hoophouse Raising This Saturday

2011-09-05T08:37:00.000-07:00

This Saturday from 8-1 we'll have a hoophouse raising member workday. The 30'x96' foot structure will double our space for the production of winter greens. This simple, low tech, unheated structures allow us to harvest cold-hardy greens right through the winter.We are aiming to have it completed by October 1st so that we can get it planted in time to use for this year's Winter CSA. (details on Winter Share sign up will be announced in a few weeks.)

We have graded the site, laid out and pounded in the ground posts, and installed closed cell foam perimeter in-ground insulation that will help keep soil temperatures up inside the house.

The next step is bolting together all the steel pipes that form the bones of the hoophouse and finish backfilling the insulation trench. It's kind of like a giant erector set.

If you can hold a pipe, turn a wrench, or operate a hand shovel, your help would be greatly appreciated (don't worry, no drilling!). It would be helpful, but not necessary, if you could bring a deep socket set, a socket wrench or cordless drill to work the sockets, stepladders, and/or shovels.

This workday is better suited for adults and teens only.

Cooking Demo and Book Signing with Terry Walters

2011-09-05T08:20:00.000-07:00

Terry Walters, Farmington Valley resident and author of the inspirational good food books Clean Food and Clean Start will be at distribution this Saturday, September 10th, beginning at 10:00am for a book signing and cooking demo.

Terry is a national leader in the clean eating movement and dishes up delicious guidance on incorporating fresh seasonal foods into everyday eating.

Check out her beautiful website at terrywalters.net where she models CSA members Debbie Reelitz' "Powered by Kale" t-shirt!

Sausage is Gluten Free

2011-09-05T08:19:00.001-07:00

We had a couple of customers ask if our sausage had any ingredients with gluten. We confirmed with the processor, Adams Farm of Athol MA, that all the types of sausage are gluten free.

This Week's Crops

2011-09-05T06:10:00.001-07:00

For the week of September 5th

Shares will include:
sweet peppers
onions
cucumbers
tomatoes (likely the last)

Shares may include:
summer squash
eggplant
watermelon
lettuce

Pick Your Own
edamame
green beans
flowers (last week we think)
cherry tomatoes (close to the end)
tomatillos
basil
some hot peppers
perennial herbs

Simply Fresh by Julie Wern

2011-09-05T04:55:00.000-07:00

Featured Item--Watermelon

Is there anything better than a slice of fresh, sweet, juicy watermelon on a hot summer day? I think not. I’ve felt so strongly about this in the past that until recently, I wouldn’t eat watermelon any other way. But slowly I’ve been giving up that perfect slice in order to explore new ways to eat this very special vegetable. I started by pureeing the flesh and making healthful ice pops for my son. He loved them! That led to making delicious sorbets and granitas. Just recently I have even forayed into the savory world, using watermelon in interesting non-sweet dishes.

But of course, watermelon is so sweet that it is sure to add that wonderful element to even savory dishes, which is what makes it so fun. The combination of sweet and salty, as well as the differences in textures in savory preparations is truly unique. So if you are a traditionalist like I was, think about saving a few slices of that perfect watermelon for some true culinary adventures. (See recipes below).

Watermelon has been around for millennia. It originated in Africa and has been found depicted in Egyptian hieroglyphics dating as far back as 5,000 years. It is now the most popular melon consumed in the US. Watermelon is a member of the curcurbitaceae family, which also includes cucumbers, cantaloupe, squash, and pumpkins. While there are many varieties of watermelon, they are basically represented by 5 basic types: seeded, seedless, yellow, orange, and mini.

At Holcomb farm, five varieties of watermelon are grown. Yellow varieties include New Orchid, Sunshine, and Yellow doll. All have very sweet yellow flesh, and bright green rinds with dark green stripes. New Orchid and Sunshine varieties are similar, but New Orchid tends to be larger. Yellow doll has the advantage of being an early maturing variety. For red-fleshed watermelon, Holcomb has grown the Crimson Sweet (dark and light green striped rind) and the Sugar Baby (dark, almost black rind).

While they are full of delicious sugars, watermelons also boast several nutritional advantages. They are full of vitamins A and C and contain a good amount of potassium (an electrolyte), making them a natural thirst quencher. The red varieties also contain lycopene, a powerful antioxidant, and all color varieties contain beta-carotene.

Choose firm, symmetrical melons without dents or bruises and that feel heavy for their size. Store at room temperature until cut, at which point all uneaten portions should be wrapped in plastic and stored in the refrigerator. Because watermelons sit on the ground as they grow, it is important to wash the outside of the entire melon before cutting into it.

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Grilled Watermelon and Cucumber Relish Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:

- 3 1 1/2" slices watermelon

- 1 large cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, and seeded

- 1/3 cup minced red onion

- 1 large jalapeno, seeded and ribs removed, minced

- 1 tablespoon minced fresh mint

- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar

- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

METHOD:

1. Spray or brush watermelon slices and cucumber halves with olive oil spray (or brush with olive oil). Preheat grill to medium. Place watermelon and cucumber halves on grill. Grill, covered, for 1 1/2 minutes. Leave cucumber slices alone but turn watermelon slices over. Grill, covered, for another 1 1/2 minutes. Remove watermelon slices to a plate and turn cucumber halves on grill. Cover grill and grill cucumbers 3 minutes more. Remove cucumbers from grill.

2. Chop watermelon flesh and cucumber halves into 1/3" pieces. Place in a medium bowl. Add red onion, jalapeno, mint, vinegar and olive oil and toss to coat well. Serve immediately with grilled fish or meat.

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Thai Crab and Watermelon Salad Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

- Dressing:

- 1 teaspoon grated fresh lime rind, about 1 lime

- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

- 2 teaspoons sugar

- 1 teaspoon Thai fish sauce

- 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

- salt to taste, about 1/8 teaspoon, depending upon saltiness of fish sauce

- Salad:

- 1 pound lump crabmeat

- 1/3 cup minced shallots

- 2/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

- 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions

- 1 cup small diced fresh seeded watermelon

- 1 tablespoon minced fresh mint

- 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil

METHOD:

1. In a small bowl, whisk dressing ingredients.

2. Pick through crabmeat and remove any bits of shell. Gently squeeze out excess moisture from crab. Place crab in a medium bowl. Gently mix in bell peppers, shallots, green onions, mint, basil and dressing until well combined. Serve immediately.

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Watermelon Basil Granita Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:

- 1/4 cup granulated sugar

- 1/4 cup water

- about 1/8 cup fresh basil leaves

- 4 cups chopped seedless watermelon

- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

METHOD:

1. In a small pan, mix sugar and water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in basil leaves. Allow mixture to steep and cool to room temperature.

2. Place watermelon in a blender and blend until completely smooth. Place a sieve over the top of the blender and pour syrup into watermelon mixture, pressing on basil leaves in sieve to release oils into the mixture. Discard basil leaves. Add lime juice to watermelon mixture. Blend just to mix. Place mixture in an 8 X 8 metal baking pan (like a brownie pan) and place uncovered in the freezer. Freeze for 30-45 minutes, or until icy on edges but still liquid in the center. Using a fork, stir mixture and break up any icy parts, scraping icy sides of pan and bringing ice crystals to the center. Repeat every 30 minutes for about 3 hours, or until you have a frozen granular mixture. Freeze until ready to serve.

Our Pork is Here

2011-09-01T11:07:00.001-07:00

The fresh pork from our first batch of pigs is ready for sale in the farm store. The pigs were raised outdoors and fed certified organic feed and our vegetable scraps.

Hot Italian Sausage, links $8.00/lb
Sweet Italian Sausage, links $8.00/lb
Breakfast Sausage, links $8.00/lb
Butt Roast, bone-in $8.00/lb
Loin Chops $9.00/lb
Fatback $2.00/lb
Leaf Lard $2.00/lb

Smoked hams and bacon will be coming shortly.

Hurricane Irene aftermath

2011-08-29T16:39:00.001-07:00

We were busy on Friday and Saturday preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Irene. Taking all precautions possible, we rolled up all the plastic on our 1/2 acre tomato hoophouse (a structure not designed to withstand high winds), closed up our two greenhouses and anchored the rollup sides, covered the openings on the ends for vents and fans with plywood, anchored the pig shelters, moved any object that could become a projectile inside (all our harvest bins, buckets, signs etc), parked all the tractors indoors and shut the barn up snugly. Thankfully the winds were not as strong as predicted but what proved more powerful was water.

All of our structures came through without any damage but our little stream, Kendall Brook, that you cross over to the PYO field, became a raging torrent, overflowing it's bank just north of the bridge and causing some significant erosion on our driveway behind the barn. Our fields up and down Simsbury Road are all doing fine, but the two fields we rent (one on Wells Road and one on 10/202) both have some damage from flooding. We got a surprise this morning when we went to go pick squash in the Wells field and found standing water, which made our harvest feel more like digging for clams than picking squash! Water covered much of this field overnight and debris had clogged up next to each row of squash and the cucumbers are covered with mud. Pretty amazing to see and a unique farming experience! Please excuse the "hurricane squash" this week - it has far more dirt and debris than usual. We don't wash these since we try not to handle the squash very much. They nick and scar so easily that it makes washing very tough. So just make sure you wash them at home!

The farm has been without power since Sunday morning but our generator is working well and keeping the walk-in cooler, refrigerators, and freezers running. Distribution will take place as usual. Wear appropriate footwear because the fields are a bit soggy. Hope your homes and businesses weathered the storm well and let's hope we get power back soon!

This Week's Crops

2011-08-29T16:30:00.000-07:00

For the week of August 29th

Shares will include:
sweet peppers
cucumber
squash
alliums (leeks or onions)
tomatoes

Shares may include:
cabbage
lettuce
eggplant

Pick-Your-Own crops:
flowers
basil
cherry tomatoes
tomatillos
edamame (a new bed is now open, in the same vicinity as the first - just look for the sign)
perennial herbs
raspberries
some hot peppers

Simply Fresh by Julie Wern

2011-08-29T06:38:00.000-07:00

Featured Item—Fresh Soybeans (Edamame)

When I was young I lived in Japan and experienced a number of great culinary adventures. My favorite experience, by far, was tasting edamame, the fresh boiled soybean dish flaked with pure sea salt—divine. I loved the surprising “pop” of the bean as I squeezed it out of its shell and the wonderful nuttiness of the crisp-tender bean itself.

When we returned to the States we looked everywhere for soybeans but couldn’t find them fresh or frozen, except prepared in certain Japanese restaurants. It wasn’t until I was in college that I was able to find these gems, and then only in frozen form under the name edamame. Little did I know that in the interim years, soybeans were becoming a huge cash crop in our country, produced mainly for soy oil and protein meal used as feed or in thousands of processed foods. But how frustrating it was that I couldn’t find the fresh soybeans anywhere, even though millions of acres were being grown in this country every year. I was thrilled when I joined Holcomb Farm and learned that I could pick my own FRESH soybeans. What a treat!!

Soybeans are a legume. There are many varieties, affecting aspects such as size, color, and nutritional ratios. But in general, soybeans are very high in protein (about 35-40%, or about 17 g per cup). Amazingly, soybeans contain all eight amino acids and thus are a complete protein food. They also contain significant amounts of fat, carbohydrates, and fiber, as well as various phytochemicals that are thought to treat and/or prevent many chronic diseases. There is much research on the supposed health benefits of soy; however, there are some who claim these results are overstated. Whether you believe soybeans to be a superfood or not, there is no doubt that they are delicious and an excellent source of nutrition.

Soybeans grow in an inedible, tough outer shell that has a soft, yet hairy texture to it. If you have never tried soybeans, don’t be put off by the shell….you don’t eat it anyway. The bean is what you are after, and it is worth a little trouble. Typically the whole beans are quickly boiled/blanched. The beans then come out with a little squeeze and a very satisfying pop (when they aren’t overcooked, that is). I think the beans are best when crisp tender, but if you plan to puree or mash them, cook them longer.

Soybeans can be used like peas or beans in many different culinary preparations. They are great just boiled and salted (edamame); or blanched and then shelled. Shelled beans are wonderful in salads, in soups/stews, mashed or pureed for dips or side-dishes, added to pasta dishes, etc.. Try pureeing them and preparing them as you would hummus, or mashing them like you would potatoes. Add to Asian stir-fry for interest. They are a great way to add protein to any vegetarian dish or to increase the protein content of non-vegetarian dishes.

Fresh soybeans have a short picking season, but whole pods or beans can be frozen. Soybeans should be harvested when pods are plump. Store in airtight containers or plastic wrap in the refrigerator. Use quickly to maintain nutritional advantages, or freeze for later use.

********************************************************

Basic Edamame Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

- 3 cups fresh soybeans

- 1/2 tablespoon table salt

- 1/2 teaspoon course grain sea salt or kosher salt, or more to taste

METHOD:

Place 6 cups water in a large stockpot and add table salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, rinse soybeans well, rubbing with hands under water to remove any loose dirt. Place soybeans carefully in salted boiling water and boil for 3-5 minutes or until soybeans float to the top, beans are crisp tender and come easily out of the pods with a nice "pop". Pour out into a colander and drain. Sprinkle with sea or kosher salt and serve immediately.

NOTE:

For interesting variations, try using specialty sea salts or flavored salts. I love using smoked salt, or tea salt (especially Lapsong Souchong--place tea leaves and salt in a coffee grinder and grind until smooth. Sprinkle on hot edamame).

*******************************************************

This recipe provides a great way to use leftover edamame and corn on the cob. It was adapted from a similar recipe on Eatingwell.com.

Succotash with Edamame Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

- 1 small onion, minced

- 1 small red bell pepper, small diced

- 1 small green bell pepper, small diced

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

- 3 tablespoons veggie or chicken broth

- 2 cobs of fresh corn, raw or cooked, cut off cobs

- 1 cup shelled edamame

- 1/2 teaspoon salt, scant

- 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil

- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

- freshly ground black pepper, to taste

METHOD:

Heat oil in a heavy non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables start to soften, about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook, stirring, for one minute. Add broth, corn, and edamame. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-5 minutes, or until corn and edamame are crisp tender and liquid has reduced. Remove from heat and stir in salt, vinegar, fresh basil, and cayenne. Season to taste with fresh pepper.

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Asian Steak and Noodles with Edamame Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

- 6 ounces soba noodles or whole wheat spaghetti

- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce

- 1/4 cup dry sherry

- 1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth

- 2 teaspoons cornstarch

- 1 large clove garlic, minced

- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

- 2 teaspoons sesame oil

- 8 ounces flank steak , frozen for 20 minutes, then very thinly sliced

- 1 large red bell pepper, julienned

- 1 bunch green onions, sliced into 1/2" pieces

- 1 cup shelled soybeans (edamame)

METHOD:

1. Cook noodles according to package directions and drain.

2. In a small bowl, whisk hoisin, sherry, broth, garlic, ginger, and cornstarch until smooth.

3. Heat peanut oil in wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add meat and cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer red, about 2-3 minutes. Remove meat with tongs or a slotted spoon to a plate. Add red pepper and green onions to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add edamame and sauce mixture to pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and edamame is heated through. Add meat and hot pasta into the pan and toss to coat all ingredients evenly. Serve immediately.

Help Wanted

2011-08-24T04:13:00.000-07:00

We are looking for part time field help from now until mid-November. Weeding, harvesting, field cleanup. Vegetable farm experience preferred but not required. What is required: reliability, the ability to work fast and diligently outdoors, willingness to take direction, good attention to detail, the ability to lift 50 pounds repeatedly, and a positive attitude. Must be available for either four mornings (7am-noon, switching to 8am-noon in October) or two full days (7-5, switching to 8-5) per week. Email susan@holcombfarmcsa.org.

Crops for Week 11 (of 20)

2011-08-22T11:04:00.000-07:00

In Good Supply:
Tomatoes
Green Peppers
Cucumbers

Shares May Also Contain:
Eggplant
Red Peppers
Summer Squash
Cabbage
Lettuce
Carrots
Watermelon

Pick-Your-Own
Flowers
Sunflowers
Edamame
Basil
Tomatillos
Cherry Tomatoes
Hot Peppers - Hungarian Hot Wax and Anaheim only

"Powered By Kale" T-Shirt Fundraiser

2011-08-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

This week we’ll be having a T-Shirt fundraiser during farm pick-up hours. 25% of the sales will support the farm. Calligrapher and CSA member Debby Reelitz has designed a new t-shirt with the design, “Powered by Kale”. The other designs, “Whoever Smiles Wins” and “Eat Fresh” will also be available again. The shirts are an environmentally friendly blend of hemp and organic cotton. The women’s shirts are fitted. Debby will be at pick up to answer your questions. Payment can be made with cash or check. Orders will also be taken.

Anyone who bought one Debby's earlier shirts can attest to the high quality and extreme comfort of these shirts.

-Sam

Simply Fresh by Julie Wern

2011-08-22T05:29:00.000-07:00

Featured Item—Sweet Green Peppers

Sweet green peppers tend to get the shaft. They are often considered to play second fiddle to their older siblings, the bright red peppers that are the quintessential summer vegetable. But green peppers are a wonderful vegetable in their own right. In fact, green peppers are an essential ingredient in the “Holy Trinity” of vegetables (along with onions and celery) that form the basis for Cajun/Creole dishes. They are crisp and tangy with a just a slight bitter edge that gives them interest and depth. Not surprisingly, they are also quite healthful, being full of vitamins A, C, B6, fiber and many important carotenoids, while carrying a very low calorie and fat load.

There are several varieties of sweet peppers, many of which are green earlier in their maturation. If left to grow for longer periods they will turn red, orange, or yellow. Some varieties stay green throughout the growing process. Green peppers also come in different shapes, the most familiar being the bell shaped sweet green pepper. But other varieties, like the Cubanelle type, can be long and slender.

We are lucky enough to sample several varieties of sweet peppers at the farm, many of which are shades of green now, but which will start coming in red, orange or yellow as the season progresses. We will see the whitish Flamingo pepper which will eventually turn red; the lime colored Biscayne which will become a deep orange; the Ace bell pepper, the Purple Islander and Carmen Italian varieties that will all turn red; and another bell pepper variety that will eventually mature to yellow.

But lest we sit back waiting for the rainbow and miss out on the pot of gold, here are some ideas for using up those sweet green peppers that are available now in the distribution.

Raw

Sweet green peppers are great in salads or as a part of vegetable platter. They are also wonderful quick pickled where they keep their fresh, irresistible crunch.

Cooked

The list here is potentially endless…cooked in omelets or frittatas; roasted or grilled as part of a salad or side dish; roasted and pickled (see recipe below); stuffed and baked (see recipe below); baked in casseroles; cooked in soups/stews; featured in Cajun/Creole cooking (see recipe below); grilled on shish kabobs; or quickly stir-fried with your other favorite veggies or meat.

Choose sweet green peppers that are smooth without wrinkles, bruises, or holes and whose stems appear green and fresh. Store peppers in plastic in the refrigerator, where they should last at least a week.

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There are endless uses for these super tasty pickled peppers. They are wonderful on top of grilled steak, pork or fish, as a condiment for tacos, or as a topper for crostini (with a thin slice of Manchego cheese). The recipe was highly adapted from Cooks.com.

Pickled Roasted Green Peppers with Toasted Cumin makes 1 jar

INGREDIENTS:

- 5 large green bell pepper

- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds

- 1 small onion, minced

- 1/2 cup cider vinegar

- 3 peeled garlic cloves, smashed lightly with a knife

- 1 bay leaf, torn into 3-4 pieces

- 1 teaspoon dried oregano

- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt

- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Oil or spray a large rimmed baking sheet. Cut top and bottom ends of peppers and reserve for another purpose (they are great to snack on or to add to soups or salads). Make a cut lengthwise from top to bottom, then use a knife to go around the inside edges to remove the seeds and membranes. You will end up with a long strip of pepper. Place skin side up on one layer on pan. Spray or brush with oil. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until pepper is soft and skin is blistered. Remove from oven and place pieces in a plastic baggie. Seal and let sit for 15 minutes to loosen skins.

2. In a small skillet, heat cumin seeds on medium heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant and toasted, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

3. Place onion, vinegar, garlic cloves, bay leaf, oregano, salt and pepper in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add cooled cumin seeds and olive oil. Allow to cool while you peel the peppers.

4. Remove pepper pieces from bag and remove skins. Cut peppers into strips and place in a bowl. Pour vinegar mixture over peppers and carefully stir mixture, being careful not to break-up peppers but getting the vinegar and onion mixture to fully coat the pieces. Pour into a glass jar. Press down gently on solids to submerge as many of the peppers as possible in the vinegar. Allow to cool for one hour, then cover with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate. Use within 2 weeks.

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Shrimp Etoufee is a quintessential Cajun dish. It is delicious, but not difficult to make (the long ingredient list is deceiving as most of the ingredients are spices). This version is fairly mild. If you prefer at lot of heat, add more cayenne and hot sauce.

Shrimp Etoufee serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

- 1/4 cup all purpose flour

- 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped

- 1 medium onion, chopped

- 2 stalks celery, chopped

- 2 large tomatoes, chopped

- 1 8 ounce bottle clam juice

- 1 bay leaf

- 1 tablespoon paprika

- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

- 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder

- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

- 1 teaspoon dried oregano

- 1 teaspoon dried thyme

- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

- 1 teaspoon kosher salt

- 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined

- 2 dashes hot sauce, or to taste

METHOD:

1. In a small bowl or with a mortar and pestle, mix paprika through kosher salt. Set aside.

2. In a large skillet, melt butter with olive oil on medium-low heat. Add flour and mix well to make a roux. Cook roux, stirring frequently, until roux turns a peanut butter brown, being careful not to burn the roux, about 7-10 minutes. Add bell pepper, celery and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 7 minutes. Add tomatoes, bay leaf, clam juice, and seasoning mixture. Bring to boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes, or until tomatoes break down.

3. Add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are opaque and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes. Season with additional salt and hot sauce, as desired.

If mixture is too thick, add more clam juice or some broth.

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Quinoa makes a healthful and delicious substitute for ground meat in this Mexican style version of stuffed peppers. They are hearty enough for a meal but also make an interesting side dish. If your peppers are small, you might want to use 5 or 6.

Meatless Mexican Stuffed Green Peppers serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed well

- 3/4 cup vegetable or chicken broth

- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

- 1 small onion

- 2 large cloves garlic, minced

- 1 jalapeno, seeded, ribs removed and minced

- 1 teaspoon dried cumin

- 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder

- 1/2 teaspoon dried coriander

- 3/4 teaspoon salt

- 1/4 teaspoon pepper

- 3 ripe tomatoes, chopped

- 1/2 large zucchini, chopped

- 1 fresh corn on the cob, kernels removed with a sharp knife

- 4 medium green peppers, halved, seeded, and membranes removed

- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

- 1 cup shredded reduced fat pepper jack cheese

METHOD:

1. Place broth in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, stir in rinsed quinoa and cover. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 350. Line a lined baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.

Place a steamer insert in a large pot filled with about 1" water. Bring water to boil. Place pepper halves in steamer insert and steam, covered, until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from steamer and place cut side up on baking sheet while preparing filling. (Peppers can also be boiled, if you don't have a steamer insert).

3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions, garlic, and jalapeno, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Add cumin, chili powder, coriander, salt, and pepper, and stir for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes have broken down and zucchini is tender, about 10-15 minutes. Mixture should not be watery and sauce should have thickened considerably. Add corn and cook for 2-4 minutes, or until corn no longer tastes starchy. Remove from heat and add cooked quinoa and chopped cilantro. Mix well.

4. Fill pepper halves with quinoa mixture. Sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake for 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and quinoa mixture is hot.

Freezer Needed

2011-08-18T05:12:00.001-07:00

One of our freezers just died, days before we are expecting our first batch of pork to arrive. Before we go out and buy another freezer, I thought I'd see if anyone has a working upright (preferred) or chest freezer, of any size, that they no longer have use for. If so, please email me at sam@holcombfarmcsa.org or call 860-653-5554. We can pick up.

IPM and Organic

2011-08-15T13:05:00.000-07:00

The peaches and apples that we carry in the farm store come from Roberts' Hillside Orchard in Granville, MA. They practice an approach to ecological pest control called Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The IPM protocol is characterized by preventative cultural practices, careful monitoring of crops and pests, research-based thresholds for economic damage from pests, targeted (in both space and time) use of pest control materials, and the use of the least toxic methods that will keep the damage below economic thresholds.

In English, that means IPM growers try to set up their growing practices to reduce pest and disease pressures in the first place and then only spray, trap, etc for pests and diseases only when and where the pest damage threatens to reduce the profitable yield of a crop, and they choose the method that cause the least collateral damage possible. "Collateral damage" could mean killing beneficial insect populations, destruction of soil flora or fauna that support fertility, or the introduction of materials that are toxic to people into food supplies or the environment.

I see organic growing as a subset of IPM. Organic growers use the same approach of prevention, monitoring, and minimal use of the smallest hammer that will get the job done. The differences between organic and IPM are that fewer materials are allowed in organic production, organic practices are highly regulated by the federal government, and the organic movement and industry have been widely promoted and marketed. "Organic" is a household term now and I would guess that most literate consumers have at least some idea of what it's about, whereas IPM is an acronym primarily known only by people who work in agriculture.

There is extremely little commercial scale organic tree fruit production in the Northeast. My personal experience with two small commercial scale apple orchards is that they are labors of love and not really economically viable production operations. The primary reason for this as I understand it is that the humid climate in the East creates a host of diseases and pests for fruit trees that strictly organic controls are marginally effective against. Most commercial organic apple production in the US is in the drier climate of eastern Washington State.

Some growers will even argue that, when it comes to pome (apples, pears) or stone (peaches, apricots, plums) fruit production in the Northeast, IPM methods can actually be less damaging to the ecology of an orchard than strictly organic methods since some organic pesticides are broad spectrum (lethal to a wide range of insects) while some synthetic pesticides are highly specific and cause little harm to non-targeted species.

In contrast, most vegetable crops can be grown commercially in the Northeast using strictly organic methods and for the most part organic vegetable cropping is better for long term soil fertility, ecological health, and toxin-free food than vegetable growing methods that use synthetic chemicals. Production costs are often higher for organic vegetable growers, but at least we have a fighting chance to get a decent return for our efforts.

We are lucky to able to carry local IPM peaches and apples from Doug and Nancy Roberts. Not only do we get some great fruit, we get to support a local orchard using the best practices available to produce safe and ecological tree fruit.

-Sam Hammer

This Week's Crops

2011-08-15T10:28:00.000-07:00

Crops available for the week of August 15:

Your share will include:
tomatoes
peppers
eggplant
onions
a leafy green (kale, collards, or lettuce)
carrots (assuming the ground is dry enough Tues for us to get our tractor to dig them)

Your share may include:
potatoes
cabbage
summer squash
cucumbers

Pick Your Own
Please check the PYO kiosk for limits set for each crop
1. cherry tomatoes
2. flowers (some of the very weedy sections have been mowed down but there are lots of flowers at the far end of the beds)
3. sunflowers (the second seeding is now coming in)
4. hot peppers (hungarian hot wax and anaheim only)
5. tomatillos (these are ripe only when they'll turned a very pale green and are breaking through their papery shell. Search for them low to the ground and you'll need to search around a lot!)
6. edamame (these have a very short picking window and over-ripen very fast. Pick pods that have plump beans in them)

Simply Fresh by Julie Wern

2011-08-15T05:33:00.000-07:00

Featured item—Tomatillos

My love affair with tomatillos is fairly new, as the tomatillo and I were formally introduced only about 10 years ago. Before that, my amour was salsa verde, the tart, green, vibrant sauce you could find only in Mexican restaurants served as either a salsa or a sauce. I was a huge fan of enchiladas and tamales that featured this kind of sauce but they weren’t easy to find. Out of frustration and sheer desperation, I decided to start making my own from scratch. That is when I met the humble tomatillo in its strange husk. I was intrigued.

I had always assumed that salsa verde was made from some kind of green chili, but instead it was made from something else entirely, a tomatillo. Like a small green tomato, but not a tomato at all, tomatillos are clothed in an odd husk with a sticky substance on the fruit. I admit that at first I was a little intimidated, but I was determined to get to know this fruit better. What I found is that it is remarkably easy to cook with and simply delicious to eat, with a tangy, almost citrusy vibrancy that is addictive. If you have not met my love, the tomatillo, you must do so, for once you get over its initial strangeness, you too, will be unable to resist its charms.

In case you are hesitant to meet this stranger, keep in mind that it comes from the venerable Nightshade family. Its close garden relatives are familiar “respectable types” you know well, such as tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers. Traditionally used in Mexican cuisine, tomatillos are gaining popularity as they become more familiar to home cooks across the country.

If you fancy the “nutritional types”, tomatillos are not a bad choice, being low in calories and a good source of vitamin C, Vitamin K and fiber. Tomatillos are also easy to store. They last longest if removed from their husky home and placed in plastic in the refrigerator, where they can hang out for a good couple of weeks. Be sure to wash off the sticky substance that coats the fruit before using them.

Tomatillos grow and mature within inedible papery husks. When it is ready to be harvested, the tomatillo fills out and pushes through the bottom of the husk and splits it open. Mature fruit tends from green to yellow, but I have read that yellow tomatillos, while sweeter, lose their characteristic tartness. For that reason, many recommend picking the tomatillos once they have filled out the husk and barely split it open, but when the fruit is still bright green.

Tomatillos are eaten raw or cooked. Raw, they maintain a crisp tartness that is great in salsas and salads. Cooked, the flesh becomes quickly softened and their tartness tamed, although they still keep a certain level of acidity. Here are some ideas of ways to prepare tomatillos.

Raw—chopped or blended in salsa; chopped in salads (try it mixed with fruit); in cold soups like gazpacho
Boiled—just until soft (about 5-7 minutes), then pureed to make sauces or salsa. Also great in soups/stews, either left in pieces or pureed.
Broiled—charred and softened (usually quickly) and used for salsa verde or other sauces.
Grilled—try putting them on your next shish-kabob, or grill to soften, then puree for sauce.
Uses for Salsa Verde (see recipe below)—salsa; sauce for enchiladas, tamales, tacos or burritos; braising sauce for meat, esp. chicken and pork; a base for stew (as in posole).

At Holcomb Farm, tomatillos are offered as a pick-your-own crop that will be maturing from now until the fall. Keep your eyes on the PYO news and be sure to pick when the fruit is mature and ripe (when it fills out and starts to split the husk). Also, be careful of the bees, who are busy fertilizing the hundreds of tomatillo flowers that will soon morph into my luscious love, the tomatillo fruit.

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There are many recipes for salsa verde but most contain the following ingredients in varying amounts. The method for this version is adapted from Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen cookbook. Use it for salsa, enchiladas, tacos, as a braise for meat or as a base for stew. Can be frozen.

Salsa Verde makes about 4 cups

INGREDIENTS:

- 2 pounds tomatillos husked and rinsed

- 2 whole jalapeno, rinsed

- 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled

- 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

- 1 large onion, chopped

- 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth

METHOD:

1. place tomatillos, unpeeled garlic, and jalapenos on a sturdy baking sheet. Preheat broiler with top rack placed 6 inches below heat. Broil tomatillo mixture, turning pieces every couple of minutes, until vegetables are lightly charred but soft, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a heavy stockpot on medium heat until hot. Add onion and saute, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent and soft, about 8 minutes. Scrape onion into a blender or food processor bowl but keep pan ready to use again.

3. Squeeze garlic from skins and place in blender or processor bowl with onions. Peel as much skin as possible off of jalapenos and split open, using a small sharp knife to remove seeds and ribs. Place jalapeno flesh (without seeds and ribs), along with all of the tomatillos and any accumulated juices, in blender or processor bowl. Add 1/4 cup broth and blend until completely smooth.

4. In stockpot used to cook onions, add 2 teaspoons oil and heat on medium-high heat. Add tomatillo mixture all at once. Mixture will splatter and sputter so be careful. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture darkens and thickens, about 4 minutes. Add remainder of broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and, cook, stirring frequently, until sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon, about 10-15 minutes. Add salt. Taste and adjust salt level if necessary.

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Salsa Verde Chicken Enchilada Casserole serves 6

INGREDIENTS:

- 3-4 cups Salsa Verde

- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken

- about 12 corn tortillas

- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend, or use Monterey Jack

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 400.

Spray a 9 X 13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Spread 1/4 cup salsa verde evenly over bottom of dish. Lay a single layer of tortillas over sauce, cutting pieces to fit and trying to not overlap too much. Cover evenly with half the chicken. Pour about 3/4 cup sauce evenly over chicken. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese. Cover with another layer of tortillas, again cutting to fit and not overlapping pieces. Repeat layering with rest of chicken, 3/4 cup sauce, and 1/3 of the cheese. Top with a final layer of tortillas. Cover completely with a thin layer of sauce, and sprinkle remainder of cheese on top.

2. Bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes or until top is golden and casserole is bubbly. Remove from oven and let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting.

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This is light and refreshing, a great salad to bring to a pot-lock!

Tomatillo, Corn and Tomato Salad Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:

- 3 ears corn, lightly grilled or boiled and kernels cut off cob

- 1 large tomato, chopped

- 3 large tomatillos husked and rinsed, chopped small

- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

- 1 large jalapeno, seeded, ribs removed and minced

- 1 clove garlic, crushed

- juice of 1 lime

- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

- 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and toss well to coat. Let sit for 20 minutes before serving to develop juices. Refrigerate until ready to serve or serve immediately at room temperature.

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I posted this recipe just last week, but will add it again here to get all the tomatillo recipes together in one place.

Cherry Tomato and Tomatillo Salsa makes 2 cups

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 cup cleaned, diced tomatillos

- 1 cup cleaned, diced cherry tomatoes, any color

- 1 clove garlic, crushed

- 1 jalapeno, seeded, ribs removed, and finely minced

- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

METHOD:

Mix all ingredients together and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes to develop juices and flavor. Serve with scoop style chips for getting every last drop of liquid.