Week 6 - Fall, November 6, 2013

Here's the plan for tomorrow:

1. A bunch of swiss chard or collards
2. A bunch of brussel sprout greens.  We probably won't have sprouts this year - sorry but the first planting failed and the second planting doesn't look like it will size up before December.  So, we're handing out the greens which are really quite tasty.  They have the flavor of sprouts but, obviously, a different texture.  Cook these as you would kale or use as a wrap.  Pretty sweet.
3. A bunch of carrots - yeah - they're back!
4. Some potatoes or squash or, maybe, both
5. Onions
6. Dill
7. Cilantro
8. Parsnips - they're also back!
9. A bunch of choi (commonly known as bok choy).  I actually chopped this up last week and added to the salad mix.  It gives your salad a bit of crunch - kind of like celery - but it's much sweeter and milder than celery.
10. A bag (or bunch) of salad mix - probably arugula, mustard and mizuna.
11. Some tomatoes
12. Some sweet peppers & some spicy peppers
13. probably something else

Let me know if you have any questions.  Thanks!

Week 5, Fall - October 30, 2013

We're preparing now for Wednesday's distribution.  I thought I'd send a few notes in advance.

• No one commented on the tomatoes last week but just be aware that they're reaching the end.  We might distribute some that aren't all the way ripe - just let them sit awhile on your counter and they'll ripen up in a few days.
• Also, FYI - we'll be distributing peppers over the next few weeks (spicy and sweet, as they last).  The last of them are being pulled from the hoop right now so they'll be going soft over time as well.  If they don't appeal to you, please pass.  But, they're still great for cooking and good to eat, even when soft.
• Watch for bugs in the brassicas (which is almost everything right now).  This includes arugula, yukina, mizuna, napa cabbage, kale, cauliflower, etc  (the cabbage family).  We did spray Bt a few weeks ago but I know they're in there.  Slugs too.  You'll know if you find poo.  I generally swish veggies briskly in water to clean them.  We try to inspect everything as we harvest but some do get by...

OK - now that that cheery bit of news is over, here's the scoop for the week:

1. A head of napa cabbage.  Some will be quite large.
2. A daikon radish.  Try roasted or browned in a skillet or in a soup.
3. A bunch of choi.  This is sold as Bok Choy in the stores and is full of water and quite mild.  Nice in a stir fry or as a side dish - sauteed with a little soy - or in soup.
4. A few tomatoes, as available.  The plants are being pulled today.  We'll hold the green ones and distribute them as they ripen.  I wouldn't be surprised if we distribute some green tomatoes as an option.
5. Sweet peppers - 1 or 2
6. Spicy peppers - quite a few
7. Kale or collards.  The collards are really good to use as wraps for cabbage rolls or egg rolls.
8. Some onions
9. Some sort of salad green (maybe lettuce or yukina savoy)
10. Potatoes or squash
11. Some cilantro
12. Some parsley
13. U-pick strawflower from the flower garden (this is the tall red flower).  If you hang it upside down it will dry nicely.

Please let me know if you have any requests or comments.

Week 4 - Fall

Hello - here's the box for this week - it's another big one!

1. Sweet peppers
2. Spicy peppers - we're giving out a lot because we have them.  Please feel free to leave them if you can't use them all.
3. Purple top turnips - we like them peeled and raw with salt.  If you don't, maybe you'd like them mashed with a bit of cheese stirred in or roasted.
4. Probably one smaller tomato
5. parsley - probably a large bunch.  Tobulleh is good for this.
6. Dill & fennel - hang upside down to dry if you can't use it now
7. Choi
8. Lettuce or spinac
9. A spicy bunch of greens - a mix of arugula, mizuna & mustard.  Eat fresh or saute or make into a pesto
10. A leek or 2.  Some of these are huge
11. Squash or potatoes
12. Kale or collards
13. Eggplant
14. Garlic

Week 14 - fall!

OK - here's the run down for this week:

1. A bunch of collards
2. Almost a pound of beans (purple, Northeaster (large, flat beans.  If you haven't tried these, you should.  They're my favorite), Kentucky Wonder).
3. A quart of tomatoes - sliceing tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and saladettes.
4. A quart of potatoes - today is Adirondack Blue which are fun
5. About 1 pound of onions.  The yellow onions are Stuttgarters which are superb sauteed.  Red ones are also tasty either fresh or cooked.
6. Either a quart of Tongue of Fire beans (see last week's comments on how to cook), okra or an english cucumber
7. 5 - 7 spicy pepeprs.  Today we have peppinos (start out sweet and end with a kick) or serranos (spicy but very tasty).
8. Either poblano or sweet bell peppers
9. 2 slicing tomatoes
10. A box of squash or a jumbo summer squash
11. A bunch of beets
12. A bunch of kale
13. Some basil

Hope you enjoy it!

Week 13 - August 20 & 21

This week we are distributing the following:

1. 3/4 lb of beans
2. Cherry tomatoes
3. A slicing tomato
4. Winter squash (either spaghetti or delicata) - cut these in half, lengthwise, and place face down in a baking dish and add a little water (1/4").  Bake at 350 until fork-tender.  The skin on the delicata is edible.  When done, scoop out squash and eat with a little salt and pepper, maybe some cheese.
5. a sweet pepper
6. either okra or eggplant or cucumber or tongue of fire beans or beets.  This week Tuesday members will receive the beans, next week it will be Wed.  These are a shelling bean and are in between dry and fresh beans - we simmered them in water for about 20 minutes.  I think if you added salt to the water it would be tasty but we didn't.  They were a bit dry but very good added to a salad with some dressing.  A nutty, bean.  Enjoy!
7. Summer squash - yes, some are quite large.  Try a zucchini boat (stuff it and bake it in the oven) or slice and grill - that's a great way to eat it.  
8. a bunch of carrots - these are a smaller variety - they are small but are fully mature.
9. A bunch of chard
10. A bunch of lacinato (or dinosaur) kale
11. spicy peppers (3 - 4 serranos or peppinos or padron or a combo)
12. a bunch of radishes
13. a head of famosa cabbage (this makes a great wrap - Dave made nice stuffed cabbage rolls last year with this)
14. garlic
15. parsley (enough for taboulleh), some basil
16. a small bunch of flowers

Summer - week 10, July 30 & 31

1. Lettuce
2. Summer squash
3. Beans
4. Cherry tomatoes
5. Slicing tomatoes
6. Carrots
7. Cucumbers
8. Peppers or beets
9. onions
10. swiss chard
11. kale or collards
12. potatoes
13. herbs

Summer - week 8, July 16 & 17

1. Green beans
2. Summer squash
3. a pint of tomatoes
4. Arugula
5. Basil
6. Onions & garlic
7. Carrots or beets
8. Chard
9. Kale
10. Fava beans
11. herbs
12. 
    

Summer - Week 5, June 25 & 26

1. Radishes
2. Arugula
3. Lettuce
4. Kale or Collards
5. Cauliflower or broccoli or summer squash or carrots
6. peas
7. rhubarb
8. Green onions
9. mix of herbs

Summer - Week 12

Hi there. I'm out of town so I'm using a dated distribution list to contact you all (cut and paste from an old email). I know some are omitted or accidentally included. Sorry if I miss people. Please forward if you notice an omission. 

We hope you've enjoyed the potatoes the last couple of weeks. They included Adirondack Blue and German Butterball.   The first is pretty cool as it keeps its lavender color when cooked- a favorite with the children. They're a bit drier than the butterballs. The butterballs are aptly named. Very tasty and great roasted or baked. 

This week's new item is spaghetti squash. I cut in half and place face down on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven. You can remove seeds before or after cooking. Up to you. Add enough water to dish so it covers bottom of squash by about 1/8 " and bake for about an hour or until you can poke a fork though the outer skin. As the name implies, the fruit comes apart like noodles. Many people use in place of noodles with a sauce. I like it as a side dish with a little butter or olive oil and salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Other than that, we have a lot of tomatoes right now so you're probably be getting more than normal. Try a caprese salad or a fresh salsa. Maybe you'll get some cilantro this week as well. Spicy peppers are kicking in, too, so don't forget to take a jalapeño or Serrano to kick up your dish. You could also try poppers or use some Peppinos for shish kebob. Yum!

We also have a lot of kale. Lacinato, Siberian, Red Russipn, White Russisn and Winterbor. Also, collards. If you'd like to order some in bulk, we will sell it for $2/lb for orders of 10 lbs or more. It's a great way to put up some greens now for winter (blanche and freeze). 

It's that time of year when everything is starting to come in. It's a bit later than normal (okra and eggplant are slow) for some heat-loving fruiting veggies but it seems to be working out, as usual. Please let us know if you have any comments, concerns or questions. 

Thanks!

Jennifer & crew. 

Summer - Week 4

This week we distributed a large amount of herbs.  This is a bit unusual.  Dry the rosemary, mint, etc. if you don't use it fresh.  I hang it upside down from a cabinet handle in the kitchen.  

If you picked up today (Wednesday) and didn't receive something, please let me know.  We went out and got back right at 7 and one member showed up and there was little left.  So, I either miscounted or forgot to list someone.  If you can make sure to check your name off on the list, that would help me to know that I have you on the right day (you're on the list).  Anyway, they got a freshly picked share of veggies so it all worked out.  But, if you missed out on anything, or ever do, please let me know.

We do harvest amounts per person.  Every once in awhile I have someone ask - if I don't like beets, can I take 2 heads of lettuce instead?  The answer is sorry but no.  If you don't like beets, you can leave them in the grab box and take something else from that box instead but you can't take 2 of something from the same box.  Just as importantly, if you don't like something, please move it to the "grab box" so someone else can take it.  That way, it all seems to work out.

Re storage & prep:  Root veggies need to be stored separately from their greens.  So, the turnips that we distributed today and last week & carrots & beets, etc. in the future:  cut off the greens and bag separately.  Store root veggies in a plastic bag.  They will keep for months this way as long as they're not too wet.  I serve many root veggies with the tops on because they are edible.  But, they will continue to try to grow and draw moisture from the root so the roots will become soft and mushy in a day or two if you don't cut off the greens.  Many veggies in the store are coated with a waxy coating to keep them from dehydrating but our veggies are not preserved in this way.  Trust me - they'll keep for MONTHS if you store them correctly.

Greens - many greens are a bit limp when you pick them up.  If this bothers you, just soak them in cold cold water for 20 minutes or so and they should spruce back up.  Lettuce is best stored in a salad spinner in your fridge.  It will keep for 2 weeks or more if you store it that way.

If you have any other questions about how to store or use an item, please let me know.

Thanks!

Summer - Week 6

It's fava time!  If you're not familiar with fava beans, you soon will be.  They are long pods - you open the pod and take out the beans.  Then I generally simmer them in a little water until they turn light green - maybe 2 or 3 minutes.  Then you peel off the outer layer of the bean and eat the bean.  They're small and tender right now so you can eat the outer layer (don't have to do the second peel).  As they get older, the outer layer becomes tougher and a little bitter.  Note:  the plants have been attacked this year by black aphids.  As a result, the plants are kind of a mess and some of the pods are colored (not green).  It's OK - just open up the pod.  Even some of the inner pods are a bit brown but the inner bean should still be fine.  The only problem I've found in previous years is if a bean beetle lays its eggs inside a pod then you might find worms inside a bean.  But I haven't found any yet and hopefully you won't either.

Today's box:

1. A box of garlic scapes - these will be the last for the season.  Enjoy!
2. A head of lettuce
3. A bunch of collards - some have large holes in them but I still served them because, other than part of the leaf missing, they still look beautiful!  The cabbage worms have been busy.  I will be spraying BT soon (as soon as we have a break in the rain).  BT is a bacteria that kills caterpillars when they ingest it.  Small holes (pin size) are due to flea beetles.
4. A bunch of arugula.  I think this is the prettiest arugula I've seen in a long time.
5. Either squash or cauliflower or broccoli
6. Either carrots or beets
7. Either radishes or turnips
8. A box of favas
9. A bag of braising greens - cook or eat raw
10. A pint of peas
11. Some thyme, lavender and sage
12. Some spicy peppers.

Enjoy!  Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.  Thanks!

Jennifer

Summer - Week 2

First - the fun news.  Here's the list of planned veggies for this week:

1. Lambs quarter - this is a relative of spinach.  Most people think of it as a weed but we find it tastier than spinach.  I like it sauteed with salt & oil.  It can be eaten raw.  To prepare, remove any woody stems, wash, spin and sautee in some oil with a little salt.  Here's a link re. nutrition facts.  Here's a summary: The good: This food is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Niacin, Folate, Iron, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.
   
   Read More http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2469/2#ixzz2VBCj9hi7
2. Nettles - another unconventional offering.  Most people run away from this plant but we love it!  I generally would not serve it to so many people because it is a lot of work to harvest - due to the fact that we will be attacked by mosquitos and will also receive multiple stings (even if we wear gloves, unless maybe they're leather) from the nettles themselves.  In small quantities, they're easy to harvest.  But, since the veggies in the field aren't ready, we'll have to bite the bullet.  Long story short, this is your bonus week.  These lovelies will be prickery.  The stings do promote blood flow.  But, if you don't want to deal with being stung, wear gloves or just plunge the leaves in cold water and scoop out with a spoon or sieve.  Then sautee in oil and salt.  They sometimes have a lobster flavor.  There's a good nettles soup recipe on our blog page as well.  Here is the nutritional info for nettles.  This shows they have a huge amount of Vitamins A & K as well as high amounts of minerals.  Since both lambs quarter and nettles are native to our area, they are said to have high amounts of antioxidants which are most applicable to our area as well (i.e. they've adapted to the pollution here and can help boost our immune systems via their strength).  I don't have a degree in nutrition but I have read this in many places.  http://skipthepie.org/ethnic-foods/stinging-nettles-blanched-northern-plains-indians/
3. Some sort of greens mix - probably a mix of young kohl rabi leaves, mustard, arugula, yukina, etc.
4. A small bunch of hukurei turnips.  These are the turnips we handed out last week.  They'll probably be a big larger.  They are generally harvested at the size of a 50 cent piece to silver dollar size.  These are sweet and are generally eaten fresh - slice, salt and enjoy.  You don't need to peel them.  The leaves are also tasty so throw them in with another green and cook them.  Or you can eat them fresh if you like stronger greens.
5. A bunch or bag of sorrel.  Not sure if we'll have a lot but we'll do our best to get you enough to make a dish with.  This is also good for pesto - freshly ground with some salt.  It makes a nice condiment when served with fish (it has a lemon flavor and is quite acidic).  If we don't have enough for everyone, we might sub in pea shoots.
6. A bunch of cilantro (they're pretty small but tasty).
7. A bunch or rhubarb or some sweet peas or maybe a little of both
8. Lettuce
9. Spinach
10. Herbs.

Summer - Week 3

Hello everyone-

This is the week some people wait all year for and the reason some people join a CSA.  The week when we were able to harvest garlic scapes!

If you're not familiar with these lovelies you will be soon.   They are the curly top of the garlic plant.  You eat the entire part - bloom, stem, and all - everything that we served in the box.

You can saute them, make them into pesto (I just use oil and salt - no cheese or nuts), or pickle them.  They are milder than head garlic and sweet for garlic.  They're written up in many gourmet cooking articles and highlighted by many chefs.  What makes them so sought after is their taste but also the fact that they're only available for a short time every year since almost everyone plants their garlic at the same time (fall) and the plants try to go to seed at this time of year.  So, if you miss them now, you'll have to wait another year before you can find them again (at least from local farms).

So, this week's box contains the following:

1. Hakurei turnips - we tried to carefully sort these this week to remove wormy bulbs.  There is a root worm that likes to live in turnips and it's inevitable that they'll find them.  You can cut around them if you find them but hopefully you won't.  These are good fresh or sauteed.  The greens are good sauteed.
2. Lettuce
3. Kale - a large bunch.  Most of this is Siberian kale
4. Chard - a large bunch
5. Snap peas - eat the pod and all (Wed members will have another choice)
6. Garlic scapes!
7. Braising mix - you can use this as a salad mix but you can cook it too.  It contains kale, arugula, mustard, and turnip greens
8. Nettles - I debated about offering this again because I know many people are hesitant to use these but I had enough members tell me that they like them that we decided to harvest them one final time for everyone.  They really are good.  One member has been passing them up for 3 years and finally tried them and loved them.  If you don't want to get "stung", toss them in a bowl of cold water, pour it into a collander to drain and then throw them into your skillet or boiling water.  They make a great pesto (blanche the leaves, drain and process) or are good sauteed or you can make tea.  They have many health benefits.
9. Cilantro
10. Herbs - rosemary, oregano, thyme
11. Some spicy peppers

Thanks - please let me know if you have any questions.  Also, if you ever find that something's missing when you arrive, please leave me a note on the checkoff sheet and I'll figure out how to make it up to you.

Thanks - hope you're enjoying it all!

Also, thanks to everyone for helping spread the word about our farm.  We've added another 11 members over the past few weeks.  We still have space for 9 more if you have friends that are still thinking about it.

Jennifer

Week 1 - Summer

The summer season started off well with a pretty solid distribution.  While the number of veggies are fewer than what you'll see in the future, we tried to provide a decent quantity per person (although some were smaller than they will be after the plants get going).  Hope you enjoyed it.  I will say that the next few weeks might be a bit less as we wait for the field plants to really get growing.

Here's the list from week 1:

1. A bunch of kale or chard or cooking spinach or lambs quarter
2. A bag of lettuce
3. A bag of spinach
4. Either turnips or radishes
5. Either rhubarb or sweet peas
6. Either parsnips or pea shoots.  Pea shoots can be eaten raw (in a salad) or sauteed.
7. A bag of salad mix (this contained small salad turnips which you can treat as radishes - the leaves are pretty tasty too).  You can eat this fresh or saute - it is a mix of yukina savoy, mizuna, etc.
8. A bunch of green onions or large chives
9. A bunch of arugula
10. Herbs - some thyme, oregano and parsley
11. Spicy peppers - thai - these are very spicy.

Enjoy!

Weeks 3 - 10 - Spring

Hi -
I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted to this blog page re. "What's in the Box".  If you'd like to find out what we gave out, please go to the facebook page - here's a link:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=580382871993299&set=a.242407789124144.66809.238769632821293&type=1&theater

Thanks!

Spring - Week 2

Today's contents:

1. Spinach
2. Lettuce or salad mix
3. Grab bag cooking greens (either mustard, choi, mizuna hubrid, etc)
4. Yukina savoy - saute this or eat it fresh
5. Carrots
6. Parsnips
7. Arugula
8. Garlic
9. Spicy peppers
10. 2 c. frozen pumpkin (this is Blue Hubbard - we baked it in January and froze in baggies.  You can thaw it and serve as a side dish (heated with a little garlic or onion), use it to make a pie or serve as a sweet side dish.
11. Parsley & rosemary

Enjoy!

Spring - Week 1

Hello Everyone -

Well, the snow returned but it's still green in the hoops - welcome to our first week of spring veggies!

Reminder - today is the first day for the spring session and we will distribute weekly from now on.  Veggies will be in the garage until the weather breaks and we can move outside.  So, please park either on the cement drive or in the area in the horseshoe drive in front of the garage and enter through the laundry room door then enter the garage through the door on the left.  If it warms up, I'll open the main garage door but otherwise please feel free to come in.  If Terra, the dog, is in there, please don't let her outside.  Also, for those that are new - we have a horseshoe drive - please enter from the west and exit to the east and drive slowly in the driveway because we have animals and children that are frequently playing in front.

Today's veggie plan:

1. Parsnips
2. Carrots
3. Onions
4. Garlic
5. Napa cabbage - this will be the last of it until fall - the heads are wide this time of year (not like typically sold in the store).  Cabbage heads up when the days begin to shorten so, as the days are now getting longer, the growth pattern is changing.  Chop it all up, wash it and either eat fresh or saute - very tasty.
6. Baby choi - this is Mei Qing choi which is also tasty.  It's called "baby" but is actually just a mini variety and this is as big as it gets.  Some plants are beginning to bolt (flower).  The flowers are edible and beautiful.
7. Salad mix - probably a mix of bolting pac choi, mizuna and baby collards
8. Either arugula or spinach or maybe a little of both
9. Some rosemary and thyme
10. Spicy peppers

We hope you enjoy it!  Hope to see you between 3:30 - 6:30.  If you're here between 3:30 - 4:30 and I'm not around, I might be in the hoops seeding.  You can walk over and check it out if you'd like.

Heart of winter - distribution 2 - January 23

Hello!  We're officially into winter, I think.  With sub zero temps some of the plants in the hoops, especially the choi, are showing some wear.  We've tried to sort through it but if we missed some spots, please cut off any brown tips.

Bug alert:  There might be aphids or other bugs in the napa cabbage or the choi.  If you soak the veggies in some salt water the bugs should float to the top.  I generally just briskly swish the veggies around in water and the aphids, if there are any, let go.

Today's veggies include:

1. A quart of potatoes.  These are the last of the crop from 2012.
2. A bunch of carrots - they don't get better than this.
3. A quart of onions.  This is a bit more than we generally distribute but I thought you might like them.
4. A bunch of choi - this is optional because it really did take a beating with the freeze.  It is really very tasty even though it might look bad.  I would cook this up tonight or tomorrow night if you take it.
5. A head of napa cabbage.  Some are more like large open plants but they're still good.  I have a recipe for asian cabbage on the recipe blog that you might like to try.
6. 2 large daikon radishes.  Cut these up and eat raw or shred and make a salad or use like a root veg and add to a stew.
7. Spinach or salad mix or both if there's enough
8. Garlic
9. Rosemary
10. Thyme - if it's not dead.  Last week it looked good but the cold snap might have changed things
11. Spicy peppers - either cayenne or aji or, upon request only, ghost.  These are dried.

Heart of winter - week 1, January 9

We distributed a nice amount for our first week. The storage crops are still holding which is a good thing. Here's what was in the box:

1. Brussels sprouts or napa  cabbage
2. Leeks
3. Carrots
4. Parsnips
5. Winter squash
6. Lettuce - not great to look at but still tasty
7. Spinach
8. Large bunch of Choi
9.  Garlic
10. Rosemary
11. Spicy peppers