July 17 CSA

Amazing what a difference a little sunshine can make in our attitudes!  In 16 years of farming in WNC I've never seen rain like this.  We were able to till a few beds yesterday and seed some carrots and beets so 70 days from now, you will see carrots again.  We are seeding lots of things in trays of potting soil to transplant when the fields dry out enough to work again.  And we are working hard to save anything that survived all the rain.  Today we are weeding the sweet potatoes and celeriac.

Your box this week:
small shares:  1 bunch sweet onions, 2 bulbs of garlic, 1 lb. nicola potatoes, 1 lb. red gold potatoes, 1 head of celery, 1 sm. bag of basil, 1 1/2 lbs. patty pan squash, 3 cucumbers
regular shares: 1 bunch sweet onions, 2 bulbs of garlic, 2 lbs. nicola potatoes, 2 lbs. red gold potatoes, 1 head of celery, 1 sm. bag of basil, 1 1/2 lbs. patty pan squash, 3 cucumbers, 1 watermelon, 1 bunch white beets

everything in your box needs to be kept in the refrigerator

The nicola potatoes have a waxy texture and make great salad because of it.  They are also great roasted, fried, mashed.  The celery is more flavorful than what you'd buy in the store.  We use all the green leaves too.  I hope we will be able to give you more basil at some point but it may succumb to powdery mildew so I wanted to put some in each box this week.  The white beets are just as sweet as red ones.  They do cook a bit faster than the red ones.  The watermelons are hit or miss on sweetness because of, you guessed it, all the rain!  Even the less ripe ones are good though, used in salad or made into watermelon lemonade.

Patty Pan Squash recipe

July 10 CSA

It has been a difficult 10 days here at the farm.  We have gotten 13 inches of rain since Monday July 1.  The creek has gotten into part of our field twice.  There are areas of 1 foot deep standing water just because the ground cannot soak up any more rain water.  We spent part of yesterday sucking water from the field with our irrigation pump only to have it rain 1 more inch in the afternoon.  Our crop losses are significant though we are not experiencing complete devastation.  We harvested all the garlic only to find that most if not all of it is fermenting from too much water.  We are hopeful about some of it and are trying to cure that.    4 beds of carrots and 3 beds of beets are rotting in the ground which translates to 4 weeks worth of those vegetables in your boxes.  Some of the varieties of potatoes are rotting in the ground because they are in standing water 6 inches under ground.  The early tomatoes have late blight which we have been trying to combat but now the fruits are just so waterlogged they fall off the plants with white foamy fermenting water coming out of them.  We are holding our breath about the storage onions and hoping for things to dry out and the sun to shine and get things growing again.
As soon as possible, we will be working in the fields again.  We will plant lots more vegetables. There are losses we cannot regain this year in garlic and onions but plenty of other things to eat. The melons and winter squash are looking good so far.  The peppers, okra, and eggplant look good.  And the fall crops look great.

Your box this week:
small shares:  1lb. green beans, 2lbs. red gold new potatoes, 2lbs. zephyr squash, 1lb. lemon cucumbers, 1/2lb pickle cucumbers, 1 bunch of torpedo onions, 1 bulb garlic, 1 zucchini
regular shares:  2lbs. green beans, 4lbs. red gold new potatoes, 2lbs. zephyr squash, 1 lb. lemon cukes, 1/2 lb. pickle cukes, 1 lb. tomatoes, 1 bunch torpedo onions, 2 bulbs garlic.

Everything should be stored in your refrigerator.  The garlic is for using now.  Do not try to cure it.

Lemon cucumbers are the round yellowish-green fruits in your box.  They are really great in salads or just eaten by themselves.
Check this link for some good recipes with squash: 
www.thekitchn.com/recipe-potato-squash-and-goat-90647

Aaron cleaning torpedo onions

Laying out the garlic to cure

July 3 CSA

 

Your box this week:

1 bunch mixed color carrots, 1 bunch beets (some are mix colors, some are all chiogga), 1 bunch of sweet onions, 2 heads of fresh garlic, 1 small head of red cabbage, 2 lbs. cucumbers, 2 lb. mix of zephyr and patty pan squash (value $19)

"Regular" boxes also get:

2 costata romenesca zucchini, 2 fennel bulbs, and 1 pint of blueberries (value $29)

     Carrots, beets, and sweet onions will all keep well in your fridge for a week or more but you need to remove the tops if you're going to keep them longer than 2 days.  The tops start to go bad faster than the roots and will make the roots go bad.  The garlic is uncured and should be kept in your fridge and used within 3 weeks.  You can use it just like cured garlic however the flavor is slightly milder and it is MUCH easier to peel.  Cabbage, cucumbers, and squash all need to be kept in your fridge and eaten within the week.  The patty pan squash is the round cup-like squash and has a very sweet flavor.  The zephyr is the long yellow with green tip squash; also quite sweet and tender.  The costata romanesca in the regular boxes is an open pollinated squash with a sweet and mildly nutty flavor that holds its form and texture well when cooked.   It is the light green deeply ribbed long squash.                                                                                                        

     We hoped to put new potatoes in the boxes this week for 4th of July but we had such a heavy rain on Monday night that we could not get into the potato field today to dig them.  You can look forward to some creamy new potatoes next week!                                                                                   

    The sweet onions are one of our most anticipated vegetables of the year.  The variety name is Ailsa Craig.  They do not "cure" well so we only have them fresh with the tops on and then for a little while we'll have those that we can store in our walk-in and dole out until they're gone.  They are very mild and taste great raw in any salad.  They are also delicious lightly sauteed or grilled.     

Check this great and simple recipe for beets: 

It is good using the sweet onions and with some goat or feta cheese sprinkled on top.                      

 http://allrecipes.com/recipe/roasted-beets-and-sauteed-beet-greens/

Thanks to those of you who came out last weekend to see the farm!  It means a lot to us that you came!

June 26 CSA

Boxes this first week of summer include:
small shares:  2 lbs summer squash (some zucchini, some zephyr), 1 lb. pickling cucumbers, 1 english cucumber, 1 bunch of red onions, 2 garlic bulbs, 1 pint blueberries! (value $18)
regular shares get all the above plus:  a second pint of blueberries, 1/2lb. of basil, 1 bunch carrots (value $32)

Addiebelle is our resident berry picker and eater.  It is hard to keep up with her appetite for whichever berry is in season, but we managed to pick more than she can eat so enjoy!  The bushes were really loaded this morning.

The pickling cucumbers are great for eating fresh.  The skins are tender enough to eat and the seeds are small.  We eat them in salads, on sandwiches, in salsas.  The english cucumbers are amazingly sweet and have very tender skin.  They are also great for salads and great for juicing.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=42
Check the above link for info about the nutrition value in cucumbers.

Marinated Summer Squash Salad
you make this 24 hours before you plan to eat it.
no cooking required

-thinly slice zucchini or summer squash into long flat slices and place in a bowl
-mince 2 or 3 cloves of garlic (for 6 medium size squash) and add to zucchini
-sprinkle with salt and black pepper
-coarsley chop or tear a few sprigs of basil and parsley and add to bowl
-drizzle with olive oil
-combine all ingredients and taste to see if you like the amount of salt (add more if you need)
-cover and refrigerate for 24 hours

this makes a fine side dish with any meal; it can also be grilled and served hot or cold

Hoeing Okra this morning

The onion field

June 19 CSA

We are starting to feel like its summer!  The weeds are growing at a rapid pace and we are trying our best to keep up.  The first tomatoes are starting to blush slightly.  We picked the first cucumbers today so they will be in abundance next week and you'll see them in your box.

Your box this week: 
small shares:  1 head of sugarloaf radicchio, 2 lbs. summer squash, 1/2 lb. broccoli, 2 fennel bulbs, 1 bunch long red onions, 2 bulbs of garlic, 1 bunch of rainbow chard
regular shares:  all the same as the small share plus 1 bunch of beets, 1 lb. of cauliflower, 2 english cucumbers

Sugarloaf radicchio is the oblong light green head.  It is in the chicory family so it has a bitterness to it.  It is delicious as a bitter salad green.  It's also great brushed with  olive oil and sprinkled with salt and grilled.  The combination of radicchio, blue cheese, toasted walnuts, fresh pear, and balsamic vinegar as a salad is outrageously good too!
Some of your squash is "baby" size.  We have been cutting those in half lengthwise and sauteeing with some onion, parsley, and salt and pepper.  So Good!
This is the last fennel you'll get.  Try making fennel risotto if you have time.  It is also good grilled.  http://www.food.com/recipe/fennel-pea-risotto-360690
Check out this recipe for fennel. For those of you who don't eat meat, this is great without the chicken!
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/crispy-braised-chicken-thighs-with-olives-lemon-and-fennel

Everything in your box needs to be kept in the refrigerator.

A reminder about the CSA party at the farm on June 29th from 3 to 7.  We are going to grill a bunch of stuff and have all the fixings for tacos.  Please come out and see where your food is growing.  Let us know if you plan on coming so we prepare enough food!  We hope you can make it!

June 12 CSA

Open Garden on June 29th 3-7 come out and see where it all comes from.  RSVP so that we will know how many to expect, we will have light food and drinks, byob

We are finally planting sweet potatoes after getting the field ready between rain storms the last 2 weeks!  I'm excited !  We are planting japanese (purple skin and yellow/white flesh, covingtons (orange), o'henry's (white), and all purple.  We will harvest these in mid to late September.  Farming is a combination of living in the moment and trying to see 3 months in the future and plan a year out...

Anyway, your box this week:
small shares:  1 head of green bibb lettuce, 1 bunch arugula, 1/2 lb. spinach, 1 bulb fennel, 1 bunch red scallions, 1 bunch green garlic, 1 pint strawberries  (value $15.50)
regular shares:  1 head green bibb lettuce, 1 bunch arugula, 1 lb. spinach, 2 bulbs fennel, 1 bunch red scallions, 1 bunch green garlic, 1 pint strawberries, 1 lb. yellow squash, 1 lb. broccoli, 1 bag curly kale (value $29)
All items will keep best in the refrigerator.
Soon to come to all boxes are broccoli, summer squash, beets, and carrots.  This week is probably the last lettuce you'll get for a couple months.

Strawberry Bibb Salad
-wash the lettuce, dry, and tear into pieces of desired size
-slice strawberries and add to lettuce in a bowl along with some crumbled blue cheese
-toast almonds in a dry cast iron skillet over medium heat (when you can start to smell them they are toasted);  let cool and add to salad
-make a dressing of:
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp maple syrup
salt and black pepper to taste
-dress and toss the salad and enjoy!

The view from the seats of the transplanter.  Aaron driving.

Addiebelle and Cyril!

June 5 2013

Boxes this week contain:
1 head green bibb lettuce, 1 head romaine lettuce, 1 bunch of yellow onions, 1 bunch of garlic scapes, 1 small fennel bulb, 1 kohlrabi, 1 bag of kale, 1 pint of strawberries.
Regular shares also have:  3/4 lb. of little cauliflowers, 3/4 lb. baby squash and zucchini, 1 bunch of arugula.

Garlic scapes are what would become the flower on a garlic plant.  We remove them so the plant puts its energy into growing a bigger bulb.  It just so happens that they are a delicious treat as well!  They are far milder than garlic cloves but can be used in all dishes that you would use garlic.  They are used well in pesto as well as sauteed or roasted.  We like to saute a couple of them and add to kale.

Everything in your box this week will keep best in the refrigerator.  The romaine should be eaten sooner than the bibb.

ROASTED GARLIC SCAPES with POTATOES
cut 5 scapes into 2 inch long pieces (using all parts but the flat bit beyond the pale yellow/green bulbous portion)
peel 3 to 5 russet potatoes and cut into long 1/2 inch thick strips
combine the scapes and potatoes and toss with olive oil and salt n pepper
roast at 425 degrees for 20 minutes or so (until taters are golden brown and scapes are sizzling)

KOHLRABI and FENNEL SALAD
remove leaves from1 kohlrabi and peel
julienne the kohlrabi
slice 1 fennel bulb thinly, starting at the bottom of the bulb and going up until you hit the leaves
combine the kohlrabi and fennel in a bowl
sprinkle lightly with salt
make a dressing of 1 T extra virgin olive oil, juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 tsp. mustard (like dijon), and black pepper to taste
toss the dressing with

the veggies and let sit 30 minutes before eating