May 27 or 30 BoxGarlic scapes

This weeks' small box contents:  1 head of "winter density" lettuce, 1 bunch of kale, 1 bunch of scallions, 1 bunch of garlic scapes, 1 bunch of cilantro, 1 pound of broccoli heads or 3/4 pounds of florets.

This weeks' regular box contents:  all the above and 1 head of napa cabbage, 1 bunch of "early wonder tall top" beets, 1 pint of sugar snap peas.

Those of you who pick up on Saturdays, I am sorry you got less strawberries last week.  They have just come to a screeching halt.  We put in a half pound of spinach to make up for it. 

The lettuce in your box is a romaine/bibb cross.  It is a delicious, crisp lettuce.
Kale, kale, kale.  Its growing so well this spring that we're putting it in the box again.  Next week we'll pick you a different green.
The garlic scapes are what would become the garlic flower if we left them on the plant.  They have a very mild garlic flavor.  They are excellent sauteed and added to anything you put garlic in, or a pizza topping, or pesto.

Garlic Scape and Cilantro Pesto
Wash the cilantro well! (it was muddy in the field today)
Rinse the garlic scapes
Put both the cilantro and scapes in food processor with:
2 to 4 T olive oil
salt to taste
juice from 1/2 lemon

This is a good dip, spread, or sauce for chicken or steak.

Click on this link for some kale salad ideas:
Several Kale Salad Recipes

Garlic Scapes

May 20 or May 23

This weeks' small share contains:  1 bunch of siberian kale, 1 bunch of scallions, 1 head of bok choi, 1 head of frisee, 1 head of lettuce, 2 pints of strawberries.
The regular shares contain:  1 bunch of siberian kale, 1 bunch of scallions, 1 head of bok choi, 1 head of frisee, 1 head of lettuce, 3 pints of strawberries, 1 pound of broccoli, 1/2 pound of spinach, 1 bunch of oregano.

The kale and scallions are together in one bag and the bok choi, frisee, and lettuce are together in another bag.  You either got little gem lettuce or romaine.  The little gem is a very compact, crisp lettuce that makes a great salad.  The frisee is the light green, very frilly head and is a mild endive that is great raw in salad.  The siberian kale makes good kale chips as well as steamed or sauteed greens.

Here are 2 salads we've been enjoying this week:
Frisee Salad:
1 head of frisee
1/2 head of lettuce
ume plum vinegar
extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar
1 scallion
pecans
molasses
strawberries or raisins
salt and pepper
1.cut the frisee into individual leaves and wash
2.tear half a head of lettuce into individual leaves and wash
3.while waiting for the greens to dry, heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat and toast 1 to 2 cups of pecans until they start to brown and become fragrant.  while still in the warm skillet, sprinkle with salt and drizzle lightly with molasses, stirring to evenly coat.  remove from skillet and let cool.
4. make a dressing of equal parts extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, a dash of ume plum vinegar and 1 to 2 scallions, white part only, sliced thinly. (use the green part of the scallion with the greens in the salad)
5.combine all ingredients with 1 cup of raisins or a few strawberries sliced thinly and freshly ground black pepper and enjoy!

Bok Choi Salad
1.Cut 1 head of bok choi into individual leaves, wash, and shake off excess water.
2.Slice thinly across the grain all the white part and the leaves.
3.Place in a bowl along with 2 scallions white and green parts sliced thinly.
4.Chop 2 dried chiles de arbol or use crushed red pepper.  sprinkle over salad.
5.Drizzle 1 tablespoon of tamari, 1 teaspoon of honey and 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar over the salad.
6.Toast 1/2 cup of sesame seeds in a skillet over medium heat until they start to pop and pour over salad while still hot.  Toss the salad and enjoy!

Winter Squash seed just germinating.  Notice how the seed casing still clings the edge of some leaves.

CSA LOGISTICS

I will try to impart details and information here that you may need to refer back to over the season.

WAX BOXES and CLOTH BAGS:
Wax boxes and cloth bags need to be returned empty each week when you pick-up your new box.  The wax boxes cost us $1.50 each and are meant to be re-used all season.   They are coated in wax to protect the vegetables and to increase their life span.  The wax will melt and render them useless if you leave them in the hot sun!  Also, if you have pets who shed, please store your box where their hair won't get stuck to the box; it is nearly impossible to get it off.  The cloth bags we made to cut down on use of plastic bags.  Please please please return them every week!  We will wash them and reuse them the following week.

MISSING A PICK-UP
If you know you are going to be gone and can't pick up your box, you have options!
1.  Have someone else pick it up.  Be sure they know your name and our farm name so they come to the right market stand. 
2.  Email or text Anne that you won't be getting a box.  For Wednesday pick-ups you have to let me know by 6pm Monday.  For Saturday pick-ups you have to let me know by 6pm Thursday.  We will then give you credit for that box and you can  choose to get an extra box later in the season or use the credit at the market stand.  It will have to spent all at once ($15 for small shares, $24 for regular) so that I don't have to keep up with nickels and dimes.

CATAWBA PICK-UPs
If you are picking up at Catawba, you'll talk to the bartender who will check off your name, give you your box and tell you where to put your empty box.  If you don't pick-up your box, the bartender will take it home at the end of the shift.  We do not go back there and get full boxes that didn't get picked up!  They are open 2pm to 10pm and you can go any time during those hours.

MARKET PICK-UPS
If you send someone else to get your box, please be sure they know our Farm's name and your name.  It eliminates much confusion!
If you fail to get to market for your box, we bring it back to the farm and keep it in the walk-in cooler until after the next market.  IT IS UP TO YOU to make arrangements to come get your box or have it brought to the next market.  If it's still in the cooler after the next market, we compost the contents.
If the pick-up you have chosen isn't working for you, please let us know and we'll switch you to another one!

May 13 first CSa of 2015!

First Box of the Year Contents:
small:  1 pound of broccoli, 1 bunch of dill, 1/2# of arugula, 1/2# of spinach, 1 bunch of kale, 1 pint of strawberries
regular:  1 pound of broccoli, 1 bunch of dill, 1# of arugula, 1# of spinach, 1 bunch of kale, 3 pints of strawberries, 1 purple kohlrabi, 1 bunch of mustard greens.

If you don't eat your arugula and spinach right away, they need to be spun or strained to remove excess water or they won't keep well.  We try to pick the berries at peak ripeness so please enjoy them today or freeze them.  You will notice little holes in the kale, arugula, and mustards.  These are caused by a little insect called a flea beetle.  They are tiny and love to eat members of the brassica family just as much as we do.  They will not harm you in any way.  We choose not to spray anything to kill them because it would require what is called a "broad spectrum" insecticide.  These would kill all insects present including lady bugs, honey bees, spiders.

We harvested broccoli from a few different varieties in order to have enough for all the boxes.  You may have broccoli with a few leaves attached or very small florets on long stems.  These two varieties are meant to be eaten stem and leaves and all either steamed or sauteed!
We have been enjoying arugula pesto as a pasta sauce, sandwich spread, pizza topping, dip for carrots and broccoli.   Arugula Pesto Recipe
I am going to post this so you can know what to expect in your boxes.  Look for another post today or tomorrow with important details about the CSA!

Catherine, Hayley, and Geff harvesting Kale

Winter

Winter, though officially here for quite some time now, has made itself well known this week.  I'm sure everyone has their own tale of stress and worry related to this unusually cold weather.  Ours is of keeping cows and chickens warm and fed and small plants above freezing.

We plan to have our cows calving in January, February and March so the calves are born before fly and worm season.  It has been a good plan for years now but this weeks' cold temperatures give us pause.  A calf born outside in these temps would have a slim chance of survival.  For the first time in the 9 years Aaron and I have had cows, we begged the use of our neighbors' barn to give shelter to a newborn calf and his mother as well as expectant mothers.  What a relief to see them cozy in there with lots of hay to bed down in!

We decided to go ahead with our seeding plan for the greenhouse even though the forecast told us we would have a big job keeping it warm enough.  We heat some of our benches with a propane hot water heater that pumps hot water thru hoses directly below the seedling trays.  It works really well but twice this week Aaron has had to making plumbing repairs because of frozen pipes.  We heat the air with a wood stove that is keeping the place barely above freezing.  

The chickens...the silly chickens seem not to notice the cold.  They stand in the water trough drinking as ice is forming around the edges of the pan.  And they go to their nesting boxes and lay eggs even today when the high was 13 degrees!

In spite of it all, beets germinate in the hoop-house under floating row cover and the cows give birth to fuzzy coated babies.

Today while 10 degrees and sunny outside, I donned my quilted coveralls and went out to be sure the chickens had water and to collect eggs before they froze.  I went to the heated greenhouse to water newly seeded onions and brassicas.  When I pulled the "inner greenhouse" off of the seeded flats, I was greeted by just sprouting kohlrabi and broccoli.  It really warmed my heart to see those new plants pushing up thru the soil when it is so cold outside and spring feels so far away.  I threw a few logs in the wood stove and headed back to the comfort of our warm house and happy children.

All this is to say, we are doing it again.  We are ready to grow vegetables again.  We have our seeds ordered and our tractors serviced.  We will be back at market and filling CSA boxes with beautiful, fresh vegetables again before we know it!

Beets sprouting in the hoop-house

French Breakfast radishes and drip irrigation under row cover in the hoop-house.

Addiebelle seeding lettuce in the hoop-house.

Cyril holding court

Billy, aka Star Onion, come down from Virginia to help us get the onions going

Addiebelle, Softheart, and Mary

Boss Hog models the warmth of the heated benches where the onions will germinate.

Tinna Winna and the Garlic Crop insulated by ice

A new member of the herd gets his legs under him in the icy pasture.

October 15 or 18 extended CSA

First extended box contains:  1 bunch each of beets, rutabagas, tonda di parigi carrots, dill, radishes; 2 bok choy, 1 head escarole, 1 long island cheese pumpkin, 1 pint of snow peas, 2# mix of red and yellow onions.

The carrots are best for roasting.  Their flavor really comes out when cooked.  The pumpkin will keep for a few months so you don't need to worry about cooking it right away.
I made a good salad the other day of: 
1 pint of snow peas, ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 bunch of radishes, ends trimmed and radish cut into thin wedges and greens cut into 1 inch pieces
1 carrot, julienned
1 small red onion cut in thin slices
dressing:
1 T ume plum vinegar
1T red wine vinegar
2 T olive oil
splash of lime juice
splash of tamari
black pepper

PUMPKIN SOUP
6 cups roasted pumpkin (to roast pumpkin, cut into large pieces and bake face down on pan with a little water in 350 degree oven for an hour or until soft)
4 T butter or olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
3 cloves minced garlic
1T smoked paprika
1/2tsp cumin
pinch of cayenne
Melt the butter and saute onions, garlic, and spices until translucent.
To them add:
1 apple chopped
4 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
1 cup water
the pumpkin (I use the skin too in soup)
Let this all cook together for 20 minutes then puree.
Return to a pot and add:
1 cup milk
1/2 cup cream
1/2tsp thyme
1 sprig sage
salt and pepper to taste
Warm to desired temperature and eat!

click on the link below for:
Braised Escarole Recipe

The picture below shows a tool called a "middle-buster" that we use to dig sweet potatoes (among other things).  It pulls most of them to the surface so we can pick them up and see the rest of the clump still in the ground.  We successfully dug the whole crop yesterday and are pleased with the yield and the quality of the roots.  They are now all tucked away in our basement "curing room" where they will sit at 75 degrees for 10 days to toughen their skin so they can be handled without scraping off their skin.  Also during that time the starches will convert to sugars making them sweet.  You'll be seeing some of each variety we grew in your boxes later.

Digging Sweet Potatoes 

October 8 or 11 Box

Danver's Half Long Carrots

Your last regular season CSA box for 2014! small share contains:
2# german butterball potatoes, 1 bunch hakurei turnips, 1 bunch danver's half long carrots, 1 bliss pumpkin, 1 black radish, 1 bulb of garlic and 1 shallot, 1 pint edamame.
Regular shares contain:  4# german butterballs, 1 turnip, 1 carrot, 1 pumpkin, 2-3 black radish, 2 garlic bulb, 1 shallot, 1 quart edamame, 1 bunch beets.

Thank you for participating in our farm share this year!  You have helped us get up and going last spring, kept us going thru the summer, and seen us to the fall.  Because of our responsibility to fill your box each week, we stayed motivated to get things seeded, weeded, planted, and watered on time.  I hope you enjoyed it as much as we have!  We love what we're doing and you help make it possible for us to continue on this adventure! Thank you, thank you!

The german butterball potatoes and bliss pumpkin can be kept for a month or more if you so desire.  The potatoes have a yellow flesh and are great mashed (as well as all other ways you like potatoes).  The pumpkin is, in my opinion, DELICIOUS!  I steamed one in a pot on the stove the other night to see how they are because it is a variety I haven't grown before and I was impressed.  So much so I think we'll grow more of them and less of other varieties next year.  It was great plain and would make excellent pie or soup.
The turnips are a mild variety, great eaten raw in a salad or dipped in pesto.  They are also great caramelized.  The greens are good eating too!

Black Radish Salad
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 large or 2 to 3 small black radishes
1 shallot, cut paper thin
1 T olive oil
salt
1. combine lemon juice and mustard and add oil slowly while beating with a whisk until it emulsifies.
2. grate the radish and add radish and shallot to the above.
3. salt to taste, toss, and eat immediately.

Hakurei Turnips

Bliss Pumpkins