Week 10: A little relief and tomato glory and FULL MOON POTLUCK-THURSDAY!!!!!!!

Honey Fest success: Thank you to everyone who came out to our first HoneyFest on Saturday. It was a hot one, but the bees were calm and the day was fine. We listened to Scott Navaroli talk about bees and their care (it is livestock husbandry!) and got to see him open up some hives. He also had an observation hive inside the barn where we could all see the Queen going about her daily business (of laying eggs and being adored by her court). There were tastings and gorgeous food by Culinary Underground including a Honey Butter beer that knocked your socks off and Honey Bacon scones. Yum! Facepainting and crafts and then honey being extracted from the hives! It was a great day.

Full Moon Potluck is upon us this week! Come join us on Thursday for a little farm food and company. Bring your favorite farm inspired dish to share with the group. We will have tomato salad, s'mores and smiles for you! Starts at 7pm!!!!

It is a tad bit cooler out there, and we got some pretty intense thunderstorms, but it is shocking how dry the soil still is. I noticed a distinct change in the soil temperature today as we dug potatoes, but it was still bone dry. I've heard a rumor that we would actually need a tropical storm to replace the soil moisture and rebuild the water tables in our soil at this point.

I hate chipmunks and ninety degree plus weather for the same reason. They both make for difficulty farming. At temperatures over ninety degrees most fruiting plants will abandon new flowers before or just after pollination so that they can concentrate their energy on growing the fruits they have. Other plants like to flower at this temperature, especially if their main season is in the cooler parts of the year. Lettuces and other greens tend to flower as soon as the weather gets hot and even though we've been domesticating them for centuries, some base natures are difficult to change. Hence, lettuce and broccoli bolts into flower at ninety and above temperatures. It's so frustrating to grow something from seed, transplant it lovingly into the fields and then weed and watch it grow for months only to have it flower before it is even big enough to harvest.


In Your Share (maybe):
Tomatoes
Melon (hopefully and they are smaller than we like)
Potatoes
Eggplant (limited)
Summer Squash (going down.....and chipmunks ate the other planting and all the rest of our seed, so we probably will have very limited squash for the rest of the season)
Lettuce of some kind or another.
Carrots
Celery
Pick Your Own:
Beans are going strong! Pick a mixed third of a bag. Parsley and other herbs are looking beautiful out there. The okra needs to rest this week so please leave it be. I promise to grow more next year, I had NO idea that it would be so popular. Chili peppers are NOT ready. I know it is hard to resist their spicy catcalling but there isn't enough to give out to everyone yet. Soon.

Upcoming Events:

August 18th 7-9pm, free Full Moon Potluck. Bring a farm inspired dish to share with us! We will have the campfire and grill going.
September 3rd 10am-12pm Meet the Farmer. I will have a craft and some fun farmy thing to share with my community. Maybe we will do some preserving of farm produce. Come join the farm team for a morning of fun!
September 16th 6-9pm Farm Dinner- Fancier than our potlucks, join us for a gorgeous farm inspired meal, tasty beverages, dessert, lawn games and live music. Reservations required for this dinner so that we know how much food to cook! And we don't want you to miss out so check out www.thetrustees.org or email kbaker@thetrustees.org for more info.

In case you didn't already know this, tomatoes are one of my favorite things to grow and to eat. We grow a lot of big round red slicers and some pretty pink slicers, but we also grow a lot of funky heirlooms (a lot less than the 75 varieties I once grew! We are down to about 25 now :) )
Here's a short primer on some of the more unusual:

Pruden's Purple

Northampton Italian
 

Rose de Berne

Black Zebra & Indian Moon

Mystery Yellow Beauty

 

Black from Tula

Japanese Black Trifele

Recipes of the Week:

Caprese Salad
I was shocked last week that some folks have never tried this hot weather staple (at least it is in my house). You can dress it up however you like, with olives and fancy balsamic vinegar reductions, but we just eat it drizzled with olive oil, flaky salt and balsamic vinegar. Most times, we don't even bother with bread or forks but eat it with our hands- thick slices of cheese and tomato and juice running down our fingers and faces. My kids are like sharks when I lay a plate of this down on the table.
Ingredients:
1lb of Fresh Mozzarella, sliced
3-4 or 5 tomatoes, sliced in 1/3" thickness- the more varieties and colors the better
A sweet basil leaf (green or purple) for each slice of tomato
olive oil, sea salt, balsamic vinegar or your favorite viniagrette dressing works too!
Other optional add-ins: Pesto, Olives of all kinds, cherry tomatoes, crusty bread, capers, avocado slices, etc.
Assemble a platter with alternating slices of cheese, tomato, basil. All other ingredients should be tossed about prettily or placed on the side for adding in. Drizzle with olive oil and a little balsamic or dressing. sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Try to control yourself while eating.....it's hard.

From abeautifulplate.com Check out more gorgeous and delicious recipes here.

SPAGHETTINI WITH ROASTED TOMATOES, FRESH BASIL, AND TOASTED GARLIC BREADCRUMBS

YIELD: 4-6 SERVINGS

PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES

COOK TIME: 30 MINUTES

TOTAL TIME: 40 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS:

Roasted Tomatoes:

• 2.5 lbs small heirloom tomatoes or large cherry tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 6 large cloves of garlic, smashed
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Crispy Garlic Breadcrumbs:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium shallot, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Spaghettini: 

• 3/4 lb dried spaghettini pasta (otherwise known as 'thin spaghetti)
• 2 ounces fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnishing
• extra virgin olive oil
• parmigiano-reggiano cheese, for serving

DIRECTIONS:

1. Roast Tomatoes: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Bring a large pot (8 quarts or larger) of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Rinse the tomatoes and pat them dry. Place the tomatoes and smashed garlic cloves on a large baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Spread them out on the baking sheet. Roast the tomatoes for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping them every 5 to 10 minutes or so, until they are soft and have just begun to collapse. Meanwhile, prepare the breadcrumb topping.
2. Prepare Breadcrumb Topping: In a small skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the chopped shallot and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the shallots have softened and become translucent. Add the panko breadcrumbs and chopped garlic. Reduce the heat to low and toast the breadcrumbs for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent the breadcrumbs from burning--or until they are golden and fragrant. Remove from heat and place the breadcrumbs in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and set aside.
3. While the tomatoes finish roasting (and the breadcrumbs are prepared), boil the dried pasta until al dente. In the last minute or so of cooking, add the fresh basil leaves to the pasta water. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water (avoid any basil leaves), and drain the pasta. Place the pasta (with basil) back into the pot and drizzle with olive oil. Add the warm, roasted tomatoes and toss gently. Add reserved pasta water as necessary.
4. Garnish each pasta serving with basil (torn or sliced into thin ribbons), a generous sprinkling of toasted garlic breadcrumbs, and serve with freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese.