Week 8: Insects and Diseases- What’s the Plan?

The Black Swallowtail caterpillar loves to eat fennel and carrots, but we don't mind too much

So the end of July and beginning of August is when all the “troubles” on the farm come to a real head. The weeds are in full swing and the crop plants are in high competition with them for nutrients, root space and breathing room.  We farmers are in high harvesting mode- because the fresher the veggies, the better they taste and the happier our customers (you) are. This means that the native weeds have the advantage- they resist all kinds of diseases, fungus, insects and nutrient deficiencies because they’ve been around the block for a couple thousand years getting used to the neighborhood. Our crop plants are all fragile. Super fragile. We do nothing but babysit them from seed to harvest. And even with all our skill, we can’t protect them from everything. They will be attacked by pests, diseases and fungus no matter what we do. As organic farmers, we rely on our ability to keep our plants healthy to deal with most troubles that arise, but in a wet year, this is harder than ever. Rain coming from the sky leaches critical nutrients, thunderstorms blow disease and fungus up from the south. Insects thrive in the cooler wetter environs. So what do we do? We fight wherever we can. A lot of the combat starts in the winter planning phase which is where we plan where all of next season’s plants are going to grow. We rotate crops to areas where they haven’t grown in a season or two or three in order to break the cycles of insects and disease. We plan areas for beneficial insect sanctuaries around the farm, for example we leave flower garden stalks standing in the fields for the winter to provide safe hollow stemmed homes.

During the season, we sometimes use insecticides derived from plant based materials or bacteria that attack the insects’ systems, peroxides for fungus, add more fertility boost for disease and health.  (all the products we use are certified for use in organic production). Mostly we use plant health and we pick pests off one by one….we cheer and do a little happy dance when a great blue heron arrives one morning and then another and then another to eat her fill on mice and voles in our tomato fields.

PEAK SEASON SHARES now available!!! Hey everyone- time to reach out to your friends and

neighbors and tell them all about how much you are loving CSA!!! We are offering our 10 week Peak Season share once again this year in two sizes. They can sign up online. Help us reach the last of our budget goals for this year and send a friend our way.  We start adding new folks on August 21st!!!!

What’s in Your Share this Week (maybe):

• ·         Kale, green curly
• ·         Chard, rainbow
• ·         New Potatoes
• ·         Beets- red, chiogga & golden
• ·         Fresh Onions
• ·         Summer squash
• ·         Eggplant
• ·         Broccoli
• ·         Green & Red Cabbage
• ·         Cucumbers (still limited….ach)
• ·         Fennel
• ·         Carrots
• ·         Fresh Celery (use this in place of parsley in any recipe or make the best tabbouleh you’ve ever had)

Upcoming Events:

·       

  Friday Farm Dinner on August 4^th! Get your tickets now because the food will be amazing. See the menu at right. Sign up here. https://goo.gl/UNG623 Even if it rains, we have the tent and it will be incredible! See you there.

·         Our Little Sprouts Program is transitioning into a popup program that will happen during Tuesday CSA pick ups, so while you pick up your veggies and take a little lingering time in the PYO flowers for the perfect bouquet…let the kids help Kira explore the farm, plant and create in the Learning Garden and maybe go on a short hike to visit the goats (or a short hike with a goat!!!!!)

Nature Journaling Course- August 3^rd from 10:30-11:30am. Sketching, writing, and drawing in a journal is a great way to improve children's observation skills, help them gain an interest in science and the environment, and it's a wonderful way to relax during a busy summer. Journaling materials will be provided to each participant and staff will lead groups of kids and adults out onto the farm to find new places to explore and observe. This program is suitable for all ages with a focus on children ages 5-10. The cost is for anyone journaling with us and includes materials. Cost is $12/member child (adults are Free but must hang with their child). To register: https://goo.gl/yi6r4F or come by the farmstand and we will help you out.

Farmstand:

You can’t have come to the barn last week without seeing Chelsea Bradway’s beautiful photos gracing the main wall of the barn. All Things Sparkly will have her photos on display for the summer and you can buy different size prints in the farmstand. https://www.facebook.com/allthingssparkleyphotography/

Veggie of the week:

Eggplant is one of my favorite things. Even when I was a kid, and a terrible, horrible, ‘I only want white food’ kind of eater, I loved my mom’s eggplant parmesan. LOVED IT. Loved the way the eggplant soaked up the olive oil and lent it’s earthy, sweet flavor to the dish. I love the way it went with the creamy cheeses, garlic, basil and tomatoes. Little did I know that I was actually slightly odd for a kid- to love eggplant- and then to casually try all kind of eggplant. I like it on pizza, in curry, braised in coconut milk, roasted on the grill, as baba ganouj. And my kids like it too, funny how that works. I made eggplant rollatini the other night for dinner, using the huge Tuscan basil leaves to help wrap the ricotta into the thin slices of baked eggplant. It was so good. The kids stuffed themselves….

I usually only make baba ganouj after I’ve made a lot of grilled eggplant for dinner- which we do, along with long slices of summer squash and zucchini- as a popular summer dinner here at the farm. This spread is a perfect use for the leftovers for sandwiches the next day or for the endless summer potlucks.

Baba Ganouj

• 1 large eggplant
• ¹⁄₄ cup tahini, plus more as needed
• 3 garlic cloves (or a small head, coated in olive oil and roasted in foil on the grill along with the eggplant)
• ¹⁄₄ cup fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed
• 1 pinch ground cumin
• salt, to taste
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Optional:  ¹⁄₄ cup brine-cured black olives, such as Kalamata or Roasted red peppers

Directions

1. Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill.
2. Preheat an oven to 375°F.
3. Prick the eggplant with a fork in several places and place on the grill rack 4 to 5 inches from the fire.
4. Grill, turning frequently, until the skin blackens and blisters and the flesh just begins to feel soft, 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Transfer the eggplant to a baking sheet and bake until very soft, 15 to 20 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, and peel off and discard the skin.
7. Place the eggplant flesh in a bowl.
8. Using a fork, mash the eggplant to a paste.
9. Add the 1/4 cup tahini, the garlic, the 1/4 cup lemon juice and the cumin and mix well.
10. Season with salt, then taste and add more tahini and/or lemon juice, if needed.
11. Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl and spread with the back of a spoon to form a shallow well.
12. Drizzle the olive oil over the top and sprinkle with the parsley.
13. Place the olives around the sides.
14. Serve at room temperature.

    

    Morning milking light

    
    

Week 7: What’s the deal with the Summer Squash?

sunset in the summer at the farm

I love summer squash- it is one of my favorite vegetable so the summer season and I have NEVER had it not do well. In fact, we are usually swimming in summer squash and zucchini for most of the heat of the summer. Even in a severe drought, we brought in hundreds of pounds of squash at each harvest. This year, however, we put our first planting in the ground usual and then watched in confusion as more than half of it withered and died or refused to grow at all. We immediately started our second planting in the greenhouse and then we started trying to nurse our ailing first planting to some sort of health. I brought our sprayer on line and tried out some new special foliar potions on the plants. The healthy ones immediately looked better, and it took a little time, but many of the ‘stalled’ plants started to grow and put out flowers and fruits. It hasn’t been a full on recovery at this point, with most of the plants already dead, but we will have some squash to tide us through until the next planting (which is in the ground and growing well) starts to fruit.

We are also seeing a small break in our lettuce plantings and the last of the salad until fall. It just doesn’t do well in any kind of heat, so we will take a little break from it until cooler temps make for sweeter salad. Our head lettuce plantings are still growing in the fields, we just lost one to the deer who happen to love it too and so we need to wait (and figure out why they are going through the fence).

What’s in Your Share this Week (maybe):

Pomona the beauty

·         Kale, green curly

·         Chard, rainbow

·         New Potatoes

·         Beets- red, chiogga & golden

·         Scallions

·         Summer squash (still limited until new planting kicks in)

·         Eggplant or Broccoli

·         Green Cabbage

·         Cucumbers (limited this week)

·         Fennel

Upcoming Events:

• This is a week from FRIDAY!!!!! Our first Friday Farm Dinner was a great hit! More than 50 folks joined us for a delicious farm to table meal in an informal and casual setting. We are having another dinner on August 4^th! Get your tickets now because the food will be just as amazing. Sign up here. https://goo.gl/UNG623

• Our Little Sprouts Program starts up on Thursday morning from 930-1030- bring the kids and help Kira explore the farm, plant and create in the Learning Garden and maybe go on a short hike to visit the goats (or a short hike with a goat!!!!!)

•   Nature Journaling Course- August 3^rd from 10:30-11:30am. Sketching, writing, and drawing in a journal is a great way to improve children's observation skills, help them gain an interest in science and the environment, and it's a wonderful way to relax during a busy summer. Journaling materials will be provided to each participant and staff will lead groups of kids and adults out onto the farm to find new places to explore and observe. This program is suitable for all ages with a focus on children ages 5-10. The cost is for anyone journaling with us and includes materials. Cost is $12/member child (adults are Free but must hang with their child). To register: https://goo.gl/yi6r4F or come by the farmstand and we will help you out.
  

Farmstand: New products!!! Look for new Appleton Farm cheeses - we have the nutty Pinnacle and the creamy dreaminess of Sunset Hill, but will be adding in Good Hue (a strong, full flavored aged cheese) and Round Point, a washed rind soft cheese with the creamy buttery-ness of Sunset Hill, but with the bold, mushroomy rind to accentuate). We will have samples of all our cheeses this week during distribution.

Anna Banana’s Homemade chocolates have appeared in our fridge once again! These are amazing, high quality chocolates and homemade marshmallows (which if you have never had a homemade marshmallow- these are a confectionary masterpiece of sweet pillowy softness, packed with flavor and totally fun.

 

 

 

Nuthatch and Nightingale

Veggie of the week:

Oh my beautiful beets. So I know I’ve talked about beets already, but I really really like them and before you get sick of them I wanted to make sure that you’ve tried this simple recipe. I love pickled beets- they are actually the only pickle that I will eat (yeah, I know, I don’t like pickles) and they are great as a snack or on a salad. The essence of sweet and sour. However, the ones from the store taste gross, and we don’t all have time to pickle our own in a perfect blend of spices and cider vinegar, so I found that the recipe below is a really nice substitute.

Easy Quick Pickled Beets

from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

• 6 medium red beets with greens, stems trimmed to 2 inches, remaining stems and greens reserved for Stewed Beet Greens
• Coarse salt
• 1/3 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/3 cup olive oil

Directions

1.     Place beets in a large pot, and cover with cold water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat; add 2 teaspoons salt. Reduce heat slightly to maintain a rolling boil. Cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain, and let cool slightly. Trim stem ends, then peel beets using a paring knife or a vegetable peeler. Cut beets crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange on a platter.

2.      Whisk together vinegar, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and the pepper in a small bowl. Add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking until emulsified. Pour vinaigrette over beets, and serve.

Echinacea with Green Headed bee