Week 12:When you farm, you don’t have time for problems

Kirsten in the cucumbers

I recently re-read a passage in another farm newsletter about how when there are problems on the farm that delay essential activities such as planting, fertilizing, cultivating or harvest, it feels surreal because these things CAN’T happen. Being at the mercy of the weather, timing is imperative and critical, all the time and so if something happens to delay anything, we are go from either being right on time ( or already behind) schedule to being completely and utterly screwed.  Often you are left sitting there staring dumbfounded at the broken thing and thinking “but this CAN’T happen right now” and yet, there it is. And it is no fun. It means that everything stops for at least one person while the broken thing is fixed, or tried to be fixed, because fixing always involves troubleshooting the problem, deciding who and how it is best fixed, throwing ideas around, throwing wrenches, and potentially calling a professional or bringing a part to a professional, and more. At the same time, work crews must be rerouted or a solution improvised to complete the work that was halted as a result of the broken thing. We don’t ever let this happen, but problems happen anyway. More often than not it feels like we are getting it all done on duct tape and luck. 

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

• ·         Basil (PYO, it really is on its last legs and it is gone this weekend so get it now)
• ·         Okra (PYO, we clearly don’t grow enough of this and next year we will grow more)
• ·         Cherry tomatoes (PYO, take a quart)
• ·         Beans, green, dragon, yellow and burgundy (PYO- it’s a 2 quart week

• ·         Hot peppers (PYO, there are a lot of varieties, I will try to get a guide put together to make it easy to find the ones you are most interested in for now, Jalapenos and Hungarian Hot wax are the most mild while the Hinkelhatz, Thai hots and Shishito are wicked hot)
• ·         Kale, green curly (if it looks good)
• ·         Pac choi
• ·         Beets, mostly cylindra (starting to run low, but if we have enough they will be out)

  

  we found a nest of baby birds in the tomatoes!

• ·         Arugula
• ·         Fresh Onions
• ·         Summer squash
• ·         Cucumbers
• ·         Chinese Cabbage (napa cabbage)
• ·         Tomatoes
• ·         Eggplant

Upcoming Events:

• ·         Friday Farm Dinner on September 15th. These dinners are a huge hit and are super fun. Register soon (our caterer is awesome but she’s not a miracle worker and we can’t add you at the last minute) and don’t be disappointed because we do SELL OUT! The music is fabulous, the sunset is amazing and food and company are not to be missed. Stay for a bit by the fire and relax with a tasty beverage and a little more dessert. Register here: https://goo.gl/329Hmq
• ·         HARVEST FEST is just around the corner!!!! Coming up on October 8^th (the day before Heritage Day here in Southboro) we will hold our 3^rd annual celebration of the harvest and the farm! It is a fun time full of local music, pumpkin carving, our fantabulous hay maze, crafts, food and more. Put in on your calendar!!!!
• ·         We have a call for artisans for Harvest Fest! Have a trade, a skill to demo, craft and art to sell and want to be a part of the fun at the festival? We still have some booth space open and would love to have you join us! Please contact Kira at kbaker@thetrustees.org or talk to Desiree during pickup for details.
• ·         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!!!!!)

Farmstand: We will have peaches and APPLES from Cider Hill this week in the farmstand. Get the peaches while you can, they will peter out as soon as September catches hold. We are hoping for Paula Reds and Red Free this week! These first apples are small but intense-crisp and juicy with the Paula’s being just a bit tarter than the Free’s. Both are good fresh eating, but also pie and sauce.

We have Sidehill Farm yogurt in stock in the fridge. This yogurt was a staple in our house when we lived in Western Mass and we have wished many times that we could find it in a close by location out here. This is made from Normande and Jersey breed cows that are grazed rotationally and intensively on organic pasture. They are happy and their farmers, Paul and Amy, adore them. Happy cows make happy yogurt. We’ve known these farmers for more than 15 years (we remember when they grew vegetables and didn’t even have cows!) Check out more about how fabulous they are and why you should buy and eat their yogurt here. http://www.sidehillfarm.net/cows/

Veggie of the week: Pac choi

Believe it or not, fall is just around the corner and the past few nights of cool weather only cement its inevitability in the farm mind. Also it brings the cooler season veggies back to the forefront of our offerings. Greens will start to make a reappearance, starting with Pac Choi- a thick stemmed, dark green extravaganza of taste and texture. I know it looks intimidating, but those juicy stems and green leaves are packed with nutrition and add a crunchy satisfaction to a summer stir-fry.

My recommendation is to start simple with this. You need a few key ingredients and then you can augment as you like (optional add-ins to follow).

Ingredients:

1 head of pac choi, prepared

3-5 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

Sunflower or peanut oil for sauteeing

Toasted sesame oil

Tamari or soy sauce

Directions:

Prepare 1 head of pac choi, slice the root end off and carefully rinse the individual leaves and stalks. Cut the thickest part of the stalk from the leaf, chop and set aside. You will cook them first, then chop the leaves coarsely and set aside separately.

In a large skillet, heat the sunflower oil and then toss in the chopped stems. Toss quickly to coat and cook until tender but still crisp. Turn off the heat and add the leaves and the garlic. Toss quickly again to coat the leaves and mix in the garlic. When the leaves wilt, you are done cooking. Lightly add a little toasted sesame oil and soy sauce and mix well. At this point you can add nothing and have a simple side, or you can add stir fried chicken, beef or pork, thinly sliced. Slivers of carrot, sesame seeds, thinly sliced onion, sweet chili sauce, fish sauce. The pac choi is the filler to turn any simple stir fry into a full on meal. Serve on its own or over jasmine rice, rice noodles or udon. It's all good. You can even add it to a hot broth with noodles and a poached egg.....my favorite lunch....

Visiting Castle Hill for our Day of Wonder

Week 10:We are Half Way through the season already!!! And the value of vacation, even for a farmer.

At the top of Canada Cliffs- Acadia National Park- looking down to Echo Lake

It has been quite a season so far. The rain and humidity continues, making for thriving weeds and fungus and super tired farmers. I took my first summer vacation in six years, and it was incredible. I went to the cool granite beaches of Maine with my family and listened to the sound of the ocean crash against rocks in time to the rhythm of my heart. I felt my breath pound in and out of my lungs as I climbed mountains that stretch into the sea and were formed thousands of years ago by magma crashing up through the mantle of the earth and I was renewed. I listened to kids squabble over dishes and the last piece of pie, but also exclaim in awe over the incredible beauty of a loon sitting on her nest surrounded by a thousand people swimming in a lake and again at the sight of the sea broken by masts and islands and the glossy pointed backs of porpoises breaching the sparkling water. I get it. Vacations are a time to reflect, to connect, to affirm a place on the earth. I come back to the farm to get dirty and sweaty and finish the season with its normal ebb and flow of success and failure with a renewed sense of well being and energy. I also reaffirm that to get away to places of stark and perfect beauty, a little wildness, and a whole lot of 'not the every day' is super important to find clarity and purpose in our work and life. It is good to be a uncomfortable. It is good to be challenged. As my friend Peter said, 'this is how we grow as a person', as we clung to a smidgen trail winding up a cliff so steep that iron rungs had been driven in to help ascend and I felt nauseous and terrified watching the children leap up the rocks like mountain goats. He is so right- taking chances, breathing deep, listening, letting go...it is how we all grow.

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

El making sure the white kale meets her taste standards

• Basil (PYO)
• Flowers (PYO)
• Okra (PYO- keep calm folks, it looks like I can't plant enough okra so if you took some last week, leave some for others this week, please) 
•  Kale, white Russian (cook like collards)
• Eggplant
• Celery
• Chard, rainbow
• New Potatoes
• Beets, mostly cylindra
• Fresh Onions
• Summer squash
• Broccoli
• Green Cabbage
• Tomatoes

PEAK SEASON SHARES ARE STILL AVAILABLE!!!! Tell all your friends that we are offering half season shares again this year! 10 weeks of gorgeous vegetables- all the fun of the fall harvest. So even if they spent the summer out of town, they can still partake of the bounty of CSA now that summer is winding back down to school. 

Also- we are piloting a 3 week Winter CSA share this season. So the fun doesn't have to end at the end of October! We are are boxing a delicious selection of cold season and storage crops and distributing the Friday before Thanksgiving, and two Fridays in December! We are partnering with our sister farms of Powisset and Appleton to provide you with a wide array of delicious, healthy food for your holiday meals and storage pantries. 

Sign up today: https://goo.gl/et5UGj

Upcoming Events:

·         Friday Farm Dinner on September 15th. These dinners are a huge hit and are super fun. Register soon (our caterer is awesome but she’s not a miracle worker and we can’t add you at the last minute) and don’t be disappointed because we do SELL OUT! The music is fabulous, the sunset is amazing and food and company are not to be missed. Stay for a bit by the fire and relax with a tasty beverage and a little more dessert. Register here: https://goo.gl/329Hmq

·         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 24th 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/JRNfQK or come by the farmstand and we will help you out.

Farmstand: 

New Dean’s Beans Coffee Flavor!!!! We now are offering NoCO2 a Peruvian dark roast from Dean’s Beans. This is a lovely coffee with all the great attributes that we expect from Dean’s (great flavor and freshness, fair trade, organic, GREAT price at $12/lb) but it also adds in another great benefit- they’ve made it carbon neutral by offsetting the costs of transport and production by planting hardwood trees in the rainforest.   https://deansbeans.com/noco2-peruvian.html/ Now you can drink this beautiful coffee and feel a little less guilty about it.

Our own Southborough Pasta company- Allegro- has made some gorgeous bowtie pasta from our basil! This is very special and delicious and will only be around as long as our basil is, so get yours now.

We also have fresh peaches from Cider Hill Farm in the farmstand! They go quick so get some soon. 

Veggie of the week: Zucchini

Lori from Culinary Underground during Tuesday's demo

So, if you’ve been a CSA member for the last couple years, you all know of my love affair with summer squash and zucchini. I mean, during the summer I usually eat squash in some fashion for just about every meal. I sauté it with eggs in the morning, I sauté it to eat with or for my lunch, I add it to just about every dinner meal. I turn the big ones into breads, muffins and pancakes. I grate and freeze it to use in my favorite meal: Zucchini-Feta Pancakes in the dead of January when I dream in green and the squash in the grocery has shipped from 2000 miles away and tastes like cardboard. And so you also know that until this season, I have never not been able to satisfy my hankering for squash. But our first planting of squash just didn’t do anything….instead of a 100 lbs or more of perfect squash per bed, we were getting less than a 100 lbs for 4 beds!!! I still have no idea what happened. New fields, strange season? New virus? It seems like it was a combination of all of those. Our second (and third!!!) plantings are now coming in like crazy and we have lots of beautiful squash. We have big ones for stuffing, spiralizing and making breads, we have small ones for their seedless perfection in meals. Check the old blogs for July for our recipe on Kousa-Mishi a Lebanese stuffed zucchini recipe (also works with the green kousa squashes, and the larger Zephyrs) that truly is astounding and really does work with raw meat and rice….but I also wanted to offer this unusual recipe for using larger squashes. You are essentially using the zucchini as the ‘crust’ to hold the quiche filling. You can make it in rounds or use patty pans if you want a tasty hors d’oeuvres, but we use the biggest zukes to make this quiche.

Quiche stuffed Squash

Ingredients

4 eggs, beaten

1 cup of heavy cream or half/half

1 cup of spinach or chard, torn into bite size pieces

½ cup of crumbled feta

½ cup gruyere

Paprika

½ cup of sweet fresh onion (red or white, and the greens)

1 large zucchini or zephyr, cut in half (you might also need to trim the bottoms to keep them from rolling over.)

Olive oil

Salt & Pepper

Nutmeg

Directions:

Take the halved squash and gently scoop out the flesh to leave ½ inch of wall. Discard the seeds, but keep the solid flesh. Place in a large casserole, lightly oiled, and set aside.

In a heavy cast iron skillet, saute the flesh and onions until lightly browned. Add the greens and saute until just wilted.  Spoon into the squash ‘crust’.

Mix up the custard- beat the eggs with cream until light and frothy, add the feta and gruyere. Add a little salt, pepper and nutmeg (this last is just a smidge). Then pour over the veggies to fill the squash. Top with a little paprika and bake in a 350 degree oven about 45 mins or until the custard is set and the squash is fork tender.

Praying mantis in our fields is a sign of a healthy ecosystem!

Week 9: Downy Mildew and the Time for Pesto

Early morning milking with Kirsten.

Howdy! Cole here filling in for the blog this week. As many of you probably know, Desiree and family are in the middle of an amazing vacation at Acadia National Park so this week’s CSA distribution will be brought to you by Kirsten, Michaela, and yours truly. While this will surely be an exhausting couple of days without Des, we are looking forward to keeping the season going into week number nine!!! In the meantime, feel free to direct any comments, questions, or logistics my way (ctrager@thetrustees.org). Don't forget to pick up fruit shares this week as well... 1 pint of blueberries and 1 pound of specialty peaches.

First of all, I just wanted to extend a big thank you to all of our volunteers and weeding warriors. The chard, peppers, and much more are looking great because of your hard work and we really appreciate that. August is undoubtedly one of the toughest months of the year and our bodies are already starting to rebel as we near the halfway point of the season. So if anybody knows a great masseuse in the area, please let us know!

Those of you who have been CSA members in previous seasons may remember a nasty little disease called downy mildew that comes around this time of year. It shows up without warning and takes the basil down with lightning speed. While we hate to see these beautiful and aromatic plants bite the dust, there is a silver lining and it comes in the form of delicious, fresh pesto! There has never been a better time! In addition to the purple and green basil in the pick your own, we will also be giving out loads of basil as part of your share this week so that we can all turn this tragedy into a feast. I put pesto on everything this time of year and we have already gone through almost the entire first batch in our freezer. Commence round two.

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

Gargantuan basil leaves for pesto.

• ·         Basil
• ·         Kale, green curly
• ·         Chard, rainbow
• ·         New Potatoes
• ·         Beets, mostly cylindra
• ·         Fresh Onions
• ·         Summer squash
• ·         Broccoli
• ·         Green & Red Cabbage
• ·         Fennel
• ·         Carrots
•        Peppers

   

   

 Upcoming Events:

Friday Farm Dinner on September 15th. These dinners are a huge hit and are super fun. Register soon(our caterer is awesome but she’s not a miracle worker and we can’t add you at the last minute) and don’t be disappointed because we do SELL OUT! The music is fabulous, the sunset is amazing and food and company are not to be missed. Stay for a bit by the fire and relax with a tasty beverage and a little more dessert. Register here: https://goo.gl/329Hmq

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 24th 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/JRNfQK or come by the farmstand and we will help you out.

Farmstand: Green Bee Sodas in Blueberry Ginger and Ginger are back in stock. We will also have more GoodHue and Round Point cheeses from Appleton.

Veggie of the week: Potatoes

Highlights from the harvest this morning, including potatoes!

Round, earthy, delicious. Potatoes are one of my personal favorites and I absolutely would not make it through the season without them. We grow a handful of different varieties that all have subtle differences in flavor and texture so don’t be afraid to try them all out… even if they aren’t the color you were expecting. I love a good batch of roasted veggies every week and the potatoes are the foundation, that hardy staple holding the rest of the flavors together. Kirsten also makes a mean potatoes au gratin, for which I’ve included the recipe below. This is a truly fantastic dish and comfort food at its best. Also a great opportunity to throw in some crisp, green kale and some fresh red onions from your veggie share.

Ingredients

·         4 whole potatoes, Scrubbed Clean, I recommend keeping the beautiful peels on for texture and added color!

·         1 whole onion 

·         2 Tablespoons Butter, Softened

·         1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream

·         1/2 cup Whole Milk

·         2 Tablespoons Flour

·         1 teaspoon Salt

·          Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste

·         1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Freshly Grated

·         4 large leaves of Kale

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Smear softened butter all over the bottom of a baking dish. 
3. Slice potatoes, then cut slices into fourths. Slice up the onion as well, size is up to you! Shred the kale into small strips, discard the stems.
4.  In a separate bowl, whisk together cream, milk, flour, chopped onion, salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. 
5.  Place 1/3 of the potatoes in the bottom of the baking dish. Pour 1/3 of the cream mixture over the potatoes. 
6. Repeat this two more times, ending with the cream mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown and really bubbling. Add grated cheese and shredded kale to the top of the potatoes and bake for 3 to 5 more minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly and kale is starting to brown.
7.  Allow to stand for a few minutes before serving by the spoonful. Delicious!