CSA Journal Post Week 11

What’s happening on the farm this week?
Week 11: It has been a pretty busy week here. Thanks to all who came out in the very, sticky hot weather yesterday for the Blue Heron Farm Hoe-Down. It was a lot of fun and we had instruments from all over the world. Irish fiddles, guitars, banjos, Bavarian bag pipes and accordion and harmonica. The hay wagon was completed for the rides and the kids had so much fun jumping all around the hay bales on the wagon and dancing while their parents played music. The food was delicious and he drinks were refreshing. It was hot – we could have cancelled it because it was too hot but instead, we embraced it, knew we could not change the weather (we have tried all summer) and just had fun! Thanks all for coming out! Our next hoe down will be a Sunday in September – and it will be on the pasture behind our home where the sheep are. Maybe the earthen oven will be done by then….hmmmm…

The Green Beans are here FINALLY! As I type this, Adam and Gail are out picking beans. They are a French thin kind – we hope you like them and hope they were worth the wait. We are hoping you all enjoyed the corn last week and hope to have more of it for you in share this week. Our hay is getting mowed this week thanks to Rob Rousseau from North Hero – he is the farmer who sells grass fed beef – we will be having more info on beef shares in the next couple of weeks. There will be lots of moving hay in the next week or so – if you would like to throw some bales, let us know – we would love to have you. The tomatoes are turning red in the barn and the hoophouse – you should have some more this week. Thanks to all who have offered to give up their tomatoes and have made donations- it means a lot to us. It also important to us that you, our CSA members, get the best crops and products from our farm. Our family and your family come first. You were the ones who took a chance with us when you wrote those checks in February and March and yes, you do take some of the risk with us – which helps us immensely – this could have been a total bummer year if it wasn’t for all of you. So we will keep providing tomatoes, as much as is ready to all of you, along with our other crops, because our family and your family being fed comes before bringing food to market.

We welcome the heat because it is getting our fall crops to grow. We replanted lettuce, chard, kale, beans, peas, cabbage and brussel sprouts and they are loving this heat. The Basil is growing and we are hoping to plant spinach,arugula and bok choy this week. We are still contemplating growing in our greenhouse over the winter. The storage carrots are growing and the potatoes (the blues, red, white, and Kennebecs) are surviving the blight thanks to the copper Adam has sprayed and will need to spray again this week. Celery should be here in another week or so.

Over the last week, our little farmstand has been robbed along with all the other ones in Grand Isle. The Grand Isle Sheriff Department (A BIG thank you! To all the deputies for all their hard work and diligence!) caught the people who robbed us Thursday night after another farmer was able to positively identify them. Being robbed is an awful feeling. They hit our farmstand everyday from Saturday through Wednesday. I thought Adam was clearing out the money every night, we have been so busy that I had been meaning to ask him if he was doing that because I thought it was odd that he was taking the coins out of the basket too. And then we were packing for market on Wednesday, I finally asked Adam and when he replied no he hadn’t emptied it since Friday – my heart sank. I went to market in a pretty sour mood – I really didn’t want to go – I felt very violated and sad. Why/How could someone do this to another ? None of us farms can afford to have someone sitting at our farmstand all day – why must they wreck this? Our farm and the others in our community give so much to help out our community. The people who were stealing from us our members of our community, how could they do this to their neighbors? I started to do a lot of questioning and really trying to find peace amongst it all. It was and still is a bit eating me up inside. Someone at church on Sunday offered up prayers for all the farmers dealing with the late blight and all stealing. I offered prayers to the people who stole from us – would I find solice in this – praying for those who offended me and my family? After services, people came up to us and gave their condolescneces and others said they were glad they caught those _____(you can fill in the blank). I am glad that they were caught – but being a victim, and not being able to tell that person how it made me and my family feel being offended – that is the piece that is left to be filled. I hope with this type of crime there is some reparative work that can be done. I do not wish harm on those who offended us, there is a reason they did it, and they need help (I can say this now, a few days out) – I just want them to meet us and hear what they did to us affected us and maybe they can help me weed my carrots…

Sadie is still interested in the potty and she goes a couple of times a day – well, that’s the times she actually gets it into the potty. Thank goodness for laminate floors and tile….
Thanks for being part of our farm, see you next week – Adam, Christine and Sadie J
What’s in the share this week: Green Beans, OPEN POLINATED Heritage SWEET CORN!, Red Potatoes, Maybe some Red or Yellow Heirloom tomatoes! Tomatillos, Peppers (sweet/hot), Red and Yellow Onions, Summer Squash, Zucchini, Eggplant, Cucumbers, Garlic, Pick-Your-Own Sungold Cherry Tomatoes (they are still holding on). Please note: this is what we intend to have in your share as of Monday morning, very early – sometimes there will be changes that day our difference between Monday and Thursdays pickups . I print all the newsletters at one time. Thanks for understanding.)
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Wool Roving for Sale:
From our sheep – we have Border Leicster Romney Crosses, Icelandic and Shetland Sheep. It is $15 for 6 ounces (special price for CSA members).

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
To help plant, trellis, and weed – please call us 372-3420 or email harmonyvt@yahoo.com. Thanks

Chicken soup with tomatillos adapted from from Splendid Soups.
1 chicken cut into 8 pieces 1 lb tomatillos coarsely chopped 1 onion finely chopped 3 cloves garlic finely chopped 2 jalapenos seeded and chopped 3 c chicken broth 2 T chopped cilantro salt and pepper
Brown the chicken in a pan 8-10 minutes a side. Adjust the fat and lightly saute the onions and garlic. Add broth, tomatillos, jalapenos and chicken to pan. When chicken is done (~15 minutes) remove to cool. Skim any fat (I use a stick blender) and puree what is in the pan. The recipe calls for straining it, but I prefer it more 'peasant' and don't. Shred the chicken meat and return to the pan with the cilantro. Adjust salt/pepper (add cayenne if you need it) to taste and you have a great soup (I'll sometimes add a little lime juice to taste as well). Serve with sour cream and/or shredded cheese.

Tomatillo Curry Idea gleaned from a Chowhound posting I think:
One other thing I tried last night was throwing a few halved tomatillos in a thai curry - they turned out very tasty I sauteed them with the galanga, lemongrass and curry paste (along with the long beans) for a few seconds first to let them soften and absorb flavors and they matched well with the slightly bitter eggplants and the rich spicyness of the coconut milk curry.

Roasted Tomatillo Sauce with Greensadapted from a recipe in the newest Joy of Cookingthis sauce would be great on grains, meats, as an enchilada sauce, or thinned with stock into a soup...
Roast in an oven that's preheated to 400 degrees in a single layer on an oiled baking pan for 15-30 minutes, until nicely browned:
husked and rinsed tomatilloshalved tomatoes1-3 spicy peppers such as anaheims, hungarians, or other, seeded1-2 leeks, white parts only, or an onion or two, quartered6-12 cloves of garlic
place the vegetables, including the juices, in a blender or food processor along with: Several leaves of chard or spinach (optional)1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro3/4 cup stock (vegetable or chicken) or more as neededS & P to taste
Pulse until smooth, adding more stock of necessary to make a medium bodied sauce. Reheat gently in a small saucepan and serve immediately or store, covered, in the fridge for up to 2 days.

Christine’s Quick and Easy Bake (that was at the Blue Heron Farm Hoe-Down)

Spray a 9 x 13 pan with oil spray. Chop up zucchini, summer squash, eggplant, tomatoes, onions, peppers, and garlic (and whatever else you have that you haven’t gotten to- like green beans, potatoes, etc). Put it all in a bowl and mix in grated cheddar cheese. Toss in Salt and pepper. Pour into pan. Cover with tin foil. Put in oven at 250 for about an hour, until veggies are soft – and its done. (Note: I put it at this tem so I can go out and hang clothes on the line or pick veggies etc – I am sure you can do a higher temp with a shorter time.