CSA Journal Posting for Week 15

What’s happening on the farm this week?
Week 15: Hi everyone – A big thank you to Gene, Karen and Gale for coming out to harvest potatoes this morning. These potatoes are beautiful! Adam used the sub soiler on the back of the tractor to break up the potato mounds and as he did this we saw an ocean of red – red and yellow potatoes. Their skins are more intact because they have cured for about a week in the ground. Next week we will have purple potatoes for you and maybe some fingerling. The Kennebec storage potatoes are still growing in the back and they are egging on the cabbage and brussel sprouts to hurry up and catch upJ Another shout goes out to Fiona and Ben for their excellent weeding of the carrots – we are going to rename that field after Fiona and Ben after all their hardwork weedingJ Sadie found a little potato with ears thanks to Karen’s help – she calls it little bear. IT goes along nicely with the heart shaped potato she found last week. The Red Russian Kale in this week’s share is delicious and so very tender – don’t be afraid of it. It has enjoyed this cooler weather. The kale is so tender that Sadie and I eat it raw. While I weeded the Kale and Chard she was sampling it for all you and she gave it to thumbs (arms) upJ I love it when she eats straight out of the field. Hope you enjoyed your sunflowers – more to come this week. And do I dare say this, we could use a bit of rain – the soil is pretty dry…but we have been enjoying this weather and almost every night eating outside watching the harvest moon come up.

Thanks for being part of our farm, see you next week – Adam, Christine and Sadie J
What’s in the share this week:Okra, Yellow, Red and Blue Potatoes, Tomatillos, Onions, Red Russian Kale, celery (?), Sunflowers, Pick your-Own Heirloom Currant Cherry Tomatoes (they are still holding on) and maybe some others.
BLUE HERON FARM HOE-DOWN –September 27, 2009
The next Blue Heron Farm Hoe-Down will be Sunday, September 27th at 3:00pm – potluck, music, games and hay rides on a now fixed hay wagon. The last hoe down brought fiddles, harmonicas, guitars, bag pipes, accordion, and many silly dances on the hay wagon by all these little farm kiddos. The weather should be a lot cooler and we will have a bon fire this time. We are planning on having it back behind our property near the sheepJ Bring family and friends, food and drink to share, an instrument – all are welcome.

www.blueheronfarm-vt.blogspot.com CHECK US OUT ON THE WEB and LEAVE COMMENTS TOO

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

Potato Curryadapted from The Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas
6 med. size potatoes3 T Ghee (see recipe below) or oil1 t salt1 t cumin seeds1/2 t mustard seeds (or ground mustard)1 t turmeric1 t ground coriander1 t cayenne pepper2 C water1C plain yogurt2/3 C cooked (but not mushy) sweet peas
Peel the potatoes and dice them as evenly as you can. Heat the Ghee or oil and, when it is warm, add the spices. Let them simmer for 2-3 minutes, then add the potatoes and immediately stir them around and turn them over until they seem evenly coated with Ghee and spices. Continue this process for about 5-10 minutes more, so that some of the potato cubes are a little crisped. Add 2C of water, lower the heat, and simmer slowly for about 1/2 hour, giving an occasional, gentle stir. The potatoes should be tender by this time. Now add the yogurt and the green peas, and heat it all up together for another 5 minutes or so, and serve. Serves 4-6 Ghee (clarified butter) Melt a pound or more of butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. When melted, carefully skim off the foam from the top and discard it. Heat the butter again until it foams, and skim once more. Do this once or twice more, until all the foam is gone. Carefully decant the melted butter into a container, pouring it off until only the fine sediment at the bottom of the pan is left. This Ghee, or clarified butter, will keep well for up to 5-6 weeks without refrigeration.

Tortilla de PatatasAdapted from The Mediterrasian Way by Ric Watson and Trudy Thelander -Serves 2
1 large potato or 3-4 smaller potatoes, cut into small cubes2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil3 scallions, chopped, or ½ red onion chopped2 gypsy peppers, seeds removed and finely diced (or ½ large red bell pepper)4 large eggs1 tablespoon finely chopped parlsey, or green onion tops!½ teaspoon sea or kosher salt¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
Preheat the broiler. Steam the potato pieces until just soft enough to eat. (test with a fork. Start testing after about 4 minutes, depends on the size of the cubes) Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and cook onion and peppers, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the potato and cook, stirring to combine, for another 2 minutes.
Whisk the eggs together in a bowl with the parsley, salt and pepper. Pour the eggs over the vegetables in the skillet, cover, and cook gently over low heat for 8 minutes. Remove the lid and place under the preheated broiler to cook for 1 minute or until the top is set. Cut into wedges and serve. This can easily be served at room temperature or cold.

Giant Crusty and Creamy White Beans with GreensAdapted from Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson
½ pound medium or large dried white beans, cooked3 tablespoons olive oil or clarified butterFine grained sea salt1 onion, coarsely chopped 4 cloves garlic, chopped½ baby chard, washed and roughly chopped, or 1 bunch kale, cut into wide ribbonsFresh ground black pepperExtra virgin olive oil for drizzlingFreshly grated parmesan for topping
Drain the beans, then heat the oil or butter over med-high heat in the widest skillet available. Add the beans to the hot pan in a single layer. If you don’t have a big enough skillet, just do the sauté stop in two batches or save the extra beans for another use. Stir to coat the beans with the oil/butter, then let them sit long enough to brown on one side, about 3 or 4 minutes, before turning to brown the other side, also about 3 or 4 minutes. The beans should be golden and a bit crunchy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside. Salt to taste, then add the onion and garlic and cook for 1 or 2 minutes, until the onion softens. Stir in the greens and cook until just beginning to wilt. Remove from the heat and season to taste with a generous dose of salt and pepper. Drizzle with a bit of top-quality extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan. Serves 6-8 as a side dish.