SO WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THE FARM THIS WEEK?
This week we had some wild weather, a wonderful visit from "Auntie Shelly" who spent loads of time with Sadie, and a great wool opportunity. On Wednesday when severe weather moved through, we received almost three inches of rain in under an hour- all when we should have been setting up for market in South Hero! The weather did calm down enough for a short but fruitful market day. We needed the rain, and we are glad that we continue to have weather that helps keep late blight from getting established in the region the way it did last year.
The seed of the mentioned wool opportunity was planted back in May when Christine put our name in for having 50 lbs of raw wool from our sheep spun into yarn at Green Mountain Spinnery in Putney, VT. David Ritchie, one of the original founders, called to say that we were next in line and that our sheep's wool is beautiful. It turned out that he has family in the area he was visiting over the weekend, and he still had no ride back to So. VT because he was driving a car to his daughter in Burlington. So, he came to visit our sheep and chat about all things wool, and today, Christine, Sadie, Sophie, and Eric are all on a trip to deliver David and our raw wool to get processed into yarn skeins (they won't process David into yarn, I should say). While at Green Mountain Spinnery, they will all get a chance to experience wool processing first hand! Everyone has been excited to make the connection with the spinnery and has pitched in to "skirt" the wool (make it free of debris and unusable yarn) so its ready for processing. This means that soon we'll have our wool for sale to all you knitters (a good gift for knitters you know ).
Other news...the Auracauna pullets have started to lay little green and blue eggs (so cute), and our new hen house is getting started in preparation for 175 (yikes!) new pullets arriving in 2 weeks. Thanks to Joe and Emily, we have been able to reclaim a bunch of great usable materials from the very first henhouse we had that has been down and out for three or four years. They have been doing a great job dismantling the old house.
We have finally reached the "lull" in lettuce that we have promised, and its likely our chard and kale will still need time for regeneration- especially the chard which was battered by the wind and rain on Wednesday. We DO finally have a growing supply of delicious tomatoes, Nicola yellow potatoes (heavenly and buttery-thanks a bunch to Fiona, Benjamin, Gail, Jackie, Gabriel, and Natalie for helping us harvest 140 lbs in short order!!), tender green beans, and slicing cukes! Enjoy. Please take as much basil as you need for your pesto reserves-its a bumper crop this year.
WHAT’S IN THE SHARE THIS WEEK: SLICING CUKES, PICKLING CUKES, ZUCHINI, YELLOW SQUASH, HOT PEPPERS, GREEN PEPPERS, TOMATOES, TOMATILLOS, NICOLA YELLOW POTATOES, GREEN BEANS, CABBAGE, GARLIC, CILANTRO, LOTS 'O' BASIL,
Our blog is at: www.blueheronfarmvt.com - check us out and/or leave a comment
EGGS FOR SALE
We have the pretty girls’ eggs for sale – these are free-range, certified organic chicken eggs that are brown, green and blue – with the brightest yellow/orange yolks you ever seen. The eggs are $5.00 a dozen.
RECIPES
CURRIED POTATOES AND PEAS (ALOO MATAR RASEDAA
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 lb Small potatoes -- halved
1/4 ts Salt
1 1/2 ts Tumeric
1 1/2 ts Cumin powder
2 pinch Chili powder
1 t Cumin seed
2 tb Olive oil
1 3/4 c Chopped tomatoes
1 c Frozen peas -- thawed
Parboil potatoes for 5 minutes in lightly salted
water. Drain and set potatoes aside.
In a large skillet, saute tumeric, cumin powder, chili
powder and cumin seed in olive oil.
Add potatoes to skillet and stir to coat with spices.
Add tomatoes and simmer until potatoes are tender,
about 20 minutes.
Stir in peas, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Per serving: 253 cal, 7 g protein, 165 sod, 42 g carb,
8 g fat, 0 mg chol, 33 mg calcium
Source: Vegetarian Gourmet, Autumn 1993
CHAR FLAVOURED POTATOES AND GREEN BEANS
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 md Tomatoes, chopped
5 md Potatoes, cubed
2 1/2 c Green beans, cut into 1 1/2
- inch pieces
1 tb Basil
2 ea Whole dried red chilies
4 ea Sprigs fresh coriander
1/2 ts Turmeric
1/8 ts Asafetida
1 t Salt
1 d Black pepper
6 tb Ghee
2 2/3 c Water
Place all the ingredients into a large heavy bottomed pot in the order in
which they are listed. Bring to a boil over a moderate heat, reduce heat &
boil for 5 minutes.
Reduce the heat further & gently boil, partially covered, for 20 to 25
minutes. Check that the water is not evaporating too quickly. You may
have to add more water.
To finish cooking, raise the heat to fairly high & fry quickly, without
stirring, to allow the crust to form & just begin to char. Remove from the
heat & let stand, covered for 5 minutes. Stir in the crust & serve,
remembering to remove the red chilies, you may not want to bite into them.
- Yamuna Devi, “The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking”
Green Beans in Olive Oil
Recipe By : The Complete Book of Turkish Cooking/Bobb1744
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Side Dishes Turkish
Green Beans Onions
Tomatoes Vegetables
Ethnic
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 pound Green beans
1 medium Onion -- chopped
2 each Chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon Salt
1/3 cup Extra virgin olive oil
3 1/2 teaspoons Sugar
1 cup water
Trim beans & cut into 3 pieces, wash & drain.
Put onion & tomato into a heavy pan. Sprinkle with salt & rub in lightly
with fingers. Stir in the beans, olive oil & sugar, mix well. Cover & cook
for 15 minutes over medium heat. Stir occasionally. The beans will lose
their colour & soften. When all the moisture has been absorbed, stir-fry the
beans for 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water, cover & simmer for 40 to 50
minutes, till the beans are tender. Add more water if necessary, 1/2 cup at
a time. When cooked, the dish should be very moist but not watery.
Serve cold as part of a buffet.
-Ayla Esen Algar, “The Complete Book of Turkish Cooking”
Balkan Cucumber Salad
• ½ cup very thinly sliced red onion
• 4 medium cucumbers (6-7 inches long)
• 1 tsp. salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1½ cups yogurt
• 1 or 2 small cloves garlic, minced
• 1 to 2 tsp. honey (optional)
• 2 tbs. freshly minced mint leaves
• ¼ cup (packed) finely minced parsley
• 2 scallions, finely minced (greens included)
• 1 to 2 tbs. freshly minced dill
• 1 cup chopped walnuts, lightly toasted
1. Soak the onion in cold water for about 30 minutes while you get everything else ready. Drain thoroughly and pat dry before adding to the salad.
2. If the cucumbers are large, de-seed them. Cut them into thin rounds and place in a medium-sized bowl.
3. Add remaining ingredients except walnuts, and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.
4. Sprinkle the walnuts on top just before serving.
Serves 6.
From The Moosewood Cookbook, by Mollie Katzen
Welcome to our Farm! Little stories about our life as organic farmers raising a family on an island in the middle of Lake Champlain
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
Late blight in Massachusetts
Dear Blue Heron Farm CSA members,
We wanted to forward this information to all of you - not to scare - but to have you well informed too - most of you have your own gardens or have neighbors who have gardens. Late blight occurred on this farm last year. We acted quickly and saved the potato crops and some of the tomatoes. We had to destroy over 1200 tomato plants. The late blight also infected our peppers and eggplants.
We are doing everything possible to prevent it from occuring this year. We scouted for potatoes that may have sprouted from last year - which we did not have. What is going for us is the dry weather. We are keeping the tomatoes pruned, all are trellised, we planted the large hoop house with over 160 tomato plants this year, and we scout daily for diseases. We are prepared to spray OMRI accepted fungicide (the below note from NOFA explains this). This summer is in a better place than last year - last summer was extremely wet and this summer it the eather has been not favorable for fungi to spread.
The tomatoes are starting to turn red...we will have red tomatoes. If you can all say a little prayer or good thoughts...I know we can get through this. We have a good feeling ... We wanted to send this out to all of you so you know as much as us.
Thanks,
Christine, Adam and Sadie
Blue Heron Farm
www.blueheronfarmvt.com
802-372-3420
--- On Thu, 7/22/10, NOFA Vermont wrote:
From: NOFA Vermont
Subject: Urgent! Late blight alert!
To: harmonyvt@yahoo.com
Date: Thursday, July 22, 2010, 5:40 PM
Dear growers and gardeners,
We're so sorry to bring the news that late blight has been confirmed both in Hadley, Massachusetts and in Waldoboro, Maine.
The strains of late blight we have had in New England in the past were intolerant of hot weather. However, the strain we saw last year in Vermont and present throughout NE seems to tolerate warmer conditions. Pathologists are suspecting this warmer weather strain is the one reappearing this season. It is likely it is coming from infected overwintered tubers. The recent scattered thunderstorms and unsettled weather are likely contributing to the outbreaks and spread of the disease.
Wet weather - especially afternoon and evening rain with morning fog, which allows the foliage to stay wet for more than 6 hours - is perfect for spore production, which can spread the disease.
Commercial growers should scout diligently, and watch the weather. Ann Hazelrigg at UVM recommends preventative spraying of tomato and potato crops. Nu Cop 50 WP and Champ WG are copper fungicides approved by OMRI, and have the Agricultural Use Requirement box on the label, so farmers with employees can use these materials. Please read the label and wear proper personal protective equipment.
For home and community gardeners, we do not recommend spraying copper fungicides. Please maintain practices that help the plant foliage dry out faster. Prune off suckers, remove excessive foliage, and even consider removing plants if they are over-crowded. ATTRA recommends compost tea sprayed as a protectant, but plan to spray in the morning on a sunny day so the leaves have time to dry out. Biological sprays, like Serenade, that put beneficial organisms on the foliage may also be helpful to gardeners.
Not sure what late blight looks like? Cornell's Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center has high-quality photos of infected tomato and potato plants. Be sure to scout your tomato and potato plants rigorously and often.
If you suspect late blight, please send a sample of several leaves of the suspect foliage to the UVM diagnostic clinic immediately for confirmation. It is extremely important to get lab diagnosis in order to accurately track the movement of this disease.
Send your samples to:
Plant Diagnostic Clinic
Jeffords Hall
63 Carrigan Drive, UVM
Burlington, VT 05405
Until late blight is found in Vermont, home and community gardeners can send tomato and potato samples that may have late blight to the Plant Diagnostic Clinic for free -usually this costs $15. Please look at the photo links to late blight in potatoes and tomatoes before sending in your sample, and please visit the Clinic website for directions on how to prepare your sample.
If late blight is confirmed on your plants, destroy them immediately. Late blight can only survive on living tissue. Once the plant is dead, late blight dies too. Remember that one late blight lesion can produce 100,000 to 300,000 spores per day.
Potato tubers are infected with late blight when spores wash off plant foliage and wash through the soil to the tubers. Commercial growers should mow infected potato foliage and wait two to three weeks before harvesting. Tomato fields should be plowed under. Growers can also clip off tomato and potato foliage and put it under tarps in the sun to kill it. Once the foliage is dead it can be composted, but plan to use this compost on different crops or flowers, as several other tomato disease persist in the soil and cool compost--like early blight and Septoria leaf spot. Rotate out of tomatoes and potatoes next year.
Gardeners should clip off tomato and potato foliage and put it in a black garbage bag in the sun to kill the plant tissue. You can take the bag to the landfill, or compost dead plants per our instructions above. Leave potato tubers in the ground for a few weeks to let their skins toughen before harvest.
If potato foliage is mowed or clipped off immediately when late blight is found, your potato tubers should be saved from this disease. If you find some infection in your tubers, cut it out and kill the infected tissue by freezing it before composting it, so that infected volunteer potatoes will not sprout from your compost pile. Potatoes exposed to late blight can be consumed and sold, but they should not be saved for seed.
Please alert the NOFA office if you find late blight in your garden or farm so that we can help spread the word.
Thank you for your vigilance.
With fingers crossed for dry weather,
Wendy Sue Harper, Ph.D.
NOFA Vermont Vegetable and Fruit Technical Advisor
We wanted to forward this information to all of you - not to scare - but to have you well informed too - most of you have your own gardens or have neighbors who have gardens. Late blight occurred on this farm last year. We acted quickly and saved the potato crops and some of the tomatoes. We had to destroy over 1200 tomato plants. The late blight also infected our peppers and eggplants.
We are doing everything possible to prevent it from occuring this year. We scouted for potatoes that may have sprouted from last year - which we did not have. What is going for us is the dry weather. We are keeping the tomatoes pruned, all are trellised, we planted the large hoop house with over 160 tomato plants this year, and we scout daily for diseases. We are prepared to spray OMRI accepted fungicide (the below note from NOFA explains this). This summer is in a better place than last year - last summer was extremely wet and this summer it the eather has been not favorable for fungi to spread.
The tomatoes are starting to turn red...we will have red tomatoes. If you can all say a little prayer or good thoughts...I know we can get through this. We have a good feeling ... We wanted to send this out to all of you so you know as much as us.
Thanks,
Christine, Adam and Sadie
Blue Heron Farm
www.blueheronfarmvt.com
802-372-3420
--- On Thu, 7/22/10, NOFA Vermont
From: NOFA Vermont
Subject: Urgent! Late blight alert!
To: harmonyvt@yahoo.com
Date: Thursday, July 22, 2010, 5:40 PM
Dear growers and gardeners,
We're so sorry to bring the news that late blight has been confirmed both in Hadley, Massachusetts and in Waldoboro, Maine.
The strains of late blight we have had in New England in the past were intolerant of hot weather. However, the strain we saw last year in Vermont and present throughout NE seems to tolerate warmer conditions. Pathologists are suspecting this warmer weather strain is the one reappearing this season. It is likely it is coming from infected overwintered tubers. The recent scattered thunderstorms and unsettled weather are likely contributing to the outbreaks and spread of the disease.
Wet weather - especially afternoon and evening rain with morning fog, which allows the foliage to stay wet for more than 6 hours - is perfect for spore production, which can spread the disease.
Commercial growers should scout diligently, and watch the weather. Ann Hazelrigg at UVM recommends preventative spraying of tomato and potato crops. Nu Cop 50 WP and Champ WG are copper fungicides approved by OMRI, and have the Agricultural Use Requirement box on the label, so farmers with employees can use these materials. Please read the label and wear proper personal protective equipment.
For home and community gardeners, we do not recommend spraying copper fungicides. Please maintain practices that help the plant foliage dry out faster. Prune off suckers, remove excessive foliage, and even consider removing plants if they are over-crowded. ATTRA recommends compost tea sprayed as a protectant, but plan to spray in the morning on a sunny day so the leaves have time to dry out. Biological sprays, like Serenade, that put beneficial organisms on the foliage may also be helpful to gardeners.
Not sure what late blight looks like? Cornell's Long Island Horticultural Research and Extension Center has high-quality photos of infected tomato and potato plants. Be sure to scout your tomato and potato plants rigorously and often.
If you suspect late blight, please send a sample of several leaves of the suspect foliage to the UVM diagnostic clinic immediately for confirmation. It is extremely important to get lab diagnosis in order to accurately track the movement of this disease.
Send your samples to:
Plant Diagnostic Clinic
Jeffords Hall
63 Carrigan Drive, UVM
Burlington, VT 05405
Until late blight is found in Vermont, home and community gardeners can send tomato and potato samples that may have late blight to the Plant Diagnostic Clinic for free -usually this costs $15. Please look at the photo links to late blight in potatoes and tomatoes before sending in your sample, and please visit the Clinic website for directions on how to prepare your sample.
If late blight is confirmed on your plants, destroy them immediately. Late blight can only survive on living tissue. Once the plant is dead, late blight dies too. Remember that one late blight lesion can produce 100,000 to 300,000 spores per day.
Potato tubers are infected with late blight when spores wash off plant foliage and wash through the soil to the tubers. Commercial growers should mow infected potato foliage and wait two to three weeks before harvesting. Tomato fields should be plowed under. Growers can also clip off tomato and potato foliage and put it under tarps in the sun to kill it. Once the foliage is dead it can be composted, but plan to use this compost on different crops or flowers, as several other tomato disease persist in the soil and cool compost--like early blight and Septoria leaf spot. Rotate out of tomatoes and potatoes next year.
Gardeners should clip off tomato and potato foliage and put it in a black garbage bag in the sun to kill the plant tissue. You can take the bag to the landfill, or compost dead plants per our instructions above. Leave potato tubers in the ground for a few weeks to let their skins toughen before harvest.
If potato foliage is mowed or clipped off immediately when late blight is found, your potato tubers should be saved from this disease. If you find some infection in your tubers, cut it out and kill the infected tissue by freezing it before composting it, so that infected volunteer potatoes will not sprout from your compost pile. Potatoes exposed to late blight can be consumed and sold, but they should not be saved for seed.
Please alert the NOFA office if you find late blight in your garden or farm so that we can help spread the word.
Thank you for your vigilance.
With fingers crossed for dry weather,
Wendy Sue Harper, Ph.D.
NOFA Vermont Vegetable and Fruit Technical Advisor
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Journal Post for the week of July 19, 2010
VOLUME V, JOURNALVI
JULY 19, 2010
BLUE HERON FARM JOURNAL
SO WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THE FARM THIS WEEK?
We are enjoying the rain that is falling this Monday morning - the farm really needed some rain. We have been irrigating but there is something to be said for irrigation that occurs from above - all over the farm - no hoses to move, no remembering to turn on and off the water, no hoses to move...the weather has been good - it rains and then we get sun for the next few days - it is good.
This morning Adam and I walked over to the carrots and picked some from the muddy earth. We laid them on the ground and they glowed their true orange carrot glow. It was like a treasure hunt - we showed the interns and Gail how to pick them - they are gorgeous! And they are only for CSA folks...they probably will not hit the farmers market. They are long and sweet and oh my - we can not wait to share them with you today. There are a few veggies we grow just for you and this is one of them - it is a bit tricky on our heavy soils:) But they do love their raised beds.
The melons are getting bigger in the field and the field and hoophouse tomatoes are turning ripe slowly bit surely - we are hoping to put a tomato in your baskets this week. You may have noticed that some other farms have ripe big delicious tomatoes already - we are about two weeks behind them but they are coming I can assure you. With all that needs to be planted in the spring - we try really hard to get everything in timely - the trick with hoophouse tomatoes is that we do not heat our hoophouse so we needed to wait until the sun warmed the hoophouse and no chance of frost - so we planted them in Mid May - hopefully next year we can get them in sooner. The peppers are starting to turn red, and there is an all you can eat Basil fest at the pickup right now. We need to clear out some of the overgrown basil in the hoophouse to get airflow - which means you can take as much basil as you like this week. Pesto-mania! Don't worry we have more basil in field :) Cilantro should be back next week and potatoes next week :) We might have a hiatus on lettuce for the next couple of weeks - we need the next batch to get a little bigger.
Potty training is still going well. No diapers now for almost a month. Sadie loves playing in the rain while we pick veggies. She loves eating the pickling cucumbers right in the field. And thanks to all of our volunteers for helping this past week and for the members who donated their shares to Food for Thought this week (a great thing to do if you are away and if you don't have a neighbor or a friend to pick up the veggies) .
Thanks again for being part of our farm! Peace, Adam Farris Christine Bourque, and Sadie Farris
WHAT’S IN THE SHARE THIS WEEK: Red Leaf, Red Butterhead, Romaine Lettuce Heads, Fresh Carrots, Pickling Cucumbers (great finger food - Sadie loves them - they are the perfect size for her), Summer Squash and zucchini, Red or Green Cabbage, Orient or Italian Eggplant, Jalapenos or Hungarian Hot Wax Peppers, and Help yourself Basil! (Please note: sometimes things will change between the two pickups - Mondays vs Thursdays - dependant on weather)
Our blog is at: www.blueheronfarmvt.com - check us out and/or leave a comment
PICK-YOUR-OWN RASPBERRIES by Meg Pond, Quaker Rd, megpond16@gmail.com
We have gorgeous organically-grown red raspberries at Stepping-Stone Farm at 36 Quaker Road in Grand Isle. Come pick as long as it is not raining or if the berries have had time to dry off in case it has rained. Please call if you want to pick (343-5497 or 372-3019) or come by to see if we are open. They are incredibly sweet and beautiful berries! We sold 50 pints at Saturday's Farmer's Market in Grand Isle. $3.50 a pint for pick-your-own or $5.00 pint picked for you.
EGGS FOR SALE
We have the pretty girls’ eggs for sale – these are free-range, certified organic chicken eggs that are brown, green and blue – with the brightest yellow/orange yolks you ever seen. The eggs are $5.00 a dozen.
RECIPES
• Summer Squash and Zucchini when picked young have a sweet, nutty taste when they are sauteed or grilled. Just slice them in half the longway and put some olive oil on them then place them on the grill. These small ones can also be used to make bread and butter pickles, eaten raw in salad, and make great additions on pizzas (we love pizza in this house - Every Friday night we make homemade pizza and it is truly amazing all the great combinations we come up with). With the larger zucchinis you can cut them longways in half and scoop out the inside and stuff them, veggie burgers, make zucchini bread, make zucchini chocolate cake (yum), or freeze shredded zucchini into portions that you need for bread making, soups or whatever kind of recipe you will need later - this is great to have in January. Zucchini and summer squash can be used interchangeably and adds lots of moistness to baked goods.
Homemade Refrigerator Pickles - www.allrecipes.com
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups white sugar 6 cups sliced cucumbers
1 cup sliced onions
1 cup sliced green bell peppers
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring vinegar, salt and sugar to a boil. Boil until the sugar has dissolved, about 10 minutes.
2. Place the cucumbers, onions and green bell peppers in a large bowl. Pour the vinegar mixture over the vegetables. Transfer to sterile containers and store in the refrigerator
In a-Pinch Cucumber Salad adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison
1 long or two short Armenian cucumbers or 3-4 lemon cukes
salt and freshly milled white pepper
2 to 3 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
champagne vinegar or fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. fresh dill or parsley, chopped
Thinly slice cucumbers. Toss the cucumbers with a few pinches salt, pepper to taste, and enough oil to coat lightly. Add a few drops vinegar and the herb of your choice. Serves 4.
BASIL PESTO
- www.twosmallfarms.com
3 Tablespoons pine nuts or almonds, lightly toasted
1 Cup lightly packed basil leaves
2 Tablespoons Italian parsley leaves
1 lg. clove garlic, thinly sliced
1/3 Cup olive oil
parmesan cheese
salt
In a food processor (or blender), combine nuts, basil, parsley, and garlic. Pulse, until well chopped. With motor running, add oil in a stream. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in cheese and salt to taste. Store with a thin layer of oil to keep fresh and green. (The parsley helps keep the bright green color too.)
SPECIAL BASIL storage notes: It shouldn’t get too cold, so try to find the ‘warmest’ place in your fridge. For some that’s the door, for others that might be the produce drawer. In my own fridge, the back of the fridge tends to get coldest.... I’ve read recently that wrapping the basil bunch in a damp clean cloth (I used an old clean cloth napkin) and put that in the ‘vegetable crisper’. It worked for me! If you’re not sure about your fridge you can try keeping your basil as a flower bunch in a jar with water at the stems. I don’t recommend drying basil: it’s best used up or made into pesto and then freezing the pesto if you want to keep the flavor for another week/month.
BASIL WALNUT VINAIGRETTE - www.twosmallfarms.com
1 tsp.
20
1/2 tsp.
1/2 tsp.
2 tsp.
4 tbsp.
1/2 cup chopped garlic
basil leaves
salt
pepper
Dijon mustard
white wine vinegar
olive oil
Whirl together the above ingredients, and toss with lightly steamed green beans and/or cooked potatoes, or? Then toss with: chopped walnuts and 3 sliced scallions.
JULY 19, 2010
BLUE HERON FARM JOURNAL
SO WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THE FARM THIS WEEK?
We are enjoying the rain that is falling this Monday morning - the farm really needed some rain. We have been irrigating but there is something to be said for irrigation that occurs from above - all over the farm - no hoses to move, no remembering to turn on and off the water, no hoses to move...the weather has been good - it rains and then we get sun for the next few days - it is good.
This morning Adam and I walked over to the carrots and picked some from the muddy earth. We laid them on the ground and they glowed their true orange carrot glow. It was like a treasure hunt - we showed the interns and Gail how to pick them - they are gorgeous! And they are only for CSA folks...they probably will not hit the farmers market. They are long and sweet and oh my - we can not wait to share them with you today. There are a few veggies we grow just for you and this is one of them - it is a bit tricky on our heavy soils:) But they do love their raised beds.
The melons are getting bigger in the field and the field and hoophouse tomatoes are turning ripe slowly bit surely - we are hoping to put a tomato in your baskets this week. You may have noticed that some other farms have ripe big delicious tomatoes already - we are about two weeks behind them but they are coming I can assure you. With all that needs to be planted in the spring - we try really hard to get everything in timely - the trick with hoophouse tomatoes is that we do not heat our hoophouse so we needed to wait until the sun warmed the hoophouse and no chance of frost - so we planted them in Mid May - hopefully next year we can get them in sooner. The peppers are starting to turn red, and there is an all you can eat Basil fest at the pickup right now. We need to clear out some of the overgrown basil in the hoophouse to get airflow - which means you can take as much basil as you like this week. Pesto-mania! Don't worry we have more basil in field :) Cilantro should be back next week and potatoes next week :) We might have a hiatus on lettuce for the next couple of weeks - we need the next batch to get a little bigger.
Potty training is still going well. No diapers now for almost a month. Sadie loves playing in the rain while we pick veggies. She loves eating the pickling cucumbers right in the field. And thanks to all of our volunteers for helping this past week and for the members who donated their shares to Food for Thought this week (a great thing to do if you are away and if you don't have a neighbor or a friend to pick up the veggies) .
Thanks again for being part of our farm! Peace, Adam Farris Christine Bourque, and Sadie Farris
WHAT’S IN THE SHARE THIS WEEK: Red Leaf, Red Butterhead, Romaine Lettuce Heads, Fresh Carrots, Pickling Cucumbers (great finger food - Sadie loves them - they are the perfect size for her), Summer Squash and zucchini, Red or Green Cabbage, Orient or Italian Eggplant, Jalapenos or Hungarian Hot Wax Peppers, and Help yourself Basil! (Please note: sometimes things will change between the two pickups - Mondays vs Thursdays - dependant on weather)
Our blog is at: www.blueheronfarmvt.com - check us out and/or leave a comment
PICK-YOUR-OWN RASPBERRIES by Meg Pond, Quaker Rd, megpond16@gmail.com
We have gorgeous organically-grown red raspberries at Stepping-Stone Farm at 36 Quaker Road in Grand Isle. Come pick as long as it is not raining or if the berries have had time to dry off in case it has rained. Please call if you want to pick (343-5497 or 372-3019) or come by to see if we are open. They are incredibly sweet and beautiful berries! We sold 50 pints at Saturday's Farmer's Market in Grand Isle. $3.50 a pint for pick-your-own or $5.00 pint picked for you.
EGGS FOR SALE
We have the pretty girls’ eggs for sale – these are free-range, certified organic chicken eggs that are brown, green and blue – with the brightest yellow/orange yolks you ever seen. The eggs are $5.00 a dozen.
RECIPES
• Summer Squash and Zucchini when picked young have a sweet, nutty taste when they are sauteed or grilled. Just slice them in half the longway and put some olive oil on them then place them on the grill. These small ones can also be used to make bread and butter pickles, eaten raw in salad, and make great additions on pizzas (we love pizza in this house - Every Friday night we make homemade pizza and it is truly amazing all the great combinations we come up with). With the larger zucchinis you can cut them longways in half and scoop out the inside and stuff them, veggie burgers, make zucchini bread, make zucchini chocolate cake (yum), or freeze shredded zucchini into portions that you need for bread making, soups or whatever kind of recipe you will need later - this is great to have in January. Zucchini and summer squash can be used interchangeably and adds lots of moistness to baked goods.
Homemade Refrigerator Pickles - www.allrecipes.com
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups white sugar 6 cups sliced cucumbers
1 cup sliced onions
1 cup sliced green bell peppers
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring vinegar, salt and sugar to a boil. Boil until the sugar has dissolved, about 10 minutes.
2. Place the cucumbers, onions and green bell peppers in a large bowl. Pour the vinegar mixture over the vegetables. Transfer to sterile containers and store in the refrigerator
In a-Pinch Cucumber Salad adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison
1 long or two short Armenian cucumbers or 3-4 lemon cukes
salt and freshly milled white pepper
2 to 3 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
champagne vinegar or fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. fresh dill or parsley, chopped
Thinly slice cucumbers. Toss the cucumbers with a few pinches salt, pepper to taste, and enough oil to coat lightly. Add a few drops vinegar and the herb of your choice. Serves 4.
BASIL PESTO
- www.twosmallfarms.com
3 Tablespoons pine nuts or almonds, lightly toasted
1 Cup lightly packed basil leaves
2 Tablespoons Italian parsley leaves
1 lg. clove garlic, thinly sliced
1/3 Cup olive oil
parmesan cheese
salt
In a food processor (or blender), combine nuts, basil, parsley, and garlic. Pulse, until well chopped. With motor running, add oil in a stream. Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in cheese and salt to taste. Store with a thin layer of oil to keep fresh and green. (The parsley helps keep the bright green color too.)
SPECIAL BASIL storage notes: It shouldn’t get too cold, so try to find the ‘warmest’ place in your fridge. For some that’s the door, for others that might be the produce drawer. In my own fridge, the back of the fridge tends to get coldest.... I’ve read recently that wrapping the basil bunch in a damp clean cloth (I used an old clean cloth napkin) and put that in the ‘vegetable crisper’. It worked for me! If you’re not sure about your fridge you can try keeping your basil as a flower bunch in a jar with water at the stems. I don’t recommend drying basil: it’s best used up or made into pesto and then freezing the pesto if you want to keep the flavor for another week/month.
BASIL WALNUT VINAIGRETTE - www.twosmallfarms.com
1 tsp.
20
1/2 tsp.
1/2 tsp.
2 tsp.
4 tbsp.
1/2 cup chopped garlic
basil leaves
salt
pepper
Dijon mustard
white wine vinegar
olive oil
Whirl together the above ingredients, and toss with lightly steamed green beans and/or cooked potatoes, or? Then toss with: chopped walnuts and 3 sliced scallions.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Journal Post for the week of July 12, 2010
SO WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THE FARM THIS WEEK?
We survived the heat and potty training. It has been quite busy on the farm this past week - regardless of the temperature - we still need to work in the fields and get things done. Adam and I are thankful to our very flexible interns and volunteers that started in the wee hours of the morning (5am) to get to work so we could finish (on some of the days) to get out of the hottest part of the day. There was and still will be alot of sweat to be had and many quick jumps in the lake with a truckload of scantily clad farmers going down Quaker Rd mid day to the fishing access midday and before dinner. The sun and the down pour we received the other night was great for growing things. Folks could complain about the weather and how hot it is - but we need this weather to grow the crops that feed us all. We can deal with sun because we can mulch and water - when you get too cool of days and lot of wet weather there is not much we can do to help the crops. We just remember to hydrate, hydrate and eat lots of smoothies and creemees:)
The sungold cherry tomatoes are starting to turn (there may even be some in your baskets this week) and the first of the heirloom full size tomatoes are starting to ripen - Moskovich- we had a couple on hamburgers last night - Oh my! Grassfed beef hamburgers from our farmer friends at Maplewood Organics in Highgate and a slice of tomato - I am not sure if that was drool or the tomato juice hitting the napkin. We cannot wait to share these all with you...we are thinking about a tomato festival this August - to celebrate the wonders of heirloom tomato taste:) The cucumbers are about 1 to 1 1/2 weeks out...the zucchini and summer squash are in full force...The peas are going away - the heat was too much for them. We should be having our last picking of shell peas today and tomorrow.
We had a Canadian cyclist drop in for a few days. Emily showed up on our doorstep on Thursday night looking for a place to camp . She is making a four month journey on bike around the East coast to check out farm food - all shapes and sizes. We were one of her first stops. She stayed until Saturday morning where she ventured into Burlington. Of course she got to pick peas , squash and other farm chores during her stay and partook in Friday night pizza party. You can read about her time here at www.feelgoodfood.net. We wish her luck in her journey.
This past Sunday, Christine drove up to Alburgh to deliver 41 baskets of food for Food For Thought program. It was great to meet some of the families that we have been donating produce to. This week we donated 12 bunches of chard, 7 bunches of Kale, 115 heads of lettuce, 15 napa cabbages and 5lbs of summer squash and zucchini. Many of them did not know that I was one of the farmers and I got to hear how much they have been enjoying the fresh lettuce and peas:) Yeah! Thank you for being part of our farm! Peace, Adam Farris Christine Bourque, and Sadie Farris
WHAT’S IN THE SHARE THIS WEEK: Red Leaf, Red or Green Butterhead, Romaine Lettuce Heads, Broccoli, English Shelling Peas, Summer Squash and zucchini, Red or Green Cabbage, Orient or Italian Eggplant, Squash Flowers and Basil! (Please note: sometimes things will change between the two pickups - Mondays vs Thursdays - dependant on weather)
PICK-YOUR-OWN RASPBERRIES by Meg Pond, Quaker Rd, megpond16@gmail.com
We have gorgeous organically-grown red raspberries at Stepping-Stone Farm at 36 Quaker Road in Grand Isle. Come pick as long as it is not raining or if the berries have had time to dry off in case it has rained. Please call if you want to pick (343-5497 or 372-3019) or come by to see if we are open. They are incredibly sweet and beautiful berries! We sold 50 pints at Saturday's Farmer's Market in Grand Isle. $3.50 a pint for pick-your-own or $5.00 pint picked for you.
EGGS FOR SALE
We have the pretty girls’ eggs for sale – these are free-range, certified organic chicken eggs that are brown, green and blue – with the brightest yellow/orange yolks you ever seen. The eggs are $5.00 a dozen.
RECIPES
• Some cooking notes for this week's vegetables before jumping right into recipes. The Peas this week are English Shelling Peas - you need to peel back the skin ("shuck" them) and get the peas out. You can eat them fresh or ever so lightly saute them or steam them. You can also freeze them - blanche them for 2 minutes and then cool them down in ice water, then drain and dry and put into freezer bags and you can enjoy them this winter. Broccoli can be blanched and cooled the same way and then frozen in freezer bags.
• The Long purple eggplants are called Orient Express and the purple and white streaked ones are Listada da Gandia, an Italian heirloom eggplant. We picked them all the end of this week and today and then we will have to wait another a week or two for the first big flush of eggplants. These eggplants are tender, do not need to be salted, are slightly sweet and their skins are non-bitter. You can saute, broil, grill, or bake them. We made an eggplant parmesan pizza on friday night and the other day we grilled them with a little olive oil.
• The Squash flowers are totally edible. You can chop them fine and add them to salads, quinoa, rice, etc. Our favorite to cook them is to stuff them with goat cheese, lightly cover them with egg and panko bread crumbs, regular bread crumbs or cornmeal, and then fry them in a cast iron pan with canola oil for about 30-60 seconds each side. The goat cheese gently melts and oh my - yumminess. You can also stuff them with egg and bread crumbs and other things - the sky's the limit.
• Summer Squash and Zucchini when picked young have a sweet, nutty taste when they are sauteed or grilled. Just slice them in half the longway and put some olive oil on them then place them on the grill. These small ones can also be used to make bread and butter pickles, eaten raw in salad, and make great additions on pizzas (we love pizza in this house - Every Friday night we make homemade pizza and it is truly amazing all the great combinations we come up with). With the larger zucchinis you can cut them longways in half and scoop out the inside and stuff them, veggie burgers, make zucchini bread, make zucchini chocolate cake (yum), or freeze shredded zucchini into portions that you need for bread making, soups or whatever kind of recipe you will need later - this is great to have in January. Zucchini and summer squash can be used interchangeably and adds lots of moistness to baked goods.
Veggie Burgers - BHF CSA Member
1 each zucchini and yellow squash, shredded
2 carrots, shredded
1 onion, shredded
A couple cloves of garlic
1 cup oats
1 egg
1TB soy sauce or tamari
Cook the onion & garlic in olive oil till soft, then add the other veggies & cook 3-4 more minutes. Add egg, oats and soy sauce & mix. Once it's cool enough to touch, make into patties and grill...coating in flour helps it not stick. You can either top with cheddar or shred it and mix it w/ patty mix...
Sara's Great Frittata Recipe (twosmallfarms.com)
2 lbs summer squash
Salt
Green onions(healthy fistful chopped)
Basil leaves(fistful again)
2 garlic cloves
4 eggs
1/4 Cup oil
1 Cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 Cup parnesan/pecorino cheese
The summer squash, green onions, and basil make a wonderful frittata.In the main bowl of a food processor, grate about two pounds of summer squash. Put the squash in a colander and lightly salt. Leave to drain, and put the chopping blade in the food processor. Add a healthy fistful of onions and the leaves from a bunch of basil. Toss in a couple garlic cloves if you have them, and pulse until well chopped. In a big bowl, mix around a cup of flour with a couple teaspoons of baking powder and about a half cup of grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese. Lightly beat four eggs and a quarter cup of oil (if you're feeling decadent and there are no vegetarians in the crowd, add a couple spoonfuls of bacon grease). Put the grated squash in a thin clean dishtowel or heavy duty paper towel and squeeze out excess liquid. Combine all the ingredients in the big bowl. You should have a thick, fragrant batter. Pour the batter into a greased 13x9 baking pan and sprinkle a little more cheese on top. Bake at 375 degrees until golden, about 30-45 minutes (it depends on the moisture left in the squash). When cool, cut into squares and serve.
Chocolate & Zucchini Cake - chocolateandzucchinni.com
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 scant cup light brown sugar (I use unrefined cane sugar)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, or 1/2 cup virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules or 2 tablespoons strong cooled coffee –- this is just to deepen the chocolate flavor, you won’t taste it in the finished product
3 large eggs
2 cups unpeeled grated zucchini, from about 1 1/2 medium zucchini
1 cup good-quality bittersweet chocolate chips, or chopped chocolate
Confectioner’s sugar (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch round springform pan or a 8 1/2-inch square pan.In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of a mixer (or by hand in a large mixing bowl), beat the sugar and butter until fluffy. Add the vanilla, coffee, and eggs, mixing well between each addition.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the zucchini, chocolate chips, and about a third of the flour mixture, making sure the zucchini strands are well coated and not clumping too much. Add the rest of the flour mixture into the egg batter. Mix until just combined; the batter will be thick. Fold the zucchini mixture into the batter, and blend with a spatula without overmixing. Pour into the prepared cake pan, and level the surface. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer onto a rack to cool for 10 minutes, run a knife around the pan to loosen, and unclasp the sides of the pan. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar or a chocolate glaze if desired.
We survived the heat and potty training. It has been quite busy on the farm this past week - regardless of the temperature - we still need to work in the fields and get things done. Adam and I are thankful to our very flexible interns and volunteers that started in the wee hours of the morning (5am) to get to work so we could finish (on some of the days) to get out of the hottest part of the day. There was and still will be alot of sweat to be had and many quick jumps in the lake with a truckload of scantily clad farmers going down Quaker Rd mid day to the fishing access midday and before dinner. The sun and the down pour we received the other night was great for growing things. Folks could complain about the weather and how hot it is - but we need this weather to grow the crops that feed us all. We can deal with sun because we can mulch and water - when you get too cool of days and lot of wet weather there is not much we can do to help the crops. We just remember to hydrate, hydrate and eat lots of smoothies and creemees:)
The sungold cherry tomatoes are starting to turn (there may even be some in your baskets this week) and the first of the heirloom full size tomatoes are starting to ripen - Moskovich- we had a couple on hamburgers last night - Oh my! Grassfed beef hamburgers from our farmer friends at Maplewood Organics in Highgate and a slice of tomato - I am not sure if that was drool or the tomato juice hitting the napkin. We cannot wait to share these all with you...we are thinking about a tomato festival this August - to celebrate the wonders of heirloom tomato taste:) The cucumbers are about 1 to 1 1/2 weeks out...the zucchini and summer squash are in full force...The peas are going away - the heat was too much for them. We should be having our last picking of shell peas today and tomorrow.
We had a Canadian cyclist drop in for a few days. Emily showed up on our doorstep on Thursday night looking for a place to camp . She is making a four month journey on bike around the East coast to check out farm food - all shapes and sizes. We were one of her first stops. She stayed until Saturday morning where she ventured into Burlington. Of course she got to pick peas , squash and other farm chores during her stay and partook in Friday night pizza party. You can read about her time here at www.feelgoodfood.net. We wish her luck in her journey.
This past Sunday, Christine drove up to Alburgh to deliver 41 baskets of food for Food For Thought program. It was great to meet some of the families that we have been donating produce to. This week we donated 12 bunches of chard, 7 bunches of Kale, 115 heads of lettuce, 15 napa cabbages and 5lbs of summer squash and zucchini. Many of them did not know that I was one of the farmers and I got to hear how much they have been enjoying the fresh lettuce and peas:) Yeah! Thank you for being part of our farm! Peace, Adam Farris Christine Bourque, and Sadie Farris
WHAT’S IN THE SHARE THIS WEEK: Red Leaf, Red or Green Butterhead, Romaine Lettuce Heads, Broccoli, English Shelling Peas, Summer Squash and zucchini, Red or Green Cabbage, Orient or Italian Eggplant, Squash Flowers and Basil! (Please note: sometimes things will change between the two pickups - Mondays vs Thursdays - dependant on weather)
PICK-YOUR-OWN RASPBERRIES by Meg Pond, Quaker Rd, megpond16@gmail.com
We have gorgeous organically-grown red raspberries at Stepping-Stone Farm at 36 Quaker Road in Grand Isle. Come pick as long as it is not raining or if the berries have had time to dry off in case it has rained. Please call if you want to pick (343-5497 or 372-3019) or come by to see if we are open. They are incredibly sweet and beautiful berries! We sold 50 pints at Saturday's Farmer's Market in Grand Isle. $3.50 a pint for pick-your-own or $5.00 pint picked for you.
EGGS FOR SALE
We have the pretty girls’ eggs for sale – these are free-range, certified organic chicken eggs that are brown, green and blue – with the brightest yellow/orange yolks you ever seen. The eggs are $5.00 a dozen.
RECIPES
• Some cooking notes for this week's vegetables before jumping right into recipes. The Peas this week are English Shelling Peas - you need to peel back the skin ("shuck" them) and get the peas out. You can eat them fresh or ever so lightly saute them or steam them. You can also freeze them - blanche them for 2 minutes and then cool them down in ice water, then drain and dry and put into freezer bags and you can enjoy them this winter. Broccoli can be blanched and cooled the same way and then frozen in freezer bags.
• The Long purple eggplants are called Orient Express and the purple and white streaked ones are Listada da Gandia, an Italian heirloom eggplant. We picked them all the end of this week and today and then we will have to wait another a week or two for the first big flush of eggplants. These eggplants are tender, do not need to be salted, are slightly sweet and their skins are non-bitter. You can saute, broil, grill, or bake them. We made an eggplant parmesan pizza on friday night and the other day we grilled them with a little olive oil.
• The Squash flowers are totally edible. You can chop them fine and add them to salads, quinoa, rice, etc. Our favorite to cook them is to stuff them with goat cheese, lightly cover them with egg and panko bread crumbs, regular bread crumbs or cornmeal, and then fry them in a cast iron pan with canola oil for about 30-60 seconds each side. The goat cheese gently melts and oh my - yumminess. You can also stuff them with egg and bread crumbs and other things - the sky's the limit.
• Summer Squash and Zucchini when picked young have a sweet, nutty taste when they are sauteed or grilled. Just slice them in half the longway and put some olive oil on them then place them on the grill. These small ones can also be used to make bread and butter pickles, eaten raw in salad, and make great additions on pizzas (we love pizza in this house - Every Friday night we make homemade pizza and it is truly amazing all the great combinations we come up with). With the larger zucchinis you can cut them longways in half and scoop out the inside and stuff them, veggie burgers, make zucchini bread, make zucchini chocolate cake (yum), or freeze shredded zucchini into portions that you need for bread making, soups or whatever kind of recipe you will need later - this is great to have in January. Zucchini and summer squash can be used interchangeably and adds lots of moistness to baked goods.
Veggie Burgers - BHF CSA Member
1 each zucchini and yellow squash, shredded
2 carrots, shredded
1 onion, shredded
A couple cloves of garlic
1 cup oats
1 egg
1TB soy sauce or tamari
Cook the onion & garlic in olive oil till soft, then add the other veggies & cook 3-4 more minutes. Add egg, oats and soy sauce & mix. Once it's cool enough to touch, make into patties and grill...coating in flour helps it not stick. You can either top with cheddar or shred it and mix it w/ patty mix...
Sara's Great Frittata Recipe (twosmallfarms.com)
2 lbs summer squash
Salt
Green onions(healthy fistful chopped)
Basil leaves(fistful again)
2 garlic cloves
4 eggs
1/4 Cup oil
1 Cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 Cup parnesan/pecorino cheese
The summer squash, green onions, and basil make a wonderful frittata.In the main bowl of a food processor, grate about two pounds of summer squash. Put the squash in a colander and lightly salt. Leave to drain, and put the chopping blade in the food processor. Add a healthy fistful of onions and the leaves from a bunch of basil. Toss in a couple garlic cloves if you have them, and pulse until well chopped. In a big bowl, mix around a cup of flour with a couple teaspoons of baking powder and about a half cup of grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese. Lightly beat four eggs and a quarter cup of oil (if you're feeling decadent and there are no vegetarians in the crowd, add a couple spoonfuls of bacon grease). Put the grated squash in a thin clean dishtowel or heavy duty paper towel and squeeze out excess liquid. Combine all the ingredients in the big bowl. You should have a thick, fragrant batter. Pour the batter into a greased 13x9 baking pan and sprinkle a little more cheese on top. Bake at 375 degrees until golden, about 30-45 minutes (it depends on the moisture left in the squash). When cool, cut into squares and serve.
Chocolate & Zucchini Cake - chocolateandzucchinni.com
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 scant cup light brown sugar (I use unrefined cane sugar)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, or 1/2 cup virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules or 2 tablespoons strong cooled coffee –- this is just to deepen the chocolate flavor, you won’t taste it in the finished product
3 large eggs
2 cups unpeeled grated zucchini, from about 1 1/2 medium zucchini
1 cup good-quality bittersweet chocolate chips, or chopped chocolate
Confectioner’s sugar (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch round springform pan or a 8 1/2-inch square pan.In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of a mixer (or by hand in a large mixing bowl), beat the sugar and butter until fluffy. Add the vanilla, coffee, and eggs, mixing well between each addition.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the zucchini, chocolate chips, and about a third of the flour mixture, making sure the zucchini strands are well coated and not clumping too much. Add the rest of the flour mixture into the egg batter. Mix until just combined; the batter will be thick. Fold the zucchini mixture into the batter, and blend with a spatula without overmixing. Pour into the prepared cake pan, and level the surface. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer onto a rack to cool for 10 minutes, run a knife around the pan to loosen, and unclasp the sides of the pan. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar or a chocolate glaze if desired.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Journal Post for the week of July 5, 2010
SO WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THE FARM THIS WEEK?
Thanks to all the well wishes of the saga of potty training. Sadie is going on a week and a half of potty training and we now have a travel potty - which she loves. We are even doing potty at night - she said the diapers can be for mama's little baby and that she does not need them anymore. So very cute and big sisterly of her.
The farm has been quite busy this week. Watermelon transplanting - crimson sweet, sugar baby and moon and stars - they are loving the heat. The squash and zucchini plants are starting to produce- there are a couple on your share today - perfect grilling size. The English shelling peas are quickly fattening up and we should have them for you next week (maybe in the share for Thursday drop off). Lots ("butt ton" - a few hundred pounds- I think that is a metric type of measuring in the veggie world, well at least on our farm :) ) of potatoes on Saturday - oh, and our first crop of potatoes should be ready in a week or so... In the share this week are broccoli and some squashes - which I believe are the earliest we have ever harvested - July 5th. Most things seem to be 2-3 weeks earlier this year...including our garlic harvest - we usual harvest it around our anniversary - August 2nd - but I think we will be bumping that up by two weeks. The tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants are loving this weather and we may have eggplants next week.
Last week, we had Vern Grubinger from UVM extension walk through our fields and hoophouses. We were able to "pick his brain" about ways we grow things on our farm and how to grow them better. It was great to have him out here and have the opportunity to ask questions and get technical assistance face to face. The soils course that Christine took over the winter really helped our growing and crop rotation this year and for years to come. It is nice to put things in practice that we learned about in the course and actually see them work - for example, as simple as using soil tests to figure out where we will put certain crops - like where we put our brassica family crops this year - we did not have to add anything to the soil - it was all there ready to use - where as if we put roots crops there they would have been all hairy - we would have never had known this if we did not have good records and soil tests to look at and analyze. Because of this soil course we now have a soil mentor - Dave Marchant from Riverberry Farm to ask questions with and see where we can continue to improve our soils. Tomorrow (Tuesday) our Vermont Organic Farmer Inspector will be here to audit us and make sure we are compliant with our organic re-certification - lots of paperwork and time - it happens yearly - I am thankful that Adam is in charge of that. We will let you all know how it goes - all of paperwork is in order. Well, need to go out an help pick basil. Have a great week and look at the announcement below about raspberries...Thank you for being part of our farm! Peace, Adam Farris Christine Bourque, and Sadie Farris
WHAT’S IN THE SHARE THIS WEEK: Red Leaf, Green Leaf, Butterhead, Romaine Lettuce Heads or Lettuce Mix, Broccoli, Sugar Snap Peas, Pac Choi, the first baby squash and zucchini, napa cabbage (Chinese cabbage) and Basil!
PICK-YOUR-OWN RASPBERRIES by Meg Pond, Quaker Rd, megpond16@gmail.com
We have gorgeous organically-grown red raspberries at Stepping-Stone Farm at 36 Quaker Road in Grand Isle. Come pick as long as it is not raining or if the berries have had time to dry off in case it has rained. Please call if you want to pick (343-5497 or 372-3019) or come by to see if we are open. They are incredibly sweet and beautiful berries! We sold 50 pints at Saturday's Farmer's Market in Grand Isle. $3.50 a pint for pick-your-own.
EGGS FOR SALE
We have the pretty girls’ eggs for sale – these are free-range, certified organic chicken eggs that are brown, green and blue – with the brightest yellow/orange yolks you ever seen. The eggs are $5.00 a dozen.
PLEASE NOTE: I have given credit to where these recipes come from. When they are from our kitchen - they are labeled BHF kitchen. The internet is a wonderful thing:) Many thanks to the authors of these recipes for all the yummy recipes:)
RECIPES
Broccoli Slaw - Smittenkitchen.com
Makes about six cups of slaw
2 heads of broccoli
1/2 cup thinly sliced almonds, toasted
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
Buttermilk Dressing
1/2 cup buttermilk, well-shaken
1/3 cup mayonnaise (this is more than is in the original, to thicken the dressing further)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallot (or, you could just use a little extra red onion to simplify it)
Trim broccoli and cut it into large chunks. From here, you can either feed it through your food processor’s slicing blade, use a mandoline to cut it into thin slices, or simply had chop it into smaller pieces. I used the stem and the flowerets, but if you have a broccoli stem aversion you can just use the tops. Toss the sliced broccoli with the almonds, cranberries and red onion in a large bowl. Meanwhile, whisk the dressing ingredients in a smaller one, with a good pinch of salt and black pepper. Pour the dressing over the broccoli (if you’ve skipped the stems, you might not want it all; I otherwise found this to be the perfect amount) and toss it well. Season well with salt and pepper to taste. Should keep up to a week in the fridge, if you don’t have any pregnant women nearby. Variation: I bet this slaw would be equally good with cauliflower. I might use dried currants instead of cranberries, walnuts instead of almonds and maybe even some celery slices thrown in. Have fun with it.
Sugar Snap Pea Tempura - epicurious.com
yield: Makes about 120 hors d'oeuvres
These hors d'oeuvres should be served warm, so fry a couple of batches at a time as platters need replenishing.
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup beer (8 ounces; not dark)
1 to 1 1/2 quarts vegetable oil
1 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed
Accompaniment:soy dipping sauce
Whisk together flour and beer in a bowl until smooth. Heat 2 inches oil in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat until it registers 365°F on thermometer. Working in batches of about 15, toss sugar snaps in batter until coated. Lift sugar snaps out of batter 1 at a time, letting excess batter drip off, and transfer to oil. Fry sugar snaps, turning with a slotted spoon, until golden, about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer with slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. (Return oil to 365°F between batches.) Serve sugar snaps warm.
Broccoli Salad Recipe - simplyrecipes.com
1 teaspoon salt
5-6 cups fresh broccoli florets (about 1 pound of florets)
1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds
1/2 cup cooked, crumbled bacon
1/4 cup of red onion, chopped
1 cup of frozen peas, thawed (or fresh peas)
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup honey
Bring a large pot of water, salted with a teaspoon of salt, to a boil. Add the broccoli florets. Cook 1-2 minutes, depending on how crunchy you want the broccoli. 1 minute will turn the broccoli bright green, and leave it still pretty crunchy. 2 minutes will cook the broccoli through, but still firm. Set your timer and do not cook for more than 2 minutes, or the broccoli will get mushy. Drain the broccoli and immediately put into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Let cool and drain.Combine broccoli florets, almonds, crumbled bacon, chopped onion, and peas in a large serving bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, cider vinegar and honey. Add dressing to the salad and toss to mix well. Chill thoroughly before serving. Serves 4 to 6.
The Best Broccoli of Your Life - amateurgourmet.com
You preheat the oven to 425. Take 4 to 5 pounds of broccoli (I just got two large bunches), cut into florets (but relatively big ones.) Here's the key that she doesn't mention in the recipe: dry them THOROUGHLY. That is, if you wash them. I saw an episode of Julia Child cooking with Jacques Pepin once when Pepin revealed he doesn't wash a chicken before putting it in a hot oven: "The heat kills all the germs," he said in his French accent. "If bacteria could survive that oven, it deserves to kill me." By that logic, then, I didn't wash my broccoli; I wanted it to get crispy and brown. If you're nervous, though, just wash and dry it obsessively.
Now, it's easy. Put the broccoli on a cookie sheet. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. (She says 5 Tbs olive oil, 1 1/2 tsps kosher salt, 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper, but I just eyeballed it.) Now add 4 garlic cloves that are peeled and sliced and toss them in too. Roast in the oven 20 to 25 minutes, until "crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned." I shook the pan around a bit as it went, but not sure that's necessary. When it's done, take it out of the oven--and here's where it gets really good--zest a lemon over the broccoli, squeeze the lemon juice over the broccoli, add 1.5 Tbs more olive oil, 3 Tbs toasted pine nuts (I left those out), and 1/3 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. She also has you add 2 Tbs julienned fresh basil, but I left that out too.
You won't miss it: the magic combo of the crispy broccoli, the garlic, the lemon and the cheese will make this the best broccoli of your life. I guarantee it; you will go ga-ga over it. I'm so ga-ga over it that I would seriously consider a trip right now to the store just so I could make this for lunch. Broccoli for lunch? After trying this, you'll never want to eat anything else for breakfast, lunch or dinner ever again.
Thanks to all the well wishes of the saga of potty training. Sadie is going on a week and a half of potty training and we now have a travel potty - which she loves. We are even doing potty at night - she said the diapers can be for mama's little baby and that she does not need them anymore. So very cute and big sisterly of her.
The farm has been quite busy this week. Watermelon transplanting - crimson sweet, sugar baby and moon and stars - they are loving the heat. The squash and zucchini plants are starting to produce- there are a couple on your share today - perfect grilling size. The English shelling peas are quickly fattening up and we should have them for you next week (maybe in the share for Thursday drop off). Lots ("butt ton" - a few hundred pounds- I think that is a metric type of measuring in the veggie world, well at least on our farm :) ) of potatoes on Saturday - oh, and our first crop of potatoes should be ready in a week or so... In the share this week are broccoli and some squashes - which I believe are the earliest we have ever harvested - July 5th. Most things seem to be 2-3 weeks earlier this year...including our garlic harvest - we usual harvest it around our anniversary - August 2nd - but I think we will be bumping that up by two weeks. The tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants are loving this weather and we may have eggplants next week.
Last week, we had Vern Grubinger from UVM extension walk through our fields and hoophouses. We were able to "pick his brain" about ways we grow things on our farm and how to grow them better. It was great to have him out here and have the opportunity to ask questions and get technical assistance face to face. The soils course that Christine took over the winter really helped our growing and crop rotation this year and for years to come. It is nice to put things in practice that we learned about in the course and actually see them work - for example, as simple as using soil tests to figure out where we will put certain crops - like where we put our brassica family crops this year - we did not have to add anything to the soil - it was all there ready to use - where as if we put roots crops there they would have been all hairy - we would have never had known this if we did not have good records and soil tests to look at and analyze. Because of this soil course we now have a soil mentor - Dave Marchant from Riverberry Farm to ask questions with and see where we can continue to improve our soils. Tomorrow (Tuesday) our Vermont Organic Farmer Inspector will be here to audit us and make sure we are compliant with our organic re-certification - lots of paperwork and time - it happens yearly - I am thankful that Adam is in charge of that. We will let you all know how it goes - all of paperwork is in order. Well, need to go out an help pick basil. Have a great week and look at the announcement below about raspberries...Thank you for being part of our farm! Peace, Adam Farris Christine Bourque, and Sadie Farris
WHAT’S IN THE SHARE THIS WEEK: Red Leaf, Green Leaf, Butterhead, Romaine Lettuce Heads or Lettuce Mix, Broccoli, Sugar Snap Peas, Pac Choi, the first baby squash and zucchini, napa cabbage (Chinese cabbage) and Basil!
PICK-YOUR-OWN RASPBERRIES by Meg Pond, Quaker Rd, megpond16@gmail.com
We have gorgeous organically-grown red raspberries at Stepping-Stone Farm at 36 Quaker Road in Grand Isle. Come pick as long as it is not raining or if the berries have had time to dry off in case it has rained. Please call if you want to pick (343-5497 or 372-3019) or come by to see if we are open. They are incredibly sweet and beautiful berries! We sold 50 pints at Saturday's Farmer's Market in Grand Isle. $3.50 a pint for pick-your-own.
EGGS FOR SALE
We have the pretty girls’ eggs for sale – these are free-range, certified organic chicken eggs that are brown, green and blue – with the brightest yellow/orange yolks you ever seen. The eggs are $5.00 a dozen.
PLEASE NOTE: I have given credit to where these recipes come from. When they are from our kitchen - they are labeled BHF kitchen. The internet is a wonderful thing:) Many thanks to the authors of these recipes for all the yummy recipes:)
RECIPES
Broccoli Slaw - Smittenkitchen.com
Makes about six cups of slaw
2 heads of broccoli
1/2 cup thinly sliced almonds, toasted
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
Buttermilk Dressing
1/2 cup buttermilk, well-shaken
1/3 cup mayonnaise (this is more than is in the original, to thicken the dressing further)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallot (or, you could just use a little extra red onion to simplify it)
Trim broccoli and cut it into large chunks. From here, you can either feed it through your food processor’s slicing blade, use a mandoline to cut it into thin slices, or simply had chop it into smaller pieces. I used the stem and the flowerets, but if you have a broccoli stem aversion you can just use the tops. Toss the sliced broccoli with the almonds, cranberries and red onion in a large bowl. Meanwhile, whisk the dressing ingredients in a smaller one, with a good pinch of salt and black pepper. Pour the dressing over the broccoli (if you’ve skipped the stems, you might not want it all; I otherwise found this to be the perfect amount) and toss it well. Season well with salt and pepper to taste. Should keep up to a week in the fridge, if you don’t have any pregnant women nearby. Variation: I bet this slaw would be equally good with cauliflower. I might use dried currants instead of cranberries, walnuts instead of almonds and maybe even some celery slices thrown in. Have fun with it.
Sugar Snap Pea Tempura - epicurious.com
yield: Makes about 120 hors d'oeuvres
These hors d'oeuvres should be served warm, so fry a couple of batches at a time as platters need replenishing.
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup beer (8 ounces; not dark)
1 to 1 1/2 quarts vegetable oil
1 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed
Accompaniment:soy dipping sauce
Whisk together flour and beer in a bowl until smooth. Heat 2 inches oil in a 4-quart heavy pot over moderate heat until it registers 365°F on thermometer. Working in batches of about 15, toss sugar snaps in batter until coated. Lift sugar snaps out of batter 1 at a time, letting excess batter drip off, and transfer to oil. Fry sugar snaps, turning with a slotted spoon, until golden, about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer with slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. (Return oil to 365°F between batches.) Serve sugar snaps warm.
Broccoli Salad Recipe - simplyrecipes.com
1 teaspoon salt
5-6 cups fresh broccoli florets (about 1 pound of florets)
1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds
1/2 cup cooked, crumbled bacon
1/4 cup of red onion, chopped
1 cup of frozen peas, thawed (or fresh peas)
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup honey
Bring a large pot of water, salted with a teaspoon of salt, to a boil. Add the broccoli florets. Cook 1-2 minutes, depending on how crunchy you want the broccoli. 1 minute will turn the broccoli bright green, and leave it still pretty crunchy. 2 minutes will cook the broccoli through, but still firm. Set your timer and do not cook for more than 2 minutes, or the broccoli will get mushy. Drain the broccoli and immediately put into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Let cool and drain.Combine broccoli florets, almonds, crumbled bacon, chopped onion, and peas in a large serving bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, cider vinegar and honey. Add dressing to the salad and toss to mix well. Chill thoroughly before serving. Serves 4 to 6.
The Best Broccoli of Your Life - amateurgourmet.com
You preheat the oven to 425. Take 4 to 5 pounds of broccoli (I just got two large bunches), cut into florets (but relatively big ones.) Here's the key that she doesn't mention in the recipe: dry them THOROUGHLY. That is, if you wash them. I saw an episode of Julia Child cooking with Jacques Pepin once when Pepin revealed he doesn't wash a chicken before putting it in a hot oven: "The heat kills all the germs," he said in his French accent. "If bacteria could survive that oven, it deserves to kill me." By that logic, then, I didn't wash my broccoli; I wanted it to get crispy and brown. If you're nervous, though, just wash and dry it obsessively.
Now, it's easy. Put the broccoli on a cookie sheet. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. (She says 5 Tbs olive oil, 1 1/2 tsps kosher salt, 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper, but I just eyeballed it.) Now add 4 garlic cloves that are peeled and sliced and toss them in too. Roast in the oven 20 to 25 minutes, until "crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned." I shook the pan around a bit as it went, but not sure that's necessary. When it's done, take it out of the oven--and here's where it gets really good--zest a lemon over the broccoli, squeeze the lemon juice over the broccoli, add 1.5 Tbs more olive oil, 3 Tbs toasted pine nuts (I left those out), and 1/3 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. She also has you add 2 Tbs julienned fresh basil, but I left that out too.
You won't miss it: the magic combo of the crispy broccoli, the garlic, the lemon and the cheese will make this the best broccoli of your life. I guarantee it; you will go ga-ga over it. I'm so ga-ga over it that I would seriously consider a trip right now to the store just so I could make this for lunch. Broccoli for lunch? After trying this, you'll never want to eat anything else for breakfast, lunch or dinner ever again.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
More Kingbirds
These kinbirds are nesting right behond the farmstand. We are pretty lucky we have one pair right outside our window in the apple tree (previous post) and this one is up at the veggie farm. Another thanks to David for taking these great pictures:)
Friday, July 2, 2010
Who else likes BHF produce?
We harvest (pick veggies) about 3-4 times a week. There is always leaves from lettuce that we clean off, holey bok choi leaves, cabbage leaves that are a little yellow...we had been composting them but then our friend up the street got pigs and I thought...lets give the bucket of greens to them...and they love it :) So these little piggies do not need to go to market for their greens - they get it home delivered...
We are also thankful that Amy, Eric, Charlie and Daniel are raising a pig for us:) Yum!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Kingbirds nesting in our apple trees
One of Adam's favorite birds is a kingbird -Sadie tells me that is her favorite too.. Our neighbor, David, took these pictures for us of these beautiful birds. We thought you might like to see them.
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