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.

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