Catch up Journal Post for Week of Spetember 4th

                                                                            
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 

 
Volume XI& XII & XIII , JOURNAL VII

                                                                                                                          September 3, 2012

       Blue Heron Farm Journal

So what’s happening on the farm this week?

Hi Everyone - week 13 - Sorry there was no newsletter last 2 weeks - things have been quite hectic in these parts and they still are..so this week more recipes than letter.  Hope you forgive us - there is only so much this mama and papa  farmer and her hard working interns, volunteers and daughters can get through in a week.  Hope you liked the corn and the melons.  Sadie keeps finding a hidden melon or two, and then a silence in the field, sadie is squirelled away on the back of the truck with her little sister, and together they get every piece of those melons and then throw the rinds to the chickens:)  We are starting to wonder if the chicken eggs will start tasting like tomatoes soon:)  We would have lettuce for you last week and this week - but - you guessed it - those certified organic free range deer ate down my lush lettuce mix....venison anyone? Hopefully next week we will have lettuce for you.  Oh and we have potatoes again for you!  Red ones this time:)

 

Loads of tomatoes harvesting - if you would like some to can - we would love for you to come and glean the field.  Give us a call - and we can set you up with crates.  The market place is pretty loaded with tomatoes right now - so perfect for freezing and canning tomatoes.  we got 21 pints of ketchup done last week and about 17 qts of spaghetti sauce a week ago (thanks to a quick visit from Nana from Boston:))  We made a ton of sauce yesterday - canned 7 quarts and have about 24 more qts worth to can up.  We have also been drying the san marzano and other past type tomatoes in our dehydrator.  I may try to oven dry tonight. With our new oven it goes down to 170..hmmm..and it has three racks - oh what fun.  When processing tomatoes - it looks like a tomato exploded in your kitchen on pretty much everything.  Need.to.wipe.down.everything.asap!  But I keep remembering the hot, sticky kitchen now will keep our family well fed through the late fall and winter.  Hope to start pickling peppers this week and make some sort of pickles..oh and the pears and apples...luckily we invested in a kichen aid mounted squeezo - its the third hand I always needed while squeezoing.  Love the kitchen aid mounted squeezo.. :)

 

Wanted to send a special thank you to Diantha and Gail - Csa members - they have been amazing hand weeders  at our farm.  Just this morning they weeded your fall green beans and carrots! With a smile they come practically every week and weed, weed, weed.  Seriously would have lost many a crop if it wasn't for this dynamic duo! Thank you again for your patience, endurance and smiles:)

 

This week we started selling Sungold cherry tomatoes and Ground Cherries to City Market in Burlington.  We delivered our first batch last Thursday 24 and 36 pints and they called yesterday for 24 more pint of sungolds and 72 pints of ground cherries for tuesday.  Woot!  Hoping to try to find other avenues to sell our cherry tomatoes especially our heirloom ones.

 

Annie our sweet mama cow had her calf in the early morning of last Thursday.  Miss Annabelle was born out in the field (where Annie likes to give birth - she likes to give birth out in the field, no one watching, I think she enjoys the look on our faces of surprise in the morning when she appears with a calf.)  Maggie, Annie's adopted baby (who is now 9 months old) is a great big sister to Miss Annabelle.  And oh my, she is the cutest chocolate color I have ever seen.  She is big and vigorous and runs like a deer with her tail up between Maggie and Annie.  Annie is attentive and we forget that she hides her in the grass and will go out and eat.  Oh with a calf comes milk! Oh goodness, we started getting milk that we could drink yesterday (the first few days its colustrum and just for the calf) and how we have missed Annie's sweetness .  I think tonight we will be making yogurt and ricotta.  Tonight we will be having stuffed tomatoes with homemade ricotta and garlic knots and potatoes (Sadie's request since she told me we found the world's biggest red potato today.)

 

The winter squash is starting to ripen and fall greens are getting sweeter.  The days are getting a tad bit shorter each day...

 

Have a great week. -Your farmers, Adam, Christine, Sadie, Delia, Mandy, Harley and Sophie.

Our blog is at: www.blueheronfarmvt.com or on Facebook- check us out and/or leave a comment.

You can also get a hold if us via phone 372-3420 or email harmonyvt@yahoo.com

 

What’s in the share this week:   heirloom Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Red Potatoes, Tomatillos, Cherry Tomatoes, Ground Cherries, Arugula, Asian and listada de Gandia Eggplant, Sweet peppers, Cilantro, dill, Onions (please note: this is a tentaive list, what folks get on Monday maybe slightly different than what folks get on Thursday)

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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. 

 

Yarn for Sale

Yarn is available in our natural color "Island Oatmeal", "Earth", and "Snow."  Worsted Weight, double twist, soft, 240 yds, 4 ounces, Greenspun/Certified Organic (no petroleum products used in cleaning the wool) by Green Mountain Spinnery here in Vermont.  Yarn is in the farmstand. 17.00 skein. 

Recipes

 

Tomatoes are simple to preserve.  Freeze them whole, pop in a freezer bag, suck the air out, and put them in the freezer.  when you take them out, pop them right into a slow cooker or let them defrost and their skins will pop off.  We like to make spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, can whole tomatoes and dehydrated tomatoes. You can also make spaghetti sauce with them too and freeze it or can it.  With a little extra work now, will keep you full this winter:)

 

Grilled Eggplant Panini www.marquita.com

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
8 1/2-inch slices eggplant (about 1 small)
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
8 slices whole-grain bread
8 thin slices fresh mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup sliced jarred roasted red peppers
4 thin slices red onion

Preheat grill to medium-high.   Combine mayonnaise and basil in a small bowl. Using 1 tablespoon oil, lightly brush both sides of eggplant and sprinkle each slice with garlic salt. With the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, brush one side of each slice of bread. Grill the eggplant for 6 minutes, turn with a spatula, top with cheese, and continue grilling until the cheese is melted and the eggplant is tender, about 4 minutes more. Toast the bread on the grill, 1 to 2 minutes per side.  To assemble sandwiches: Spread basil mayonnaise on four slices of bread. Top with the cheesy eggplant, red peppers, onion and the remaining slices of bread. Cut in half and serve warm.

Layered Eggplant Casserole from Recipes from America's Small Farms

2-3 TBS vegetable oil
1 large egg
2 TBS milk
¼ cup all purpose flour, more if needed
1 large eggplant, peeled and cut into ¼ inch thick slices
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 large tomatoes, cut into ¼ inch thick slices
4 ounces Monterey Jack or other cheese, grated
1 TBS unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 2-quart casserole. Beat the egg and milk in a bowl and spread the flour on a plate. Heat 1 TBS of the oil in large skillet. Dip each slice of eggplant into the egg mixture, and then flour on both sides. Place the slices in the skillet in a single layer and fry until golden on both sides. Continue frying the eggplant in batches, adding oil as necessary, until done. Layer the fried eggplant, the onion, the tomato, and the cheese until they are all used up; the final layer should be the eggplant. Sprinkle any remaining flour (or use another 2 TBS of flour) over the top. Dot with the butter. Place in the oven, uncovered, for about 45 minutes, until bubbling and the eggplant is tender. Note: instead of frying the eggplant slices, you can drizzle them with oil and bake them on a cookie sheet for about 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Eggplant Pulp Facts from Recipes from America's Small Farms No one ever said eggplant pulp was pretty, but it's a beautiful base for spreads and salads. To make it, just puncture a large eggplant in a few places and wrap it loosely in aluminum foil. Place it in a 400 degree oven until it's soft and mushy – it's usually ready in about an hour, but longer baking won't hurt it. Let it cool completely, then scrape all the flesh off the skin. You'll get about 1 ½ cups of pulp from a medium eggplant. Add whatever other vegetables and herbs you like – the eggplant's mild taste and pleasant texture blends and binds other ingredients.

Eggplant Rounds with Cheese and Tomato Sauce adapted from D. Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

6-8 eggplant rounds per person, grilled, broiled or fried (from the skinny asian eggplants, reduce number of slices if using the large purple ones.)
3/4 cup grated or sliced mozzarella
1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola or goat cheese
about 4 cups favorite tomato sauce
chopped parsley or basil

Place the eggplant rounds on a sheet pan and cover with the cheeses. Bake at 375 degrees until the cheese melts. Serve with 2 or 3 spoonfuls of the sauce on each serving and garnish with the parsley or basil.

Tomatillo Salsa - this can be changed and adapted - just have fun :)

2 pounds fresh tomatillos
1 cup onion -- chopped
1 or 2 hot peppers, cored seeded and chopped. (you can also use dried chiles, leave seeds in either dried or fresh for more heat)
1 cup fresh cilantro -- minced
1/4 cup Fresh lime juice
1-2 cloves garlic
salt to taste

Remove husks from tomatillos, wash throughly, dry and halve or quarter. Combine tomatillos, onions, chiles, and garlic in a non-reactive pan. Over med-high heat bring to boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 mins. Cool a little or a lot then put into blender with cilantro and lime juice, blend away, salt to taste, and you have some GREAT salsa verde Mexicano.  We also add a little bit of cumin, cider vinegar and we use it with tomato sauce to make a quick enchilada sauce, or add an avocado to have guacamole.