Farm Share Info for August 5

All shares contain:

• Zucchini, Summer Squash and Patti-pan Squash
• Cucumbers
  
• Cilantro
• Green Onions
• Garlic
• Loose leaf Lettuce (for salad)
• "Braising Mix" (aka "stir fry" or mustard greens)
  

"Full" shares also contain:

• more onions, zucchinis, cucumbers, garlic, lettuce and braising mix
  
• Sage
• Marjoram
• "Italian sprouting" broccoli
  

Veggie Notes

zucchini - We try not to give out really big zukes, with the exception of the light and dark green striped and ribbed ones. These are a variety called "Costata Romanesca" and are widely regarded to actually improve in quality as they get larger. Of course, they can quickly reach sizes over 10 pounds, and all of the squashes we put into the shares this week were positively tiny compared to that.

cucumbers - The whitish/yellowish cucumbers are an heirloom variety that originated not far from here in Livermore Falls, Maine. It's called "Boothby's Blond". The spineless cucumbers are a variety called "Diva" which was developed in Albion, Maine.

cilantro - Some of you will have received a funny looking kind of cilantro with frilly, feathery leaves. It's called "Delfino" and recently won a national award for it's uniqueness and high quality. Aside from the leaves, it's just the same as regular cilantro and can be used just the same.

Italian sprouting broccoli - These little tiny broccolis are delicious and very sweet when raw, especially when chilled. It grows differently than regular broccoli and has taken a little while for us to get used to, but we think we're getting a handle on it now. Please, let us know what you think of it.



As always, we welcome your feedback. Please let us know if you have any questions, concerns or problems.

We hope you enjoy the share!

Farm Share Info for July 29

It's a funny time here on the farm. Busy, as always, but a little lean, too. Our first big flush of spring produce is done (no more napa cabbages, peas, chicories, beets) and we get to catch our breath for a little while before the big summer crops come on. Well, we won't be catching our breath so much as we'll be busy weeding and weeding and planting and weeding and building and mowing and weeding some more.

It may not seem like it to you, but it's been a little bit of a challenge for us to put together the past couple of shares -- mostly due to drought, insufficient fertility and just a little bit of inadequate planning. The drought and fertility I can't really do a whole lot about except know that we can irrigate in the future (with our new irrigation setup) and that the soil tilth and fertility will continue to improve as we continue to work the soil and to cover crop it and add minerals and nutrients. As for the planning, I just underestimated how much of each crop we would need. It's exciting to walk through the market gardens and see all of the different crops, but it's frustrating come harvest day when you pick every last fava bean and still don't have enough to give out. Hypothetically speaking, of course. But of course, this is where we can see the power of crop diversification: with so many different crops planted, there's always something ready to fill in for something that didn't do well. Crop diversification is way better than crop insurance. What can I do about this? What any good farmer would do: learn from it and plant more.

But don't worry! This little shortage only affects our successtional plantings and -- being successtional -- we get a chance to plant more. Better yet, all of the crops that only get planted once (onions, leeks, winter squash, tomatoes, potatoes and such) are about to starting coming in by the bushel. We've been eating the first few cherry tomatoes of the season, some of the big slicing tomatoes are done sizing up and are just waiting to ripen, eggplants are setting fruit, winter squashes are -- as usual -- out of control, corn is tasseling, potatoes are about golf ball size, and you're all getting some early hot peppers this week. All that good stuff yet to come and, since we're just now only 1/4 way through the CSA season, we'll have plenty of time to enjoy it all.

All shares contain:

• "Rainbow" Beets
• Swiss Chard
  
• Zucchini and/or Summer Squash
• Cilantro
• Green Onions
• Hot Peppers
  

"Full" shares also contain:

• more onions, zucchinis and peppers
  
• Fennel
• Thyme
  

Veggie Notes

beets - I can't believe I've forgotten to mention this for two weeks -- in fact, I can't believe that I'd forgotten it at all: beets are really really good when eaten with a little goat cheese. It's by far our favorite way of eating beets. Just roast the beets and then serve them with some chevre -- such as the great stuff available from Kennebec Cheesery at the Thursday farmers market. The sweet, earthiness of the beets is set off nicely by the creamy, tangy, earthiness of the cheese. Try it!

green onions - These are just "premature" onions and can be used like onions or scallions. The green tops can be used too. Kendra's family likes to pack the green tops in a bin of salt, which preserves them. Then they use them to flavor soups and stews over the winter.

fennel - The first time we grew fennel, we were hooked. What a unique, versatile, little veggie! If the licorice flavor is a bit much for you, cooking can help to tame that a bit. Raw, it's crunchy texure is great in anything that calls for celery and it's sweetness and flavor really pair well with fruits: with raisins, say, when grated into some sort of new-age cole slaw or with grapes in one of those chicken salads that have grapes in them or just chop it up and toss it in with some fruit salad. In Italy, apparently, it's sometimes eaten for dessert with orange-flavored goat cheese. When cooked, it again can be used anywhere that celery would be used and that would benefit from a little sweetness. We really like to carmalize it like you would onions: slice it thin and cook it in olive oil over a low flame for 30-40 minutes.

Recipe Ideas

Corn Salsa
Sweet corn is starting to show up at roadside stands in the area and this is a great way to use any ears that you might have leftover. It's also a great way to tide you over until fresh tomato salsa season. To cut the corn off the cob, just stand the [already cooked] ear on end on a cutting board and cut downward to slice off the kernels.

2 cups sweet corn, cooked
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
minced fresh hot pepper, to taste
salt

Combine corn, onion, cilantro and hot pepper. Season to taste with salt and serve.


As always, we welcome your feedback. Please let us know if you have any questions, concerns or problems.

We hope you enjoy the share!

Farm Share Info for July 22

Sorry this is coming in so late -- we topped off another long farm day by cutting some wood to build a shed for Kendra's new wood fired oven and after that we made our first pickles of the season (using the last of the year's garlic scapes and snap peas).

All shares contain:

• "Rainbow" beets
• Endive
• Zucchini and/or Summer Squash
• Celery (a small bunch)
  

"Full" shares also contain:

• more "Rainbow" beets
• a bunch of marjoram and parsley
• Chicory
• shell peas
  

Veggie Notes

beets - As I mentioned last week, remember that the leaves of beets (aka `beet greens') can be eaten like Swiss chard and that the color of the red beets will tend to bleed into the rest of the beets of they're cooked together. If the beets taste bitter, peeling off the skins can rid them of the bitterness.

endive and chicory - Endive has the finely toothed, feathery leaves while the chicory will look more like a head of romaine lettuce. There are many, many kinds of "chicory", but the one you're getting this week is called "Pan de Zucchero", or "Sugar Loaf". Less bitter than most chicories, it's natural sweetness really comes out when it's roasted. See the next post for some more recipes involving chicory.

celery - Baby celery, though not really that useful for the peanut butter and raisin treatment, is still a great seasoning. Just chop it up (leaves and all) an add to any recipe that calls for celery.

Recipe Ideas

Simple Squash Saute
For a long time, we tried to figure out what to do with all of the squash that piled up during the summer. Then we found this recipe and now we have a hard time keeping enough squash around! It's very flexible: use more or less squash, omit the herbs and/or garlic, etc.

2 6” squashes
1 medium onion
½ bunch fresh thyme, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
3-4 tablespoons olive oil or butter
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or more to taste
salt and pepper

Remove stems from squashes and chop into ¼” thick, round slices. Chop the onion (including the top, if it's a fresh onion) into ¼” by 1” pieces. Heat the fat in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pepper and onion and cook until the onion has softened, about 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, 30-60 seconds. Add the squash and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.

Also, be sure to check out the next post for some recipes for chicory and endive. (The roasted radicchio recipes would also work really well with this week's chicory.)


As always, we welcome your feedback. Please let us know if you have any questions, concerns or problems.

We hope you enjoy the share!