August 20th, 2015
What’s in this week’s box??
*A barrel washer!!
zucchini Summer squash cabbage Basil
Cilantro Marjoram onions Eggplant
Leeks carrots potatoes Beans
cucumbers sweet peppers tomatoes
Pack Shed Party
Friday, August 28th, 6:30-?
Bring a potluck dish, beverages of choice and lawn chairs.
Mike and his friend Wayne spent the entire hot, humid weekend wiring the new pack shed with electricity. It’s a big job, but we now have lights and outlets! This is a huge step in getting the new pack shed up and running. The 2nd big improvement is our new barrel washer! We cannot contain our excitement!! We were able to wash all of our carrots in about 15 minutes!!! In the past, this would have taken us over 2 hours.
When we washed the potatoes we thought we had taken the skins right off of them- but no, they were just that clean!! The skins are very much still attached. We are thrilled that we will be able to provide cleaner produce for you using less labor from us. This means we will have more time for other farm tasks.
We are also a huge step closer to celebrating the pack shed and the labor saving, quality enhancing aspects of it. What we are most excited for though- is to celebrate the people who made this pack shed possible. Friends and neighbors who helped with the grunt work, community members, family members and strangers who helped fund our Kiva Zip loan, and all of you who support us by being members of our farm. We feel so blessed to see the pack shed take shape, knowing that it could not be done without a wonderful community around us. Please come out and celebrate with us! If that’s not reason enough, Pot luck’s have the best food, hay rides, outdoor movies of I Love Lucy and Macgyver, and we will have Live music!! Brought to us by the band, Gravel Road. You don’t want to miss it!
Tomatoes: We grow many different varieties. We have heirloom and hybrid. Big ones and little ones. Our tomatoes grow outside in all the elements of nature. They are not grown for beauty, but for flavor. Each tomato offers its own strength and weakness. Some of them acquire blemishes quite easily. Please don’t be afraid of the cracks. Cut around them and enjoy the tomato- usually the more cracked it is, the more likely it is to be an heirloom -valued for flavor. If they aren’t fully ripe, just leave them on your counter until they are. It’s best not to refrigerate tomatoes. Use them as they ripen.
**If you would like to purchase tomatoes for canning, please let me know.
¾ bushel boxes of mixed tomatoes are: $25
¾ bushel box of straight Romas $30
This is a member’s only price. Non-farm members will pay $5 a box higher.
I will fill orders first come, first serve, as the tomatoes ripen. I can send them with your share if you would like or you can come here and pick them up. A ¾ bushel box will have at least 25lbs of tomatoes in it.
I expect that we’ll have tomatoes for the next 3-4 weeks, but mother nature is a finicky one! We’ll see.
Zucchini/Summer Squash/ Cucumbers: Store in refrigerator, crisper drawer is best.
Carrots: Store in plastic bag in crisper drawer.
Onion: The onions are starting to cure- but haven’t completely yet. Use as a fresh onion.
Pepper: Crisper drawer
Potatoes: We’ve moved in to the Satina variety. They are a nice gold/yellow potato. Store in a cool, dry place.
Beans- best if stored in plastic container.
Cilantro- plastic bag in the refrigerator
Basil- place in water on your counter. This basil is UGLY! Sorry! We have been having a tough time producing beautiful basil. IT TASTES GREAT!!! So ignore the holes and use in recipes. Make pesto and freeze it for winter. We’ll try one more new batch before fall and hope it is prettier. Did you know that vegetable farming is really a beauty contest?
Marjoram: Plastic bag in refrigerator or hang to dry.
Cabbage: Crisper drawer or plastic bag in refrigerator
Leeks: Crisper Drawer, Leeks are a member of the onion family and are related to shallots, garlic, chives, and scallions. They have a sweet, delicate flavor all their own. Before using leeks, it is essential to clean them well, as dirt, sand, and grit can collect between the layers.
Recipes
Sauted carrots with marjoram
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pounds carrots (about 16), cut diagonally into 1/2-inch slices
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
½ tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram4 teaspoons lemon juice
In a medium nonstick frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderately low heat. Add the garlic, carrots, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
Uncover the pan. Raise the heat to moderate and cook, stirring frequently, until the carrots are very tender and beginning to brown, about 8 minutes longer.
Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt, the lemon juice, and the fresh marjoram.
Braised Leeks
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2 leeks
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2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
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1 tablespoon cold butter
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1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
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Coarse salt and ground pepper
Directions
- Remove outer leaves; cut dark-green ends from leeks. Trim roots, keeping leaves attached. Halve lengthwise; rinse to remove grit.
- Bring broth to a boil in a large skillet. Add leeks; cover, and cook over medium-low heat, turning once, until easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 15 to 25 minutes. Using tongs, transfer leeks to a platter.
- Boil broth until reduced to 1/2 cup, 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add butter; swirl to melt. Add parsley; season with salt and pepper. Spoon over leeks.
Summer Squash with Basil Pesto
Ingredients
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1/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves
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1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan (1 ounce)
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1 tablespoon pine nuts or walnuts
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
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1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
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1 pound zucchini
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1/2 pound yellow squash
Preparation
In a food processor purée together basil, Parmesan, pine nuts, salt, lemon juice, and oil until smooth and season with pepper.
With a mandoline or other manual slicer, cut zucchini and yellow squash lengthwise into very thin slices. Arrange slices in one layer, overlapping them slightly, on 2 large platters and drizzle pesto over slices. Chill zucchini and yellow squash, covered, at least 1 hour, to allow dressing to be absorbed, and up to 1 day.
Have a great week and happy eating!!
Jody, Mike, Claudia, Malcolm and Jonas