Threshing Table Farm Week 11 A
August 27th, 2015
What’s in this week’s box??
*Fun!
zucchini/summer squash cabbage or broccoli thyme
onions ground cherries Dill parsley
Leeks carrots potatoes beans
cucumbers pepper tomatoes kale
Please Join us for
Threshing Table Farm’s
Pack Shed Party!!
Jody and Mike Lenz
2249 150th st.
Star Prairie, WI 54026
Friday, August 28th
Come early… stay late!
6:30 Blessing of the Pack shed
followed by a Pot-Luck Meal
*Water and lemonade provided, bring other beverages of your choice
Stay for campfire, hay rides, outdoor movies, Mike’s fireworks and more!
Come with your dancing boots! Gravel Road will be providing great music!
Please bring: Lawn chairs and a dish to pass
A-H Desserts
I-R Main Dishes
S-Z Salads/Sides
**If you’d like to stay over night, please bring a tent or camper and enjoy a night under the stars-
We’ll party ‘til the cows come home!!!
(And since we don’t have any cows…)
Raspberries
If you are interested in Phil’s raspberries, $4 a pint and we can send them with your share. Please let us know how many you would like and where your pick up site is. Please send us a check or leave payment at the farm in the cookie jar. Checks can be made out to Phil McConville and send them to:
Threshing Table Farm
2249 150th St.
Star Prairie, WI 54026
We will fill the orders as they and the berries come in.
Thank you!
We are in a week of transitions. This cold spell certainly helped to remind us that summer is winding down and the winds of fall are moving in. I am certain we will be enjoying some warmer days yet to come, but they are numbered. Laura, our fearless summer helper has started college this week. Lucky for us, she is staying near home so we may still have her help in the afternoons. Claudia started school at Hill Murray this past Monday as well, so my morning crew has been cut in half. The boys start school next week and the rhythms of the day will change again.
The summer crops are tiring out. The zucchini and summer squash that were SO plentiful, are now giving a last hurrah. The same with the cucumbers. We have a new section of each that is just now coming in, but they won’t be as exuberant as the old ones. They too feel that their time in the sun is waning. Our tomatoes on the other hand, are just getting started. Our plants are filled with beautiful, green tomatoes. They are not ripening as fast as we’d like and certainly the cold weather this week has stalled them some. Hang in there, they are coming! We do have some for each of you this week. Those that are not ripe will ripen quicker on your warm kitchen counter than the chilly air they’ve been in.
We’re cleaning out some of the summer crops- cabbage included. Some of you are getting the last of the red cabbage, while others of you will get the very beginning of the fall broccoli. It is beautiful broccoli, with lots more to come.
We are also expecting the arrival of a batch of baby chicks. We will be transitioning out some of the old hens this fall and starting a new batch so that they will be laying heavily by spring of 2016. We will have stewing hens for sale, please watch the newsletter for info. in the coming weeks.
In your Box:
**Fun!! Farming is hot, cold, dirty, wet, exhausting and exhilarating! We love it- but sometimes we can get so caught up in the 7 day a week grind that we forget to step back and enjoy it. That’s what Friday night is all about- Fun!! We are so grateful for the wonderful people in our community- members, neighbors, friends, family, that we are throwing one big party to say thank you and have a great time! Please join us!
Tomatoes: 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 am taking orders, but will not fill them until the tomatoes are here in gusto. Please let me know if you want some, I’ll put you on the waiting list and let you know when they are available.
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 if you don’t see the dry papery skin of a dry 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. We are also sending some fingerlings. Perfect for grilling!
Beans- best if stored in plastic container or bag in the crisper drawer.
Dill: Young dill is here again! Great for scrambled eggs, cucumber salads and potato dishes. Store in a cup of water or a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
Parsley: Same as dill.
Thyme: I like to leave this one on the counter in it’s bundle. It will keep its shape and dry nicely.
Cabbage/broccoli: 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.
Ground Cherries: Leave those on the counter to sit until you are ready to eat them. (Or, eat them in the car on the way home!) Peel the paper covering off the cherry and pop them in your mouth- yum! They will continue to ripen as they sit on your counter. Eat the browner ones first, those with greenish papery skins, leave for a few days to brown up. You can use them for making pies, jellies, etc. But we are pretty fond of standing in the field, in the kitchen or the packing shed and just eating them. We’re throwing a few cherry tomatoes in the bag with the ground cherries so they don’t get lost in the box. It’s the perfect August snack bag.
Kale: Crisper drawer
Recipes
Bacon, Kale and leeks
Bacon
Kale
Leeks
Olive Oil
1. Slice the Leeks.
2. Remove the hard stems from the kale and tear the kale into small pieces.
3. Chop the bacon into small pieces.
4. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan and another tbsp in a large saucepan (large enough to hold all that kale).
5. Cook the bacon in the frying pan until done to your liking.
6. Cook the leeks in the saucepan, over a low heat, so that they soften rather than brown.
7. About 4 or 5 minutes before you think the bacon is done, put 3/4 of the kale into the saucepan with the leeks, stir and pop a lid on until the bacon is finished.
8. When the bacon is done, tip it into the saucepan with the leeks and kale and add the rest of the kale. Stir to mix, the heat will be enough to wilt that last addition of kale.
9. The bacon usually provides enough saltiness and the kale enough pepperiness, but taste and season if you think it is necessary.
10. You could use any other dark green leafy vegetable depending on what is on offer. Spinach, Spring greens, green cabbage, anything like that. And you could substitute onions for the leeks if you wished.
Thyme roasted potatoes
• 2 1/2 pounds potatoes, cut into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, plus sprigs for garnish
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1. Preheat oven to 450 and place a baking pan on rack in lower third.
2. Toss together all ingredients in a bowl; season with salt and pepper. Carefully transfer potatoes to hot pan, shaking pan to spread potatoes into a single layer.
3. Roast potatoes, stirring occasionally, until tender and crispy, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired. Makes 8 servings.
Tomato, Cucumber, Parsley, and Carrot Juice
Ingredients
3 medium tomatoes
1 large cucumber
1 large bunch fresh parsley
3 medium carrots, trimmed
Process tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, and carrots through juicer.
Chicken with Dill and Leeks
Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, divided, stems reserved
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper, divided
• 1 4 1/2-pound whole chicken, patted dry
• 1 lemon
• 1 pound small Yukon Gold or red potatoes, peeled
• 2 leeks
• 1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup dry vermouth
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Mash butter in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon dill and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Carefully loosen the skin over the chicken breast and legs; push and spread the butter around under the skin until it’s as evenly distributed as possible. Sprinkle the chicken with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Place in a roasting pan. Squeeze lemon over the chicken, then put the rinds into the cavity along with the dill stems.
• Slice potatoes about 1/16 inch thick. Remove most of the dark green tops and the root ends from leeks. Halve the leeks lengthwise and rinse well to remove any grit between the layers. Cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces.
• Scatter the potatoes and leeks around the chicken. Season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Heat broth to boiling and pour it onto the vegetables, along with vermouth.
• Roast the chicken and vegetables for 20 minutes.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350° and continue roasting until the potatoes are tender and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh without touching bone registers 165°F, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.
• Transfer the chicken to a warmed platter and cover with foil. If the vegetables haven’t absorbed all the liquid, set the pan over medium-high heat on the stovetop and boil, stirring, until the liquid mostly disappears. Gently fold sour cream into the vegetables; it doesn’t have to be completely mixed in—there is a rough edge to this dish that makes it all the more satisfying. Pour any accumulated juice from the chicken over the vegetables. Serve the chicken with the vegetables, scattered with the remaining 1 tablespoon dill.
Have a great week and happy eating!!
Jody, Mike, Claudia, Malcolm and Jonas