Wednesday, July 30

Week 8, halfway!!!


That's wild rice in the marsh.  Don't think I'll ever have enough to harvest for the CSA, but it is beautiful to look at.  We've re-built the marsh bridge, so get out and take a look at it when you pick up your share this week!


I thought last week was peak cucumber week...oops!!!!!  5, count them, 5 in the share this week.  Please don't feel obligated to take them all! 

 Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, as each cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc!!!!!!!  Who needs vitamins!!!!!!!!

I will often eat a couple out in the field in the afternoon for a quick pick me up--the B vitamins are great for quick and long lasting energy!

Here's a great cucumber recipe page.

In this week's share:

5 cukes!
4 squash!!!!! Any size, please don't feel you need to take them all.  I'll be freezing the excess this week.
Salad mix.
Head of lettuce.
2 heads uncured garlic--fantastic!
Beans!!! Have you tried the Romano beans??????
Plums or peaches.

At the stand:  tomatoes trickle in, first cantaloupes and small watermelons, Lou should be bringing his first corn to the stand sometime around 10:00 , blueberries, onions, kale, senposai, broccoli.

If you're a fan of Hawthorne Valley's kim chee and sauerkraut, this week we have ginger carrots.  Outstanding!

Eat well!!!

Wednesday, July 23

Summer CSA WEEK 7



Bean week!  Romano, red, green, yellow....Lots of them!

The perfect summer weather continues.  No complaints, no problems (knock wood), no tomatoes!!!!
They are coming though, slowly.  I had the first pint of cherry tomatoes and a handful of heirlooms at the stand this week and they disappeared within an hour.  Two or three more weeks for enough for the CSA.  Patience!!!!!

In this week's CSA:

Lots of beans;

4!!!!!!! cukes (don't feel obligated to take them all)

1 summer squash of any size--they've slowed down so I actually have some smaller ones!!! Lots of jumbos, though;

3 onions;

2 peppers (green bells and poblanos);

Choice of collard  greens!!!!, chard, kale or microgreens;

Woodland Farm peaches or plums.

Lots of food!!!! Enjoy!!!!

Also at the stand: lettuce, carrots, garlic, broccoli, juices, butter, milk, yogurt, blueberries.

Lou's corn might arrive, but I wouldn't count on it.  Surely for next week.

For all of those who ordered beef, bacon or chicken, I've got them.  If Justin or I are not around, they will be in the right hand fridge on the lower shelf.

There are a few extra chickens.

As we rip out the old crops and prepare for the new, it will be useful to get a handle on Autmn CSA numbers. We still have room, so let me know if you'd like to join the 6 week fall session, fast approaching.   Cost is $195.  Thanks!!!!!!!








Wednesday, July 16

SUMMER CSA WEEK 6


"The Shakers recognize the fact that good food properly cooked and well digested is the basis of good health."  Sister Mary Whitcher



We visited the Hancock Shaker Village in western Massachusetts this past week and were much inspired by the simple and practical beauty everywhere we looked.  The kitchen, outfitted to serve more than a hundred people at a time, is amazing; the herb and vegetable plots equally so.  The two together once created a cuisine of flavorful simplicity, with a reliance on fresh produce and herbs.  I picked up "The Best of Shaker Cooking", quite a weighty tome, and will report back as I try out the simple and enticing recipes.

In the meantime:

In this week's share, the only greens you get are a:

Micro salad (various mild and very tender greens with pea shoots--fantastic!!!! No bite!);

1 lb beans!!!  Green or red, and if I run low, I'll start to pick the yellow;

2 summer squash (zucchini) of any size;

3 cukes!!!! However, please don't feel you have to take all 3 if you feel it is too much;

Baby onions!  Sauteed in butter, salt, and pepper, they make a fantastic sauce for whatever you want:

Blueberries or cherries from Red Jacket Orchards.

At the stand: some big turnips, mixed carrots, broccoli! (cross our fingers--the next crop should be big enough for the CSA!), Red Jacket Grape-Apple juice,and the first peaches and plums from Woodland Farms in South Glastonbury!!! They are nearly 2 weeks late this year, but here they come!!!


Meat lovers!!!!! I'm taking orders for free range no hormone truly pastured chickens, 1 lb. packets of ground grass fed beef, and pastured pig bacon.  I need at least 10 takers for the chickens, and 6 for the beef and bacon.

Let me know.

Thanks!!!!!


Wednesday, July 9

Summer CSA Week 5


Perfect summer weather continues: cool at night, pleasant in the morning, heat not building until afternoon, rain in the evening!!!  Very nice.

This week is the last of the spring planted lettuce heads.  A hint of bitterness has crept in with the heat, so the timing is perfect.  Varieties planted out the past couple of weeks should handle the heat better.

Some choices are available this week since some items are just coming in so I don't have a full crop yet.  Everything is very good.  More cherries from Red Jacket Orchards this week.  Holy Cow, I think I ate 3 quarts today!

At the stand: the cukes are coming in--next week they should be in the share.
Grew a small patch of fava beans! Nice and fresh.
Scllions/small onions
Green garlic
Butter
Water buffalo yogurt
Whole cream on top milk
Chocolate milk--this stuff disappears fast
Red Jacket juices

In this week's share:

1 head lettuce
Senposai or pac choi!  Great basic recipe for all Chinese cabbages
Beets OR carrots OR red dragon beans
White Russian Kale or Swiss Chard--lots of kale recipes
Garlic chives--Garlic chive pesto!
1 giant zucchini (great for stuffing or grilling) or 2 normal sized
Cherries!

Great zucchini recipe:

1 lb. zucchini or squash (about 2 medium-sized)
1/4 cup shredded parmesan (heaping)
1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs (heaping)
... 1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with foil and spray lightly with vegetable spray.

Slice zucchini or squash into 1/4 inch-thick rounds. Toss rounds with oil, coating well.

In a wide bowl or plate, combine breadcrumbs, parmesan, salt and pepper.

Place rounds in parmesan-breadcrumb mixture, coating both sides of each round, pressing to adhere. The mixture will not completely cover each round, but provides a light coating on each side.

Place rounds in a single layer on baking sheets. Sprinkle any remaining breadcrumb mixture over the rounds.

Bake for about 22 to 27 minutes, until golden brown. (There is no need to flip them during baking -- they crisp up on both sides as is.)


Wednesday, July 2

Summer CSA Week 4


The weather has been absolutely perfect and we have no complaints--a rare condition--but we do tire sometimes of lugging the sprinklers about...so we are especially grateful for the massive storm that just rolled through: that's the view over the marsh just over an hour ago as the storm rolled in.  I did get quite wet shortly thereafter...

In this week's share:

1 head of lettuce (yes, I guess 2 large heads a week is a bit much, as some have intimated!!!!)
salad mix--a tremendous mix with lettuce and tender microgreens;
turnips or carrots!!!!!--very sweet and tender.  Finally found the right location for carrots this year...enjoy!!!! If you prefer the turnips, I've got them, too;
scallions--ain't they great?!  Here's a yummy treat I've had for lunch twice this week: spaghetti with scallion sauce;
summer squash--bigger than last week--just about the perfect size this week--hopefully I can catch them all at this size--I love them raw in salads, or simply tossed briefly in oil, garlic or scallions, salt and pepper;
sweet cherries or strawberries--more cherries than strawberries, take your pick, the cherries are awesome--perfect weather for them this year the grower tells me;
parsley--another tender first cutting

At the stand: big bags of pea shoots, green (uncured) garlic!!!!!, milk, yogurt, juice, butter!!!

Eat well.

Enjoy the holiday!!!

Enjoy the dog days of summer!!!!!!