Notes from the Farm

We grow delicious fruits and vegetables for shareholders while training and employing people with disabilities through Goodwill Industries. All of our produce is grown in sustainable ways without using chemical fertilizers or pesticides. People love the experience of seeing their food growing in the field and getting to try fruits and vegetables not available elsewhere. We currently offer over 45 different vegetables and fruits as well as a pick your own field.

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Notes from the Farm

Hello from the farm,

This is Farmer Taryn writing for the first time this week! Just a heads up for the different style of writing and layout.

Fall is finally here! We are loving this colder weather throughout the week. It is a pleasant temperature for all of us farmers to work in, since the 90 degree weather is hopefully gone. Summer crops are dwindling, while delicious fall vegetables are creeping through the soil.

One of the fruits that are coming in heavy right now are Pawpaws. This uncommon fruit of North America has been in our history for hundreds of years. It has saved Lewis and Clark from starvation and was a favorite of Mark Twain's. New settlers to America collected Pawpaws if their crops did not produce enough for them to survive during winter. Here is a website created by Harvard that explains the history and description of Pawpaws:

http://www.arboretum.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014-72-1-the-pawpaw-a-forgotten-north-american-fruit-tree.pdf

Some tasty pawpaws that were harvested this week!

Comment from Farmer Taryn:

While being on the farm for three weeks I have learned a lot of new skills that an organic farmer needs to produce a wonderful crop. I have been busy learning the character of the program, working with staff and trainees and getting a feel for the features of this farm and land. My goal is bringing continued good harvests of the crops that have become favored and familiar to you and will also begin to weave my skills and interests into enhancing the farm as well.

What's happening on the farm this week?

There are summer vegetables still holding on even with the colder weather here. Our peppers and cilantro are still making an appearance. The tomatoes are able to make special appearances every once and a while because they are located in the greenhouse; which keeps them at a warmer temperature and doesn't let the moisture on the plant. This week we will be having beautiful pumpkins and colorful Indian corn to choose from. Last but not least the historical pawpaws and Asian pears will be on the shelves.

Plastic removal has been a huge part of our fall transition in the fields. Del (on the left) and Brian (on the right) are removing the thicker black plastic that use to be in the onion field. This is a tedious job to do but Del and Brian are still working with smile on their face!

The many colors of Indian corn!! This Indian corn has been drying to perfection for a week and is now ready to be given to you!

Reminder

Pick up hours at the farm:

Thursday: 3pm - 7pm

Friday: 11am - 7pm

Saturday: 9am - 1pm

Abendessen Fresh Bread:Stephanie is back but possibly with a limited supply! This week she will have Pretzel Rolls for $4/half dozen.

Picnic in the Fields!

This Sunday from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm

Join us in a celebration of food to preserve 14 acres of farmland.
Music, child-friendly activities, and a spirit of community!

ADULTS: $25 in advance, $30 at the door YOUTH 13–17: $10 UNDER 12: FREE Drop-in whenever — Gates open at 10:30

PULLED PORK BAR-B-QUE ON CIABATTA ROLL • GRILLED CHICKEN BREASTS • VEGAN WRAPS • BAKED BEANS • MACARONI SALAD • CHIPS • VEGAN SALAD • BROWNIES • BEVERAGES • BEER menu subject to change

Buy tickets at www.homefields.org.

A limited number of tickets may be available at the door. Questions? Email events@homefields.org

Suggestions for the Harvest:

Carrots: these carrots are better than candy--simply refrigerate and then eat washed and unpeeled for a snack.

Butternut Squash: butternuts have great flavor and can be used for making pumpkin pie. See recipe below for one way to prepare it

Pawpaws: best to keep them in the fridge until they are soft so the fruit flies don't find them. Cut in half the short way and spoon out like eating a kiwi fruit. Don't eat the seeds or skin. The pulp is good fresh or added to a smoothie.

Sweet Peppers: wow, it's been a great season for these lovely peppers. They are slowing down now with the shorter days. Sweet peppers come in all shapes, colors and sizes. Carmen, a long horn-shaped pepper is a perpetual favorite among your farmers. We like to snack on them as if they were candy.

Tomatoes: these have also peaked and are descending: tomatoes seem to stand for themselves without words of introduction, but here are some words anyway: delicious, great in sandwiches, BLTs, tomato & cucumber salad, cooked down for sauce, chopped in salad, fresh or canned salsa and more.

Eggplant: The Italian and Asian types differ only in shape and color, they are used in the same manner. I like them sliced and grilled or pan fried with soy sauce, oil, miso etc until browned and crispy.

Goodbyes:

Beets: Beets are back in town. We grow red, orange and striped beets, beautiful. mmm, I used to love to eat these after my mother had blanched them and slipped the skins off and they were cooling on the counter. Super nutritious, they can be roasted, grated for salad, boiled or steamed, then eaten hot or cold, and of course, made into pickled beets or used for pickled beet eggs. Makes me hungry writing about them.

Storage Onions: the red and white storage onions should keep for a month or two in cool dark storage.

Potatoes: well, that's the hardest we ever worked for potatoes and for not a lot of them unfortunately. We did get some, and for that we are glad.

Chard: this cousin to the beet is appreciated for its leaves instead of its roots. Use for salads, or as a spinach or kale substitute in cooking.

Green/Purple/Yellow Beans: they are a bit mature this week, but should still be pretty tasty. Older beans can be saved for vegetable soup, which is what we did growing with vegetables that were a little on the mature side. These beans are so amazingly good it almost puts frozen beans to shame. The purple variety is beautiful--if heated they turn green, if used in salad their purple looks great. To cook, bring to a boil in an inch of water or so, then turn down to three lines or so until tender. Yum yum!

Kale/Collards/Senposai: these are surrendering to the hot summer weather as usual. We like to fry these in a skillet with butter or coconut oil until crisp, add some onions and saute them as well--a superb topping for rice, fried eggs or stand alone too.

Cabbage: great for a cabbage and chopped peanut with vinegar salad. Simple and surprisingly good in spite of its simplicity.

We hope the Indian corn and pumpkins help decorate your house for the Fall season,

Your farmers

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Butternut squash and the truth about carrots

Hello from the farm,

The season has turned a wonderful corner and we are reveling in the cool sunny days that make working on the farm a delight! And...there is moisture in the ground making those fall crops grow nicely. In short, nothing to complain about and just about everything your farmers could wish for.

This week we are harvesting the Indian corn and curing it (it will make amazing corn meal in future weeks for corn bread), bringing in the butternut squash for the harvest, admiring the fall seedlings as they grow, turning the compost pile, not irrigating! (woohoo), checking the sweet potatoes for maturity so we know when to harvest them, and feeling very pleased to have carrots to speak of, and eat.

Treatise on Carrots: When have you seen fresh local carrots at a farm stand or market around here? Probably never, and with good reason. Carrots are difficult to grow well and consistently. Their tiny dill-seed size, their hesitance and finickiness to germinate, and their inability to compete with weeds because they are slow growing and they never really make a canopy to shade out young weed upstarts, means that very few farmers around here, other than CSA farms like ours will put the effort into growing them. But with that said, when we've got carrots, we are like the thieves who pulled off a jewel heist. Yes, we've got carrots.

fresh organic carrots are so sweet and crisp!

time to get down to work, carrots are a labor of love

Farmer Taryn happily bands a fresh bunch of carrots

Abendessen Fresh Bread:Stephanie is not able to bake bread this week, but plans to have bread at the farm next week.

Picnic in the Fields

Sunday, September 27 11:00 am to 2:00 pm

Join us in a celebration of food to preserve 14 acres of farmland.
Music, child-friendly activities, and a spirit of community!

Suggestions for the Harvest:

Carrots: these carrots are better than candy--simply refrigerate and then eat washed and unpeeled for a snack.

Butternut Squash: butternuts have great flavor and can be used for making pumpkin pie. See recipe below for one way to prepare it

Goodbyes:

Garlic: woohoo for our farm's garlic, so fresh and tasty. It goes really well in the tomato cucumber salad I talked about last week.

Storage Onions: the red and white storage onions should keep for a month or two in cool dark storage.

Potatoes: well, that's the hardest we ever worked for potatoes and for not a lot of them unfortunately. We did get some, and for that we are glad.

Scallions: We had a great run of scallions, but they are done now. These mild-mannered onion family folks give an easy onion flavor to salads, sandwiches, stir fries and more. Or you could do the old classic buttered bread and sliced scallion treat: my grandparents talked a lot about enjoying them in spring.

Chard: this cousin to the beet is appreciated for its leaves instead of its roots. Use for salads, or as a spinach or kale substitute in cooking.

Watermelons: the watermelon plants have done their duty and given us some great melons. Shareholders have told us that the Yellow Moon and Stars was not very flavorful, so we will not grow much of it next year. Sorry it did not live up to its billing. We may do a small test planting next year to see if it does any better second time around.
Cantaloupes: the cantaloupes had a fantastic run, but their time in the sun is done. Law Reh mowed down the spent and weedy patch with quiet glee.
Cucumbers: these are all done and and vines shredded to compost them back into the field
Kale/Collards/Senposai: these are surrendering to the hot summer weather as usual.  We like to fry these in a skillet with butter or coconut oil until crisp, add some onions and saute them as well--a superb topping for rice, fried eggs or stand alone too.
Cabbage: great for a cabbage and chopped peanut with vinegar salad. Simple and surprisingly good in spite of its simplicity.
Garlic scapes:  these are the would-be flowering stems of garlic--soft, tender, easy to use for stir fries, diced for salad, really anywhere a mild garlic flavor is desired. We like to use it for pesto here at the farm.

The Pick Your Own Field:There are amazingly nice flowers in the Pick Your Own Field. Feel free to pick abundantly. There are also green and ripe chili peppers, okra, tomatillos and Sungolds and other gourmet type tomatoes

General rules of thumb:

If plentiful, take a little more, if scarce, go easy on the crop

For herbs--pinch only the tops of stems so that they can regrow.

We hope you are enjoying the fall harvest,

Your farmers

RECIPE for ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH & APPLE

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Time to table: 1-1/4 hours
Makes 4 cups

1 butternut squash, about 1-1/2 pounds, washed well
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

2 apples, cored, chopped into half-inch pieces
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (don’t skip)

Set oven to 375F. Place a glass or ceramic baking dish in the oven to preheat.
SQUASH Place the squash in the microwave for 3 minutes to soften (see TIPS). Remove the skin, seeds and membrane, then into half-inch cubes (see How to Cut, Peel & Cube a Butternut Squash). In a large bowl (see TIPS), toss the squash with remaining squash ingredients, coating the cubes well with butter and spices. Transfer to baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
APPLES Combine apples, maple syrup and balsamic vinegar. Arrange apples over the squash. Re-cover with foil, bake for another 10 minutes.
Uncover the dish, stir and bake for about another 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the squash is fully cooked and the liquid is absorbed. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve immediately.

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Rain falling, acorn squash and pawpaws

Hello from the farm,

Ahhhhhhhh....rain is starting to fall. It has been so dry. This week we've been continuing to water the fall crop seeds and seedlings. With about three weeks of near 90 degree weather, we are really grateful for the strong well that has never failed us when we needed it. There just is no substitute for rain water though, you can tell how much the plants like it. This has been a season of No Moderation when it comes to the weather: six weeks of hot and dry and then six weeks of cool and wet and then back again. The tomatoes had a great run and are just about kaput now. Thanks to the committed watering team, the fall seedlings are emerging and looking great, it's a wonderful sight to see!!

One of our favorite pictures of all time, capturing how we feel about the rain!

In ten years of squash harvesting, Elizabeth says that it's never been sweltering hot like it was this week: picking squash and taking water breaks!

Sure signs of fall. Here come the acorn squash.

The pawpaw trees are ripening a lot of fruit this week, so they'll be putting on a nice show when you come for your veggies.

A word from Taryn:

Hello all! This is Farmer Taryn writing to you about my first impressions on this lovely farm. I am truly amazed by the amount of variety that is grown here and the kindhearted people that I am working with. You are supporting a farm that gives great opportunities to people with disabilities, while having a good time! I am wanting to keep the farm at a high standard, as Farmer Scott has for many of years. Hoping to meet all of you soon!

Say hi to Farmer Taryn this week

Abendessen Fresh Bread: Tomato Basil Sourdough this week for $5 a loaf.

When you buy a farm share you are supporting Goodwill and the farm program. When you donate to Homefields you are supporting the land and facility at the farm.

Here is an opportunity to support Homefields and the land:

Picnic in the Fields

Sunday, September 27 11:00 am to 2:00 pm

Join us in a celebration of food to preserve 14 acres of farmland.
Music, child-friendly activities, and a spirit of community!

Suggestions for the Harvest:

Acorn Squash: a wonderful taste of fall and a reminder that cool weather is on the way. See recipes below.

Storage Onions: the red and white storage onions should keep for a month or two in cool dark storage.

Goodbyes:

Garlic: woohoo for our farm's garlic, so fresh and tasty. It goes really well in the tomato cucumber salad I talked about last week.

Potatoes: well, that's the hardest we ever worked for potatoes and for not a lot of them unfortunately. We did get some, and for that we are glad.

Chard: this cousin to the beet is appreciated for its leaves instead of its roots. Use for salads, or as a spinach or kale substitute in cooking.

The Pick Your Own Field:
There are amazingly nice flowers in the Pick Your Own Field. Feel free to pick abundantly. There are also green and ripe chili peppers, okra, tomatillos and Sungolds and other gourmet type tomatoes

General rules of thumb:

If plentiful, take a little more, if scarce, go easy on the crop

For herbs--pinch only the tops of stems so that they can regrow.

Acorn Squash Bisque from Madison Herb Society Cookbook, serves 4

1 large acorn squash
4 Tbsp butter
2 leeks, chopped
1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 Tbsp fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream

Poke several holes in squash with a fork and bake at 325 degrees until it pierces easily with a fork, about 45 minutes. Cut in half, remove and discard seeds, scoop out pulp and reserve. Melt butter in saucepan, add leeks and sauté over low heat 20 minutes. Place in blender or food processor with squash pulp, stock, thyme, salt and pepper; whirl until smooth. Return to saucepan; simmer over low heat 20 minutes. Stir in cream and heath through just before serving.

Acorn Squash Salad from Farmer John's Cookbook - Serves 4 to 6

2 medium acorn squash
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro
6 Tbsp orange or tangerine juice
3 Tbsp maple syrup
2 Tbsp candied ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
4-6 handfuls salad greens (one handful per serving) washed, dried, lightly dressed with olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 375 F
2. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Place the squash halves cut-sides down on a baking sheet. Bake until tender, 30 to 45 minutes depending on size. Cool completely, scoop out the soft flesh, and roughly chop. Place the squash in a bowl and set aside.
3. Combine the olive oil, cilantro, orange juice, maple syrup, ginger, salt and cayenne in a blender or food processor. Blend well.
4. Pour the dressing over the squash and toss gently. Chill for at least 1 hour to allow the flavor to combine.
5. Serve on a bed of lightly dressed greens.

Enjoying the sweet sounds of rain,

Your farmers

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Fall changes, asian pears, pawpaws and persimmons, Farmer Taryn

Hello from the farm,

September=cool days and autumn rains right? Well, not exactly. MC Scottie B feat. Farm Crew D.R.Y are taking on the hot dry conditions with high energy. This week we have been unceasingly watering the fields of newly planted fall crop seeds to get them to germinate. Without water, there just isn't moisture in the ground to get these seeds to sprout! The farm crew has been happily benefitting from Elizabeth's birthday last week with shared treats and some tasty cold stuff.

We are at that transition point between summer vegetables and fall vegetables so you will notice a bit of a lull as the heavy hitters of summer fade away and the fall crops start to trickle in slowly and then strong like the tide.

We were pleased to see the pawpaw trees that were planted way back in 2006 come into strong bearing last season--every shareholder had the opportunity to try them. Pawpaws are North America's largest native fruit. They were a favorite of the Native American tribes, and they taste something like a mix of banana, mango and avocado--and they are super nutritious and also thought to act against cancer. We expect them to do even better this fall as they will continue to yield more and more as the trees get bigger. The jujube trees also did nicely last year and we put in a new row of them this spring.

September is pawpaw, Asian pear and persimmon time. This harvest timing coincides nicely with the lull between summer veggies and fall veggies. You'll be seeing these over the next few weeks. Asian pears are very sweet and crisp pears that are usually round like an apple, while pawpaws are shaped like a green colored mango and have a soft banana/avocado/caramel complex thing going on. The pawpaw seeds and skin are not edible. Pawpaws are great fresh when the fruit is soft. Store in the fridge until soft but best before they turn dark.(like banana) They are awesome in smoothies!

Fall Changes

After spending thirty-thousand hours or so at this farm, there is so much of the farm ingrained in me. I relish the routine of it, the development of better ways and tools for our specific needs, the sunrises when coming in to get critical work done, the joy of a difficult crop to grow prospering, the ten o'clock coffee with the crew, and the smiles, handshakes, voices, gaits, and wisecracks.

It has been wonderful to see many of these long term crops, goals, tools and systems come to fruition. The farm has grown deeply in the past sixteen seasons. We began in 2000 with 28 shareholders and what looked like a backyard garden--produce was washed in recycled bathtubs in those days. Sixteen seasons under our belt and the farm is very well established with dedicated staff, trainee program, and infrastructure, great growing techniques and pretty consistent harvests and loyal and pleased farm shareholders. You will see me stepping into a part time support role to help continue the good things going on here as Farmer Taryn joins the farm crew.

Farmer Taryn arrives next week:

Next week we will be welcoming Taryn Hogeland to the farm to begin her new role as Farm Manager. I asked Taryn to share about herself so we can get to know her:

"I live on a family owned vegetable farm that is owned by my father and his three brothers. My summers consisted of working on the farm with my family. After high school I started college at Penn State and finished with an agricultural science degree. The first two years of my college career I worked at a local dairy farm. During the summer after my junior year of college and after my senior year I had an internship at Southeastern Agricultural Research and Extension Center owned by Penn State. At this internship I worked with various vegetables and PA vegetable extension officers. Working at the Goodwill at Homefields Farm will begin my career and dreams within agriculture. Having a career at a CSA farm will give me the opportunity to educate the public about agriculture and the importance of having an understanding of who your farmer is."

Farmer Taryn is outstanding in her field

Abendessen Bread this week: Stephanie is baking Apple Strudel Sourdough for $5 a loaf.

When you buy a farm share you are supporting Goodwill and the farm program. When you donate to Homefields you are supporting the land and facility at the farm.

Here is an opportunity to support Homefields and the land:

Picnic in the Fields

Sunday, September 27 11:00 am to 2:00 pm

Join us in a celebration of food to preserve 14 acres of farmland.
Music, child-friendly activities, and a spirit of community!

Suggestions for the Harvest:

Garlic: woohoo for our farm's garlic, so fresh and tasty. It goes really well in the tomato cucumber salad I talked about last week.

Storage Onions: the red and white storage onions should keep for a month or two in cool dark storage.

Goodbyes:

Potatoes: well, that's the hardest we ever worked for potatoes and for not a lot of them unfortunately. We did get some, and for that we are glad.

Chard: this cousin to the beet is appreciated for its leaves instead of its roots. Use for salads, or as a spinach or kale substitute in cooking.

Green garlic: this is garlic harvested before the base swells and becomes a bulb. It has a milder flavor than bulb garlic and can be used anywhere garlic is called for. Keep refrigerated as you would green onions/scallions.

Rhubarb: rhubarb is harvested only in Spring and is then given a year's rest

Parsnip: may have a late fall crop of these.

The Pick Your Own Field:
There are amazingly nice flowers in the Pick Your Own Field. Feel free to pick abundantly. There are also green and ripe chili peppers, okra, tomatillos and Sungolds and other gourmet type tomatoes

General rules of thumb:

If plentiful, take a little more, if scarce, go easy on the crop

For herbs--pinch only the tops of stems so that they can regrow.

It has been an honor and pleasure to serve you and work at furthering the farm and its mission over the past fifteen seasons. Thank you for your support and encouragement.

Scott and the merry band of farmers

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Thursday, September 24, 2015