4th Week of September

This Week at the Farm

Fall has officially arrived and the first of the fall greens are here. We are excited to have the mild-flavored Japanese mustard greens Mizuna (serrated leaves) and Mibuna (smooth leaves.) The cooler mornings remind us that colder weather is coming, and we continue to relish in these warm days. We look ahead to tucking in the strawberries for the winter.

Thank You: A special thank you to our Farm Manager Scott Breneman. We are grateful for his boundless enthusiasm for all that we do and his outstanding leadership. He is an inspiration for all of the staff and our successes are a reflection of his teaching. Thank you Scott!
--from Elizabeth

Serving Suggestions for the Harvest

• Japanese Mustard Greens: can be added raw to a salad, and also make a great addition to a stir-fry. They wilt quickly, so add near the end of cooking time.
• Pumpkin: yes, all types of pumpkin are edible, including jack o' lanterns. Decorate with it for a while and then enjoy it in pies, soups and curries, roast the seeds with a little bit of oil. Delicious.
• Leeks:—slice them thinly avoid chewiness. They have fine flavor and can used anywhere onions are called for.
• Peppers: great for snacking on raw, or try them roasted with a little oil.
• Eggplant: roast or grill with oil, seasonings, brushed with soy sauce, you’ll be singing eggplants praises if you weren’t before

Recipe

Swiss Chard Ravioli
(from keyingredient.com - Thank you to Kim Chen for sharing this!)

Yield: 8 servings as a first course
¼ cup water
1 pound Swiss chard center spine and stems trimmed
1 cup ricotta cheese
⅓ cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg
1 garlic clove minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
¼ teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
64 Gyoza (potsticker) wrappers from two 12-oz packages see * Note
1 large egg white beaten to blend
¾ cup butter - (1 ½ sticks)
¼ cup chopped fresh sage
Additional freshly-grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Note: Gyoza wrappers can be found at Asian markets and in the refrigerator section of many supermarkets. If unavailable, substitute wonton wrappers and cut into 3 ½-inch rounds.

Bring ¼ cup water to boil in large pot. Add chard leaves. Cover; cook until tender but still bright green, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Drain. Cool slightly. Squeeze dry. Chop chard finely. Transfer to large bowl. Mix in ricotta, ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese, egg, garlic, thyme, salt, rosemary and pepper. Line baking sheet with foil or plastic wrap; sprinkle with flour. Place 1 gyoza wrapper on work surface. Brush surface of wrapper with some egg white. Spoon generous 1 teaspoon chard mixture into center of wrapper. Top with another wrapper. Press edges together to seal. Transfer to baking sheet. Repeat with remaining wrappers, egg white and chard mixture to make 32 ravioli total. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover and chill.) Melt butter in heavy small skillet over medium heat. Add sage; stir 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Working in batches, cook ravioli in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes per batch. Transfer ravioli to large shallow bowl. Pour sage butter over ravioli and toss. Serve, passing additional Parmesan cheese alongside, if desired.
This recipe yields 8 servings as a first-course.

3rd Week of September

This Week at the Farm

It's always great to be out in the community and find that many many people have heard about the farm thanks to you sharing about your experiences here with other people. Thank you.

These are great days to be alive and working in the fields. Fall is invigorating and the fall harvest a favorite time for all of us. This week we are starting to harvest spaghetti squash and we will also have some more pumpkins to choose from. The fall greens look great, and we will start harvesting some next week.

*Next Friday: Veggie Pick-Up ends at 6pm because of Potluck*

Fall Potluck and Campfire Next week Sept 26th
5:30 Tour of the fall crops and Q & A with Scott
6:00 Potluck meal—bring a hot and/or cold dish to share
7-9pm Fireside time

Please bring:

• Hot and/or cold dish to share.
• Serving utensils if needed, and place setting.
• Roasting sticks and roastables—marshmallows, sausages, smores etc as desired.
• Lawn chairs.
• Flashlight if desired.
• We will providing hot and cold beverages and paper supplies.

Wanted: additional dry firewood for the Potluck. Please email me at sbreneman@yourgoodwill.org.

Available: each week we have some large clear plastic bags available that held vegetables—free for the taking for trash bags, leaf bags or whatever.

Serving Suggestions for the Harvest

• Spaghetti Squash: see recipe for this unique squash below
• Pumpkin: yes, all types of pumpkin are edible, including jack o ‘lanterns. Decorate with it for a while and then enjoy it in pies, soups and curries, roast the seeds with a little bit of oil. Delicious.
• Edamame: this is the last week for them—choose between them or green/yellow beans.
• Leeks: Slice them thinly avoid chewiness. They have fine flavor and can used anywhere onions are called for.
• Peppers: great for snacking on raw, or try them roasted with a little oil
• Eggplant: roast or grill with oil, seasonings, brushed with soy sauce, you’ll be singing eggplants praises if you weren’t before.

Thank You
Thank you to each of the trainees who work here at the farm and make it succeed: soulful work, health, nutrition, farmland preservation, local economy and relationships are the result.
Scott

Recipes

BAKED SPAGHETTI SQUASH
(from http://www.cooks.com/)
1 med. spaghetti squash
4 tbsp butter or margarine, divided
1/2 cup brown sugar divided
Cut squash in half lengthwise. Place in baking dish with about 1 inch of water, cut side up. Dab butter or margarine on edges and in squash. Sprinkle brown sugar on and in squash. Bake uncovered for 50 minutes or until fork inserts easily. Flake out with a fork and then serve with spaghetti sauce or parmesan and herbs etc.

2nd Week of September

This Week at the Farm

Rain, glorious rain to revel in: it was a wonderful rain on Saturday that delivered 3 inches of replenishing water in well-mannered fashion. There was also an additional half-inch of rain during the thunderstorm Tuesday morning. Nice cool weather and the feel of fall coincide with
pumpkins, which are part of the harvest today.

WGAL stopped by yesterday to learn about our farm blog which features the newsletter and recipe each week. Share it with your friends!

For farm pictures and observations throughout the year check out:
http://www.goodwillathomefieldsfarmcsa.blogspot.com/

Did you know?

Lightning and snow both deliver atmospheric nitrogen to plants in small quantities. This is why plants look so perky after a thunderstorm.

Serving Suggestions for the Harvest

• Pumpkin: Yes, all types of pumpkin are edible, including jack o' lanterns. Decorate with it for a while and then enjoy it in pies, soups and curries, roast the seeds with a little bit of oil. Delicious. Also see pie recipe below.
• Edamame: See very simple recipe from last week! These are tasty.
• Leeks: Slice them thinly to avoid chewiness. They have fine flavor and can be used anywhere onions are called for.
• Tomatoes: They have peaked and are slowing down.
• Peppers: Great for snacking on raw, or try them roasted with a little oil.
• Eggplant: Roast or grill with oil, seasonings, brushed with soy sauce... you’ll be singing eggplants praises if you weren’t before.

Enjoy!
Scott

Pumpkin Pie
[or winter squash pie]
First prepare the pumpkin; cut in half, scrape out the seeds and pulp, and bake in the oven at 350 for an hour, or until tender. Then scrape flesh off of the rind. Prepare and bake a 9 inch pie shell.

In the top of a double boiler, cook over boiling water until thick:
1 1/2 c cooked pumpkin or squash
1 1/2 c undiluted evaporated milk, rich cream, or soy milk
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t ginger
1/8 t cloves
4 slightly beaten eggs
Cool slightly and add 1 t vanilla. (You can also add 3/4 c black walnut meats.) Pour the mixture into the baked pie shell. Serve with whipped cream.

Upcoming Events

September 19
Homefields Golf Tournament
Homefields, our benevolent landlord and host will hold its 12th annual Golf Tournament Sept 19th at Crossgates Golf Course, Millersville. To participate, pick up a copy of the flyer here at the farm or see their website at: www.homefields.org. Proceeds benefit Homefields.

September 26
Shareholder Celebration of Fall Potluck
5:30 Tour of the fall crops and Q & A time with Scott
6:00 Potluck meal—please bring a hot or cold dish to share, serving utensils and place setting.
You may also wish to bring a flashlight. We will be providing hot beverages.

November: Gift Box Ordering Begins

Mid-November: End of weekly harvest, beginning of self-harvesting for
shareholders.

1st Week of September

This Week at the Farm

August is behind us already, and the promise and/or threat of hurricane remnant rains is on the horizon. In the meantime irrigation continues because the three-quarter inch of rain was quickly utilized by the thirsty plants and/or evaporated. We moved a lot of hoses this week and sprinklers this week. Great work guys!

The crops in the harvest are changing, and we are excited to be harvesting edamame today: aka edible green soybeans, tremendously popular in Japan and becoming more and more appreciated here. In Japan they function as appetizers, post-derves, and as the soybean
variety "Beer Friend" suggests, an accompaniment to a frosty dark beverage.

This morning I was planting finished fields with rye, hairy vetch, buckwheat, daikon radish, Japanese millet, and sudex (sorghum-sudangrass) cover crops for the winter, hoping to get some moisture this weekend in order for them to germinate. Each plays a different role in enriching the soil, aeration, disease suppression, weed smothering, nitrogen fixation, and other benefits.

An inspiring blog by folks are who are members of a CSA near Buffalo: http://www.scottishcow.com/
Check out the great photos, recipes and musings about food.

Serving Suggestions for the Harvest

• Edamame: see very simple recipe below!
• Leeks: I didn’t mention this last week—slice them thinly—to avoid chewiness. They have fine flavor and can used anywhere onions are called for. See recipe below.
• Tomatoes: lots :-)
• Peppers: great for snacking on raw, or try them roasted with a little oil.
• Eggplant: roast or grill with oil, seasonings, brushed with soy sauce, you’ll be singing eggplants praises if you weren’t before.

Happy eating,
Scott

Edamame How To

Put the unshelled beans in salted boiling water for five minutes, drain, and then sprinkle lightly with salt as desired. Place bean pod in your mouth and squeeze out the yummy beans and enjoy. Much more fun than shelling them. :-)

Leek and Potato Soup

6 leeks, carefully cleaned--(ours are pretty clean already)
4 medium potatoes, sliced thinly or diced
1 T oil
4-5 c soup stock, chicken, beef or vegetable
1 c milk or cream
2 T sour cream or yogurt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 t thyme leaves, fresh or dried
1 T fresh parsley, chives or watercress, chopped
Slice leeks thinly. Use the white section and as much of the Green section as is tender. Sautee in oil for 5 minutes. (The French first sautee a few slices of bacon until crisp and add the leeks to this.) Simmer potatoes and thyme in the stock for 15 minutes. Add leeks and simmer another 10 minutes. You may puree these vegetables in a blender with the stock, or leave your soup chunky. Add the milk or cream and the sour cream or yogurt, and salt to taste and heat through. Do not boil. Season with pepper and serve garnished with parsley, chives or watercress. 4 to 6 servings.

-from Food Book for a Sustainable Harvest

Upcoming Events

September 19 - Homefields Golf Tournament:
Homefields, our benevolent landlord and host will hold its 12th annual Golf Tournament Sept 19th at Crossgates Golf Course, Millersville. To participate, pick up a copy of the flyer here at the farm or see their website at: www.homefields.org. Proceeds benefit Homefields.

September 26 - Shareholder Celebration of Fall Potluck:
5:30 Tour of the fall crops and Q & A time with Scott
6:00 Potluck meal—please bring a hot or cold dish to share, serving utensils, place setting, and a chair or blanket to sit on. You may also wish to bring a flashlight. We will be providing hot beverages and paper supplies.

November: you’ll be able to start ordering Goodwill at Homefields Farm Holiday Gift Boxes

Mid-November: end of weekly harvest, beginning of self-harvesting for those who are interested

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions

What will I get in a share?—an August example
Here is an example of a week’s FULL share in August (The half share gets half of each amount) A full share typically feeds four people, a half share two people. 4lb tomatoes 4 sweet peppers 2 zucchini 3lb potatoes 1lb chard 1lb spinach 2 eggplants 2 bulbs garlic 2 watermelons 2 cantaloupes PYO hot peppers, herbs and flowers

How much food will I get?
A half share is enough food for one or two people, while the full share generally feeds a family of four. You will get enough vegetables to cover most of you produce needs,
but you still may want to supplement fruits and favorite vegetables from your local market. When some foods are at their peak, you may have more then you can use and have quantities for canning or freezing, or just food to share. Our goal is to provide you with a wide variety for weekly use.

Do I receive the same amount of food each week?
No, there are natural ebbs and flows in the growing season. The season will start off with fewer, and lighter weight items like lettuce heads, greens mixes, and strawberries and will then progress to the heavyweights of mid-summer like watermelon, cantaloupes, and peppers. As we move towards fall, the weekly harvest will be even heavier and bulkier as pumpkins, butternut squash, cabbages, sweet potatoes and root crops come in from the field.

Do I pick my own food?
Nearly everything that comes in a share will be harvested, washed, and divided among the shareholders for you. There are always specialty items like flowers and herbs that are “you pick” items that you can pick if you like. Berries are also you pick when they are in season. Currently, strawberries and blueberries are included in the share price. Other berries are available at extra cost.

What happens if I am going to be away during harvest?
You are welcome to arrange for a friend or neighbor to pick up your share for you. We also donate shares to local shelters, just let us know if you would like us to do that when you are away.

What is the cost?
Half share: $395 (about $16 a week, based on a 24 week season)
Full share: $595 (about 25.00 a week, based on a 24 week season)

What about payment?
To reserve a share, please send your completed application from our brochure with payment or a deposit of $50.00 or greater. The application form can also be printed from our web site: www.yourgoodwill.org/farmprogram.htm. Shares should be paid in full by the start of our harvest season in June. We are able to take credit cards for your convenience.

Who benefits?
You benefit by having fresh, in-season vegetables that are grown organically. Our community benefits as we provide jobs for adults with disabilities, cut down on food packaging, reduce fuel waste in transportation, and supporting sustainable land use.

How long does the season run?
The first pick up usually falls during the first weekend of June, and the season will run into mid November. This ranges between 22 and 25 weeks, depending on the weather.

When do I pick up my food?
You may pick up your food any of these days and times each week, whichever day happens to suit you each week.

Our hours are: Thursday, 3 pm to 7 pm
Friday, 11 am to 7 pm
Saturday, 9 am to 1 pm

Is there a work commitment to be a shareholder?
No work is required to be a shareholder in our CSA. If you a special skill or idea to offer, feel free to bounce it off of us. We reserve regular farm work for the participants in the program at this time.

Do I need to bring any supplies when I pick up my food?
We appreciate it if you are able to bring a reusable tote bag or box, but we always provide produce bags, shopping bags and pruners for your convenience.

How will I know how much to take?
Pick up of your share is self-service. You will find trays of vegetables set up, with the quantities for each share size listed. If there is something that you don’t particularly care for, you are not obligated to take it. Most pick your own items are available for personal or immediate family quantities. Please take into consideration how much is available in the field when deciding how much to pick or cut, other shareholders may want some of that herb or flower too.

Can I pick up my share at another location?
No, the food pick up is here at the farm in Millersville. The farm is a tranquil and beautiful place to find food, beauty, community and great experiences each week. You will see where you food comes from and know your farmer.

Where is the farm located?
Goodwill at Homefields is located at 150 Letort Road in Millersville, PA. This is just a few blocks from the Millersville University campus.

How long have you been doing this and why?
We are in our ninth season as a CSA that has training and employing people with disabilities as its core. We sustainably grow over 45 crops and 300 varieties of fruits and vegetables with an emphasis on soil health and nutrition, finding ways to grow healthful food without using chemical fertilizers or pesticides. We are preserving farmland, bringing the community together, and supporting local food systems and economies.

Do you have working shares?
We do not offer working shares.

Do you use chemical fertilizer or pesticides?
No, we do not use any chemical fertilizer or pesticides. Our focus is on healthy soil and plants and we accomplish this through crop rotation, cover crops, beneficial insect habitat, and the use of compost.

Can I donate a share?
Yes, each year shares are donated to various local shelters.

What needs do you have?, I’d like to donate for equipment?
We are in need of a traveling irrigation reel to supply water to our vegetables during the dry times—the cost is about $6,000.

Is this a farm stand, can I purchase items individually?
No, we grow food based on how many members we have each season. We divide the harvested produce each week by how many members we have.

Where can I read more?
www.yourgoodwill.org/farmprogram.htm
www.homefields.org/goodwill

Can I ask a different question?
Sure, just send an email to:
sbreneman@yourgoodwill.org
eswope@yourgoodwill.org
or call: 717-871-3110