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