4th Week of October

This Week at the Farm

Brrr…frosty mornings this week make for chilly work and harvesting. The fields are bright with heavy white frost this morning. Much of this week has consisted of breaking apart bulbs of garlic into individual cloves and planting each clove, basal end in the soil with the point sticking up, and then covering it so it can grow roots during fall, foliage in the spring, and mature a bulb in July. It is the only vegetable crop that we plant in the fall.

If this is your first season being part of the farm here, you’ll notice that many crops are undaunted by the frosts and freezes, and some are even improved, as their starches change to sugars and some bitter flavors turn mild or sweet. Collards and kale are in this group.

Gearing up for Gift Boxes

Each year we make and sell Holiday gift boxes that contain locally made treats such as Wilbur Buds, College Coffee Roasters coffee, apple and pear butters. They are available ordered online at: http://www.yourgoodwill.org/business/lancastercountygiftboxes.htm. The order deadline is December 8 and they'll begin shipping in time for the holidays on December 12.

Serving Suggestions for the Harvest

• Arugula: see more info and pesto recipe below
• Turnips: The hakurei turnips are very tasty, even for people who think they won’t enjoy them. Also try the turnip kraut recipe below.
• Mibuna and Mizuna: these Asian greens have a nice tangy flavor and can be used in salads or as cooked greens.
• Cabbage: see the recipe below
• Collards: tasty and nutritious fall greens—often enjoyed cooked.
• Winter squashes—choice of great-flavored Red Kuri or butternut squash: use for pies and desserts, breads, roast the seeds, hot curried soup

Thank you

Thank you to Elizabeth and all of the trainees who planted 6,240 cloves of garlic this week in less than balmy weather. Nice job guys!

Scott

Upcoming Events

Final Harvest Week
November 13, 14 and 15
Eend of weekly harvest, beginning of self-harvesting for shareholders once the regular season is over. More details will follow in November.

Gift Box Season
Mid-November-December

Recipes

Lorena’s Spicy Cabbage Salad
(adapted from the Extending the Table cookbook)
Half of a cabbage, sliced fine
Half of a medium onion, sliced
½ cup cider vinegar
1 T. oil
1 1/2t. salt
1 t. black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 ½ t. sugar
1/8 t. cayenne pepper or more as desired—(I used 1 ½ t. last time and it was hot!—Scott)
½ c. of chopped peanuts

Combine everything except peanuts and marinate at room temp for 30 minutes or more. Top with peanuts, chill and serve.

Turnip Kraut
6 lbs. raw turnips, shredded
2 tablespoons salt
1-3 teaspoons sugar
Brine made of 2 tablespoons salt per quart of water

Use a gallon stoneware jar or pottery crock; do not use a metal container. Layer shredded turnips in the crock, sprinkling the layers with salt and sugar and tamping down with a masher to release the turnip juices. Cover crock with a clean cloth, weight a plate on top and let stand 3-4 days at 70 degrees, changing the cloth each day.

Fermentation should take 3-4 weeks at 70 degrees. It is completed when the bubbling ceases.
Sterilize pint or quart jars. Place the kraut in the jars and cover with brine, leaving 1/2 -inch head space. Clean the rims of the jars and fit with lids and rings. At this point, you can store the sauerkraut in the refrigerator without processing. For shelf storage, process in a boiling water bath, pints for 20 minutes, quarts for 25 minutes. Makes 6 quarts.
--from Recipelink.com MSG URL: http://www.recipelink.com/msgid/204409

About Arugula

Arugula is an aromatic salad green. It is also known as rocket, roquette, rugula and rucola, and is popular in Italian cuisine.

Nutrition

Like most salad greens, Arugula is very low in calories and is high in vitamins A and C. A 1/2 cup serving is two calories.

History and Lore

In Roman times Arugula was grown for both it's leaves and the seed. The seed was used for flavoring oils. On another interesting note, Rocket or Arugula seed has been used as an ingredient in aphrodisiac concoctions dating back to the first century, AD. (Cambridge World
History of Food). Part of a typical Roman meal was to offer a salad of greens, frequently Arugula (spelled Arugola), romaine, chicory, mallow and lavender and seasoned with a "cheese sauce for lettuce."

Arugula Pesto
1 bunch arugula, stems removed (about 4 ounces)
2 3/4 teaspoons of coarse or Kosher salt
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Fill a large bowl with ice and add water, set aside. Fill a medium sized saucepan with water and the 2 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and bring it to a boil. Add the arugula and as soon as the water returns to a boil, remove the arugula with a slotted spoon and place it immediately into the ice water to stop the cooking process. Transfer the arugula to several layers of paper toweling or clean kitchen towels and allow to drain. Roll up the towels and squeeze as much moisture as possible from the arugula. Place the arugula in a blender jar and add the oil, 1/4 teaspoon of salt
and the pepper and puree until the mixture looks like thick pesto. There will be a small amount of oil on the surface. Use immediately or transfer the mixture to a jar with a tight fitting lid if you are going to store it. This will keep for at least 5 days, refrigerated. Before using, stir the pesto to incorporate the oil accumulated at the top. Serve the pesto over some freshly cooked pasta or boiled potatoes.

3rd Week of October

This Week at the Farm

Here we are in mid-October and in some ways the transplanting of May is still fresh in our minds. Have that many months gone by already? The color of the leaves on the trees say it is so. This week we are bringing irrigation lines out of the field and preparing field beds for garlic planting next week. We had some chicks hatch out from some eggs that were incubated and they are doing well. I also planted the now empty large squash field to a rye and hairy vetch cover crop after spreading minerals on the soil and discing them in.

Serving Suggestions for the Harvest

• Beets: grate and use them raw, or cook til tender or roast
• Beet greens—the greens are tasty and nutritious to boot
• Turnips: eat them raw--these hakurei turnips I like to refer to as "dessert turnips" because they are sweet and juicy and will likely give you new found appreciation for turnips if you haven’t ever eaten this type of turnip. *also see sesame roasted turnip recipe below*
• Mibuna and Mizuna: these Asian greens have a nice tangy flavor and can be used in salads or as cooked greens.
• Collards: these leaves are great in the traditional pot o greens.
• Winter squashes—Butternuts this week, the king of squash: use for pies and desserts, breads, roast the seeds, hot curried soup

Thank you

Thank you for enjoying the harvest, your feedback, comments, and enthusiasm for the farm and what we are doing.
Scott

Upcoming Events

This Saturday, October 18, at 10 a.m.
Fruiting Plants in Containers: Citrus, Figs, Bananas and more! Presented by our very own Scott Breneman. Please sign up at the farm’s check-in table to attend.

Nov 13, 14 and 15 Final Harvest Week
Mid-November: end of weekly harvest, beginning of self-harvesting for shareholders once the regular season is over. More details will follow in November.

Recipes

Daddy's Risky Homefries
(a Sat morning staple before we walk over to Goodwill at Homefields Farm)
Start with lots of EV olive oil in frypan, brown cut GHF garlic and red onions (more the merrier), dice red potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes, dump into med-hi tempfrypan, lid on for 8-10 mins while flipping about every 2 min.(should be almost cooked at this point), then leave lid off and burn the heck out of em til dark brown (or char is great), toss shredded cheese on top, eat.

--From shareholder Fred Straub who wowed us with this dish at the potluck

Sesame Roasted Turnips
1 T sesame oil
1 T honey (or brown sugar)
4 turnips (3 inches in diameter), peeled and cut into wedges
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp dried red pepper flakes
1 T sesame seeds
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place sesame oil and honey in a baking dish. Add turnips, salt, and red pepper flakes, then toss to coat the turnip pieces. Roast uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring twice. Sprinkle on sesame seeds and roast 10 minutes more. Serve warm, chilled or at room temperature.

--from Mother Earth News magazine, Oct/Nov 2007

2nd Week of October

This Week at the Farm

Five letter word that starts with f…frost! We received an early visit from Mr. Frost on Tuesday morning. The average first frost date is Oct. 15th here and often a week or two later than that, so it was something of a surprise and gave us the grit to harvest all the thousands of pounds of squash and store them within several hours time Monday afternoon. Way to go everyone!

Final Harvest Week November 13th, 14th and 15th

Yes the cold and frosts are coming, and the warm season crops are history, but we will have a nice variety of crops for you up until the final harvest and self-harvesting will be available in the weeks that follow up until the repeated hard freezes put an end to it all. More info will follow.

Daunted by Squashes?

Here’s a Simple way to Cook All Winter Squash and Pumpkins: preparing winter squash and pumpkins can be done fairly easily.
--cut in half and scoop out seeds with an ice cream dipper, save seeds to roast
--place cut side down in a pan with a little bit of water
--bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until soft enough to spoon out
--scrape out the flesh and use or freeze.

Serving Suggestions for the Harvest

• Turnips: these hakurei turnips I like to refer to as "dessert turnips" because they are sweet and juicy and will likely give you new found appreciation for turnips if you haven’t ever eaten this type of turnip.
• Mibuna and Mizuna: these Asian greens have a nice tangy flavor and can be used in salads or as cooked greens.
• Collards: these leaves are great in the Farmer’s Breakfast below, or the traditional pot o greens.
• Winter squashes/pumpkin: use for pies and desserts, breads, roast the seeds, hot curried soup

Recipes

Farmer’s Breakfast
(a delicious way to use greens)
1T oil
6 collard leaves, chopped coarsely
1 scallion, chopped into ½ inch pieces
6 slices pepperoni, cut in fourths (optional)
1 tsp. butter
2 eggs
2 slices smoked cheddar
2 plum tomatoes, diced

Heat a skillet. When hot, add 1T oil. Toss in collard leaves, scallion, and pepperoni. Saute till scallion is tender. Push to one side of the pan and add the butter to the other side. Fry the two eggs in the butter. When done to your liking, put on two plates, top with the cooked collards, scallions and pepperoni. Lay a slice of cheese on top, tuck a tomato each on the side, and broil till golden. Serve with Tabasco Chipotle sauce, coffee and a square of dark chocolate!
--from Lorena Breneman, the farmer’s wife

Chard Chompin’ Recipe
Challenged by chard? Give this a try:
Grease a 3-qt casserole dish. Layer in:
3 slices of bread, cubed
2 scallions, chopped
2 big leaves of chard, chopped fine
1 cup diced ham, bacon or browned sausage (optional)
2 small eggplants, cubed
2 cups cheese
1/2 tsp. each oregano and thyme
salt and pepper to taste
shake together in a jar and pour over:
5 eggs
2 cups milk
Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.
--from Lorena Breneman

Upcoming Events

Saturday, October 18, at 10 a.m.
Fruiting Plants in Containers: Citrus, Figs, Bananas and more! Presented by our very own Scott Breneman. Please contact Scott to attend.

Nov 13, 14 and 15 Final Harvest Week
Mid-November: end of weekly harvest, beginning of self-harvesting for shareholders once the regular season is over. More details will follow in November.

1st Week of August

This Week at the Farm

Thank you to everyone who made the potluck a fun event. The rain held off and we enjoyed fabulous food and a great group of people, about 80 altogether. I think it set a record for how any people were in or around the barn at one time, and was a nice time to interact and recognize the trainees who grow your food.

Today there is a pleasant chill in the air and an autumn sky making the harvesting a delight and the washing a bit chilly. We are slowly saying goodbye to the peppers, eggplants, and tomatoes, and welcoming the fall greens, squash, collards, turnips and others.

Saturday Workshop Success

A warm thank you from shareholder Heather Conlon-Keller, aka Minister of Farm Education, to all who have participated in the Saturday morning workshops to make them a success. There will be at least one more workshop: Container Gardening with Fruiting plants, listed below and tentatively a sauerkraut-making workshop in late October or November.
Thanks! --Heather.

Did you Know?

Turnip greens are supercharged with so many different nutrients, their consumption can help prevent or heal a wide range of health conditions since turnip greens are an excellent source of vitamin A (through their concentration of carotenoids such as beta-carotene), vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin B6, folate, copper, calcium, and dietary fiber. –from http://www.whfoods.org/ and Elizabeth Swope, farm staff.

Pick Your Own Alert

We have unlimited green and yellow beans for the picking in addition to your share portion. To help each other, please pick from the front of the row and move the markers to indicate where you have stopped picking down the row. The beans are located just past the Pick Your Own field.

Serving Suggestions for the Harvest

• Turnips: these hakurei turnips I like to refer to as "dessert turnips" because they are sweet and juicy and will likely give you new found appreciation for turnips if you haven’t ever eaten this type of turnip.
• Mibuna and Mizuna: these Asian greens have a nice tangy flavor and can be used in salads or as cooked greens.
• Winter squashes/pumpkin: use for pies and desserts, breads, roast the seeds, hot curried soup and see the Elise Abatto’s recipe from the potluck.
• Leeks: slice them thinly avoid chewiness. They have fine flavor and can used anywhere onions are called for.
• Eggplant: roast or grill with oil, seasonings, brushed with soy sauce, you’ll be singing eggplants praises if you weren’t before.

Happy harvest,
Scott

Recipe

Elise's Applesquash
1 small butternut squash (about 1 lb)
1/2 cup apple cider or water
2 small apples, peeled and cubed
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 T butter or margerine if desired
Peel and seed squash. Cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Cook squash and cider over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes or until squash is almost tender. Add remaining ingredients, cover, cook over medium heat 4 to 5 minutes or until squash and apples are very tender. Serve hot.
--from Elise Abatto, shareholder and residential staff

Upcoming Events

Saturday, October 18, 10 am
Fruiting Plants in Containers: Citrus, Figs, Bananas and more! Presented by our very own Scott Breneman. Please sign up at the farm’s check-in table or email Scott to attend.

Nov 13, 14 and 15 Final Harvest Week
Mid-November: end of weekly harvest, beginning of self-harvesting for shareholders once the regular season is over. More details will follow in November.