Hello from the farm, 

Garlic harvest is in full swing this week, the birds have outsmarted our electronic bird scare system, and cucumbers and summer squash are doing very well this year.  Tasty green and yellow beans are maybe a week away, and tomatoes, sweet peppers and eggplants are maybe two weeks from harvest. We planted a lot of pumpkins this week, including a few that have the genetic potential to weigh several hundred pounds. Forklift anyone?  


How it all happened:

About 20 years ago, five families had a dream for a place like this, where their adult children with disabilites could live and an organic farm program would flourish.  They formed a non-profit called Homefields and purchased and renovated the land and buildings.  Homefields invited Goodwill (of Goodwill Stores fame) to come and run the farm program and Community Services Group to provide staffing for the two homes here.  Now in our 13th season of growing, hundreds of trainees have enjoyed working at the farm, the residents have found home, and thousands of farm shareholders have eaten the nourishing food grown in these fields.  Many hands created success!   

Homefields= the founders and owners of the property
Goodwill=  operates the farm program and CSA. Trainees come from all over the county via Goodwill. 
Community Services Group= staffs the two homes on the property  

Spotlight on Eric R.

 

Position at the farm: Farm Crew
Number of years working for Goodwill: 8 plus
Favorite thing to grow at the farm: watermelon
The animal he most connects with is: the kangaroo
Favorite kind of music: country
What he wanted to be when he grew up: a fireman
Favorite place he has visited: Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
Eric’s family includes: his parents, 4 brothers and sisters, and 6 nieces and nephews
Something Eric can’t live without is: coffee
Eric enjoys: walking, watching movies, and visiting Central Market
Favorite thing about the farm: harvesting veggies and mowing grass

Blueberry Announcement: 

Although birds are often pronounced "bird-brained" they are sufficiently astute to see through the ruse of the scare tactics we use.  So this week we put up scarecrows and also a motion-sensing sprinkler to keep them out of the blueberries with some success.  

The new SEASON Limit is 2 pints for HALF share
                                   4 points for FULL share

We have been managing the blueberries to make the picking abundant for everyone. We hope you have enjoyed them and found them to be plentiful.

Goodwill at Homfields Farm on Facebook--see the antics, candid farm happenings, food ideas and more: 
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Goodwill-at-Homefields-Farm/121147947971207 

Suggestions for the harvest:

Lettuce heads: salads, sandwiches--see recipe below from shareholder Barbara Speigelburg.
Chard: use in lieu of spinach in babaganoush, salads,
Scallions: these mild onions are great anywhere onion is needed
Radish: nice on buttered bread, salad, or fresh
Cucumber: these cucumbers are outstanding!  Makes an off-season cuke seem inedible. My favorite way to use cucumbers is a salad with tomato, onion and garlic with olive oil.
Beets: these can be grated raw into salad or roasted
Dill: potatoes
Napa cabbage: use for kimchee or anywhere cabbage is needed.
Broccoli: a salad with raisins, nuts, and onions, bacon pieces, is excellent.
Kale: sautee until crispy with onions and butter, Remove the rib and stem first!
Collards: same as kale




Thanks for being a part of the farm and making it possible, 

Your farmers

LETTUCE SOUP--via shareholder Barbara Spiegelberg
Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Time to table: 35 minutes
Makes 10 cups

1 tablespoon olive oil plus 1tbs olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large onion, chopped (can use leaks also)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tbs kosher salt
Several grinds pepper
2 lbs potatoes, yellow or russet are good, sliced into thin rounds or cubed
8 cups coarsely chopped lettuce (include the ribs, too. You can use romaine, red leaf and radish leaves plus one baby bok choy. Exact measurement not required.
4-5 cups of water or stock
Salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp hot pepper if you like spicy food. Can be omitted.

Heat 1tbs oil until shimmery in a large pot on MEDIUM HIGH. Add the onion, cook til just soft, add garlic, stirring to coat often, for one minute. Stir in the coriander, salt and pepper, cook a minute. Stir in potatoes. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring to coat with fat. Add the water, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook until potatoes are getting soft, about 15 minutes. Add lettuce. Stir until wilted. Add a cup of water if needed. Add additional water if required. Cook until all ingredients are soft. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add more coriander if you wish. You can serve as is, or I prefer to use a submersion blender and puree the soup. If it is too thick add more liquid. I like it the consistency of a French potage, but if you like it thinner, just add more liquid. Stir in another tablespoon of olive oil and serve. Left overs can be frozen.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Cup, made with 1 tablespoon olive oil: 106 Cal (26% from Fat, 11% from Protein, 63% from Carb); 3 g Protein; 3 g Tot Fat; 2 g Sat Fat; 1 g Mono Fat; 18 g Carb; 4 g Fiber; NetCarb14; 4 g Sugar; 60 mg Calcium; 2 mg Iron; 313 mg Sodium; 8 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 2 points

Per Cup, made with 2 tablespoons olive oil: Per Serving: 132 Cal (40% from Fat, 9% from Protein, 51% from Carb); 3 g Protein; 6 g Tot Fat; 4 g Sat Fat; 2 g Mono Fat; 18 g Carb; 4 g Fiber; NetCarb14; 4 g Sugar; 61 mg Calcium; 2 mg Iron; 313 mg Sodium; 15 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 2 points

Adapted from the below source...

TODAY'S VEGETABLE RECIPE INSPIRATION
Adapted from Gourmet, May 2005

It's a warm day at the farm--nobody minds washing vegetables today.  Summer is officially here, and almost like clockwork, the spring crops are coming to an end and the hot weather crops are queuing up.  The cucumbers and summer squash are coming on strong, teeny tiny baby melons are forming on the vine, and yes, there are green tomatoes starting as well.  The farm crew is doing excellent work and kicked off the garlic harvest yesterday. Six laughing farm crew members got a ride on the back of the harvest cart yesterday on its maiden voyage.  You could say they enjoyed it!

Weekly Pickup:  whichever day suits you best from week to week.  
Thurs: 3-7pm
Fri:     11-7pm
Sat:    9-1pm 

Farmer Profiles: Spotlight on Brad T.

 

Position at the farm: Farm Crew
Number of years working for Goodwill: 6 plus
Favorite thing to grow at the farm: carrots
The animal he most connects with is: the deer
Favorite kind of music: country
What he wanted to be when he grew up: a farmer
Favorite thing about the farm: planting on the transplanter
Someday he would like to visit: the Bahamas
Favorite sport to watch: football
Brad’s family includes: his mom and dad
He has a pet dog: Gordie, a Chihuahua
Something Brad can’t live without is: chocolate
Brad’s hobbies are: basketball, walking, biking, skiing, bowling and bocce
Brad’s trademarks at the farm: are his masterful hoeing and being a man of few words

Blueberry Update:  Open to Shareholders who did not pick last week

The blueberries had a week to ripen more fruit.  There will be blueberries across the next several weeks. There are few things as good as a ripe blueberry from here. Most blueberries are machine picked and shipped, so these are something special!

  The season limit for blueberries is 1 pint for half shares and 2 pints for full shares.
If we are able to raise the limit later on, we will.  Please re-use your berry boxes to cut down on waste.  

Farm Forum on Facebook: 

Got recipes, tips or thoughts on vegetables?  Our facebook page is a great forum for sharing the farm experience together.  See what your farmers are up to: 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Goodwill-at-Homefields-Farm/121147947971207

Serving Suggestions for the Harvest:


Scallions: use these onions in any raw or cooked recipe. Mild and tasty.
Cabbage: sweet and tasty cabbage great to salad and slaw.  See recipe below:
Lettuce heads: great for salad, sandwiches, enough said :-) 
Garlic Scapes:  these green garlic necks are tender and can be used in lieu of bulb garlic in any recipe. 
 Chard: this green is a cousin of the beet and is good for salad and as a spinach substitute in lasnagna or elsewhere. Spanakopita anyone?
 Kale and Collards--a little butter or bacon fat or oil and sautee these well--very tasty side dish. My wife serves with eggs and sauteed onions and mushrooms--fabulous.
Bok Choy:  think of this as a crispy cabbage of Asian origin.  Also think of peanut butter, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and onions as great companions with this vegetable. 
Napa cabbage: not familiar with this one?  It's like lettucey cabbage. It is used in kimchee, the fiery hot pickled cabbage of Korea, and can be used in recipes calling for cabbage.  Great to stir fry and use with garlic scapes, onions, ginger, soy sauce and sesame. 

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.  --from Lorena Breneman, farmer's wife

Thanks for being a part of the farm!

Your farmers

Splendid days here at the farm.  The rainy day was welcome as we were able to spend a lot of time organizing the barn and greenhouse and tidying everything up that was overlooked during our spring planting spree.  Thank you Eric for making the van look like a new one! We're pleased to say that the crops are doing well.  We're planting thousands of cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower for fall harvest already.  We expect to be harvesting summer squash, cucumbers, scallions and beans this month.

Weekly Pickup:  whichever day suits you best from week to week.  
Thurs: 3-7pm
Fri:     11-7pm
Sat:    9-1pm     

Q & A:  What happens if I'll be away? 

 Please feel free to have a friend or neighbor pick up your share---this is how many people are introduced to the farm.  If a share is not picked up we will donate it to the food bank in Millersville to give local food to local people in need. 

Blueberry Announcement:

The blueberries are starting to ripen.  There will be blueberries across the next several weeks. There are few things as good as a ripe blueberry from here. Most blueberries are machine picked and shipped, so these are something special!

To ensure that everyone gets blueberries in their dark blue prime, not everyone should pick this week, and this why we have a season limit--instead of a weekly amount.  The season limit for blueberries is 1 pint for half shares and 2 pints for full shares.  If we are able to raise the limit later on, we will.  Please re-use your berry boxes to cut down on waste.

Purple potato plant flowers.  

Farm Forum on Facebook: 

Got recipes, tips or thoughts on vegetables?  Our facebook page is a great forum for sharing the farm experience together.  See what your farmers are up to: 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Goodwill-at-Homefields-Farm/121147947971207

Farmer Profiles: 

Thanks to Elizabeth, we'll be introducing each of the cast of characters here at the farm.  Somehow I drew the short straw, so here goes:

Spotlight on Scott Breneman

Position at the farm: Farm Manager
Number of years working for Goodwill: 11 years
Favorite thing to grow at the farm: watermelon
If he could trade places with someone for a day, it would be: David Fairchild, Plant Explorer, American Botanist and the man who brought the mango to the US
What he wanted to be when he grew up: inventor and farmer
Favorite place he has visited: Southern Louisiana Cajun Country (Scott discovered he loved this spot during a 6 week road trip across the US with his wife when they were newlyweds. They drove 10,000 miles, hit 37 states including Washington state and along the Gulf Coast, all in their little old blue car.
Favorite sport: is mushroom foraging a sport?
Scott’s family: Lorena, his lovely wife of almost 14 years, and their four children
Anna 10, Elizabeth 8, Naomi 6 and Isaiah 2
Pets: chickens and ducks
Something Scott can’t live without: a pocket knife
Scott speaks: Spanish, Russian and Japanese
If he could pass on a piece of advice: Follow God, love others and don’t give up
Favorite thing about being at the farm: Figuring out systems--how to make everything work together. He enjoys the rare moments he is able to stroll around the farm and take it all in.

Serving Suggestions for the Harvest:

Lettuce heads: great for salad, sandwiches, enough said :-) 
Garlic Scapes:  these green garlic necks are tender and can be used in lieu of bulb garlic in any recipe. 
 Chard: this green is a cousin of the beet and is good for salad and as a spinach substitute in lasnagna or elsewhere. Spanakopita anyone?
 Kale and Collards--a little butter or bacon fat or oil and sautee these well--very tasty side dish. My wife serves with eggs and sauteed onions and mushrooms--fabulous.
Bok Choy:  think of this as a crispy cabbage of Asian origin.  Also think of peanut butter, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and onions as great companions with this vegetable. 
Napa cabbage: not familiar with this one?  It's like lettucey cabbage. It is used in kimchee, the fiery hot pickled cabbage of Korea, and can be used in recipes calling for cabbage.  Great to stir fry and use with garlic scapes, onions, ginger, soy sauce and sesame.  See recipe below

Looking for a way to keep your veggies fresh with reusable mesh bags? Check out:
http://www.gardeners.com/Produce-Bags/39-905,default,pd.html 

Kim Chee Recipe:

This Korean spicy "sauerkraut" of a sort is outstanding. It is enjoyed in Korea and Japan. I like to get it from the Viet My Asian grocery across from McCaskey High School--the brand they carry is Kimchee Pride from NYC and my favorite of the kimchee I've purchased.

1 large head Chinese (celery or Nappa) cabbage
Salt--non iodized is preferred
4 green onions (including tops)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 dried hot red chili (about 2" long), crushed
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

1. Cut cabbage into pieces, 1-inch long and 1-inch wide.
2. Sprinkle 2 Tbs salt on cabbage, mix well, and let stand 15 minutes.
3. Cut green onions in 1-1/2 inch lengths, then cut lengthwise in thin slices. Wash salted cabbage three times with cold water. Add the onions,garlic, chili, ginger, 1 Tbs salt and enough water to cover. Mix well.Cover and let stand for a few days.
4. Taste mixture every day. When it is acidic enough, cover and refrigerateup to 2 weeks.

Makes about 1 quart. --from http://www.cheriestihler.com/recipes/kchee.html

First Harvest

Welcome to the first harvest, it's been half a year in the making, so we are glad to have a lot of great food for you!   The  farm is bustling with excitement as we begin harvesting--lots of delicious and nutritious food to harvest this week, probably lettuce, cilantro, dill, bok choi, napa cabbage, kale, chard, green garlic scapes, and pick your own snow peas, our best guess.  

Weekly Pickup:  whichever day suits you best from week to week.  
Thurs: 3-7pm
Fri:     11-7pm
Sat:    9-1pm    


How does it work?

If this is new to you, come on up to the barn, you will see a sign-in sheet to initial, a friendly farmer or two to greet you, and fresh veggies of course, farm market style.  We encourage the use of cloth shopping bags, but we also have plastic shopping bags here for you to use as well as produce bags.   Signs will tell you how much of each item is for Half shares and Full shares each week.  You do not need to take the full amount if you don't care for something very much, or know you won't be able to use all of it.  
As berries flowers and herbs mature, we will add them to the Pick Your Own board.  We will also do our best to answer cooking and nutritional questions that you may have.  Enjoy! 


A few Guidelines: 
We want everyone to have a great time here at the farm, there is a lot to enjoy. For everyone to have an excellent experience please observe the following: 

--to allow flowers, herbs, ornamentals, berries or fruits to reach proper size please wait to harvest until they are listed on the Pick Your Own Board.

--please keep dogs in your vehicle while at the farm.  

-- accompany any children under your care, and please avoid machinery,  and equipment areas.

           Red and Green Lettuce

 


 Serving Suggestions for the Harvest:

Lettuce heads: great for salad, sandwiches, enough said :-) 
Garlic Scapes:  these green garlic necks are tender and can be used in lieu of bulb garlic in any meal,
see pesto recipe below
 Chard: this green is a cousin of the beet and is good for salad and as a spinach substitute in lasnagna or elsewhere. Spanakopita anyone?
 Kale and Collards--a little butter or bacon fat or oil and sautee these well--very tasty side dish. My wife serves with eggs and sauteed onions and mushrooms--fabulous.
Bok Choy:  think of this as a crispy cabbage of Asian origin.  Also think of peanut butter, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and onions as great companions with this vegetable. See recipe below.
Napa cabbage: not familiar with this one?  It's like lettucey cabbage. It is used in kimchee, the fiery hot pickled cabbage of Korea, and can be used in recipes calling for cabbage.  Great to stir fry and use with garlic scapes, onions, ginger, soy sauce and sesame.  

Garlic Scape Pesto:--this is awesome!! 
 1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
 3 T. fresh lemon or lime juice
 1/4lb fresh garlic scapes
 1/2 c. olive oil
 Salt to taste

 Puree scapes and olive oil in blender until smooth.  Stir in Parmesan and lemon or lime juice and season to taste.  Serve on bread or crackers.  --courtesy of Mary Jane's Farm and made often by Elizabeth Swope of Goodwill at Homefields Farm fame. 

Bully for Bok Choy 

Isa Chandra Moskowitz has this to say about  bok choy:  " It looks like a cute little vase made of green leaves, and the flavor and texture is that of  a very sweet, juicy white cabbage.  We try to find reasons to eat as much of it as possible, not just a piece or two tossed in a stir-fry.  So with that in mind, this is our favorite way to quickly prepare bok choy on a weeknight…"

Baby Bok Choy with Crispy Shallots and Sesame Seeds

1 lb bok choy

2 small shallots, peeled and sliced into very thin rings

1/2 inch cube fresh ginger, peeled and grated

2 Tbsp peanut oil, or other cooking oil

1 Tbsp mirin or apple juice

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp roasted sesame seeds

Slice off the stubby base of the bok choy from the white, thick bottoms.  Slice the white stems away from the leafy tops.  Wash stems and chop  into 2 to 3 inch chunks, and set aside.  Wash the leafy part of the bok choy in a large bowl or salad spinner.  Shake off excess water and set aside.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the sliced shallots and sauté  for 5-6 minutes until golden brown.  Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.  If there is no oil left in the pan, drizzle in extra oil.  Add grated ginger and stir fry for about 15 seconds.  Add the bok chow stems and  sauté them for 2-3 minutes.  Add the leafy greens and stir fry for about 2 minutes until the green leaves start to wilt.  Add the mirin and soy sauce, stir briefly, and cover the pan.  Steam for 2 more minutes, then remove lid.  Stir for about 30 more seconds and remove from heat.  Top with fried shallots and roasted sesame seeds and serve.

Coming up this Month: 
 Blueberries
 Green Beans
 Scallions

 Thanks for joining us for the thirteenth season of the farm program, we are looking forward to a great season of fruits and vegetables. 

Scott Breneman
 Farm Manager