Hello from the farm, 

It's been a real spud of a week here, as the potato harvest continues and we had to make an "emergency" run for 60 more potato baskets to hold the bumper crop.  The farm crew finished up the record onion harvest as well,  and the onions are happily curing in the greenhouse.  It is necessary to dry the necks down on onions so that they will cure and store well.

We just made some potato chips for lunch and they turned out deliciously.  The melons are starting to ripen and we all look forward to them, as they are the favorite "vegetable" :-) for many of your farmers.  We also got the rest of the fall broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels and greens planted, which was no small feat--nice job!

Spotlight on Law Reh: 


Position at the farm: Special Operations, Farm Staff
Number of years working for Goodwill: 2 years plus
Years of farming experience: thirty plus
Favorite thing to grow at the farm: cucumber, tomato, beans, cilantro, potatoes
Where he was born: Bo la ket, Burma (Myanmar)
Number of years spent in a refugee camp in Thailand: 20 years
What he wanted to be when he grew up:  a father and a husband
Favorite thing about the farm: driving tractor
What he brings to the group:
Favorite place he has lived:  Burma
Favorite sport to watch: soccer
Law Reh’s family includes: his wife Dee Muh, 3 daughters: U Meh, So Meh  Bu Meh , son Chu Leh,  and his 2 year-old grandson
Something Law Reh can’t live without: coffee
Law Reh’s hobbies include: cooking and yoga
Languages he speaks: English, Kareni, Thai and Burmese

Tom milling a log. We can make barn boards and lumber from trees that come down or are given to us.















Suggestions for the Harvest:
Melons:  nothing says summer like melons!  Try with fresh ground black pepper on your cantaloupe.
Storage Onions:  the red and white onions are keepers. Great for burgers or whatever.
Sweet Onions: carmelize in a fry pan with lots of butter...tasty! Not a storage onion-use within a week or two.
Sweet Peppers: great for salads or fried with onions and garlic.
Potatoes: this fresh new potatoes are excellent!  One has a red interior. They are all good. My favorite summer treatment is a Lebanese style potato salad with just olive oil and herbs.  Today for lunch--we sliced the potatoes thinly and cooked in peanut oil until crisp and lightly browned.  Mmmm. 
Carrots: these fresh carrots are like candy, just to pop in your mouth and eat raw or add to salad, etc.
Eggplant: coat with oil and soysauce and grill, or bread them and fry.
Chard: use in lieu of spinach in babaganoush, salads,
Scallions: these mild onions are great anywhere onion is needed
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 or pickled.  See pickled beet recipe below
Kale: sautee until crispy with onions and butter, Remove the rib and stem first!
Collards: same as kale

Pickled Beets Recipe

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INGREDIENTS

• 1 bunch (4 or 5) beets
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• Salt and pepper

METHOD

1 Remove greens from beets, save for future use (see beet greens recipe). Cut beets to uniform sizes so they will cook evenly. Steam or boil around 30 minutes or until done. (Alternatively, you can roast them by wrapping them whole in foil and cooking them in a 350°F oven for about an hour.) A fork easily inserted into the beet will tell you if the beets are done or not.

2 Drain the beets, rinsing them in cold water. Use your fingers to slip the peels off of the beets. The peels should come off easily. Discard the peels. Slice the beets.

3 Make the vinaigrette by combining the cider vinegar, sugar, olive oil, and dry mustard. Whisk ingredients together with a fork. The dry mustard will help to emulsify the vinaigrette. Adjust to taste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Combine beets and vinaigrette in a bowl and allow to marinate for a half hour at room temperature.

Serves four.

from:  http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/pickled_beets/

Thank You:

Thank you farm crew and staff for an excellent job contending with the onslaught of onions, a good problem to have, and perseverance with with proliferating potatoes.  Way to go!

Your farmers 

Hello from the farm,

Rain!  We received a very welcome inch and two tenths over the weekend, which was a boon to all of the vegetables.  It has been another warm week and the your farmers are coping admirably, getting the job done. Yesterday as the sun shone down and the temperature was 96, with all of the heat coming off of the tractor, it felt warm indeed, and we didn't mind at all when the storms came through.

The tomatoes are starting to turn red, the eggplants are getting into full swing, and there are green peppers today.  The farm crew grinningly ate a half-ripe watermelon yesterday without minding it a bit.  Melons might be ready next week and we have sweet onions in the harvest this week--carmelized onions...mmm.

Spotlight on a Farmer:

Position at the farm: Farm Crew
Number of years working for Goodwill: one year plus
Favorite thing to grow at the farm: green beans
One of his favorite places to visit: Ocean City, MD
Cameron’s family includes: Mom and Dad, his Grandma, two brothers, one sister and
his newborn nephew
His pets include: a Great Dane, 4 cats, and a guinea pig
Something Cameron can’t live without is:  his family
Cameron’s hobbies include: bowling on the Wii and posting on Facebook
His favorite TV shows are: Leave it to Beaver and I Love Lucy
If they wrote a country song about him, it would be called: Cameron Crazy
Farm Alias:  Dexter the Texter
Where he volunteers his time:  Lancaster General Hospital, Moravian  Manor, Calvary
Church and the Strasburg Railroad
Favorite thing about the farm: the woodchipper

Suggestions for the Harvest:

Sweet Onions: carmelize in a fry pan with lots of butter...tasty! Not a storage onion-use within a week or two. 

Green Peppers: great for salads or fried with onions and garlic. 

Potatoes: this fresh new potatoes are excellent!  One has a red interior. They are all good. My favorite summer treatment is a Lebanese style potato salad with just olive oil and herbs.  

Carrots: these fresh carrots are like candy, just to pop in your mouth and eat raw or add to salad, etc.  

Beans: wow, not what you find in the store.  Most of us are partial to the Roma variety which flat--all of the them are great. Boil and steam till just tender, or roast in the oven oil--super!

Eggplant: coat with oil and soysauce and grill, or bread them and fry.

Chard: use in lieu of spinach in babaganoush, salads,

Scallions: these mild onions are great anywhere onion is needed

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

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

Making French Fries the Simple and Delicious Way

We just polished off some farm fries and boy howdy they were good! Here's how: 

cut your farm potatoes in strips with skin on

put into a large frying pan a single layer deep

cover fries with room temp peanut oil (or olive or what have you) m ost people think peanut is best

turn low for maybe 5 minutes, then medium for 5, then high, stir lightly so they stick to pan or selves, reduce heat if oil smokes, cook until golden brown and desired crispiness. 

Drain on paper towel and sprinkle with salt if desired. Super good.

**the key is starting with room temp oil--they don't need to be pre-cooked etc. this way**

Yukons, Red Norland and Purple Vikings

Our potatoes cut into strips with skin on 

Fries- to- be, topped with peanut oil

The farm crew drooling over the farm fries

Done to golden perfection...bon appetit all

Thank You: 

Thanks this week to the farm crew, both staff, Kim, Law Reh and Elizabeth, and trainees for doing an excellent job of tending and harvesting, washing and presenting all of these great vegetables that you are enjoying. Thank you Bob McClure for making tool hangers in the barn to organize our hoes and shovels and the rack that keeps the potato plow upright.  Thank you Butch for continued work on the potato digger design.  Thank you Kim for the artful signs in the PYO and herb beds. And thank you for both rain and sunshine for without it, all would be dried up or frozen.  Lastly, thank you for appreciating and encouraging our work here at the farm!

Scott Breneman

Farm Manager 

It's another warm and rainless week down on the farm as we transplant fall broccoli and cabbage. The ground is d-r-y and we are watering to keep things going. The up side of no rain is very few weeds or leaf diseases on crops, so I suppose a dry season is preferable to unending sog which makes vegetables prone to spoiling and and gives weeds a perpetual green light.
The potato harvest is underway and what a bonanza it is: look for Katahdins, Yukon Golds, Red Norlands, Evas, red-fleshed Mountain Rose, and Purple Viking with its purple skin and bright white interior. These potatoes are so good!  This looks to be the best potato harvest we've had in many seasons.

Spotlight on Scott C.

Position at the farm: Farm Crew

Number of years working for Goodwill: 9 years

Favorite thing to grow at the farm: potatoes

If he could trade places with someone for a day:  it would be expansionist  James K. Polk, who acquired more land than any other US president.  

Favorite kind of music: classical (favorite piece is Beethoven’s 5th Symphony) 

What he wanted to be when he grew up: a major league baseball player

Scott’s family includes: his two sisters, one who lives in New Mexico

Scott’s hobbies include: reading, studying history and geography and watching basketball playoffs

Foreign Language he speaks: a little German

Advice he would give others: have the confidence to do the right thing at the right time

Scott’s nickname: Great Scott! 

Favorite thing about the farm: seeing his work the whole way through its life cycle,

beginning with seeds, watching them mature as crops in the field, harvesting 

them, and seeing the final product on the farm stand shelf

The pick your own field is coming alive. There are beautiful sunflowers to pick.  Thank you Bob McClure for the artfully rustic sign!  

Also ready are:

basil 

calendula

lemon grass

zinnias 

funky warty crookneck squash

Still to come: 

Hot Peppers from mild to wild

Tomatillos
Sun Gold cherry tomatoes

Suggestions for the harvest:
Potatoes: this fresh new potatoes are excellent!  One has a red interior. They are all good. My favorite summer treatment is a Lebanese style potato salad with just olive oil and herbs.  
Carrots: these fresh carrots are like candy, just to pop in your mouth and eat raw or add to salad, etc.
Beans: wow, not what you find in the store.  Most of us are partial to the Roma variety which flat--all of the them are great. Boil and steam till just tender, or roast in the oven oil--super!
Eggplant: coat with oil and soysauce and grill, or bread them and fry. See recipe below for grilled eggplant
Lettuce heads: salads, sandwiches
Chard: use in lieu of spinach in babaganoush, salads,
Scallions: these mild onions are great anywhere onion is needed
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
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


Grass Fed Beef...Our neighbor Liz Martin will again be donating a portion of the proceeds to us for any orders that she receives from members here at the farm.  To order, give her a call at or send an email Ironstone Spring Farm - 2856 Charlestown Road, Lancaster, PA 17603  Phone: (717) 575-0110 - Fax: (717) 872-9635 - Email: liz@ironstonespringfarm.com    Just the beef at: http://www.ironstonespringfarm.com/grass-fed-beef.asp  she's got a lot of info and pricing there.


Honey Garlic Grilled Eggplant

Note: Aleppo chili that this recipe calls for is available in Middle Eastern markets. It’s not spicy at all, but sweet and musky. If you don’t have it, substitute it with a pinch of Spanish smoked paprika, or skip it all together.

Serves 2

1 eggplant (2 if using small Italian eggplants)
1 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 mashed garlic cloves
1 tsp aleppo chili (optional)
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

1. Peel stripes of skin off the eggplant to create a zebra like pattern of skin and no-skin. This is not only decorative, but makes the skin easier to bite. Slice eggplant into ½ inch thick circles.
2. Lay out a large sheet of paper towels. Sprinkle eggplant generously with salt on both sides and lay out on paper towels. The eggplant will release a lot of liquid. This will help get rid of bitterness (if any) and make the eggplant more succulent and less watery after it’s cooked. Let sit for 15 minutes, then dry both sides well with paper towels.
3. In a large bowl, mix honey, olive oil, garlic, chili, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Dunk both sides of each eggplant slice into this marinade.
4. Preheat the grill to high. Grab a wad of paper towel with tongs, dip it in oil, and brush it on the grill.
5. Place the eggplant slices on the grill, cover, and turn down the heat to medium. Grill until marked, about 3 minutes. Turn 90 degrees to make cross-hatch grill marks. Grill until marked, about 3 more minutes.
6. Brush the slices with remaining marinade, flip and repeat the grilling procedure on the other side. Regulate heat so that the eggplant is browning, but not burning. Remove to a plate, and drizzle with olive oil.

from:http://www.beyondsalmon.com/2006/09/honey-garlic-grilled-eggplant.html 

Thanks for being a part of the farm and appreciating what we do here on the farm to grow food and provide for people in many ways. 

Your farmers

A warm hello from your farmers!

July, along with its warmth, brings some new crops for us to harvest.  There will be sweet tender baby carrots, new potatoes and fantastic tasting beans, and even some garlic is ready.  It's very dry, so we've been drip irrigating and we are grateful to have a strong well.  Our solar powered picking cart broke on Tuesday, but we've got it back in working order, the eggplants are starting to ripen, and the tomato plants look fantastic.  The soil has been receiving compost and cover crop treatment for a long time, and continues to get better and better, reducing pest damage and disease, creating higher nutrient levels in your food, and allowing for better drought tolerance.

 
Aren't Carrots Orange?

We've got young carrots in the harvest this week, and they are a rainbow of colors, textures, and flavors.  Thanks to the Dutch, who popularized and standardized the carrot as orange in the 1600s, we all expect carrots to be orange, but they ocurr in many colors from white to orange to red to purple.  Our favorite one here is usually the magenta-colored Dragon variety if we pick one.  We like them all. Try the different colors and see which anthocyanins suit your palate best.

Spotlight on Kim Stoltzfus:

Position at the farm: Distribution Hostess
Number of years working for Goodwill: 3 years
Favorite thing to grow at the farm: sungold tomatoes
The animal she most connects with is: the great blue heron
Favorite kind of music: bluegrass
What she wanted to be when she grew up: a marine biologist
Her favorite place that she has visited: the Redwood Forest, where she camped with
her family last summer
Kim’s family includes: her husband Jesse, and children: Isaiah, 10 and Maia, 8
She has a pet cat: named Tough Mama and is in the market for a Lab puppy
Something Kim can’t live without is: the support of her friends and family
One of Kim’s hobbies is: pottery
Advice she would give to others is: take it one day at a time
Alternative languages: sign language
Favorite thing about the farm: the kids

Interested in a Fruit Share from North Star Orchard?

We are a pick up site for fruit shares from North Star Orchard, growers of outstanding varieties of heirloom and modern apples, pears, plums, Asian pears, peaches and more. For more information go to: www.northstarorchard.com.  Begins in August.

Suggestions for the harvest:

Potatoes: this fresh new potatoes are excellent!  One has a red interior. They are all good. My favorite summer treatment is a Lebanese style potato salad with just olive oil and herbs.  

Carrots: these fresh carrots are like candy, just to pop in your mouth and eat raw or add to salad, etc.
Beans: wow, not what you find in the store.  Most of us are partial to the Roma variety which flat--all of the them are great. Boil and steam till just tender, or roast in the oven oil--super!
Eggplant: coat with oil and soysauce and grill, or bread them and fry.
Lettuce heads: salads, sandwiches
Chard: use in lieu of spinach in babaganoush, salads,
Scallions: these mild onions are great anywhere onion is needed
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. See simple refrigerator pickle recipe below that I made with my 6 yr old daughter. Takes about 10 minutes to put together.
Beets: these can be grated raw into salad or roasted
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

Easy Garlic Dill Pickles from A Couple Cooks
1 quart mason jar with lid
3-4 pickling cucumbers
3 cloves garlic
8 sprigs fresh dill
1 Tbsp coriander seeds
1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp kosher salt
2/3 cup white vinegar
1 cup water

Directions:
Quarter the cucumbers into four slices each, lengthwise, or cut into 1/4-inch chips. Cut the garlic cloves in quarters.
In an extra mason jar or covered container, combine coriander seeds, sugar, kosher salt and vinegar. Tightly close the lid and shake vigorously until the sugar and salt dissolve. Add 1 cup water to the mixture.
In the clean mason jar, tightly pack the sliced cucumbers, sliced garlic, and sprigs of fresh dill.
Pour the brine mixture over the cucumbers. Tap the jar on the counter to release any air bubbles and top off the jar with extra water if any cucumbers are exposed.
Place the lid on the jar and screw on the ring until it is tight. Leave the jar in the fridge for 24 hours before tasting. The pickles last up to one month refrigerated. Yield: 12 pickle quarters.
Nutrition Information: These are very low in calories (less than 10 calories/pickle). Other than a few grams of carbohydrate and about 1/3 gram fiber, these contain some sodium. I have no idea how much brine is absorbed, so I haven’t a clue on the sodium content. However, many pickle recipes call for WAY more salt that this recipe.
Result: Many dill refrigerator pickle recipes were disappointing, but this recipe is a keeper. These come together in 5 minutes or less and are ready in 1 day…can’t beat it! Simple ingredients and clean, fresh flavors. These dill pickles have lots of crunch and the perfect balance of vinegar, salt, and garlic! Enjoy!

from:http://www.preventionrd.com/2011/08/easy-garlic-dill-pickles/