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