Well, it's another week down on the farm and we've been coping with the loss of the Gator, whose steering assembly broke.  You don't realize how vital a tool is until it is unavailable.  The Gator brings in the harvest, thousands of pounds of produce each week for half of the year and hauls tools and supplies the rest of the year.  It was donated to us almost ten years ago by the Ganse Family Foundation and has served us well--we hope to have our workhorse friend return to service by Monday.

Sprinter van becomes an off-road harvest vehicle :-)

We received two inches of much-needed rain Tuesday morning, which watered in the fall cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, greens and Brussels that we worked late Monday night to finish transplanting in a get-er-done fashion.  Fall crops are looking very good, as is the potato crop. Last year's six thousand pound spud harvest looks to be surpassed by this year's bounty, thanks to great soil conditions and abundant spring rain. 

Pontiac Red Potatoes

Freshly dug carrots!


 

Serving Suggestions for the Harvest:

Potatoes: yep, it's tater time. Potatoes are a wonderful source of nutrients, versatile to cook with, and very satisfying to the eater--they even help you sleep well at night. (Potatoes not Prozac book)
Cantaloupes: great taste of summer. Try eating with a just a bit of freshly ground black pepper.
Carrots: farm fresh carrots are a tasty treat, much different from bagged store carrots.
Eggplants: Asian eggplants are mild and sweet. Slice and put on the grill rubbed with oil, soy sauce, and miso paste. Tasty and easy to use.
Beans: fresh beans are so tasty. Boil just a few minutes, or steam until desired tenderness. Good raw in a salad too.  Beans are almost finished. 
Cucumbers: wow, farm fresh cucumbers are excellent! dice with tomatoes, onions and olive oil for a cool and refreshing summer salad.
Cabbage: cut into wedges and serve with a sprinkle of salt, make sauerkraut or family-pleasing
(taking another week off so they can size up)
Summer squash/Zucchini: stir fry, grate and use for zucchini bread or freeze for later.
Beets: great roasted with olive oil, grilled with oil and balsamic vinegar, or grated in salads.
Chard: remove the lower portion of the stalk as it is usually tough. Sautee leaves in butter, olive or coconut oil, add salt, and red pepper, top with Paresan cheese.
Greens: the hot weather has left most of the greens in not so nice shape. However, the chard doesn't mind the heat. Fabulous greens will return this fall with the cooler weather, whether the current crop improves or not.

Goodbyes:
Scallions: goodbye until next year.
Blueberries--these bore very well this year, we would have liked an extra week or two.
Broccoli: an awesome broccoli crop this year--will be back in the Fall.
Bok choi and Napa: these have run their course and we will see them again in October and November--a great time to make kimchee with the cool weather.
Garlic scapes: these are the would-be flowering stems of garlic--soft, tender, easy to use for stir fries, diced for salad, really anywhere a mild garlic flavor is desired. We like to use it for pesto here at the farm.
Cilantro: we anticipate the arrival of the next planting.
Turnips: bye bye until fall, when turnips are sweeter and crisper



Thank You

A big thank you to Jim Determan for building and welding a tilting framework for getting organic liquid fish or seaweed out of a 55 gallon drum with ease. Pouring from a 600lb cylinder had never been a picnic--until now :-)   Thank you Elizabeth, Law Reh and Kurt for hanging in there to get those transplants in the ground--whew, finally all in! 


Hope you are enjoying this fall-like weather as much as your farmers are,

Scott

Mid summer day's farming

Hello from the farm,


It's not raining this week and surprisingly, we may need to consider irrigation in the near future. It's been a week of ups and downs as the lift arm rod broke on our tractor and prevented us from doing the timely transplanting that the end of the rainy season finally allowed.  It was a wild goose chase all week finding the correct replacement part --even the tractor dealership was bewildered by the tractor and the parts specifications not being in agreement.  Thanks to Butch Bixler and Haverstick Bros. machine shop fabriciation, I think we can get back to tilling and transplanting.

On the up side, the sun is high (and hot) and your farmers are relishing generous water and shade breaks.  We are always experimenting here and are happy to say that our July lettuce experiment of planting on white mulch film has resulted in some beautiful lettuce heads despite the heat.  We also were able to do a bit of transplanting late yesterday with a farm-rigged three row waterwheel that worked really well for its trial run. The Asian eggplants are stunning, and the melons cannot be too far off, they are longed for by a good number of the farm crew.

Sunflowers love the heat down in the pick your own field

Serving Suggestions for the Harvest:

Eggplants: Asian eggplants are mild and sweet. Slice and put on the grill rubbed with oil, soy sauce, and miso paste. Tasty and easy to use. Look to see them make a strong showing about a couple of weeks from now.
Beans: fresh beans are so tasty.  Boil just a few minutes, or steam until desired tenderness. Good raw in a salad too.
Scallions: mild onion famil member great for salads and stir-fry where a milder flavor is appreciated.
Cucumbers: wow, farm fresh cucumbers are excellent!  dice with tomatoes, onions and olive oil for a cool and refreshing summer salad.
Blueberries--the berry crop is winding down, so is not the easy picking of the peak weeks we were wowed by.
Cabbage: cut into wedges and serve with a sprinkle of salt, make sauerkraut or family-pleasing
(taking a week off so they can size up)
Summer squash/Zucchini: stir fry, grate and use for zucchini bread or freeze for later.
Beets: great roasted with olive oil, grilled with oil and balsamic vinegar, or grated in salads.
Chard: remove the lower portion of the stalk as it is usually tough. Sautee leaves in butter, olive or coconut oil, add salt, and red pepper, top with Paresan cheese.
Greens: the hot weather has left most of the greens in not so nice shape. However, the chard doesn't mind the heat.  Fabulous greens will return this fall with the cooler weather, whether the current crop improves or not.

Goodbyes:
Broccoli: an awesome broccoli crop this year--will be back in the Fall.
Bok choi and Napa: these have run their course and we will see them again in October and November--a great time to make kimchee with the cool weather. 
Garlic scapes: these are the would-be flowering stems of garlic--soft, tender, easy to use for stir fries, diced for salad, really anywhere a mild garlic flavor is desired. We like to use it for pesto here at the farm.
Cilantro: we anticipate the arrival of the next planting.
Turnips:  bye bye until fall, when turnips are sweeter and crisper.

we checked on the carrots, they will be ready in a week or two

 

 

 

 

 

Thank You

 

A huge thank you to Butch Bixler for running to all ends of the earth to get the tractor repaired. We are back in the saddle tomorrow.  Elizabeth, great job organizing the work and keeping morale high despite the baking weather.  Law Reh, thank you for your skilled and speedy work, Kim, thank you for keeping the distribution area beautiful and adding all the nice extras to it. Thank you Bob for the roll storage rack upstairs, it's excellent. 

 

 

Scott 

The rain continues

Hello from the farm,

We are continuing to sing the same song: "a day without rain would not be a pain" as we work around and in the rain.  It is a great challenge to stay ahead of the weeds which keep biting at our heels. 

This week we began the garlic harvest and there will be fresh garlic in the share this week.  Garlic is the last crop that we plant in the farm season, and is planted in mid October to mid November for a harvest nine months later. 

Farmer Elizabeth is taking some well-deserved time off this week and everyone anticipates her return tomorrow--thank you Elizabeth for making the harvest happen each week and helping the trainees to work safely and well. 

twin summer squash make their debut

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pretty golden beets

Serving Suggestions for the Harvest:
Eggplants and Tomatoes: just starting to mature.  Look to see them make a strong showing about a couple of weeks from now.
Cucumber: wow, farm fresh cucumbers are excellent!  dice with tomatoes, onions and olive oil for a cool and refreshing summer salad.
Blueberries--eat them like superior candy--nuff said :-) we expect maybe two more weeks of berry season at least.  You may now pick an additional 1 pint per half share 2 pints per full share over the remaining blueberry weeks.
Cabbage: cut into wedges and serve with a sprinkle of salt, make sauerkraut or family-pleasing
Summer squash/Zucchini: stir fry, grate and use for zucchini bread or freeze for later.
Broccoli: an awesome broccoli crop this year--soon to wind down
Beets: great roasted with olive oil, grilled with oil and balsamic vinegar, or grated in salads.
Chard: remove the lower portion of the stalk as it is usually tough. Sautee leaves in butter, olive or coconut oil, add salt, and red pepper, top with Paresan cheese.
Senposai/Kale/Collards: we like to fry these in a skillet with butter or coconut oil until crisp, add some onions and sautee them as well--a superb topping for rice, fried eggs or stand alone too.
Bok choi and Napa: these have run their course and we will see them again in October and November--a great time to make kimchee with the cool weather. 
Garlic scapes: these are the would-be flowering stems of garlic--soft, tender, easy to use for stir fries, diced for salad, really anywhere a mild garlic flavor is desired. We like to use it for pesto here at the farm.
Cilantro: we anticipate the arrival of the next round.
Turnips:  bye bye until fall, when turnips are sweeter and crisper.


Field Forecast:
Well, surely the rain can't continue forever, we are likely to have a dry spell here somewhere.  We tranplanted butternut and acorn squash this week as well as our favorite Long Island Cheese squash. We also planted Big Max pumpkins that have the potential for great size by early fall.  The mid summer crops are on the verge of great harvets--tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cantaloupes and watermelons.  Also be on the lookout for potatoes, I think we will have an incredible potato harvest this year if things continue their course.

Thank youThank you for everyone who pitched in with enthusiasm and willingness this week to get the job done!


Your farmers  

Notes from the Farm: under a rainy sky

 
Hello from the farm,



This week we have come to the conclusion that it is now July--not sure how that snuck up on us, but the arrival of cucumbers, summer squash, blueberries, and soon-ready-to-garlic clued us in.  July brings the summer crops as the early crops fade away. We are looking forward to our tomatoes, peppers and eggplants towards the end of July, and melons maybe early August?



We're expecting!--baby cantaloupe

 

 About the Herb Beds:

The herb beds located near the parking lot have been planted and tended with care by Farmer Kim, and there are herbs that are ready to pick.  In general, pick the outer or upper leaves, leaving the lower two-thirds of the plant to regenerate.  Use your discretion--if the plant very small, take little.


The Pick Your Own field: 

Located just past the second greenhouse, this field will have pick-your-own herbs, flowers, cherry tomatoes, hot peppers, and more to offer.  The basil is ready to be picked--pinch off the top third of shoots, leaving the main structure of the plant intact for regrowing. 

Other things to anticipate in future weeks are:
hot peppers from mild to fiercely wild.
parsley
zinnias
cherry tomatoes--our mainstay Sungold cherries are amazingly fruity good orange orbs.
sunflowers
okra
quinoa--as an experiment--we haven't grown it before.




Plants show up in the strangest places--this mile a minute let itself into the barn upstairs. 

Serving Suggestions for the Harvest:
Blueberries--eat them like superior candy--nuff said :-)  we expect three more weeks of berry season at least.  The total amount you can pick for this season is 1 pint for half shares and 2 pints for full shares.  We hope to raise this season limit amount in future weeks if the yield makes it possible.
 Cabbage: cut into wedges and serve with a sprinkle of salt, make sauerkraut or family-pleasing Scrabbage--recipe below.
Summer squash/Zucchini: stir fry, grate and use for zucchini bread.
Broccoli: an awesome broccoli crop this year--this is super good broccoli!
Turnip: cut into sticks and serve chilled with a veggie dip.
Beets: great roasted with olive oil, grilled with oil and balsamic vinegar, or grated in salads.
Napa cabbage: this lettucey cabbage is great in the cabbage slaw recipe below
Snow peas: soon over. these flat-podded peas are eaten "hull and all" except for the stem. They are wonderful lightly steamed, boiled or in stir fry, even good raw.
Chard: remove the lower portion of the stalk as it is usually tough. Sautee leaves in butter, olive or coconut oil, add salt, and red pepper, top with Paresan cheese.
Senposai/Kale/Collards: we like to fry these in a skillet with butter or coconut oil until crisp, add some onions and sautee them as well--a superb topping for rice, fried eggs or stand alone too.
Bok choi: the joy of choi, this Asian vegetable seems to have been invented for the stir fry and peanut butter based sauce. Like it's cousin, the Napa cabbage, it is a mainstay when making spicy Korean kimchee.
Garlic scapes: these are the would-be flowering stems of garlic--soft, tender, easy to use for stir fries, diced for salad, really anywhere a mild garlic flavor is desired. We like to use it for pesto here at the farm.
Cilantro: good first planting of cilantro, we anticipate the arrival of the next round.

We get excited about cabbage and color

Scrabbage-- a hearty palate-pleasing cabbage recipe 

sausage (1/2 - 1 lb, bulk or sliced link)
onion, chopped
potatoes (4-6)
cabbage
salt & pepper
sour cream
Brown sausage and onion in large frying pan or wok. Dice potatoes and layer over sausage. Chop or shred cabbage to fill pan. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt & pepper. Reduce heat to medium or med-low (a lower heat if your pan is thin). Cook till cabbage and potatoes are tender, drizzling with extra oil as necessary, stirring only if sausage sticks to pan.
Serve hot, with sour cream to dollop on top, or sprinkle with cheddar cheese.
--shared by Lorena Breneman


Wishing you a Happy July 4th Holiday!

All your friendly farmers :-)