Notes from Your Farm: First Harvest!

Hello from the Farm,   

The First Harvest is finally here!  The 2017 harvesting season has officially started at your CSA.  Your Farmers are excited to be harvesting crops that we have been watching and taking care of for the past 3 months.  We hope you will enjoy the farm this year by interacting with your farmers, discussing cooking ideas, and receiving local fresh produce!
It is exciting to see shareholders coming to the farm and picking strawberries throughout the day this past week.  The uplifting attitudes from the shareholders brings a positive energy into the farm which inspires all of us here at the farm!

Hours for Pick Up:
Thursday - 3:00pm till 7:00pm (there was a mistake in the guide book which said Thursday pick up was at 4:00pm)
Friday - 11:00am till 7:00pm
Saturday - 9:00am till 1:00pm 


Welcome Weekend Event 
This event will be hosted by Goodwill at Homefields Farm on Saturday, June 10 from 9am till 1pm.  You will be able to meet the owners behind the Coffee Share, Mushroom Share, and Abendessen Bread.  There will also be samples!

Slackwater Farm will be bringing piglets and little chicks for all ages to enjoy!  

Your Farmers will be hosting tours:
Farmer's View Tour (Farmer Taryn) - 10:00am
Berry Tour (Farmer Elizabeth) - 11:00am

We will be meeting for the tours in front of the greenhouses at the antique tractor.  Please wear appropriate clothing for the tours as in sneakers or boots. 

There will also be a chance to talk to members of Homefields about their non-profit and how you could get involved!



Strawberry Season

Our strawberry season started on May 30 and will go until June 10.  The season might last until June 17 but this all depends on the weather.  During this strawberry season we will be giving half shares and full shares a season limit. Which means you can only harvest the given amount throughout the whole season.

Season Limit

Half Shares - 2 quarts

Full Shares - 4 quarts

We are welcoming shareholders to come pick strawberries during the whole week, except Sundays.  Meaning you can come Monday - Saturday to pick strawberries at the farm till dusk. 

Below is a map that shows where the strawberries are located on the farm.  There will also be red flags in the fields to indicate a strawberry patch.  At the distribution area (marked on the map) we will have green quart baskets for you to use while harvesting strawberries.  

If you have any questions contact Taryn by phone: (717)871-3110 or email: thogeland@yourgoodwill.org 


2017 Season Sign Ups!!!

There is still room for you!  Just sign up by following this link: http://goodwillathomefieldsfarm.csasignup.com/members/types


Abendessen Bread
English Muffins - Perfect Addition to your Breakfast! - $5 a half dozen


Harvest List
- Lettuce - storage: if in a plastic bag make sure you poke holes throughout the bag and keep in the hydrator drawer of your refrigerator.  Or invest in a Produce Keeper that can be found on Amazon, they work very well.  

Lettuce Recipe: Strawberry Romaine Salad

Ingredients: 1 large bunch of lettuce, 1 onion, 1 quart of strawberries, 1/3 cup of sugar, 2 Tbsp. poppy seeds, 3/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup milk, and 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Directions: Tear 1 large bunch of lettuce into bite size pieces. Slice onion and strawberries, and add to lettuce.  Whisk together remaining ingredients. Just before serving, toss with dressing and serve. NOTE: all the dressing should be used because the salad wilts and absorbs the dressing quickly. 

- Kale - storage: same as lettuce

Kale Recipe: Quick Delicious Kale

Ingredients: As much kale as you want, 1 package dried onion soup mix, oil for cooking
Directions: Steam kale over water for about 5-10 minutes. Empty water and add a bit of oil to kale.  Add some of the contents of the dried soup mix, mix and eat.

- Radishes - storage: keep in refrigerator wrapped in plastic bag or damp towel. Keep greens separate and stored like lettuce.  

How to use Radishes

Radishes are generally eaten raw in salads or with veggie trays. In Germany, they are sliced and salted and served with beer. Use in soups or stews as you would a turnip. Toss radish greens into soups or stir-fries, close to the end of the cooking time. Roast radishes with other root veggies. They will lose some of their pungency in the roasting. 

- Garlic Scapes - storage: keep in a plastic bag in refrigerator

Garlic Scape Pesto 

Ingredients: 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon or lime juice, 1/4 pound fresh garlic scapes, 1/2 cup olive oil, salt to taste
Directions: 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. 

- Collards - storage: same as lettuce

Easy Collard Greens

Start cooking with the bacon and onions, add the garlic and red pepper flakes, brown sugar, cider vinegar, salt and pepper, to taste. Add the greens, stir and cover the skillet. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring halfway though. Collards are done when tender and no longer bitter.
Recipe found at this link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/collard-greens-recipe-1920863

- Cilantro - storage: same as lettuce

How to use Cilantro

Is an essential ingredient in Mexican and Asian cooking. Use in salsa, Pad Thai, and peanut sauce. Can be put into salads, sandwiches, soups, and pestos to add some extra flavor.
- Most of the recipes above and storage ideas were found in our Goodwill at Homefields Farm "A Mostly Vegetarian Cookbook".  Which can be found at our sign in desk at the distribution center.

Below are the products that you can buy from another location but pick up at our location once the season starts.  Take a look they are great products from local businesses!

North Star Orchard Fruit Share

Would you like to pick up a CSA Fruit Share when you come to get your CSA vegetables? It’s time to sign up now with North Star Orchard for their weekly Fruit Share, which is available for pickup for 15 weeks starting in August.

CSA Members have been enjoying the Fruit Share for years, and we encourage you to take a look at what the share has to offer here.

(Link to http://northstarorchard.com/fruit-share )

This is not ordinary fruit, but unique and heritage varieties which are full of flavor: plums with pizazz, perfect peaches, amazing Asian pears, great (seedless) grapes, astounding apples, and a sprinkling of heritage pear varieties.
Sign up directly with North Star on their website (link again to https://northstarorchard.com/fruit-share ), or if you need to reach them directly, email Lisa@northstarorchard.com
And for a quick view of North Star Orchard itself, enjoy this 90-second bird's eye view (link to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izdj6VIWyao )

Hillacres Pride Cheese Share
Goodwill at Homefields farm will be a pickup location for Hillacres Pride Cheese share once again for the 2017 Season.  
The share will usually start with the first pick-up at your veggie share location and run every other week for 11 pickups, which usually encompasses June-Oct. A share contains 2 cheese items with each delivery.
They will range from cheddars and colbys to artisan cheeses, such as our Susquehanna and Cave Aged Arcadia; to fresh cheeses like ricotta and our signature flavored fresh cheeses.  It is always fun for us to select the share items and we hear it is a fun surprise for the customers. We offer a bit of information about the cheeses and are hoping to incorporate recipes this year as well.
11 bi-weekly deliveries $125.00
Signup by following this link:
http://hillacrespride.com/?q=content/csa-sign-form

Village Crest Farm Mushroom Share

Village Crest Farm is a fourth-generation family farm near Strasburg that grows a variety of gourmet mushrooms for fine restaurants and your table, using chemical-free practices.  We are pleased to announce that Goodwill at Homefields Farm will be a pick up site for the Village Crest Farm mushroom share during their regular vegetable share season.

 

Offerings: Choose either 12 or 24 weeks of delicious seasonal mushrooms. We grow a beautiful variety of oyster mushrooms including elm, golden, brown, blue, and pink oysters rotating from week to week depending on season and temperature. Other species such as lion's mane and chestnut mushrooms may make guest appearances during the season as we continue to develop new varieties.

 

June through November (24 week) share = 1 lb fresh gourmet mushrooms weekly - $360

OR 

June through August (12 week) share = 1 lb fresh gourmet mushrooms weekly - $180

 

To reserve your mushroom share, please contact:
Scott Breneman

villagecrestfarm@gmail.com

717-786-2801

 

 

Coffee Share

Do you enjoy whole bean coffee?  Do you purchase the coffee at a specialty coffee shop?  Or maybe the local grocery store?  One has fresh coffee, the other an affordable price.  Want to have both?  College Coffee Roasters has partnered with Homefields to create a coffee share.  College Coffee Roasters offers 6 Fair Trade Organic (FTO) coffees.  A different coffee will be available each week for 6 weeks, by the 1/2 lb.  

 

Cost of the share will be $36  

 

In order to start, we'll need to know if you are interested.  If you wish to purchase a share, please make the check payable to Homefields and have it sent to: Homefields Inc., 150 Letort Road, Millersville, PA 17551.  Also make note on the check that it is for the coffee share.

 

The funds generated by the share will help fund projects at the Farm.

 

If you have questions please contact Bruce at: 717-278-0839

 

 

First Harvest is happening now!,

Your Farmers