Down on the Farm

Poems by Jay

There's an old fallen down sugar house out in one of the overgrown pastures. We asked the Shaws once why they had a sugar house out there, so far from the house. They said, oh, because that's where the sugar maples were. We tapped 1,000 maples back in the day, they said. Both Peter and I looked puzzled. We're not expert on tree identification, but it seems like there's just not that many sugar maples around here. Oh no the Shaws said, the trees were all blown down in the hurricane of '38.

Here's a poem about that same hurricane by my friend Jay Wilkinson.

Round Barn, September 1938

Round the Cape Verde Islands
nature constructed a storm
that defied the curve of earth
and drove across the sea,
to throw a second story surge
and twenty-five foot floods
through New England's lower valleys.

It climbed Green Mountain spines
and over the top of Whittier Hill
then salty seventy knot winds
tore at eaves, lifted shingles, then the roof
and creaking, shifted round-frame stresses.

A dark roar of wind and panicked heifers -
the milk painted pride of Walkerway Farm
collapsed in a pile
of splinters, dust and memories.

Another poem by Jay:

In Peacham

Peter's precious lettuce
and Maryellen's mustard greens
struggle through sheep-amended soils
slower than the ancient perennials:
feldspar, quartz and granite
rising unbidden,
everlasting elemental Appalachian leveling.

Henry

Henry with Peter in the corn.

Henry doing quality assurance testing during the tomato harvest.

Henry and Willa at market.

Wavy, mentored by her lovely friend Zea, did face painting at market on Saturday. That's how Henry got his awesome dog face. Anyway, Wavy left the market boxes there after she was done and Henry liked to hide all the way underneath them then pop out and make people laugh.

CSA Week Eleven

News from the field:

Yay! The sun! Although some of the damage from the rains has already been done, it is great to see the sun! And it should help us with our plantings for fall. So keep your fingers crossed everyone, and enjoy the sun!

In other news, school has started, the nights are cooling, and the days are getting shorter. We can’t get started until 5:30 a.m. these days, when we used to be able to start at 4:15 a couple of months ago. And this morning we need sweaters and hats stepping out the door.

Our interns and one of our hourly workers have left to go back to school. Thank you Sarah, Anna, and Andrew! Thank goodness Dawn can stay on until October, and this week we will welcome a new hourly worker, Kathy, who will help us through the fall.

Otherwise, we are just chugging along, enjoying the weather and watching the plants grow.

In the Basket:

Two pints of cherry tomatoes – If you find yourself with extra cherry tomatoes, or ones which have gone a little soft on you, they’re awesome dried. Slice them in half first, and they’ll dry faster. If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can use your oven, set at the lowest temperature possible. They’ll keep till winter, when you will be glad for the taste of summer!

Tomatoes – Only one pound this week. Our tomatoes are already producing less due to the cold nights. We’ll have a few more weeks of them, so enjoy them while they last!!

Cabbage – Check out Janet McConnell’s recipe ideas on the back!!

Zephyr summer squash – We ate these tonight in a gratin which was delicious.

Cucumbers and broccoli – Some crunch for your basket!!

Arugula or lettuce – Salad is back!!

Janet McConnell’s Recipes for Cabbage

Creamed Cabbage

2 cups chopped cabbage (I prefer thinly sliced)
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white vinegar

Sprinkle the salt and sugar over the cabbage and mix very well with a silver fork (it won't work otherwise).
Next, add the cream and mix well again.
Finally, add the vinegar and beat until it looks like a fluff ball.

Easy Vegetable Stew

1 tablespoon olive oil 1 onion, quartered & cut in eighths
1 cup diced onion About 3 cups of water
1 teaspoon minced garlic 1 bay leaf
1 cup celery, diced salt and pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme 3 tablespoons flour
11/2 cups zucchini (zephyr) 1/2" pieces 1 cup (frozen is fine) peas
2 cups sliced carrot 1/2" pieces 3 cups potato, cubed 1" pieces
2 cups coarsely chopped cabbage

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Heat oil with diced onion, garlic & celery in heavy casserole. Saute 5 minutes - stir often.

Add thyme & flour - saute, stirring until all is well coated with oil.

Sit in carrots, potatoes & onion quarters - mix well. Add water, bring to a boil & add bay leaf, salt/pepper to taste.

Cover, place in oven for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven. Stir in zucchini, peas, & cabbage...maybe a little more water...if you think it is needed.

Replace cover and return to oven for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven - adjust seasoning - remove bay leaf.

This stew can be made in advance and simply reheated before serving. (It also freezes well.)

Shooting star

I went outside just now while getting ready for market/CSA distribution tomorrow. It is a beautiful clear cool night, and with no moon, you can see the whole band of the Milky Way. And then I saw a shooting star in the southern sky that looked like it landed in Groton, the town next door. It was really bright and seemed really close. And even though I have been working since 5am this morning, and sometimes it seems the farm runs us rather than us running the farm, I thought about what a beautiful place this is, in its own out of control way, and how there is no place I would rather be.

P.S. On a lighter note, this is Henry's favorite song lately, and he asks me to play it every time we get in the truck. It seems like a good song for an almost three year old to like.

Vegetables for everyone every day!

Sarah, Anna, Waverly and I were sitting around the kitchen table talking politics, in particular worrying about how folks are going to be afford to stay warm this winter and still have money left over for food. Anyway, Wavy said if she were president she'd want everyone to be able to eat every day, good healthy food including veggies, tomatoes even. (I love her!!) And we were all like oh Wavy that should so be your platform! Vegetables for everyone every day!!

So Anna made her this beautiful banner to get her started. Thank you Anna!!!

This is Wavy and her banner with our dear friend Kristina, one of the proprieters of the hot new restauraunt, Claire's. Sarah and Anna left us this past weekend, to go back to college. Which stinks. We had a fabulous going away dinner at Claire's before they went though. Thanks Kristina and everyone at Claire's!!

The very nice band let Wavy and Henry rock out for a bit.

CSA Week Ten

News from the field:

A few days of sun is better than nothing! But last night we had a ton of rain again. However, we have it better than most. We hear from other growers that they are laying off their crews because they have lost so many crops to the rain. Our yields are down, but at least we are still in business for the season. It is just a little surreal because we are used to having big, big harvests this time of year, but this year the pickings are sort of slim.

People have asked for corn and melons. The corn should be coming. Our first planting got in late and has been hampered by weeds due to the rain. But our second planting was timed for a Labor Day harvest, and that one seems to be doing well. So look for sweet corn in September. The melons, on the other hand, are here now, but our yield is waaaay down. As soon as the fruits ripen they turn to rot due to the rain. So we have a few melons available for trade out, but we probably won’t have them for the baskets this year.

One last thing. We have had more eggplant this year than ever before. It has been a banner year for eggplant. We were curious about this, and so was one of our interns, Anna, who did some research on eggplants. It turns out that eggplants do best when it is between 70 and 80 degrees, and when the soil is consistently moist. That sounds like this summer to me! So even if some things are failing, other things do well!

In the Basket:

The quoted ideas are from Mark Bittman’s article 101 Fast Recipes for Inspired Picnics.

Potatoes – “Make potato salad with mayo and crumbled bacon, and add grated Cheddar, celery, onion and chopped egg. You don’t have to pack much else except blood thinner.”

Eggplant – “In a blender or food processor, combine ginger, a half cup or so light miso, a little more than that of walnuts, and enough soy sauce to make a sauce. Toss with cooked green beans or eggplant.”

Carrots – This idea from Anna, our intern. For a yummy carrot dip: grate carrot, sauté with garlic and generous amount of olive oil until carrot is falling apart and runny, add yogurt to pan, combine, cook like 30 seconds.

Lettuce and tomatoes – A little salad for late summer.

Cherry tomatoes – I’m out of space so I say just eat these in the car on the way home!

Two eggplant recipes from Grandma

Tortellini with eggplant and peppers
Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes/ serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium eggplant, cut into ½ inch pieces
2 bell peppers, cut into ½ inch pieces
Salt and pepper
4 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 pound cheese tortellini (fresh or frozen)
½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
½ cup grated Parmesan (2 ounces)

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the eggplant, bell peppers, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Cook stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, 6 to 8 minutes.
Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Add broth and tortellini. Cover and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the tortellini are cooked through and most of the broth is absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes.
Fold in the parsley and ¼ cup of the Parmesan. Spoon into bowls and sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan.
From Real Simple, September 2008

Ratatouille Pizza
Lo cal/lo chol/hi fib
Prep: 20 min; Bake: 12 min
4 servings

1 can (10 ounces) refrigerated pizza crust dough*
2 cups diced peeled eggplant
2 cups diced peeled zucchini or yellow summer squash
3 medium tomatoes, chopped (2 ¼ cups)
1 medium onion, cut lengthwise in half, then cut crosswise into thin slices
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped fresh or 1 ½ tsp dried basil leaves
1/4/tsp ground red pepper (cayenne)
1 ½ cups shredded reduced-fat mozzarella (6 ounces)

Heat oven to 425°. Grease cookie sheet or 12-inch pizza pan. Pat pizza dough into 14 X 12-inch rectangle on cookie sheet, or pat into pizza pan. Bake about 7 minutes or until lightly brown (note: 15 minutes using fresh dough from the grocery store).

While the pizza crust is baking, heat remaining ingredients except cheese in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat about 8 minutes (note: summer squash needs to be precooked longer than anything else), stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender.

Spoon vegetable mixture onto pizza crust. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

*If you prefer, use homemade pizza crust instead of the refrigerated product.

From Betty Crocker’s Healthy Home Cooking
Notes from experience
Thank you Grandma!!

Rubia

Anna, our intern, came up with this great design for lanterns. You paint parchment paper, then wrap it around a jar and put a candle inside. Wavy and Henry, with their friends Ethan and Emma, made a bunch to sell at market. They donated most of the proceeds (taking some out for lemonade and other essentials) to Rubia, an organization that helps women in Afghanistan. Rubia was founded by Anna's mother! Check out their website!

Thanks to all who purchased and contributed!!

CSA Week Nine

News from the field:

Everything in farming is time delayed. The affects of bad weather in spring don’t show up until mid-summer. In our case, the effects from 6-8 weeks of solid rain are finally starting to show up. And I won’t sugar coat it – the effects are bad. We have onions rotting in the field -- and we usually grow and sell literally tons of onions. It is going to really hurt to have few or no onions this fall, particularly for the fall CSA. We have lost about 80% of plantings of lettuce, mesclun and arugula. They are rotting in the field and we will have to till them in.

Besides actual crop losses, we haven’t been able to mechanically weed, so the weed pressure has reduced yields on everything we grow and we aren’t harvesting as much as we planned for. Also, the amount of weed seeds in the soil will be a lot more next year. And we haven’t been able to set up our fields for fall cover crops that will help them through the winter. In short, things are a mess.

We may need your patience and understanding over the next few weeks if your baskets are short on greens, long on greenhouse tomatoes (where we can control the water), and perhaps a little short on diversity. But we do believe that things will even out and that dry weather will return some day.

In the Basket:

Zephyr summer squash – Check out Sarah and Anna’s breading recipe on the back!!

Cucumbers, tomatoes, and cherry tomatoes – I love August!

Garlic – This garlic is cured, so keep it in a cool, dry cupboard – not the fridge.

Lettuce/mesclun/bagged spinach – We don’t have enough of any of these to give the same to everyone, but everyone in the CSA will get some salad fixins.

Sarah and Anna’s Breading for summer squash and more

Ingredients:
• 1 cup flour and ¾ cup corn meal (mixed together) or 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg yolk
• ½ teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 cup ice water
• Olive oil enough to generously coat bottom of skillet
Preparation:
• Combine salt, pepper, and half the flour (or flour cornmeal mixture) on a plate.
• Lightly beat the egg yolk. Mix egg yolk and ice water.
• Add other half of the flour (or flour cornmeal mixture) to the egg and water. Don’t overmix.
• Take whatever you are breading (tofu must be very dry, zucchini,summer squash, other things) and dip it in the dry mixture on both sides. Shake off extra flour.
• Dip the piece in the wet batter.
• Heat up skillet. Add olive oil to thickly coat pan (you want veggies to slide easily but not float in oil). Pan fry veggies.

NOFA

Hello from the interns again!

Sarah and I just got back from the Northeast Organic Farming Association Summer Conference (NOFA). We took off Friday after harvest and drove down to Amherst, MA for the conference, arriving on time to catch the keynote and a contra dance that evening. The next day and a half were a whirl of workshops, lectures, and the exciting opportunity to meet other farmers and farm interns. Between us, Sarah and I picked up information on permaculture (a sustainable farm system incorporating veggies, trees, and various perennials), draft horse farming, grafting fruit trees, increasing access to local organic food, and organic weed control.

We met several other interns from around the northeast and got to exchange notes on our experiences and share what we’ve learned. NOFA was a fantastic chance to connect with other young people hoping to farm one day.
We’re thrilled that Peter and Maryellen sent us to NOFA; it was a great time and neither of us can stop talking about it.

Anna

CSA Week Eight

News from the field:

Too much rain. Not disastrous, but still too much. We haven’t been able to get our plantings in, and even when we have been able to, we now have some stuff starting to rot in the field. Fortunately, we have really light soil that is somewhat elevated and drains well. And we have greenhouses that mitigate some of the rain issues. But even still we are having problems. So think sun and wind and low humidity everyone!

In the Basket:

Cucumbers – The variety name for the cucumbers you’re getting this week is marketmore. It’s a prolific heirloom from New England.

Carrots – The variety name on these is nelson. It’s a good mid-season carrot.

Mesclun or broccoli – The mesclun is a mix of lettuce and other salad greens which vary seasonally. The broccoli is arcadia. Arcadia is a slow growing but adaptable mid season variety.

Eggplant – The large Italian eggplants are nadia, the small Asian ones are orient Express and the fairytale are fairytale.

Tomatoes – The red tomatoes are three different varieties buffalo, geronimo (a bit bigger), moscvich. The moscvich is a Russian heirloom which we love for its awesome flavor. If you get a tomato with yellow shoulders, it is probably moscvich.

Cherry tomatoes – We grow a number of cherry tomatoes: sungolds (the orange ones), isis (red and yellow marbled), black cherry (purple), and plum cherries. The regular red cherry variety we grow is called sun cherry

Diana and Jerry Senturia’s Khatta Meetha Baingan (sweet sour eggplant)

Ingredients:
• 10 baby eggplants
• 1-3 tablespoons curry paste (depending on desired spiciness)
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 2 large tomatoes chopped fine
• 3 teaspoons tomato ketchup
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsps vegetable/canola/sunflower cooking oil
• Chopped coriander leaves to garnish
Preparation:
• Trim the stems of the eggplants very slightly and slit them (not all the way) into quarters.
• Heat the oil in a pan and add the curry paste, vinegar, tomatoes, ketchup and mix well. Fry/sauté for a minute.
• Add the eggplants, salt to taste and cook till soft (six to eight minutes).
• Turn off fire, garnish with the coriander leaves.
• Serve with hot chapatis (Indian flatbread) or parathas (pan-fried Indian flatbread).
Adapted from about.com.

Summertime

An awesome summer lunch. At times like these I can almost feel my bones storing up all the nutrients for the long winter ahead. As I start filling my shelves with pickles, tomato puree, and more (Peter: you're drying eggplant? Didn't you say last winter that you had been crazy to do that? - I had, but then it turned out to be good, and it is, but some switch flips on me and I start preserving everything I can!) I can almost feel my cells just filling every nook and cranny with minerals and vitamins and other good things. Git while the gitting is good, and it sure is now!!!

In other news, a big shout out to one of the awesome original CSAers Zoe, who gave us a nice plug on her very fun blog..

And thanks to all the CSAers and other customers who take the time to thank us for our produce. The poems and notes and kind words (and even hugs occasionally, when needed) are much appreciated!! I put them on our kitchen table for the whole crew to enjoy, and we do!