We got a “new” truck last week, and though it is “recycled,” we couldn’t be more happy about it! Thanks to a tip from Shopkeeper Debbie, we were able to have a junked truck refurbished at a very low cost. While this truck has seen many miles out on the road, we don’t mind as we drive very few miles each week (it just feels like a lot when we are walking it all while pulling full garden carts!). We can’t stop admiring it’s functioning doors, new ignition that turns on each time, and the repaired tail gate that raises and lowers with ease. Now that we have the luxury of a motorized vehicle once again, we’ve been employing it to carry in the harvests much more efficiently - one trip is now sufficient to bring in about 3 garden cart’s worth of produce! But we haven’t only been using the truck for bringing in harvests - we’ve also been using it to transport ourselves to the farthest flung parts of our fields for weeding projects!
In spite of the fact that every forecast rainstorm seems to bypass the farm (since July 1st, Las Vegas has gotten more rain than we have!), this week’s vegetable selection is looking really nice! Thankfully we’ve been able to irrigate most crops in time to prevent significant losses. Now we just need some rain to hit and help germinate our cover crops!
In the CSA this week:
Sweet Colored Peppers - Mostly from our high tunnel, we grow red, orange and yellow peppers.
Potatoes - This week we’re harvesting Peter Wilcox, a variety with purple skin and white flesh. It is one of our favorites as it is tasty, productive and stores well!
Leeks
Uncured garlic
Tomatoes
Spaghetti squash
Watermelon- We will have both red seedless watermelon (the first crop we have grown!) as well as Blacktail Mountain, a red/pinkish fleshed heirloom variety with black seeds.
Summer squash, zucchini or cucumbers - we are into the time of year when production of these cucurbit crops slows significantly, so these will be limited this week.
Beets
Mustard greens - A spicy green that can be used in salad (usually mixed with less spicy things!) or lightly cooked (it is less spicy when cooked)
Salanova Lettuce Mix - It’s back, earlier than ever!
Curly green kale - The first of our “fall” planting, so it is nice and tender!
CSA Pick-Your-Own:
Cherry Tomatoes - All varieties are currently ripening including Sungold (orange), Citrine (orange), Cherry Bomb (red), Red Pearl (red grape), Valentine (red grape), Apple Yellow (apple shaped yellow tomato), Yellow Mini, Moonbeam (pale yellow grape), Black Cherry (smoky purple), Midnight Pear (smoky purple pear shaped cherry), Sunpeach (pink), and Mountain Magic (red cocktail size tomato). If you don’t see lots at the beginning of the bed just walk halfway down and they will jump in your container!
There will be a choice of: Dragon Tongue beans, tomatillos, husk cherries or shishito peppers.
Hot peppers- choice of Jalapeño, Aji Rico, Fresno, Hungarian Hot Wax, and Red Ember (cayenne).
Herbs - choice of basil, oregano, mint, sage or thyme.
In the farm store:
In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will also have flower bouquets in the farm store. We will also have sweet corn from Verrill Farm and eggs from Codman Farm. There will not be any mushrooms for a couple more weeks.
We accept credit card, cash, check and EBT in the farm store. The farm store is open Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm and Saturday 9am - 3pm. We also continue to take online pre-orders for Wednesday, Friday and Saturday pick-up. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering opens at 6pm the day before pick-up.
Pick-Your-Own Flower CSA:
The PYO Flower garden is at it’s height so now is a great time to pick! The field is open to both Flower CSA members and to the general public for picking by the jar. Varieties available include snapdragons, zinnias, marigolds, gomphrena, strawflower, celosia, statice, ammi, ageratum, rudbeckia, scabiosa, cosmos, verbena, decorative basil, amaranth and branching sunflowers. Picking hours are during any farm store hours: Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. We recommend bringing your own pruners or scissors as well as water for transporting your flowers home.
Pasta With 15-Minute Burst Cherry Tomato Sauce
By Anna Stockwell, from epicurious.com August 4, 2022
1 lb. pasta
Kosher salt
½ cup olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 pints cherry tomatoes
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of sugar
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
Freshly grated Parmesan (for serving)
Step 1
Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente; drain pasta and transfer to a large bowl.
Step 2
Meanwhile, heat oil in a 12" skillet or wide heavy saucepan over medium-high. Add garlic, then tomatoes, pepper, sugar, and 1 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes burst and release their juices to form a sauce, 6–8 minutes.
Step 3
Toss pasta with tomato sauce and basil. Top with Parmesan.
Shakshuka With Feta
by Melissa Clark, from NY Times Cooking
Ingredients
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1large red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
3garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1teaspoon ground cumin
1teaspoon sweet paprika
⅛teaspoon ground cayenne, or to taste
1(28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes with their juices, coarsely chopped
¾teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
¼teaspoon black pepper, plus more as needed
5ounces feta, crumbled (about 1¼ cups)
6large eggs
Chopped cilantro, for serving
Hot sauce, for serving
Step 1
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook gently until very soft, about 20 minutes. Add garlic and cook until tender, 1 to 2 minutes; stir in cumin, paprika and cayenne, and cook 1 minute. Pour in tomatoes and season with ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper; simmer until tomatoes have thickened, about 10 minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Stir in crumbled feta.
Step 2
Gently crack eggs into skillet over tomatoes. Season eggs with salt and pepper. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until eggs are just set, 7 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with hot sauce.
Roasted Potato Vegetable Salad
from Aberdeen’s Kitchen
Ingredients
2 lbs baby potatoes, halved
1 corn on the cob, husk on
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
½ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon ancho chili pepper powder
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced + extra roughly chopped to garnish
Green onion, thinly sliced to garnish
3 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400˚F.
Toss potatoes, bell peppers, cumin, ancho chili pepper, salt, pepper, minced dill, and olive oil until coated on a roasting pan. Spread the vegetables out into a single layer, leaving an empty space for the corn on the cob. Place the corn on the cob, husk still on, in the empty space.
Put the pan on a middle rack in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the corn on the cob and set aside. Put the pan back in the oven and cook for another 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
While vegetables continue to cook, remove the husk from the corn and slice off the kernels.
When the potatoes are tender enough to be pierced with a fork, remove the pan from the oven. Stir in the corn kernels and add the remaining fresh dill and green onion to garnish.