CSA Week 12 and Farm Stand Updates

Last week we joined the many farms on the east coast that have experienced heavy rains and flooding. Due to our sandy soil the water receded within 24 hours, but it was not without causing damage. We had worked hard to seed fall spinach, daikon radishes, pac choi and other greens Thursday afternoon, anticipating rain Friday to help them germinate but instead the open beds were either flooded or had running water wash away the tops of the beds. We have yet to see if any seeds survived the event, and while we will continue to seed more beds of these crops, they will likely make an appearance in the CSA and farm store later than planned. Other more established fall crops like sweet potatoes and late carrot and beet successions were also temporarily flooded, but we are hopeful these crops will bounce back! The more immediate damage affecting us is the loss of a bed of arugula planned for this week’s harvest. A full bed, covered to protect it from flea beetles, was pummeled by rain, breaking the leaves and making them un-harvestable. Fortunately, our crop of the hour, tomatoes, are still doing great and are reaching their prime. This is in large part due to most of our tomatoes now being grown in our protective high tunnel, but even the field tomatoes and cherry tomatoes seem to have survived the event with only a moderate increase in split tomatoes!

In the CSA this week:

• Scallions

• Sweet colored peppers or eggplant- Members will have a choice between the two again this week.

• Tomatoes - Slicing and heirloom types.

• Potatoes - Yellow or Peter Wilcox which are purple with white flesh. Both of these varieties were hit hard by the Colorado Potato Beetle earlier this year so they are smaller than usual in size.

• Green and purple peppers

• Uncured garlic

• Carrots

• Zucchini

• Cucumbers

• Kale

• Lettuce

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

• Cherry tomatoes

• Edamame

• Hot peppers - One per membership to spice up your cooking this week.

• Herbs - Sage, thyme, oregano, chives, mint, parsley, dill, dill flowers, cilantro and basil

In the farm store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will have seedless watermelon, tomatillos, dragon tongue beans, seedless and pickling cucumbers, summer squash, and at the end of the week we will also have flower bouquets. We will have sweet corn from Verrill Farm, mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm and eggs from Pete and Jen’s.

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 and Friday pick-up. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering currently opens at 6pm on Tuesday for Wednesday pick-up and 6pm on Thursday for Friday pick-up.

PYO Flower CSA

The flower field is open to both Flower CSA members and the public this week for picking by the jar. The first of 4 varieties of sunflowers we seeded in the flower field are now blooming. Other varieties currently available for picking include zinnias, bachelor button, marigolds, gomphrena, strawflower, celosia, statice, ammi, rudbeckia, scabiosa, cosmos and amaranth. Please pick flowers above branching points. 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.

Cherry Tomatoes with Garlic & Herbs

Posted on September 16, 2020 by The Original Dish

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs cherry tomatoes

• 3 heads garlic, ends trimmed+discarded

• 4 sprigs fresh oregano (or other herbs like thyme)

• 1 ¼ cups olive oil

• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 15 cracks fresh black pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Add the cherry tomatoes, heads of garlic (cut-side down), and fresh oregano to a large 12” cast-iron skillet. Cover with the olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Toss well to combine.

3. Roast for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft and caramelized.

Notes:

• Skillet size and cook time will vary if you cut this recipe in half or double it. Use a 10” skillet for about 40-45 minutes if you cut the recipe in half and 2 (12”) skillets for 1 hour if you double it. You always want a fairly even layer of cherry tomatoes to fit the bottom of the skillet.

• All ovens are different, so use your senses to tell if the tomatoes are done – they should be soft, caramelized, and blistered.

• The heads of garlic essentially turn into roasted garlic. To use it, squeeze out the soft garlic cloves and discard the roots/skins.

• The olive oil becomes infused with tomato and garlic flavor. Save it for drizzling over eggs, dipping bread into, making sauces, tossing with pasta, etc.