This week our agenda includes weeding, weeding and more weeding! Our fall crops are looking good, especially once they are freed from the purslane, velvetleaf and galinsoga weeds that have been taking off lately. Carrots are the top priority, but we’ll also be weeding fall beets, sweet potatoes, broccoli and rutabaga whenever we get the chance. When we’re not weeding and harvesting, we’ll be working on mulching our strawberries and fixing our deer fence (right now it is acting as a light suggestion to stay out, which the deer are ignoring!). While we try to get our deer fences more functional we’ll be covering all of our lettuce plantings, as the deer have already decimated a few varieties. They also love beans, edamame and sweet potatoes, but those are slightly lower priorities than the lettuce as they can still produce after they’ve been munched on. Lettuce that has been munched on is not usable. While we may see less lettuce in a few weeks because of the deer, we’ll start to have mustard and arugula back in the rotation (and there will still be some lettuce, just limited).

In the CSA this week:

Yellow Potatoes - this variety is called Golden Globe and has yellow skin and yellow flesh.
Tomatoes - We’ll have slicers, as well as possibly some heirlooms to choose from.
Peppers - Mostly green.
Celery
Uncured garlic
Fresh Onions - Red Long of Tropea
Carrots
Zucchini and summer squash
Slicing cucumbers
Pickling cucumbers
Kale
Lettuce

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

Cherry tomatoes - There are a wide variety available to pick and they’re all good! If you have a harder time finding your usual favorite type or color, check out something new - last week the red varieties were picked heavily but the orange and yellow varieties (were plentiful
Dragon Tongue beans and green beans - The Dragon’s Tongue beans are cream colored and speckled with purple. When they are small and tender they can be prepared just like green beans. Once they get a bit larger you can “shell” them.
Sunflowers
Herbs - Sage, thyme, oregano, chives, parsley, dill and basil

In the farm store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will have flower bouquets, seedless cucumbers, eggplant and colored peppers. We hope to have sweet corn again from Verrill Farm (they had problems with birds eating their corn last week!), 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 PYO Flower garden is open to both Flower CSA members and to the general public. Varieties available include snapdragons, zinnias, marigolds, gomphrena, strawflower, celosia, statice, ammi, rudbeckia, scabiosa, cosmos and amaranth. Please pick flowers above branching points so that we can enjoy the plants for the next 2 months. 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.

Shopska Salata (Classic Bulgarian Tomato and Cucumber Salad)

adapted from a recipe by inpatskitchen, from Food52.com July 24, 2013

INGREDIENTS

1 slicing cucumber
1/2 large red onion (or 1 Red Long of Tropea onion)
1/2 large green bell pepper
2 tomatoes
1/2 cup Kalamata olives
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup finely crumbled sirene (Bulgarian feta cheese). Regular feta in brine also works great!

DIRECTIONS

Half peel the cucumber by paring every 1/4 inch or so to create a striped pattern and then slice it into 1/2 inch rounds. Toss them into a medium mixing bowl.
Chop the onion and bell pepper into a 1/2 inch dice and add them to the bowl.
Seed the tomatoes and dice and add them to the bowl along with the olives and parsley.
Whisk the oil and vinegar together and add it to the mix. Toss the vegetables until they are coated with the dressing. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
Now place the salad into an appropriate size serving bowl and shower the top with the feta. Chill before serving.

Mustard Potato Salad with Celery

by David Leite

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds small baby yellow or fingerling potatoes
2 garlic cloves
1 fresh bay leaf
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 celery stalks, diced (reserve any tender leaves)
2 tablespoons minced shallot, about 1 small shallot (Red Long onions are a good substitute for shallots!)
6 cornichon pickles, diced (optional)

Instructions

Pierce each potato with a paring knife and place them with the garlic and bay leaf in a large pot. Add enough cold water to cover by 2 inches (5 cm) and stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Set the pot over medium-high heat and bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until almost tender, 15 to 25 minutes.
While the potatoes cook, in a large serving bowl, whisk oil, vinegars, mustards, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper—no sense in doing more dishes than you need to. Mix in celery, shallot, and cornichons, if using.
When the potatoes are almost tender, drain them in a colander. I like them a little underdone at this point because they'll continue to cook after you drain them. Fish out one of the garlic cloves and use the back of a fork or your whisk to mash (it'll be warm and soft). Add the mashed garlic to the dressing and stir to incorporate.
Cut each potato in half (they'll be hot to the touch) and immediately add to the prepared dressing. Give them all a good mix. Continue to mix the potato salad occasionally as it cools.
Serve warm or at room temperature.