The flowers have been a real highlight this season with a nearly continuous supply of blooms from late April through now. Recently our dahlia planting (not part of the PYO field) has really taken off! Catherine, has been creating some exquisite bouquets all season long, but it’s also been a great season for picking in the PYO garden. Right now the PYO flower field, particularly the zinnias, are still going strong. There is potential for frost later this week, though, so now is a great time to pick! Even if it doesn’t end up frosting, the PYO Flowers are moving past peak, so we definitely recommend that PYO Flower CSA members who still have bouquets left to pick come to the farm this week.
While the flowers have lifted our spirits continuously, the deer have continued to be a source of headaches for us. We’ve been putting up smaller fences and adding row covers everywhere, but it is a constant battle. They are overpopulated, and probably the drought this year has made their normal food sources less plentiful, making all of our irrigated crops look like a tasty option. Earlier in the season the deer were eating our tomato plants (a first for us!), but when we put a small fence around them, they just walked right through it! They’ve also been feasting on our sweet potato vines, and when we covered them with an expensive row cover, they shredded it. Last week they started digging up our precious fall carrots, so we put up a fence around the carrots. With this fence we pulled out all the stops, and we’re feeling pretty good about the carrots’ chances! This winter will definitely be a time when we strategize about deer exclusion tactics!
In the CSA this week:
Leeks
Cabbage - Tendersweet variety. The name says it all!
Mustard greens - This variety is called Wasabina and it is very cold tolerant, making it a great green to grow in the fall!
Bok Choi - full sized heads
Broccoli or Colored peppers - Our earliest broccoli variety started producing about a week ago, and now the next variety is forming florets. The colored peppers also started to pick up again, but we don’t have enough of either to last the full week, so members will have a choice of one or the other.
Radishes - Red King variety, which is a type of mini daikon
Fennel
Acorn squash
Beets - from Picadilly Farm in Winchester, NH and Atlas Farm in Deerfield, MA. Both are Certified Organic.
Green and purple peppers
Tomatoes - Production is slowing down a little with shorter days and cooler temperatures, but we’ll still have a good supply this week!
Kale - Curly green
Salad turnips
Lettuce
Salanova lettuce mix
CSA Pick-Your-Own:
Hot peppers - Jalapeño, Fresno, Aji Rico, Cayenne and Hungarian Hot Wax.
Habañeros - We delivered two batches of hot peppers to Kenneth at Eastern Mass Provisions to turn into hot sauce, but there are still a lot out there, so members will have the opportunity to pick a larger quantity of these extra spicy peppers!
Herbs: parsley, cilantro, dill flowers, sage, thyme, mint, chives and basil.
In addition, members may choose 1 of the following:
Cherry tomatoes - The heavy rain last week caused a lot of cracking, so they are not as plentiful as at their peak.
Husk cherries - These small fruit in papery husks are related to tomatoes and tomatillos and have a somewhat tropical flavor.
Tomatillos - They should be picked when the fruit fills our the green husk around it.
In the farm store:
Farm store hours are Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. We plan to have:
The following items that are also in the CSA: mustard greens, bok choi, cabbage, fennel, acorn squash, salad turnips, green peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, salanova lettuce mix, kale, herbs, hot peppers and tomatillos.
Onions
Garlic
Scallions
Delicata
Pie pumpkins
Arugula
Radishes (red round)
Flowers - Wrapped mixed bouquets
Dahlias - Wrapped bouquets as well as mini jars.
Raspberries - From Silferleaf Farm just down the road from us! Available Tuesday and Wednesday, TBD for other days. Certified Organic.
Pinto potatoes from Picadilly Farm in Winchester, NH. Certified Organic.
Apples - From Carver Hill in Stow, MA (not organic). Macoun, Mutsu and Cortland varieties. Not organic.
Sweet corn from Verrill Farm (not organic)
Mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm - Certified Organic.
Raspberry Jam and Raspberry Vinegar Infusion - Both from Silferleaf. Certified Organic.
Applesauce from Long Run Produce in Boxborough, MA. Certified Organic.
Baer’s Best Beans: 1 pound bags. Grown in South Berwick, Maine. Certified Organic varieties available include: Black Turtle, Italian Cranberry and Light Red Kidney. Not organic: bumblebee, marfax, and flageolet.
Chickpea Stew With Orzo and Mustard Greens
by Melissa Clark, NY Times Cooking
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 small fennel bulb
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
Pinch of red-pepper flakes
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary (optional)
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth (or water)
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
¾ cup roughly chopped cherry or grape tomatoes
½ cup whole-wheat or regular orzo
1 quart loosely packed baby mustard greens (about 5 ounces)
Salt and black pepper
Chopped scallions, for garnish (optional)
¼ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more as needed
Preparation
In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high. Add the carrots, fennel or celery, and onion. Cook until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, red-pepper flakes and rosemary, if using, and cook for another 2 minutes. Pour in the broth, if using, or water, along with another 2 cups water, and bring to a boil.
Once the mixture is boiling, add the chickpeas, tomatoes and orzo. Reduce to a simmer and cover with a lid. Simmer 10 minutes, or until the orzo is tender. Uncover and stir in the greens, letting them simmer until soft, about 2 minutes.
Add more water if you want the mixture to be more souplike, and season with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and top with chopped scallions (if desired), grated cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.