On Monday we dismantled a fence that used to be around spring carrots and beets in order to poach fence posts for a new fence around our cukes, summer squash and zucchini. The deer have been grazing on those plants and devouring the smallest fruits forming, so in spite of some otherwise luscious plants, we have very little to show for it. A week ago we also had to quickly put up a tall fence around our watermelon, as the deer had begun to damage plants and crack open and eat unripe melons. While we are used to coyotes going after our watermelon, deer are a first for us!
We are waiting to see what will be the next choice will be for deer now that we have fenced in carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, peppers, most of the tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, zucchini, summer squash, watermelon, lettuce and salanova. They’ve never shown a taste for any of the allium crops (onions, garlic, scallions and leeks), but they’ve surprised us plenty of times in the past couple of years!
We now have a real patchwork of fences set up around the farm. It might be an interesting (albeit somewhat depressing) exercise to track how many hours have gone into fence building this season. We’d love to put up one fence around everything and just leave it for the season, but currently the only solution that works with the resources we have right now is to put up 6’ fences around small areas. We don’t know if this works because it deprives the deer of a long run-up to jump over the fences, or if the large amount of unfenced acreage distracts from what is inside the fences. Regardless, we are really hoping that our grant application earlier this spring for a permanent 8’ fence around our largest field is successful!
In the CSA this week:
Tomatoes - These are coming from our high tunnel. Varieties include Lemon Boy Plus (yellow), Marmalade (orange), Bonbolya (pink), GinFiz (bicolor yellow with blush), Contessa (red beefsteak), and Estiva and Caiman (both red slicers).
Frisée - This bitter salad green is the key ingredient in the classic French Lyonnaise salad (see the recipe below), but there are many other ways to enjoy it, including wilted or sauteed, as in the Lemon Maple Frisée recipe below.
Fresh onions - Mixed bunches of Red Long of Tropea and Ailsa Craig varieties. Both types are milder and sweeter than cured onions.
Green and purple peppers
Zucchini
Celery - Our celery is smaller, but less watery (and therefore a stronger flavor) than what you typically find in the grocery store.
Carrots
Beets
Scallions
Cabbage - Savoy, arrowhead (also known by the name of the variety we grow, which is called Caraflex), and regular round green cabbage.
Curly kale
Lettuce
Salanova lettuce mix or Swiss chard
CSA Pick-Your-Own:
Green beans - The first planting we seeded didn’t germinate well, so we are actually picking from our second planting succession this week. Once we saw that the first planting hadn’t come up well, we re-seeded it and that planting will be ready very soon as well so beans are plentiful this week!
Sunflowers
Herbs: Basil, Thai basil, parsley, sage, mint, thyme, chives
In the farm store:
Farm store hours are Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. In addition to most of the items listed in the CSA above, we will have:
Cherry tomatoes - Sukura variety (red) from the high tunnel. We may soon also have some other varieties from the field as well.
Flowers - Snapdragon bouquets and mixed bouquets.
Garlic scapes
Fennel
Sweet corn! From Verrill Farm in Concord. Not organic
Salsa Verde - Made by Kenneth at Eastern Mass Provision from our own organic tomatillos, onions, garlic, jalapeños and cilantro. Mild.
Hot Sauce - Made by Kenneth at Eastern Mass Provision from our own organic habañeros, aji rico, fresno, cayenne, Hungarian hot wax and garlic. Hot.
Seasonal Medley Mushrooms and Shiitake Mushrooms - From Mycoterra Farm in Deerfield, MA. Certified organic.
Baer’s Best Beans - Black Turtle, Italian Cranberry, and Cannellini are Certified Organic. Bumblebee and Black Coco are not organic. Grown by Charley Baer in South Berwick, ME.
Maple syrup - 12 oz. bottles from our friend Jim at Hollis Hills Farm in Fitchburg, MA. Not Organic.
Raspberry Vinegar Infusion -Silferleaf Farm in Concord, MA. Certified Organic.
PYO Flower Field
The flower field is open to both PYO Flower CSA members and the general public for picking by the jar. Please check in at the farm stand before picking. Flowers available for picking this week include: snapdragons, scabiosa, orlaya, celosia, dill flowers, ammi, gomphrena, ageratum, cosmos, zinnias and rudbeckia. There may be other varieties available as the week goes on, but please do not pick from plantings that don’t have a variety sign in front of them.
When picking, please cut above branching points so that we can continue to get blooms all season (if they are cut to the base the plant can’t produce anymore flowers). This means that this time of year some varieties need to be picked with shorter stems.
Sautéed Lemon Maple Frisée
by Andrea Albin, from Epicurious
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup coarse fresh bread crumbs
3/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
3/4 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 (1-pound) head frisée, torn
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon pure maple syrup
Preparation
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Cook bread crumbs until crisp and golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and stir in zest and a pinch of salt.
Wipe out skillet, then add anchovy paste and remaining 2 Tbsp oil and cook 15 seconds. Increase heat to medium-high and sauté half of frisée until slightly wilted, about 1 minute. Add remaining frisée and sauté until wilted, about 2 minutes more. Off heat, stir in juice, syrup, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Serve topped with bread crumbs.
Lyonnaise Salad
by Sara Kate Gillingham from The Kitchn
Ingredients
4 cups frisée lettuce (about 4 ounces), torn into large bite-size pieces
2 ounces thick bacon (about 1 piece) sliced against the grain into 1/4" pieces, OR 2 pieces regular sliced bacon, sliced similarly
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 large eggs, as fresh as possible
1 medium shallot, finely minced (or try one of our fresh red onions!)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Place the frisée into a large mixing bowl.
Place a small skillet over medium heat and cook the bacon pieces, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Carefully remove from the pan from the heat and use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon pieces to a paper towel to drain and cool. Keep the pan and its rendered fat.
To poach the eggs, fill a saucepan with 4 inches of water and add the white vinegar. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Break each egg into small bowl. With a slotted spoon, stir simmering water to create a whirlpool, then slide the first egg into a eye of the swirl. Using the back of the spoon, immediately push the solidifying whites around yolk, coaxing them to stay close to the yolk. Repeat with the second egg. Simmer the eggs for 2 to 3 minutes. Gently remove each egg with the slotted spoon and reserve in a bowl of warm water. Trim off any straggling pieces of cooked egg white.
Reheat the skillet with the rendered bacon fat over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the red wine vinegar and mustard and swirl to combine. Add the bacon pieces and swirl. Immediately pour the hot dressing over the greens and toss. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Divide the salad between two bowls and top each with a poached egg. Season the eggs with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Serve immediately.