Week 19


One of our favorite parts of late October is planting garlic; it is a chance to grow something new at a time that is otherwise focusing on endings. This week we will be planting our garlic crop for the 2015 season! We purchased 3 varieties of organic hardneck garlic seed bulbs that are certified nematode free (nematodes are a soil borne pest that is very common and damaging to a garlic crop). It is important to plant the garlic somewhere that makes sense for the following year because it will be in the ground from now until July. To plant the garlic, we separate the bulbs into cloves and plant each clove 6 inches apart in the ground about 3 inches deep. We then cover the planted garlic beds with straw mulch to help suppress weeds, hold in moisture, and provide protection from the cold. Green growth will be visible next spring and by mid June we will be harvesting garlic scapes, the curly stem and bud that grow from the center of the plant. We harvest the scapes because they are great for eating and because removing them encourages growth in the bulbs. In mid July we pull the entire plant out of the ground.  The garlic is then cured by hanging the bulbs still attached to the plants in a shady dry place with good air circulation for 4-6 weeks.  We then clip the bulbs from the stems for storage. Most of our garlic will be available in the CSA and farm store next fall but some we will save to replant in October for a great garlic crop the following year!


In the CSA:
  • Celeriac- Also known as celery root, celeriac has a great celery flavor and root vegetable texture. Peel or cut the outside of your celeriac and chop the rest for a great addition to roasted vegetables, soups and stews. 
  • Parsnips- Parsnips are a white root vegetable that looks much like a carrot, but unlike carrots should only be eaten when cooked. Chopping and roasting with olive oil and salt is a simple way to enjoy this sweet root vegetable. 
  • Watermelon Radish- Patsy brought us these radishes for the first time a few years ago and we have been growing them ever since! They get their name for their appearance when cut in half. they have a pretty red center with a white exterior. 
  • Cabbage- Green Storage no. 4 and Purple cabbage
  • Fennel 
  • Arugula
  • Mustard Greens
  • Red Russian Kale
  • Baby Bok Choy
  • Daikon radish
  • Butternut Squash- Great for recipes such as soups, stews, and the risotto listed below. They will store well for months so you can look forward to enjoying squash soup on a cold winter night!
  • Buttercup Squash-  We often just slice it up and bake it for a great side dish for any meal.  The skin is edible so don't worry about peeling. 
  • Beets - mixed Chioggia, Red Ace and Golden
  • Carrots
  • Potatoes - Red Gold and Kennebec.
  • Scallions
  • Kale
  • Spinach
  • Lettuce
  • Leeks
CSA Pick-Your-Own:
  • Buttercream Sunflowers
  • Herbs: Cilantro, Parsley, Thyme and Oregano

In the store:
Everything in the CSA will also be available in the store, as well as pie pumpkins, red kuri squash, acorn squash, and sugar dumplings. Happy Rich mini broccoli, salanova, radishes, salad turnips, and sweet peppers will also be available. In addition, we have Jack-O'-Lanterns grown by Bill Kenney down the road from us.


Thanks to Carmela, a store regular, we have this great recipe for a risotto without all the stirring!

Baked Barley Risotto With Butternut Squash

From: Real Simple December 2011

Ingredients

2 
tablespoons 
olive oil 
1 
small butternut squash (about 11/2 pounds)—peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 3 cups) 
1 
onion, finely chopped 
kosher salt and black pepper 
1 
cup 
pearl barley 
1/2 
cup 
dry white wine 
3 
cups 
low-sodium vegetable broth 
5 
ounces 
baby spinach 
1/2 
cup 
grated Parmesan (2 ounces), plus more for serving 
1 
tablespoon 
unsalted butter 

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 400° F. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large oven-safe saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the squash, onion, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring often, until the onion begins to soften, 4 to 6 minutes.
  2. Add the barley to the vegetables and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until evaporated, about 1 minute. Add the broth and bring to a boil; cover the pot and transfer it to oven. Bake until the barley is tender, 35 to 40 minutes.
  3. Stir in the spinach, Parmesan, and butter. Serve with additional Parmesan.

 Sarah Copeland 
November 2011

Week 18

Our last planting of sunflowers is blooming this week, providing one final burst of summer amidst the autumn foliage. Other than the sunflowers, the farm is fully in fall mode, and my dinner table is certainly reaping the benefits! This is in part because I start to have more time to cook and fully enjoy the food we grow. But another part of my love of cooking during this time of year stems from my love of fall veggies. I associate fall with some of my favorite dishes like squash raviolis, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, dumplings, root veggie casseroles, Asian-inspired stir fries, squash curries, and all manners of soup. This time of year I find myself scouring my cookbooks and favorite cooking websites for inspiration and new ideas. I've been particularly excited about our beautiful spinach crop this fall and last weekend discovered a new (to me) preparation: spinach pesto! The spinach is especially sweet after the multiple frosts we've had. I've used it on top of homemade squash ravioli, but I bet it would be delicious on chicken or potatoes too!

In the CSA:
  • Sugar Dumpling squash - Don't be misled by appearances - this squash looks decorative, but it is edible, and as the name indicates, it's nice and sweet! I love to cut in half and roast these before stuffing with rice or quinoa, sauteed veggies plus a few dried cranberries and/or goat cheese.
  • Hakurei turnips - These tender salad turnips that many enjoyed during the spring are back this week.
  • Fennel - The bulbs are small, but they're still great for roasting or shaving on top of salads
  • Daikon radish - This giant radish packs a spicy punch. I like to pickle them with carrots and ginger.
  • Winter squash - butternut, buttercup and acorn
  • Beets - mixed Chioggia, Red Ace and Golden
  • Carrots
  • Potatoes - Kennebec and Red Gold
  • Leeks
  • Scallions
  • Colored Peppers - two more frosts over the weekend appear to have finished off the sweet Italian peppers, so this is likely the last week.
  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Savoy Cabbage
  • Kale
  • Baby Bok Choi
  • Spinach
  • Lettuce - limited this week as our final lettuce plantings are slow to mature in the shorter, cool days
  • Salnova
  • Cherriette radishes

CSA Pick-Your-Own:
  • Sunflowers - this variety is called buttercream
  • Herbs: Cilantro, Parsley, Thyme and Oregano

In the store:
Everything available in the CSA will also be available in the store, as well as pie pumpkins, red kuri squash and Happy Rich mini broccoli. We will also have Jack-O'-Lanterns grown by Bill Kenney down the road from us.

Spinach Pesto
from chow.com
I didn't use any lemon, used about 1/2 the pine nuts called for, and probably doubled the garlic!
  • 8 ounces baby spinach
  • 3/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
  • 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
  • 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 ounce), plus more for serving
  • Finely grated zest of 1 medium lemon (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 1 medium lemon)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Place half of the spinach and all of the pine nuts and garlic in a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Pulse, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed, until coarsely chopped, about 10 (1-second) pulses. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining spinach and pulse until coarsely chopped, about 20 (1-second) pulses, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the measured Parmesan, lemon zest and juice, measured salt, and measured pepper and process until combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the motor running, slowly pour in the oil and process until a smooth paste forms, about 30 seconds. Serve on top of pasta (or whatever else sounds good to you!)

Week 17



Saturday morning our friends Maura and Charlie came down to help us on the farm for the day! The cloudy skies did not dampen their enthusiasm as they walked the fields, helped set up the store, and fixed the broken mower. Did I mention they delivered burritos for lunch? Friends like that make even a rainy Saturday on the farm feel bright! The festivities continued yesterday when we attended the Acton-Boxborough Farmers Market for our second and final Sunday this fall. While our focus is on selling vegetables on the farm, a few hours at the market September 28th and October 5th was a great way to spread the word about our venture and get involved with our neighboring communities. We had a blast meeting new people, sharing recipes, and of course talking vegetables.  We are back on the farm today harvesting more leeks, storage potatoes, carrots, and more for the remaining four weeks of the farm store and CSA season.

In the CSA:
  • Buttercup Squash- These winter squash are creamy and richly flavored. Great for roasting in the oven as a side dish to any fall meal. The skin is edible so very little preparation is required to enjoy!
  • Butternut Squash
  • Savoy Cabbage- These pretty cabbages have relatively thin leaves which makes them great for coleslaw or light cooking.
  • Baby Bok Choy
  • Radishes- Easter egg and cherriette
  • Pie Pumpkin
  • Celery
  • Cauliflower
  • Carrots
  • Red Ace Beets
  • Potatoes
  • Acorn Squash
  • Red Kuri Squash
  • Broccoli
  • Scallions
  • Leeks
  • Arugula
  • Tat Soi
  • Spinach
  • Red Russian Kale
  • Salanova
  • Kale
  • Peppers- Sweet Italian including red and orange

CSA Pick-Your-Own:
A frost last night did in many of the pick your own crops but we will still have herbs (cilantro, parsley, dill, thyme and oregano) until we have a hard frost.


In the store:
In addition to everything available in the CSA, we will also have swiss chard, Happy Rich broccoli, head lettuce, spaghetti squash, and delicata squash. 

Kale, Cabbage & Carrot Salad With Creamy Caper Dressing
From the Wall Street Journal
ANTIOXIDANTS, FIBER, calcium, iron, potassium: These are our mantras in the aftermath of December's excesses. Leafy, deep-green kale has all that and then some. Combined with fresh cabbage, carrot and onion, tossed in a bold, creamy dressing, it adds up to an appealing and genuinely satisfying winter salad. New Year's resolutions? No problem. You're on safe ground here.
The third Slow Food Fast contribution from chef Michael Anthony of Manhattan's Gramercy Tavern, this is a recipe you'll have no excuse not to make. None of the ingredients is esoteric, and the dish comes together in no time. Moreover, it keeps. "I make lots of this and let it sit in the fridge," Mr. Anthony said. "It actually gets better with age." Over the course of several days, the dressing penetrates deep into the vegetables and softens their bite.
Use any variety of kale you like, the chef said, but seek out bunches with firm, shiny leaves and moist, snappy stems. To the mineral flavor of the kale, the carrot adds sweetness; the cabbage, a pleasing bitterness; and the onion, a nice astringent kick.
The one hint of decadence here, the dressing, has a rich mayonnaise base. "People are constantly surprised that you can make mayonnaise at home," Mr. Anthony said. "And it actually takes just three minutes." Simply whisk an egg yolk with a little mustard to help emulsify and bind the dressing, then, drop by drop, beat in equal measures of olive and grapeseed oil. Once the dressing is good and thick, mix in the lemon juice, garlic and capers, along with a spoonful of the capers' flavorful brine.
Go ahead and use your hands to toss the salad, massaging the rich dressing into the vegetables to coat every last crunchy bite. At times like this, we need all the decadence we can get.
—Kitty Greenwald

Total Time: 20 minutes Serves:4-6
Ingredients
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ cup grapeseed oil
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and chopped
1 tablespoon caper pickling liquid
1 large clove garlic, smashed to a paste
½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Salt, to taste
2 tablespoons snipped chives (optional)
¼ head of cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
1½ large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced into bite-size pieces
1 bunch kale, stems removed, leaves thinly sliced or torn into bite-size pieces
½ yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped mixed herbs, such as parsley, basil, chives or dill (optional)

What To Do
1. In medium bowl, whisk egg yolk with mustard. While whisking constantly, slowly dribble in oils. Continue whisking until oil is fully incorporated and mixture is thick and pale in color.
2. Whisk in capers, pickling liquid, garlic and lemon juice. Season with salt to taste and snipped chives, if using.
3. In a large bowl, combine all vegetables and herbs, if using. Add dressing and toss, using both hands to mix until dressing coats all ingredients. Allow salad to marinate until vegetables soften, at least 10 minutes.






Week 16

A solid stand of oats and peas in our western field.
Every Monday morning Melissa and I do a field walk to scout out what we will harvest for the coming week and to make a to-do list. This time of year, our to-do list becomes a lot more straight-forward. In the spring and summer, it often feels like we're pulled in a thousand different directions as we worry about getting everything in the ground on time, weeding and cultivating at the critical moments, minimizing pest and disease pressure, making sure our plants have adequate access to water and nutrients, and harvesting the bounty that comes when you take care of all those previous challenges. By late September, many of those concerns are no longer important for the current season. Everything (except garlic for next year) has been planted. Weed pressure is dramatically reduced (shorter days and cooler nights mean a significant slow-down in plant growth for vegetables and, thankfully, also for weeds). Most of the crops that remain in the ground are well-established enough to withstand normal pest and drought pressure. We still have the harvest and CSA and store set-up to think about, but the rest of our energy is devoted to tasks that will ensure future successful seasons. Turning under summer crops, seeding cover crop, planning equipment and infrastructure upgrades, designing efficient irrigation and cultivation set-ups for next season and recruiting new members are just a few of the types of things we're working on right now. It's an exciting time of year when we still get to enjoy a diverse harvest while also planning for an even more successful season next year!

In the CSA:
  • Pie Pumpkins - These sugar pumpkins are meant to be eaten, not carved for Halloween! They are incredibly tasty and can be used for pies, soup, or any dish that calls for other types of winter squash like butternut.
  • Cauliflower - We're growing 2 types of cauliflower this year. This week we'll be harvesting the traditional white cauliflower. Some of the heads have slight purple coloration from cold stress, but they taste just as delicious!
  • Radishes - Right now we're harvesting red cherriette radishes.
  • Carrots
  • Red Ace Beets
  • Potatoes - Keuka Gold and Purple Viking
  • Delicata Squash
  • Red Kuri Squash
  • Broccoli
  • Scallions
  • Leeks
  • Cabbage
  • Tat Soi
  • Spinach
  • Red Russian Kale
  • Salanova
  • Lettuce
  • Escarole
  • Kale

CSA Pick-Your-Own:
With 2 frosts in the past week, most of our PYO crops are past their peak. There may be a small amount to scavenge from green beans, husk cherries, hot peppers or tomatillos this week, but this will likely be the last of these crops. Herbs (cilantro, parsley, dill, thyme and oregano) should still be available until we have a hard frost.

In the store:
In addition to everything available in the CSA, we will also have arugula, Happy Rich Broccoli and the last of the Spaghetti squash.


Winter Squash Curry
adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

You can use any type of winter squash or pie pumpkin for this recipe. I particularly like to use Red Kuri! You can add other veggies to the curry. My favorites are potatoes, cauliflower, green beans and/or spinach.

2 tablespoons neutral oil (grapeseed, corn or canola)
1 onion, chopped (or you can use leeks!)
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 lb winter squash, peel and roughly chopped
1 cup coconut milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

Put the oil in a pot or deep skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onion (or leek) and cook for a few minutes until softened. Add the curry and ginger and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the squash (and potatoes and cauliflower) and coconut milk and sprinkle with salt and pepper. If you're adding potatoes and cauliflower, you'll probably need another half cup of coconut milk or stock to make sure there is an adequate amount of liquid. Bring to a boil, cover, and turn the heat down to low. Cook, stirring once or twice, until the squash is tender (about 20 minutes). If you're adding spinach, add this toward the end of cooking. If the squash is done and there is still a lot of liquid, remove the lid and turn the heat up to medium high until it's thicker than stew. Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice or quinoa.