Farm updates and CSA Week 12

After spending the morning harvesting summer squash, eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes we took a break to check out the solar eclipse!  The mid-day eclipse came at a good time in the farm season, as weeding and planting duties are beginning to subside and and we were able to check out the eclipse without our usual Monday stress! 

This past week we seeded our first cover crop of triticale (a type of wheat) and Austrian Winter peas in areas where we are no longer planting or harvesting this season.  We also spent time protecting fall crops by putting up an additional fence to keep the turkeys out of our fall cabbage and kale plantings, covering radishes and greens to keep out beetles, and set up irrigation on newly planted spinach to ensure that it makes it through the hot weather. In addition, we  began the infamous fall project of pulling up landscape fabric and black plastic mulch from areas where it is no longer needed. It is a messy project involving weeds, old plant debris and the occasional rotted vegetable! 

Next on the list is our winter squash and onion harvest, weeding perennial crops for next season, and setting up any irrigation needed to keep our fall crops healthy.  We will also plant a few more crops for fall including scallions, golden beets, and lettuce. Of course, with tomatoes in their prime and the sweet peppers starting to come in our main project will be bringing in the summer bounty! 

Store hours:

*Tuesday and Thursday 11am - 6pm*

Wednesday and Friday 2pm - 6pm

*Saturday 10am - 3pm*

*Hours with an asterisk are also CSA pick-up hours

 

In the CSA:

• Red, yellow and orange peppers- We have a variety of sweet peppers starting to ripen including the varieties Carmen (red bullshorn), Oranos (orange bullshorn), Flavorburst (orange/yellow bell), and Milena (orange bell)
• Eggplant 
• Beets 
• Leeks
• Tomatoes- heirloom and slicing 
• Arugula 
• Yukina Savoy
• Green and purple peppers
• Cucumbers
• Summer Squash
• Zucchini 
• Carrots
• Lettuce
• Curly Kale - This is the first of our fall kale. It will be labeled "transitional" because like some of our fall beets, it is grown in our new field across the street using organic methods but on land that is not yet certified organic. 

CSA PYO:

• Cherry Tomatoes and cocktail tomatoes - Sungold, jasper, black cherry, yellow mini, cherry bomb, red grape, Juane Flamme, pink boar and bumblebee, Wapsipinicon peach!
• Hot peppers - serrano, jalapeño and ancho.
• Purple tomatillos - pick when husks are filled out.
• Husk cherries- Pick dry husks that have fallen on the ground under the plants. To eat, remove the husk and eat the yellow fruit inside. 
• Sunflowers
• Dragon's tongue beans - these beans are yellow with purple spots.
• Herbs: Basil, cilantro, dill flowers, sage, thyme, mint, oregano

In the store:

Most everything we have in the CSA will also be available in the store. We will also have golden beets and watermelon in the store along with Verrill Farm sweet corn and Pete and Jen's eggs.

PYO Flower CSA: 

Flowers ready this week include bachelors button, celosia, calendula, scabiosa, zinnias, verbena, amaranth, cosmos, orlaya, strawflower, snapdragons, gomphrena, calendula, tithonia, sunflowers and more.  

Tomato and Zucchini Casserole With Crisp Cheddar Topping

By Melissa Clark, NY Times Cooking

• 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter 
• 1 ½ cups whole milk ricotta
• ½ cup fresh basil or mint leaves
• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
• 2 ½ pounds tomatoes, cut into 1 ½ inch wedges
• 1 pound slim zucchini, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, more as needed
• ½ cup pitted black olives, roughly chopped
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup rolled oats
• ½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 ½ teaspoons fresh chopped oregano 
• ¾ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed

Heat oven to 400 degrees and grease a 9- by 13-inch casserole dish or 2-quart gratin dish. In a food processor or blender, purée the ricotta, basil and garlic. Toss tomatoes, zucchini and 1 teaspoon salt in casserole to combine, then spread into an even layer. Dollop with ricotta mixture and scatter olives evenly across the top. In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, cheese, oregano or marjoram, lemon zest, cayenne and a large pinch of salt. Use your fingertips to work in the 5 tablespoons butter; you should end up with small clumps. Scatter clumps over vegetables, then drizzle liberally with olive oil. Bake until golden and bubbly, 35 to 45 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Farm update and CSA Week 11

We're still in the midst of summer, but it is already that time of year when many of our crew are on the verge of going back to school, some as students and some as teachers. We thought we'd try to squeeze in a photo of as many of our crew as possible before that happens (though we still didn't get everyone!). While we'll soon say goodbye to many of these wonderful folks, we'll fortunately still have lots of help from Dave P., Shaun, Rebecca and Alexis through the end of the regular season. Good thing, because there's still lots to do!

Many of you have noted how nice it is to have decent rainfall this summer. We are happy for the general health of our local ecosystem to be out of a drought, and on a more personal level, it has been wonderful to not have to spend our day off on Sunday running irrigation! However, one negative side effect of all this rain (plus cooler temperatures) is that plant diseases are a much bigger problem this year. Anthracnose has dramatically reduced cucumber, watermelon and cantaloupe yields, and late blight has already been reported in the area. While the fungal diseases in our cukes and melons caught us off-guard, leaving us unable to do anything about them, we decided to take some extra precautions with late blight.

As many of you may know, late blight is a fast-spreading, destructive disease that affects tomatoes and potatoes (it is the disease that caused the Irish potato famine). Up until this year, we have opted not to spray organic copper fungicide to prevent late blight, managing the risk for the disease instead by planting some resistant cultivars and maximizing air flow in the tomato fields to prevent favorable conditions for fungal diseases. There's also been a degree of luck, as the drought conditions of the past two seasons are not favorable for the spread of late blight.

Late last week, though, we decided that given the low yields in our popular cucumber and melon crops, it was important for us to improve our chances for a good tomato season. Tomatoes are popular in the CSA and an important source of income in the store, and we wanted to avoid a poor tomato year on top of a short cucumber and melon season. We decided to spray an organic copper fungicide called Badge X2 on our heirloom tomatoes and our orange slicing tomatoes because those varieties are not resistant to late blight. The risk of exposure to the copper is greatest for the person doing the mixing and spraying (we of course observe all the recommended precautions!), and is far less for the consumers of those tomatoes. We sprayed the lowest possible concentration of copper to minimize potential residues on the crop. None of the cherry tomatoes, or red and pink slicing tomatoes have been sprayed (the pink and red slicing tomatoes we grow are naturally disease resistant, and even though not all the cherry tomatoes are disease resistant, we do not spray in our PYO fields). While we always recommend washing any produce from the farm, it bears special noting that all tomatoes should now be washed at home before consuming.

And while tomatoes are on our mind, we thought now would be a good time to describe the different heirloom and specialty varieties we grow, as this week, the harvest looks plentiful!

Left to right: Striped German, Pruden's Purple, Pink Berkeley Tie-dyre, Cherokee Purple, and Cherokee Green.

Pruden’s Purple - Dark pink

Related to Brandywine, this heirloom is sweet, juicy and only mildly acidic.

Cherokee Purple - Purple and brown, with purple, brown and green interior

Complex and rich flavor with excellent texture.

Cherokee Green - Greenish-yellow shoulders with yellowish-orange bottoms

On the more acidic end of the spectrum. Great complex flavor and adds unique color to tomato salads.

Striped German - Yellow and pink striped with marbled interior

One of the sweetest, least acidic heirlooms we grow. Beautiful and delicious!

Pink Berkeley Tie-Dye - Dark pink with green striping, pink interior

This specialty tomato is sweet with heirloom-quality flavor.

Left to right: Damsel, Chef's Choice Orange, Defiant

Damsel - Pink slicing tomato

Similar to the flavor of pink heirloom tomatoes – sweet and rich!

Chef’s Choice Orange - Orange slicing tomato

Low acidity with good flavor and texture.

In the CSA:

• Eggplant - these have been really slow to produce this year, in part because of the cool temperatures, and in part because of Colorado potato beetle pressure. After many hours picking bugs over the past 2 months, though, the plants look great and we are finally starting to see greater quantities of fruit!
• Beets - in addition to some golden beets, we'll also have red ace and chioggia. The red ace and chioggia are grown across the street in a field that is "transitional". We have been managing the field organically since we got the lease on it last year, but it can not be certified organic until after it has been managed organically for 3 seasons.
• Leeks
• Tomatoes- heirloom and slicing 
• Watermelon - mostly Blacktail mountain. This is probably the last week, as disease has overtaken the plants and damaged most of the fruit. We did manage to keep the crows and coyotes out for most of the season, though!
• Peppers - green and purple
• Cucumbers- our last succession planting is finally starting to produce, but the plants already look like they have the same disease that prematurely took down our earlier plantings. This will likely be the last week for cucumbers this season. 
• Summer Squash
• Zucchini
• Celery 
• Carrots
• Lettuce
• Greens - we'll have either, chard, kale or red Russian kale available.

CSA PYO:

• Cherry Tomatoes and cocktail tomatoes - Sungold, jasper, black cherry, yellow mini, cherry bomb, red grape, Juane Flame, pink boar and bumblebee! Look low on the plants for ripe fruit. 
• Hot peppers - serrano, jalapeño and ancho.
• Purple tomatillos - pick when husks are filled out.
• Husk cherries- A sweet relative of the tomato with a taste we haven't quite figured out how to describe! Pick dry husks that have fallen on the ground under the plants. To eat, remove the husk and eat the yellow fruit inside. 
• Sunflowers
• Dragon's tongue beans - these beans are yellow with purple spots.
• Basil - make pesto while you still can - this time of year downy mildew usually starts to take down our basil plantings!
• Cilantro 
• Dill

In the store:

Most everything we have in the CSA will also be available in the store. We will also have some red, and orange peppers and flowers.  In addition, we'll have Verrill Farm sweet corn and Pete and Jen's eggs.

PYO Flower CSA: 

Flowers ready this week include bachelors button, celosia, calendula, scabiosa, zinnias, verbena, amaranth, cosmos, orlaya, strawflower, snapdragons, gomphrena, calendula, tithonia, and more.  

Zucchini "Noodles" With Eggplant and Tomatoes

By Katherine Sacks, from Epicurious August 2016

·       2 medium zucchini (about 1 1/4 pounds), spiralized or cut into matchsticks

·       2 medium yellow squash (about 1 1/4 pounds), spiralized or cut into matchsticks

·       2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

·       1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

·       1 teaspoon honey

·       1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

·       3/4 cup (packed) basil leaves, chopped, divided

·       5 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling

·       2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

·       1 1/2 large long Chinese eggplants (about 3/4 pound), cut into 1/4" slices on the bias

·       2 cups cherry tomatoes, divided

·       1/4 cup pitted cured black olives, halved, divided

·       1 (8-ounce) ball fresh buffalo mozzarella, thinly sliced

Place zucchini and squash in a strainer set over a bowl. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. salt and toss to combine. Let sit 10 minutes, then shake in strainer, pressing gently, to remove any excess liquid. Meanwhile, whisk lemon juice, honey, pepper, 1/2 cup basil, 3 Tbsp. oil, and 1/4 tsp. salt in a large bowl.

Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium. Cook garlic until it begins to sizzle and turn golden brown, 5–7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to bowl with dressing. Increase heat to medium-high, add eggplant and 1 cup tomatoes, and cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is browned and cooked through and tomatoes begin to burst, about 6–8 minutes. Season with remaining 1/4 tsp. salt and transfer to bowl with dressing.

Cut remaining 1 cup tomatoes in half lengthwise and add to bowl with dressing. Add zucchini and squash; gently toss to combine. Add 3 Tbsp. olives and 2 Tbsp. basil, then transfer with tongs to a platter, letting extra liquid drain and remain in bowl. Lay mozzarella on 1 end of platter and drizzle with oil. Top dish with remaining 2 Tbsp. basil and 1 Tbsp. olives.

Farm updates and CSA Week 10

Last week was a milestone for the farm. All-star volunteers Gretta and Kathleen watered the greenhouse and checked in on the farm on Sunday while Lise was in New Hampshire and Melissa was in Maine. It was the first time we had both left the state during the farm season and the greenhouse has never been so well looked after! We came home to healthy plants and spent time this week with the crew transplanting much of the greenhouse out into the field including lettuce, Salanova lettuce mix herbs, fennel, scallions.  We have just a few more weeks of planting lettuce, spinach, herbs, and beets before transplanting season is done for the year (with the exception of fall planted strawberries and garlic for next year). 

While we are nearing the end of planting season the harvest season is not quite halfway done. This week is number 10 of our 20 week Main Season CSA and then we will be harvesting for our 4 week Late Fall CSA (Thursdays 2-7pm October 26th- November 16th). Crops for late fall include carrots, Romanesco cauliflower, butternut squash, potatoes, lettuce, kale, leeks, popcorn, sweet potatoes and more. Sign-up forms are on the website and printed in the farm store if you'd like to join us!

In the CSA:

Pink Damsel tomatoes.

• Leeks
• Tomatoes - Our red slicer "defiant,"  a pink tomato called "damsel," "pink berkely tie die" (red and green striped) and a variety of heirlooms are now ripening. 
• Watermelon - We have two varieties, Blacktail Mountain (dark green) and Starlight (striped). Both are red inside with seeds. 
• Peppers - Green and purple
• Cucumbers 
• Summer Squash
• Zucchini
• Potatoes - a yellow potato variety called Nicola.
• Celery 
• Carrots
• Lettuce
• Kale
• Chard
• Fresh onions or garlic

CSA PYO:

• Cherry Tomatoes! Sungold, jasper, black cherry, yellow mini, cherry bomb, and more are now ready! Look low on the plants for ripe fruit. 
• Hot peppers
• Sunflowers
• Green Beans 
• Basil
• Parsley
• Cilantro 
• Dill

In the store:

Most everything we have in the CSA will also be available in the store. We will also have some eggplant, tomatillos and golden beets. In addition, we'll have Verrill Farm sweet corn, Pete and Jen's eggs and Fat Moon mushrooms.

PYO Flower CSA: 

Flowers ready this week include bachelors button, celosia, calendula, scabiosa, zinnias, verbena, amaranth, cosmos, orlaya, strawflower, snapdragons, gomphrena, calendula, tithonia, and more.  

 

 

 

Recipes:

 

From The New Persian Kitchen by Louisa Shafia

Vinegar Carrots With Toasted Sesame Seeds

If you're sensitive to spicy foods, then start with 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes and add more to taste. To make carrot ribbons, peel carrots, then swipe the peeler from the fat end to the tip to make ribbons.

Ingredients

1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup sesame seeds, toasted
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled lengthwise into thin ribbons
1 cup tightly packed cilantro leaves

Directions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, vinegars, honey, sesame oil, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, and 1 teaspoon salt. Pour the dressing over the carrots, add the cilantro, and toss well. Season to taste with salt, and serve.

Thanks to Mimi and her sister Barbara for passing along this carrot recipe. They also shared their favorite way to enjoy farm tomatoes!

1. Cut up  heirloom tomato
2. Cut up buffalo mozzarella and  arrange on top
3. Snip fresh Basil and scatter on top
4. Pour on good olive oil
5. Grind some salt
6. Serve with forks before sunset.

 

Store hours:

*Tuesday and Thursday 11am - 6pm*

Wednesday and Friday 2pm - 6pm

*Saturday 10am - 3pm*

*Hours with an asterisk are also CSA pick-up hours

Farm updates and CSA Week 9

It's August and that means that it's that time of year when our days are dominated more by the harvest than by tasks like field prep, seeding, planting, mulching, bug picking, mowing and weeding. Squash, zucchini and cucumbers are bountiful and tomatoes and watermelon harvests are on the cusp of monopolizing our remaining free time. Of course, there are still plenty of the other aforementioned farm tasks to take care of: our fall brassicas, winter squash, carrots and beets need weeding, and we still have a few successions of lettuce, spinach, fennel and scallions in the greenhouse to transplant.

One of the most exciting accomplishments of the past week has been completing our new watermelon netting and fencing system to protect them from crows and coyotes. The crows and coyotes make a dynamic duo of watermelon thieves: the crows like to peck open every one that is close to ripe and the coyotes like to play ball with the smaller ones. The melon protection system unfolded over the course of a week (we needed to order more netting!), and the crows did manage to do a significant amount of damage during that time. Still, the harvest looks promising. This year we broke up our watermelons into two different plantings 2 weeks apart, and the later one appears to be in great shape!

Store hours:

*Tuesday and Thursday 11am - 6pm*

Wednesday and Friday 2pm - 6pm

*Saturday 10am - 3pm*

*Hours in bold and with an asterisk are also CSA pick-up hours

In the CSA:

• Golden beets - these beets are not only beautiful, but they are also particularly tasty!
• Watermelon - We grow seeded watermelons, so time for some seed spitting contests at your next picnic or cookout!
• Tomatoes - the first red slicing field tomatoes are ripening. It's still early, so it will be just a small taste this week, but hopefully more to come soon!
• Peppers 
• Fresh onions - Red long of Tropea and Ailsa Craig (white) onions. 
• Cucumbers 
• Summer Squash
• Zucchini
• Potatoes - the last of the red potatoes, as well as a yellow potato variety called Nicola.
• Celery 
• Carrots
• Lettuce
• Kale
• Chard

CSA PYO:

• Sunflowers
• Green Beans and purple beans
• Basil
• Parsley
• Cilantro 
• Dill

Cherry tomatoes will be closed to allow for more to ripen. They should be back next week!

In the store:

Verbena in the PYO Flower field.

Most everything we have in the CSA will also be available in the store. We'll continue to have blueberries and we should also have some eggplant, fresh garlic and we may even see a few heirloom tomatoes. In addition, we'll have Verrill Farm sweet corn, Pete and Jen's eggs and Fat Moon mushrooms.

PYO Flower CSA: 

Flowers ready this week include bachelors button, celosia, calendula, scabiosa, zinnias, verbena, amaranth, cosmos, orlaya, strawflower, snapdragons, gomphrena, calendula, and more. Sunflowers are also ready!

 

Recipes:

Golden Beet and Beet-Greens Salad with Yogurt, Mint and Dill

by David Tanis, NYTimes Cooking

• 2 pounds medium golden beets in skin, well washed (or red or other beets)
• 12 to 16 ounces beet greens (or chard or other greens)
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE

• ⅓ cup red onion or shallot, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
•  Salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon toasted cumin-coriander mixture
•  Pinch cayenne
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

FOR THE YOGURT SAUCE

• 1 cup full-fat plain yogurt
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
•  Salt and pepper to taste
•  Pinch cayenne
• 1 teaspoon toasted cumin-coriander mixture
• 2 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons freshly snipped dill for garnish

1. Roast the beets: Put them in a baking dish in one layer (if some beets are larger, halve them so they will cook evenly). Add about 2 inches water to the pan and cover tightly with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for at least an hour, or up to one and a half hours, until fork tender. Remove the foil, pour off the liquid and let cool for a few minutes, then peel while still slightly warm. Cut into wedges and set aside.
2. Cut beet greens into 1-inch ribbons, then wash well 3 times in abundant cold water to remove any sand or grit. Bring a large pot salted water to boil. Add the greens and cook briefly till wilted, about 2 minutes. Drain, cool under running water, then squeeze out excess water.
3. In a dry pan over medium heat, toast the coriander and cumin seeds until fragrant and just lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Grind to a coarse powder in a mortar or spice mill.
4. Make the vinaigrette: Put the onion, garlic and vinegar in a small bowl and leave for 5 minutes or so, then whisk in the remaining ingredients.
5. Make the yogurt sauce: Put the yogurt in small bowl. Add the garlic, salt and pepper, cayenne, cumin-coriander mixture, mint and olive oil.
6. Season the beet wedges lightly with salt and dress with half the vinaigrette. In a separate bowl, lightly salt the greens and dress with remaining vinaigrette. Arrange dressed beets and greens on a platter and top with a little smear of the yogurt sauce. Sprinkle with dill, and pass the rest of the yogurt sauce at the table.

 

ZUCCHINI GRIDDLECAKES (and variation with corn)

By Adam Ried, Boston Globe August 19, 2007

• 2 1/2 pounds small to medium zucchini
• 1 medium onion
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 large eggs, beaten lightly
• 1/2 cup milk or half-and-half
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper, or to taste
• 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons flour
• Corn, vegetable, or canola oil (for cooking)

Using the shredding disk in a food processor or the large holes on a box grater, shred or grate the zucchini (you should have about 8 cups) and the onion. Place the vegetables in a colander, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt, and mix. Place the colander over a bowl and let stand 30 minutes until mixture exudes about 1 cup of liquid. Rinse under cold water. Spread a clean dish towel on a work surface, place the mixture in the center, gather the corners of the towel, and twist to wring out as much liquid as possible. Transfer to a large bowl, and break up clumps with a wooden spoon.Stir parsley, eggs, milk or half-and-half, baking powder, 2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper into the zucchini and blend. Add the flour, and, using a rubber spatula, fold it into the zucchini mixture.

Set the oven rack to the center position and heat to 250 degrees. In a large, nonstick skillet, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Measure 2 or 3 tablespoons zucchini batter and pour into the pan to form a disk 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter. Repeat until the pan is filled, leaving about 1 inch between cakes. Cook cakes without moving (adjusting heat if pan becomes too hot) until the bottoms are golden brown, about 3 1/2 minutes. Using a spatula, flip the cakes and cook until the second side is golden brown, about 3 1/2 minutes more. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels and set in the warm oven. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve warm.

VARIATION:

Thyme and corn Remove kernels from 2 ears of corn, about 2 cups. Follow the Zucchini Griddlecakes recipe using 4 zucchini instead of 8. Add the corn and 3/4 teaspoon of chopped fresh thyme to the squeezed zucchini along with the parsley, eggs, milk or half-and-half, baking powder, 2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper

Homemade Refrigerator Dill Pickles

By Jennifer Segal

• 1-1/4 cups distilled white vinegar (5% acidity)
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 cups cold water
• 1-3/4 to 2 pounds pickling cucumbers (about 6), cut into halves or spears
• 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
• 6 large garlic cloves, peeled and halved
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 16 dill sprigs

Combine the vinegar, salt and sugar in a small non-reactive saucepan (such as stainless steel, glass, ceramic or teflon) over high heat. Whisk until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Transfer the liquid into a bowl and whisk in the cold water. Refrigerate brine until ready to use.

Stuff the cucumbers into two clean 1-quart jars. Add the coriander seeds, garlic cloves, mustard seeds, red pepper flakes, dill sprigs, and chilled brine into jars, dividing evenly. If necessary, add a bit of cold water to the jars until the brine covers the cucumbers. Cover and refrigerate about 24 hours, then serve. Cucumbers will keep in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Farm updates and CSA Week 8

Over the past couple of weeks we have turned more of our attention to our new field across the street, which will be home to many of our fall crops. After a month-long process of working cover crop into the soil and running irrigation line under the road, we began planting and setting up our deer fencing in early July. We have now filled up a little over an acre  with a few successions of fall carrots and beets, as well as brassicas (kale, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts). In the short time that we've been growing vegetables in this field, we've found that some sections of it are quite a bit wetter than our main fields, and that deer, woodchucks and turkeys appear to be accustomed to having free rein over there! Covering some of the smaller transplants with netting and row cover has helped give those plants a head start protected from animal pressure. It appears the deer got in one night and grazed on our Brussels sprouts after a tree fell on our fence, but we quickly fixed the fencing and haven't seen anymore signs of deer making it in! We're still working on deterring the turkeys - we'll likely need to cover our broccoli until the plants size up!

Next year we plan to plant our potatoes and winter squash across the street. The Colorado potato beetle pressure in our main fields this year reached levels we have never seen before. While our efforts to keep the potato plants alive this year have resulted in a better harvest so far, it consumed a lot of our energy at a time of year that is critical for many other crops. The intense infestation (coupled with the the beetles' new resistance to the organic spray that we use once a season as a last resort), means that rotating the crop as far away as possible is crucial to our ability to continue to grow potatoes. We have seen the survivors of last week's final attempt to control the beetle population make the journey over to our eggplant field, and we are hoping that Barrett's Mill Road will provide a barrier next year to protect the potatoes a little longer with a little less effort! 

Store hours:

Tuesday and Thursday 11am - 6pm*

Wednesday and Friday 2pm - 6pm

Saturday 10am - 3pm*

*Hours in bold and with an asterisk are also CSA pick-up hours

In the CSA:

• Peppers - we're harvesting mostly green bell peppers, but there may be some purple ones in the mix too!
• Fresh garlic - We hung most of our garlic in the farm stand last week to cure for several weeks, but we're setting aside some of the smaller heads for fresh eating. The curing process intensifies flavor and improves the  long-term storability of the garlic. This uncured garlic is milder and should be used in the next week or two.
• Chard
• Beets
• Fresh onions - Red long of Tropea and Ailsa Craig (white) onions. 
• Cucumbers 
• Summer Squash
• Zucchini
• Red Potatoes
• Celery 
• Carrots
• Lettuce
• Kale
• Arugula or Red Russian kale
• Cherriette Radishes

CSA PYO:

• Cherry tomatoes - Just a taste this week, as the cherry tomatoes are just starting to ripen. The varieties that we're picking are Sungold (orange), Cherry Bomb (red) and Grape (red). Be sure to look low down on the plant!
• Sunflowers
• Green Beans and purple beans
• Basil
• Parsley
• Cilantro 
• Dill

In the store:

Most everything we have in the CSA will also be available in the store. We'll also have some cabbage, blueberries and more of our own greenhouse-grown tomatoes. It will likely be one more week before we have cherry tomatoes in the store. This week will be the first for Verrill Farm sweet corn and as usual, we'll also have mushrooms and eggs.

PYO Flower CSA: 

Flowers ready this week include bachelors button, celosia, calendula, scabiosa, zinnias, verbena, orlaya, strawflower, snapdragons, gomphrena, calendula, and more. Sunflowers are also ready!

Recipes

This week we have most of the ingredients for our favorite summertime recipe: green gazpacho!

Green Gazpacho

Adapted from “Plenty,” by Yotam Ottolenghi

• 2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
• 2 green peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
• 3 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
• 1 mildly spicy chili (such as jalapeño), roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/2 cups walnuts, lightly toasted
• 1/4 pound arugula
• 1/2 cup basil leaves
• 1/4 cup parsley
• 1 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1/4 cup sherry vinegar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Freshly ground white pepper
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 cups water

Combine the celery, green peppers, cucumbers, chili, garlic, sugar, walnuts, spinach, basil, parsley, olive oil, sherry vinegar, salt, pepper and 1 cup water in blender and puree until smooth. Check seasonings, and add more water if you feel it needs it. Let chill in refrigerator. To serve, divide into six bowls, and garnish each with a dollop of Greek yogurt, two ice cubes and a drizzle of olive oil.

Zucchini/Summer Squash Ribbons

adapted from Uncommon Gourmet, All-Occasion Cookbook

• 2   Medium-size zucchini                                   
• 2   Medium-size summer squash                          
• 4   Tablespoons butter                                   
• 1   Medium-size clove garlic, crushed
• ½ cup finely chopped hazelnuts
• salt and pepper to taste
• ½ cup grated Parmesan

Using a vegetable peeler, cut long ribbons of the zucchini and summer squash, reserving the seed core for another use (like soup). Heat butter in a large skillet. Add garlic, squash ribbons and nuts. Season with salt and pepper and stir-fry over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes until vegetables are tender-crisp. Sprinkle with the Parmesan. Stir well, remove from the heat and serve.