CSA Week 14 and Farm Stand Updates

Although we enjoyed a tremendous abundance during the first half of the season, we’ve hit a more challenging patch as we face gaps in our harvest stemming from multiple heat waves and the severe drought all summer (we’re happy to get a break today with some rain, but it unfortunately can’t immediately fix those issues!). The lack of carrots is probably the most noticeable gap. We irrigated our fall plantings heavily, as carrots are very sensitive crops, but the consistent water along with the heat seemed to mostly just benefit the weeds! We are used to having a strong fall carrot crop and have come to rely on it as one of the backbones of the fall CSA, so we invested a lot of time into weeding them. Unfortunately there was only a very short window when weeding was actually effective - the carrots that were weeded a little too late practically disintegrated in our hot sandy soils as soon as they were more exposed! Later in the fall we should have enough for a couple of weeks of carrots in the Main Season CSA and we are reaching out to other farms to try to purchase additional carrots for the Extended Season.

The heat and drought made it difficult to plant and maintain other crops as well, particularly with heat sensitive crops like lettuce, radishes and greens. In addition, the effort spent irrigating to keep many crops alive took time away from weeding, pruning and controlling pests on other crops that we would have otherwise expected to be enjoying right now (like eggplant and colored peppers). The good news for CSA members is that we will again be purchasing corn to help supplement what we are able to harvest for you all. We hope you enjoy this special treat for the second week this season! We still have many other veggies as well of course, including tomatoes and the first of our delicata squash. We anticipate turning a corner in the next couple of weeks as many of the beds of greens, lettuce, salanova and radishes in the ground should be producing soon, and we have scallions, fennel, cabbage, and broccoli not too far off in the horizon!

In the CSA this week:

• Delicata Squash - An all-time favorite, this winter squash is extra sweet and the skin is edible so it doesn’t require much work to enjoy, just slice in half, scoop out the seeds, then cut into 1/4” thick “smiles” and bake with a little oil and salt!

• Yellow Onions - These onions are cured and keep best in a dry, cool, dark place.

• Toscano Kale

• Tomatoes

• Sweet Corn - From Verrill Farm in Concord, MA, not organic. The corn will be under the CSA tent and included among your options for filling your CSA bag. It will be labeled as from Verrill Farm and not organically grown. As always you will get to select what you’d like to put in your CSA bag so if you don’t want the corn you will have more room for other veggies!

• Green peppers

• Garlic- This garlic has been cured and will keep outside the fridge for months in a cool, dark, dry place.

• Mizuna or Mustard greens

• Beets

• Lettuce

• Curly green kale

• Squash mix: Spaghetti squash, black futsu and/or Starry Night Acorn squash

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

• Cherry Tomatoes - The cherry tomatoes are less plentiful now but the yellow varieties are still doing particularly well.

• Green Beans - we have this planting plus one more for the fall!

• There will be a choice of: Husk cherries or shishito peppers.

• Hot peppers- choice of Jalapeño, Aji Rico, Fresno, Hungarian Hot Wax, and Red Ember (cayenne).

• Herbs - choice of basil, oregano, mint, sage, chives, thyme or lemon thyme.

In the farm store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will also have flower bouquets in the farm store, colored peppers, potatoes and leeks. We will also have sweet corn from Verrill Farm,eggs from Codman Farm, and mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm.

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, Friday and Saturday pick-up. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering opens at 6pm the day before pick-up.

Pick-Your-Own Flower CSA:

The field is open to both Flower CSA members and to the general public for picking by the jar. Varieties available include zinnias, marigolds, gomphrena, strawflower, celosia, statice, rudbeckia, cosmos, verbena, decorative basil, amaranth and branching sunflowers. 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.

Creamy Mushrooms and Pasta

By Fat Moon Mushroom Farmer Elizabeth Almeida on her website: https://fatmoonmushrooms.com/blogs/news/creamy-mushrooms-pasta

Ingredients:

• 8oz Fat Moon Mushrooms

• 1 onion

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1/2 jalapeno

• 1 T. soy sauce

• 1/2 cup broth

• 2 T. butter

• 1 shot glass sherry or white wine

• 1 shot glass cream

• Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Chop the mushrooms into bite-size pieces

2. Combine chopped mushrooms, onions, garlic, jalapenos, butter, soy sauce, and broth in a skillet and cook over medium heat. As the water evaporates, the mushrooms and onions will begin to brown. Stir to loosen browned bits from the pan. 

3. Deglaze pan with sherry or wine. Add cream, salt and pepper, Heat just until cream is warm. 

4. Serve over freshly cooked pasta. Top with shredded parmesan (optional.)

Lemon Garlic Kale Salad

By Julia Moskin at NYTimes Cooking: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015707-lemon-garlic-kale-salad

Ingredients

• 2 cups sliced almonds

• ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 2 to 4 lemons)

• Kosher salt

• 1½ cups extra-virgin olive oil

• 4 cloves garlic, crushed with the flat side of a knife, peeled and left whole

• 10 to 12 ounces washed and dried kale leaves, thick stems removed (weight after trimming)

• 1½ cups freshly grated Parmesan (optional)

Preparation

1. In a toaster oven or skillet, toast almonds until golden brown and fragrant. Set aside to cool.

2. In a bowl, combine lemon juice and 1 heaping teaspoon salt. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Add garlic cloves and set aside to steep.

3. Working in batches, cut the kale into thin ribbons: gather a large handful of leaves, bunch together tightly, and use the other hand to slice into ¼-inch-thick pieces. This need not be done very precisely or neatly; the idea is to end up with a kind of slaw. (Recipe can be made up to this point 1 day ahead. Keep kale and dressing refrigerated separately.)

4. Place chopped kale in a very large bowl. Sprinkle surface with almonds and then with cheese, if using. Remove and discard garlic cloves from dressing. Pour half the dressing over the salad and toss. Taste for dressing and salt and add more as needed, tossing to coat thoroughly. Serve within 1 hour.

CSA Week 13 and Farm Stand Updates

Since it is a transitional time for many folks, we thought it would be a good time to review our CSA and Farm Store schedule for the remainder of the year. The Main Season CSA is 20 weeks and the last day for the season is October 22nd. The farm store closes for the season October 29th (2022 Barrett’s Bucks expire on this date). The Flex and Extended Season CSA memberships continue until November 19th, however there are no Tuesday CSA pick-ups for the last 4 weeks (CSA pick ups will be Thursdays and Saturdays only starting the week of October 25th). Additionally, as many folks are home and cooking more, we thought it would also be a great time to announce our Fall Fat Moon Farm Mushroom CSA will start September 13th! Sign-ups are available now on our website: http://www.barrettsmillfarm.com/online-store/2022fall-mushroom-csa-from-fat-moon. The cost is $170 and Fat Moon Mushroom CSA members will receive one pound of Fat Moon's fresh, organic mushrooms each week for 10 weeks. The Fall Fat Moon Farm Mushroom CSA will run from Tuesday September 12th until Saturday November 19th. For the first 7 weeks, pick-up will be any time the farm store is open Tuesday - Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. For the last 3 weeks pick up will be Thursdays or Saturdays (we will be closed the other days of the week in November). Over the course of the season, expect to get a taste of varieties like Shiitake, Chestnut, Lion's Mane, Pioppino, various Oyster mushrooms, and more! For more information about Fat Moon mushrooms visit www.FatMoonMushrooms.com or follow @fatmoonmushrooms on social media.

In the CSA this week:

• Black Futsu pumpkin - An heirloom pumpkin that is ready to eat when the skin has turned from black/green to a light orange. The skin is edible so no need to peel. See recipe below! We had a limited crop this year so each membership will get just one for the season however there are more winter squash varieties to come this fall!

• Sweet Corn - From Verrill Farm in Concord, MA, not organic. The drought and the shortening days are catching up with us in terms of our harvest quantities this week so we wanted to buy in this special treat for our members! The corn will be under the CSA tent and included among your options for filling your CSA bag. It will be labeled from Verrill Farm and not organically grown. As always you will get to select what you’d like to put in your CSA bag so if you don’t want the corn you will have more room for other veggies!

• Tomatoes - Red slicing tomatoes from our latest field planting.

• Green peppers

• Potatoes - Peter Wilcox or King Harry

• Leeks

• Garlic- This garlic has been cured and will keep outside the fridge for months in a cool, dark, dry place.

• Spaghetti squash

• Mizuna

• Summer squash, zucchini or cucumbers - The last of these crops for the season so these will be limited again this week.

• Beets

• Mustard greens

• Lettuce or salanova

• Curly green kale

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

• Cherry Tomatoes - All varieties are currently ripening including Sungold (orange), Citrine (orange), Cherry Bomb (red), Red Pearl (red grape), Valentine (red grape), Apple Yellow (apple shaped yellow tomato), Yellow Mini, Moonbeam (pale yellow grape), Black Cherry (smoky purple), Midnight Pear (smoky purple pear shaped cherry), Sunpeach (pink), and Mountain Magic (red cocktail size tomato).

• There will be a choice of: Tomatillos or shishito peppers.

• Hot peppers- choice of Jalapeño, Aji Rico, Fresno, Hungarian Hot Wax, and Red Ember (cayenne).

• Herbs - choice of basil, oregano, mint, sage, chives, thyme or lemon thyme.

In the farm store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will also have flower bouquets in the farm store and colored peppers. We will also have sweet corn from Verrill Farm and eggs from Codman Farm. Mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm are back this week!

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, Friday and Saturday pick-up. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering opens at 6pm the day before pick-up.

Pick-Your-Own Flower CSA:

The field is open to both Flower CSA members and to the general public for picking by the jar. Varieties available include zinnias, marigolds, gomphrena, strawflower, celosia, statice, ammi, ageratum, rudbeckia, scabiosa, cosmos, verbena, decorative basil, amaranth and branching sunflowers (there is a new variety of velvet queen sunflowers blooming this week at the back of the bed!). 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.

Winter Squash with Hot Pepper, Garlic, and Mint

The Bittman Project How to Cook Squash 10 Ways Recipe from: From Bread and How to Eat It, by Rick Easton and Melissa McCart (Knopf 2023)

Recipe note: “Don’t underestimate the deliciousness of this dish. This makes a good topping for grilled or toasted bread, a filling for a sandwich, or a side dish.”

Ingredients

• 1 densely fleshed winter squash or pumpkin (like Black Futsu!)

• Olive oil 

• Sea salt

•  1 garlic clove

• 1 fresh hot red chile pepper (may substitute sliced hot peppers preserved in oil)

• White wine vinegar

•  A handful of fresh, whole mint leaves

Instructions

1. Prepare a grill for direct heat.

2. Use a sharp knife or sturdy vegetable peeler to peel the squash. Cut it in half and remove the seeds (save, clean, and roast them if you choose, or discard). Cut into wedges no more than 1 inch thick, or into slices thick enough to grill. Toss in a bowl with some olive oil and salt to coat evenly. Grill over a hot fire until softened and maybe even blackened in spots, turning them as needed. Transfer to a wide, shallow bowl.

3. Thinly slice the garlic and the fresh hot pepper (discarding its stem and seeds); add both to the bowl. Season with salt then add a few drops of the vinegar, and the mint. Dress with more olive oil. Toss gently, let marinate at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving.

4. Alternatively, you can fry the wedges of squash in olive oil or your preferred frying oil, drain on a wire rack, and dress in the same fashion.

Balsamic Roasted Beet Salad

Adapted from recipe by Ina Garten at the Food Network

Ingredients

• 8 medium-size beets, tops removed and scrubbed

• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

• 1/2 cup good olive oil

• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, such as Grey Poupon

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 4 ounces mizuna

• 1/3 cup roasted, salted Marcona almonds, toasted

• 4 ounces soft goat cheese, such as Montrachet, crumbled

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

1. Wrap the beets individually in aluminum foil and place them on a sheet pan. Roast them for 50 minutes to 1 hour, depending on their size, until a small sharp knife inserted in the middle indicates that they are tender. Unwrap each beet and set aside for 10 minutes, until cool enough to handle. Peel the beets with a small, sharp knife over a piece of parchment paper to prevent staining your cutting board.

2. Meanwhile, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, mustard, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and set aside. While the beets are still warm, cut each one in half and then each half into 4 to 6 wedges and place them in a large mixing bowl. As you're cutting the beets, toss them with half of the vinaigrette (warm beets absorb more vinaigrette), 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Taste for seasonings.

3. Place the mizuna in a separate bowl and toss it with enough vinaigrette to moisten. Put the arugula on a serving platter and then arrange the beets, almonds, and goat cheese on top. Drizzle with additional vinaigrette, if desired, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve warm or at room temperature.

CSA Week 12 and Farm Stand Updates

We got a “new” truck last week, and though it is “recycled,” we couldn’t be more happy about it! Thanks to a tip from Shopkeeper Debbie, we were able to have a junked truck refurbished at a very low cost. While this truck has seen many miles out on the road, we don’t mind as we drive very few miles each week (it just feels like a lot when we are walking it all while pulling full garden carts!). We can’t stop admiring it’s functioning doors, new ignition that turns on each time, and the repaired tail gate that raises and lowers with ease. Now that we have the luxury of a motorized vehicle once again, we’ve been employing it to carry in the harvests much more efficiently - one trip is now sufficient to bring in about 3 garden cart’s worth of produce! But we haven’t only been using the truck for bringing in harvests - we’ve also been using it to transport ourselves to the farthest flung parts of our fields for weeding projects!

In spite of the fact that every forecast rainstorm seems to bypass the farm (since July 1st, Las Vegas has gotten more rain than we have!), this week’s vegetable selection is looking really nice! Thankfully we’ve been able to irrigate most crops in time to prevent significant losses. Now we just need some rain to hit and help germinate our cover crops!

In the CSA this week:

• Sweet Colored Peppers - Mostly from our high tunnel, we grow red, orange and yellow peppers.

• Potatoes - This week we’re harvesting Peter Wilcox, a variety with purple skin and white flesh. It is one of our favorites as it is tasty, productive and stores well!

• Leeks

• Uncured garlic

• Tomatoes

• Spaghetti squash

• Watermelon- We will have both red seedless watermelon (the first crop we have grown!) as well as Blacktail Mountain, a red/pinkish fleshed heirloom variety with black seeds.

• Summer squash, zucchini or cucumbers - we are into the time of year when production of these cucurbit crops slows significantly, so these will be limited this week.

• Beets

• Mustard greens - A spicy green that can be used in salad (usually mixed with less spicy things!) or lightly cooked (it is less spicy when cooked)

• Salanova Lettuce Mix - It’s back, earlier than ever!

• Curly green kale - The first of our “fall” planting, so it is nice and tender!

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

• Cherry Tomatoes - All varieties are currently ripening including Sungold (orange), Citrine (orange), Cherry Bomb (red), Red Pearl (red grape), Valentine (red grape), Apple Yellow (apple shaped yellow tomato), Yellow Mini, Moonbeam (pale yellow grape), Black Cherry (smoky purple), Midnight Pear (smoky purple pear shaped cherry), Sunpeach (pink), and Mountain Magic (red cocktail size tomato). If you don’t see lots at the beginning of the bed just walk halfway down and they will jump in your container!

• There will be a choice of: Dragon Tongue beans, tomatillos, husk cherries or shishito peppers.

• Hot peppers- choice of Jalapeño, Aji Rico, Fresno, Hungarian Hot Wax, and Red Ember (cayenne).

• Herbs - choice of basil, oregano, mint, sage or thyme.

In the farm store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will also have flower bouquets in the farm store. We will also have sweet corn from Verrill Farm and eggs from Codman Farm. There will not be any mushrooms for a couple more weeks.

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, Friday and Saturday pick-up. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering opens at 6pm the day before pick-up.

Pick-Your-Own Flower CSA:

The PYO Flower garden is at it’s height so now is a great time to pick! The field is open to both Flower CSA members and to the general public for picking by the jar. Varieties available include snapdragons, zinnias, marigolds, gomphrena, strawflower, celosia, statice, ammi, ageratum, rudbeckia, scabiosa, cosmos, verbena, decorative basil, amaranth and branching sunflowers. 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.

Pasta With 15-Minute Burst Cherry Tomato Sauce

By Anna Stockwell, from epicurious.com August 4, 2022

• 1 lb. pasta

• Kosher salt

• ½ cup olive oil

• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 3 pints cherry tomatoes

• ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

• Pinch of sugar

• 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil

• Freshly grated Parmesan (for serving)

Step 1

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente; drain pasta and transfer to a large bowl.

Step 2

Meanwhile, heat oil in a 12" skillet or wide heavy saucepan over medium-high. Add garlic, then tomatoes, pepper, sugar, and 1 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes burst and release their juices to form a sauce, 6–8 minutes.

Step 3

Toss pasta with tomato sauce and basil. Top with Parmesan. 

Shakshuka With Feta

by Melissa Clark, from NY Times Cooking

Ingredients

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

• 3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1large onion, halved and thinly sliced

• 1large red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

• 3garlic cloves, thinly sliced

• 1teaspoon ground cumin

• 1teaspoon sweet paprika

• ⅛teaspoon ground cayenne, or to taste

• 1(28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes with their juices, coarsely chopped

• ¾teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

• ¼teaspoon black pepper, plus more as needed

• 5ounces feta, crumbled (about 1¼ cups)

• 6large eggs

• Chopped cilantro, for serving

• Hot sauce, for serving

Step 1

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook gently until very soft, about 20 minutes. Add garlic and cook until tender, 1 to 2 minutes; stir in cumin, paprika and cayenne, and cook 1 minute. Pour in tomatoes and season with ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper; simmer until tomatoes have thickened, about 10 minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Stir in crumbled feta.

Step 2

Gently crack eggs into skillet over tomatoes. Season eggs with salt and pepper. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until eggs are just set, 7 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with hot sauce.

Roasted Potato Vegetable Salad

from Aberdeen’s Kitchen

Ingredients

• 2 lbs baby potatoes, halved

• 1 corn on the cob, husk on

• 1 red bell pepper, diced

• 1 orange bell pepper, diced

• 1 green bell pepper, diced

• ½ teaspoon cumin

• ¼ teaspoon ancho chili pepper powder

• 1 tablespoon coarse salt

• 1 teaspoon pepper

• 1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced + extra roughly chopped to garnish

• Green onion, thinly sliced to garnish

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F.

2. Toss potatoes, bell peppers, cumin, ancho chili pepper, salt, pepper, minced dill, and olive oil until coated on a roasting pan. Spread the vegetables out into a single layer, leaving an empty space for the corn on the cob. Place the corn on the cob, husk still on, in the empty space.

3. Put the pan on a middle rack in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the corn on the cob and set aside. Put the pan back in the oven and cook for another 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

4. While vegetables continue to cook, remove the husk from the corn and slice off the kernels.

5. When the potatoes are tender enough to be pierced with a fork, remove the pan from the oven. Stir in the corn kernels and add the remaining fresh dill and green onion to garnish.

CSA Week 11 and Farm Stand Updates

We had been so focused on irrigation and getting the fall crops established that next thing we knew they were overrun with weeds! So last week we focused on cultivating and hand weeding any moment we could to keep our fall plantings happy and healthy! We are back on track and have cultivated the cabbage, broccoli, and beets and carrots as well as hand weeded the rutabaga, the first planting of carrots and beets (3 more plantings to go!), cabbage, and most of the lettuce. We will keep at it this week, re-cultivating where any weeds have sprung up and hand weeding whenever we can find time. Every time we check the forecasts the chance of rain drops, so we will continue to irrigate when needed. One thing that has loved this weather is the cherry tomatoes! They are in their prime so will be in the farm store all week in mixed pints as well as at their height in the CSA - all varieties are ripe so see how many colors you can collect in your quarts! Sungolds, the very popular early orange tomato are still plentiful but will not last as late into the season as other varieties, so if you are a fan get your fill now!

In the CSA this week:

• Spaghetti squash- The brightest yellow are the most ripe. If slightly paler you can leave them on your counter for a couple weeks before using and they will be ready to eat when bright yellow. See below for information about how to cook!

• Watermelon- This variety is Blacktail Mountain, a red/pinkish fleshed heirloom variety with black seeds.

• Beets - Both the beets and the greens are tasty!

• Celery

• Uncured garlic - While whole it can be stored in a pantry but once peeled or chopped it should be stored in the fridge. It will last about a week in the fridge(once we cure the rest of the garlic it will last for months!).

• Mizuna greens - A peppery green that is great in salads and sandwiches.

• Mustard greens - A spicy green that can be used in salad (usually mixed with less spicy things!) or lightly cooked (it is less spicy when cooked)

• Slicing tomatoes - from the field and high tunnel. There will likely be a mix of red, orange and pink.

• Specialty/heirloom tomatoes - We are growing some true heirlooms in the field and some hybrids that look and taste like heirlooms (but are more productive) in the high tunnel.

• Peppers

• Summer squash

• Zucchini

• Cucumbers

• Lettuce - a mix of summer crisp varieties

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

• Cherry Tomatoes - All varieties are currently ripening including Sungold (orange), Citrine (orange), Cherry Bomb (red), Red Pearl (red grape), Valentine (red grape), Apple Yellow (apple shaped yellow tomato), Yellow Mini, Moonbeam (pale yellow grape), Black Cherry (smoky purple), Midnight Pear (smoky purple pear shaped cherry), Sunpeach (pink), and Mountain Magic (red cocktail size tomato). If you don’t see lots at the beginning of the bed just walk halfway down and they will jump in your container!

• Shishito peppers

• Hot peppers- choice of Jalapeño, Aji Rico, Fresno, Hungarian Hot Wax, and Red Ember (cayenne).

• Herbs - choice of basil, dill, oregano, mint, sage or thyme.

In the farm store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will also have tomatillos, potatoes, colored peppers, seedless watermelon and mixed flower bouquets. We will also have sweet corn from Verrill Farm and eggs from Codman Farm. There will not be any mushrooms for a few weeks.

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, Friday and Saturday pick-up. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering opens at 6pm the day before pick-up.

Pick-Your-Own Flower CSA:

The PYO Flower garden is at it’s height so now is a great time to pick! The field is open to both Flower CSA members and to the general public for picking by the jar. Varieties available include snapdragons, zinnias, marigolds, gomphrena, strawflower, celosia, statice, ammi, ageratum, rudbeckia, scabiosa, cosmos, verbena, decorative basil and amaranth. We are also opening a bed of branching sunflowers for the PYO Flower CSA this week that are just beginning to bloom (there are 4 different varieties planted so we will continue to have more blooms and more types in the next week or two), located right next to the rest of the flowers. Please watch your step as herbs are planted just on the other side of the sunflowers. 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.

How to Cook Spaghetti Squash

by Love and Lemons: https://www.loveandlemons.com/how-to-cook-spaghetti-squash

Ingredients

• 1 spaghetti squash

• extra-virgin olive oil

• sea salt

• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Slice the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and ribbing. Drizzle the inside of the squash with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3. Place the spaghetti squash cut side down on the baking sheet and use a fork to poke holes. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes or until lightly browned on the outside, fork tender, but still a little bit firm. The time will vary depending on the size of your squash. I also find that the timing can vary from squash to squash.

4. Remove from the oven and flip the squash so that it’s cut side up. When cool to the touch, use a fork to scrape and fluff the strands from the sides of the squash.

Pancetta, Mizuna and Tomato Sandwiches with Green Garlic Aioli

by Molly Stevens, from Bon Appétit July 31, 2006

Ingredients

AIOLI

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoons chopped green garlic or 1 regular garlic clove, blanched

• 1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel or coarse kosher salt

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise, divided

• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

SANDWICHES

• 2 (3-ounce) packages thinly sliced pancetta (Italian bacon; about 30 slices)

• 12 (1/2-inch-thick) slices brioche or egg bread, lightly toasted

• 1 large bunch mizuna or arugula, torn into 2-inch pieces

• 3 beefsteak tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds

Preparation- Aioli

Step 1 : Blend olive oil, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon fleur de sel in processor until garlic is minced. Add 2 tablespoons mayonnaise and blend well. Transfer to small bowl; whisk in remaining mayonnaise and lemon juice.

Step 2: DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.

Preparation - Sandwiches

Step 3: Preheat oven to 450°F. Arrange pancetta slices in single layer on 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Step 4: Place toast on work surface. Spread with aioli. Divide mizuna among 6 toast slices; top with tomatoes, then pancetta, dividing equally. Top with remaining 6 toast slices, aioli side down. Cut each sandwich in half and serve.

Week 10 and Farm Stand Updates

Whew, last week was a hot one! We are happy to have made it to this week intact, but we do have to let go of our perfectionist natures and just be happy we are keeping up with the most urgent tasks. When it’s this hot the crew just does the best they can to stay hydrated and stay as on top of the to-do list as possible! There have been a couple of little rain storms which have provided a little relief as it was starting to become impossible to keep up irrigating everything that needs it. We will be working hard this week to keep up with the weeds (when we successfully irrigate we save the crop but also grow the weeds!), bring in the storage onion harvest, and get some of the last planting and seeding done while there is still time for full growth before the days get too short and frost threatens. I know - how could we mention frost?! But we have reached a turning point in the season as we are now half way through our 20 week Main Season CSA! Flex and Extended CSA members have an additional 4 weeks after the end of the Main Season on October 22nd. For now we will worry about keeping up with the needs on the farm for fall and you all can focus on enjoying these summer summer tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, watermelon and more that we have for you!

In the CSA this week:

• Beets - Our first “fall” beets are ready and the greens are beautiful! See recipe below for an easy and tasty side dish using beet greens.

• Watermelon! This variety is called starlight and has red flesh with seeds.

• Celery - Our celery tends to be small and strongly flavored so great for recipes (not as great for snacking unless you are a big celery fan!).

• Uncured garlic - While whole it can be stored in a pantry but once peeled or chopped it should be stored in the fridge. It will last about a week (once we cure the rest of the garlic it will last for months!).

• Mizuna or scarlet frills mustard greens - We will have one of the two each day this week.

• Slicing tomatoes - from the field and high tunnel. There will likely be a mix of red, orange and pink.

• Specialty/heirloom tomatoes - We are growing some true heirlooms in the field and some hybrids that look and taste like heirlooms (but are more productive) in the high tunnel.

• Peppers - green and purple varieties.

• Carrots

• Summer squash

• Zucchini

• Cucumbers - pickling and slicing

• Lettuce - a mix of summer crisp varieties

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

• Cherry Tomatoes - Varieties that are currently ripening include Sungold (orange), Citrine (orange), Cherry Bomb (red), Red Pearl (red grape), Valentine (red grape), Apple Yellow (new variety for us this year, and aptly named as it is an apple shaped yellow tomato!), Black Cherry (smoky purple) and Midnight Pear (smoky purple pear shaped cherry). Be sure to look low on the plants for the most ripe fruit.

• Shishito peppers - See the recipe below for a tasty way to make these peppers. They are generally mild but once in a while you get a hot one!

• Jalapeño peppers

• Herbs - choice of basil, dill, oregano, mint, sage or thyme.

In the farm store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will also have tomatillos, potatoes, colored peppers and mixed flower bouquets. We will also have sweet corn from Verrill Farm, eggs from Codman Farm, and Fat Moon Farm mushrooms. This will be the last mushrooms for the next month or so.

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, Friday and Saturday pick-up. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering opens at 6pm the day before pick-up.

Pick-Your-Own Flower CSA:

The PYO Flower garden is at it’s height so now is a great time to pick! The field is open to both Flower CSA members and to the general public for picking by the jar. Varieties available include snapdragons, zinnias, marigolds, gomphrena, strawflower, celosia, statice, ammi, ageratum, rudbeckia, scabiosa, cosmos and amaranth. 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.

Blistered Shishito Peppers

Adapted from: Cookie and Kate

INGREDIENTS

• Shishito peppers

• Extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil

• Lemon wedge, optional

• Salt, preferably flaky sea salt or kosher salt, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Rinse and pat the peppers dry on a clean tea towel. Transfer the peppers to a medium bowl, drizzle in the oil, and toss until the peppers are evenly coated. Set aside.

2. Preheat a medium skillet over medium heat until it’s hot enough that a drop of water sizzles and evaporates quickly on contact. Add the peppers and let them cook, stirring every minute or so (not too often), until they are tender with charred spots, about 8 to 12 minutes.

3. Transfer the peppers to a serving plate. Spritz with a lemon wedge, if desired. Sprinkle with salt, to taste (don’t skimp). Serve with a little bowl on the side for the pepper stems.

Sautéed Beet Greens with Garlic and Olive Oil

Adapted from New York Times Cooking recipe by Martha Rose Schulman

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bunch of beet greens

• salt

• 1 garlic clove

• 1/8 tsp dried red pepper flakes (optional)

• freshly ground pepper

PREPARATION

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil while you stem the greens and wash the leaves in 2 rinses of water. When the water comes to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the greens. Blanch for 2 minutes, until tender. Transfer immediately to a bowl of ice water, then drain and squeeze the water out from its leaves. Chop coarsely.

2. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet. Add the garlic and hot red pepper flakes (if using) and cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant and translucent, 30 to 60 seconds. Stir in the greens. Stir for a couple of minutes, until the greens are nicely seasoned with garlic and oil. Season with salt and pepper, remove from the heat, and serve.

• Some people enjoy a few drops of lemon juice with their cooked greens, so you might want to pass a plate of lemon wedges.