CSA Week 8 and Farm Stand Updates

Watermelons and tomatoes were the stars of the show last week, and we’ve got more to harvest and enjoy this week! Every year we set up a fence around our watermelon to keep out the coyotes, who love to play fetch with them before devouring them. We also usually hang up old CDs above the watermelons to scare off the crows, who like to peck holes in them (that is still on our to-do list for us this week). It’s not only humans who love this sweet fruit! The fence in particular adds a slight degree of difficulty to the watermelon harvest, but it’s still definitely one of the more fun harvests (along with winter squash). We pick the melons off the plants and line them up in windrows. Then we drive a tractor alongside the windrow with a bulk crate perched on the forks. One or two people pass the melons over the fence to someone outside the fence to gently set the melons inside our crate, which we then drive to the barn and transfer into the cooler. Protecting the watermelons is a bit extra work and it leads to a heavy harvest, but it’s all worth it for some sweet refreshment on hot July and August days!

In the CSA this week:

• Uncured garlic - We’re hanging a lot of garlic to cure for distribution later, but we’ll have some uncured garlic available this week. Because it hasn’t dried out yet from the curing process, the flavor is less concentrated and a little milder.

• Watermelon - This week we’ll have more of the Blacktail Mountain variety, and we’ll possibly have some seedless as well if enough ripen in time!

• Slicing tomatoes - red and orange tomatoes from the high tunnels and field

• Specialty/heirloom tomatoes - These are the funky looking tomatoes with extra rich, sweet flavor!

• Green peppers

• Carrots

• Beets

• Cucumbers

• Zucchini

• Summer Squash

• Kale

• Lettuce

• Arugula

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

• Hot peppers: jalepenos and some cayenne are ready this week.

• Cherry Tomatoes: varieties include Sungold, Jasper, Cherry Bomb, Yellow Mini, Chocolate Sprinkles, Pink Champagne, Citrine, Black Cherry and more!

• Herbs: basil, dill, parsley, mint, oregano, chives and sage

In the farm store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will have:

• Sweet Corn from Verrill Farm. Not organic.

• Celery

• Fresh onions

• Potatoes

• Flowers

• Mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm - Farmer’s Mix and Shiitake. Certified organic.

• Baer’s Best Beans - Black Turtle variety is organic, the other varieties are not.

PYO Flower Field

The flower field is open to both PYO Flower CSA members and the general public. We still have a few PYO Flower CSA memberships available - visit http://www.barrettsmillfarm.com/online-store/pyo-flower-csa if you would like to sign up!

Flowers available for picking this week include: sunflowers, zinnias, snapdragons, gomphrena, ageratum, celosia, ammi, rudbeckia, verbena, amaranth, cosmos, decorative grasses, decorative basil and strawflower.

CSA Week 7, PYO Flowers and Farm Stand Updates

The theme of this week is zucchinis: our cooler is full to bursting, so it’s time to grill, stuff, sautee and make zucchini bread! Around this time of year we start to dread the back-breaking combined harvest of zucchini, summer squash and cucumbers, as well as all the dirty harvest buckets they create. I start to especially resent the prolific zucchini plants, but by the time they’re gone in September I wish I had appreciated them more in the height of the summer. I may not have tons of energy for cooking zucchini in the summer (especially when it involves turning on a stove in a heat wave), but I do like to shred batches of raw zucchini, measure out 1 cup patties (or whatever amount your go-to zucchini bread recipe calls for), and then freeze them on a baking sheet. Once they’re frozen, I throw them into a freezer bag and then I can thaw some out in the fall and winter when I’m sick of winter squash and craving a taste of summer’s bounty. Of course, there are plenty of wonderful dishes to be made right now from fresh zucchini (see below for some examples), so we encourage everyone to do a little of both!

We’re also excited that the flower field is fully open to the public during regular farm store hours. The field looks amazing, but if PYO is not your thing, many days (especially at the end of the week) we have Sarah’s beautiful arrangements available in the farm stand.

In the CSA this week:

• Watermelon - Our first succession of the season is a variety called Blacktail Mountain. It has red flesh and seeds and a really nice sweet flavor.

• Celery - Our celery is a bit less watery than what you’d find in the store, so has a stronger celery flavor.

• Tomato - Tomato yields in the high tunnel are picking up, and soon we’ll also begin harvesting them in the field!

• Green/purple pepper

• Fresh Onions - This week we’ll have some of the Red Long of Tropea variety, which is a red fresh onion with a milder flavor.

• Carrots

• Slicing cucumbers

• Thin-skinned cucumbers

• Zucchini

• Summer Squash

• Mini Cabbage

• Frisée/Endive- These are slightly bitter leafy greens that can add nice crunch to salads. They can also stand up to some wilting or sautéeing if you want to mellow the flavor.

• Lettuce

• Arugula

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

• Green Beans or Cherry tomatoes

• Sunflowers

• Herbs: basil, dill, parsley, mint, oregano, chives and sage

In the farm store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will have:

• Sweet Corn from Verrill Farm. Not organic.

• Pickling Cucumbers

• Potatoes

• Flowers

• Mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm - Farmer’s Mix and Shiitake. Certified organic.

• Baer’s Best Beans - Black Turtle variety is organic, the other varieties are not.

PYO Flower Field

Starting this week the flower field is open to both PYO Flower CSA members and the general public. We still have a few PYO Flower CSA memberships available - visit http://www.barrettsmillfarm.com/online-store/pyo-flower-csa if you would like to sign up!

Flowers available for picking this week include: sunflowers, zinnias, snapdragons, gomphrena, ageratum, celosia, ammi, rudbeckia, verbena, amaranth, cosmos, decorative grasses, decorative basil and strawflower.

Zucchini Carpaccio Salad

from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pound zucchini (about 3 large) or a mix of thin summer squash

• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

• 1/2 pound arugula, stems discarded and leaves cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips (6 cups), or baby arugula

• 1 ounce parmesan, coarsely grated (on large holes of a box grater; about 1/2 cup) or shaved with a vegetable peeler

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• Juice of one lemon

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

You can either cut zucchini crosswise into paper-thin slices with an adjustable-blade slicer, or use a vegetable peeler (this works best if zucchini are thin, thinner than the length of the peeler blade) to shave the zucchini lenghtwise into long ribbons. Toss zucchini slices or ribbons with 1 teaspoon salt in a large colander set over a bowl and let drain 20 minutes.

Rinse zucchini slices well, then drain, pressing gently on slices to extract any excess liquid. Pat zucchini slices dry with a kitchen towel.

[Do ahead: I often prepare these up to this point. Once drained well, they keep in the fridge for a few days in a container so you can use them here or elsewhere.]

Put arugula in a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup parmesan and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Drizzle 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil over greens and toss. Arrange zucchini over arugula greens, then drizzle with remaining oil, lemon juice and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup parmesan and black pepper.

Zucchini Muffins with Chocolate Chips

By Jenn Segal

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, melted

• 1 cup packed light brown sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 medium (9 oz) zucchini, grated (about 2 packed cups/no need to wring dry)

• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons chocolate chips

• ⅔ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and set rack in the middle position. Generously coat a muffin pan generously with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and whisk to combine. Stir in the zucchini.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the zucchini mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in ½ cup of the chocolate chips and all of the nuts (if using).

5. Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, divide the batter into the muffin wells, filling each almost completely. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips onto the muffins, pressing them in lightly so they adhere. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Serve warm or room temperature.

6. The muffins are best served on the same day they are made, but will keep, wrapped in foil, at room temperature for 2 days.

7. Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The muffins can be frozen in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag for up to 3 months. Thaw for 3 – 4 hours on the countertop before serving. To reheat, wrap individual muffins in aluminum foil and place in a preheated 350°F oven until warm.

Zucchini Parmesan Crisps

from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:

Olive oil or cooking spray
2 medium zucchini (about 1 pound total)
1 to 2 egg whites
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup plain, dry breadcrumbs, such as panko
A couple pinches sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Coat two baking sheets lightly with cooking spray or thinly with olive oil. Slice zucchini into slightly-less-than 1/4-inch thick rounds; if they feel especially wet, spread them on a towel while you prepare the other ingredients. In a small bowl, lightly beat first egg white with 1 teaspoon water to loosen it. Combine cheese, crumbs, salt and pepper in a separate bowl. Dip each zucchini coin in egg white, letting excess run off before gently dipping them in parmesan mixture. Arrange in single layer on baking sheets. If additional egg white is needed, prepare it the same way, with 1 teaspoon of water. If additional crumb mixture is needed, make a few spoonfuls at a time, matching the volume of crumbs and cheese.

Bake zucchini rounds until browned and crisp, about 25 to 30 minutes, flipping each over halfway through. Please keep an eye on them; they may need to be moved around on the tray so the ones at the edges don’t bake more quickly than the ones in the center. Take them out only when they’re golden all over and let them cool on the tray on a cooling rack or a plate.

Keep at room temperature until needed. Crisps are best on the first day.

CSA Week 6 and Farm Stand Updates

We are bracing for another hot and humid week out in the fields, though hopefully by Thursday we’ll get a little relief. Harvest is taking up a large chunk of our days right now. Crops like summer squash, zucchini, cucumbers, and now tomatoes, need to be harvested on an every-other-day schedule so that fruit don’t get too big or overly ripe. That means if Wednesday is a zucchini harvest day, whether we’ve got space in our cooler or not we have to harvest it! We are constantly rearranging our cooler to fit freshly harvested crops, and we are also constantly washing harvest buckets. While lugging around full buckets of cucumbers in hot and humid temps is a challenge, the upside is that cooler rearranging and washing all the empty harvest buckets afterwards are comparatively pleasant tasks!

In addition to some exciting new crops (including peppers, tomatoes, potatoes and sweet corn), the PYO Flower field will open to PYO Flower CSA members this week. We anticipate opening the field to the general public next week!

In the CSA this week:

• Tomato - As always, at the beginning of tomato harvesting season quantities are very limited in the CSA, but yields should pick up in the next week or two!

• Green/purple pepper - Like tomatoes, they will be limited for now, but we expect to have larger quantities soon.

• Potatoes - Dark Red Norland variety (red skin, white flesh).

• Fresh Onions - We grow a white variety (Ailsa Craig) and a red variety (Red Long of Tropea). These fresh onions are milder than cured onions, and they should be kept in the fridge. Our onion plants have suffered more than some of our other crops in the hot, low precipitation weather. We have had far more onion thrip pressure this season than typical for us, so the green tops look twisted and the bulbs are smaller than usual. They should still taste nice though!

• Frisée/Endive- These are slightly bitter leafy greens that can add nice crunch to salads. They can also stand up to some wilting or sautéeing if you want to mellow the flavor.

• Carrots

• Slicing cucumbers

• Thin-skinned seedless cucumbers

• Zucchini

• Summer Squash

• Mini Cabbage

• Lettuce

• Salanova lettuce mix - This is likely the last week of salanova until the fall. Lettuce in general doesn’t do well in the heat of the summer, so we take a mid season break from planting salanova.

Coming soon: celery, uncured garlic, new arugula plantings

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

• Green Beans

• Herbs: basil, dill, parsley, mint, oregano, chives and sage

Coming soon: cherry tomatoes and more sunflowers

In the farm store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will have:

• Sweet Corn from Verrill Farm. Not organic.

• Beets

• Pickling Cucumbers

• Garlic scapes

• Scallions

• Flowers

• Mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm - Farmer’s Mix and Shiitake. Certified organic.

• Baer’s Best Beans - Black Turtle variety is organic, the other varieties are not.

PYO Flower CSA

This week the flower field will be open to PYO Flower CSA members only, but we plan to open it to members of the general public. We still have a few PYO Flower CSA memberships available - visit http://www.barrettsmillfarm.com/online-store/pyo-flower-csa if you would like to sign up!

Flowers available for picking this week include: zinnias, snapdragons, gomphrena, ageratum, celosia, ammi, rudbeckia, verbena, amaranth, cosmos, decorative grasses, decorative basil and strawflower.

Sarah harvests some flowers for the farm store.

ZUCCHINI GRIDDLECAKES

By Adam Ried from The Boston Globe, August 19, 2007

MAKES ABOUT 24
2 1/2- TO 3-INCH CAKES

See below for several variations!

• 2 1/2 pounds (about 8) 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.

VARIATIONS

Herb and Parmesan Substitute 6 tablespoons mixed chopped fresh herbs such as parsley, mint, chives, tarragon, basil, and chervil for the parsley and add 3/4 cup grated Parmesan with the flour.

Mint and feta Substitute 6 tablespoons chopped fresh mint for the parsley and add 3/4 cup of crumbled feta with the flour.

Thyme and corn Remove kernels from 2 ears of corn, about 2 cups. (See Fresh Corn Griddlecakes for instructions.) 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.

CSA Week 5 and Farm Stand Updates

We got to check off some pretty significant items on our task list last week in spite of taking a half day on July 4th. One of the items that has been weighing on our minds is trellising and pruning in our high tunnels. High tunnels are in-ground growing structures with a clear plastic “roof”, and as you might imagine it gets pretty hot in there on sunny summer days. This makes it a challenge to get high tunnel trellising work done in June and July! The morning is really the only tolerable time to be in there on a hot day, but that is also the time when we have to harvest vegetables so that they don’t wilt. Trellising is important for keeping plants off the ground and supporting them so that vines and branches don’t snap. Pruning the plants not only helps prevent branches and vines snapping, but it increases productivity, makes harvesting easier, and prevents disease because of better airflow.

The first round of trellising always takes the longest. We have to hang hundreds of new strings from the cross bars in the high tunnels, in addition to clipping plants to the strings and pruning them. Usually by the time we get to the last beds in the high tunnels the plants require extra pruning and gentle handling. Even once that is done, we still have to come back frequently throughout the summer (the plants grow rapidly in the high tunnels) to continue pruning and clipping plants to the trellising lines, but it generally moves quicker than that first round. Last week we finished our third or fourth round of cucumber trellising and we got most of the way through the first round of trellising our peppers. We thankfully got a little relief from the heat on Saturday, which allowed us to make some significant progress on the peppers.

It looks like we’ve got another hot and humid week out in the fields ahead of us, but we will still find time to get in the high tunnels. We are close to finishing the peppers…. for now! Next we desperately need to tackle the next round of high tunnel tomato trellising!

In the CSA this week:

• Frisée - This is a slightly bitter leafy green that can add nice crunch to salads. It can also stand up to some wilting or sautéeing if you want to mellow the flavor.

• Purple Carrots - The skins are both purple and orange, with orange interiors. They taste great and look pretty!

• Slicing cucumbers

• Thin-skinned seedless cucumbers

• Zucchini

• Summer Squash

• Garlic Scapes

• Kale

• Mini Cabbage

• Lettuce

• Salanova lettuce mix - This cut leaf mix is a little crisper than a mesclun mix and therefore keeps well for longer!

• Arugula 0r Mustard greens

Coming soon: potatoes, fresh onions, fennel and celery.

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

• Green Beans

• Sunflowers

• Herbs: basil, dill, parsley, mint, oregano, chives and sage

In the farm store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will have:

• Beets

• Pickling Cucumbers

• Seedlings

• Flowers

• Mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm - In addition to the regular Farmer’s Mix and Shiitake, we will have a few Lion’s Mane! Certified organic.

• Baer’s Best Beans - Black Turtle variety is organic, the other varieties are not.

Warm Frisée and Mushroom Salad

from Tried & True

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons plant-based or dairy butter plus more if needed

• 1 pound mixed mushrooms torn or sliced depending on the variety

• 3 shallots peeled and quartered lengthwise

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

• 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

• 1 head of frisée torn

• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Cook the mushrooms:

• Melt the butter in a wide pot or skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the mushrooms in an even layer and cook for 8–12 minutes until well-browned—season with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl.

• If the skillet is dry, add another tablespoon of butter. Once melted, add the remaining mushrooms and cook for 8–12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to the bowl of mushrooms.

Cook the shallot:

• Add the shallot to the pot and cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring often. Next, add all mushrooms to the pot and cook for 1–2 minutes.

Prepare the sauce:

• Whisk together the maple syrup, Dijon mustard, and white wine vinegar in a bowl.

Cook the frisée:

• Turn the heat on the mushrooms to high. Pour in the sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and add the torn frisée. Cook for 5 minutes until wilted—season to taste with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat.

To serve:

• Serve with cooked rice or noodles or alongside your favorite meat or plant-based protein. Enjoy!

CSA Week 4, Farm Stand Updates and July 4th

In spite of some time-consuming cucumber and zucchini harvests, we accomplished a lot last week! We cultivated just about the entire farm with our tractors. We put down landscape fabric in between tomato, celery, watermelon, kale and sweet potato beds. We trellised most of our field tomatoes. We pruned plants and released beneficial insects in our cucumber high tunnel. We also finally were able to put up a deer fence around the pick-your-own field to the east of the farm stand. This field has our PYO green beans in it, which the deer delight in picking their own (or rather chomping off the tops of the plants). We had covered our beans with netting for over a month to protect them until we could get a fence up, but we needed to uncover the plants for the pollinators and so the plants didn’t get crushed and deformed. I don’t want to jinx ourselves, but the fence seems to be holding up for now. The bean plants have not yet been nibbled since we took the cover off, and I saw a buck walking along the outside perimeter of the fence last night seemingly not attempting to get in. Last season was such a struggle with the deer, so we are keeping a close eye looking for signs of deer incursion!

On another note, the farm stand will be closed Thursday, July 4th for the holiday. We’ll be open our regular hours for the rest of the week, so stop by for your Fourth of July grilling and salad supplies! The CSA schedule remains the same as usual (Wednesday/Saturday pick-ups).

In the CSA this week:

• Mini Cabbage - We are growing 3 types of green cabbage this spring - a regular round head, a cone shaped variety, and a savoy leaf variety.

• Pickling Cucumbers

• Thin-skinned seedless cucumbers

• Slicing cucumbers

• Zucchini

• Summer Squash

• Carrots

• Beets

• Garlic Scapes

• Kale

• Lettuce

• Salanova lettuce mix - This cut leaf mix is a little crisper than a mesclun mix and therefore keeps well for longer!

• Arugula

• Mustard greens - This planting we have a mix of 3 different types of mustard together

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

• Sunflowers - Our first sunflowers just started blooming! We’ll have multiple successions over the course of the summer.

• Herbs: dill, parsley, mint, oregano and sage

In the farm store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will have:

• Scallions

• Seedlings

• Flowers

• Mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm - Certified organic

• Double B Honey - From hives on the property! Not certified organic

• Baer’s Best Beans - Black Turtle variety is organic, the other varieties are not.

• Eggs from Codman Farm - Not organic.

Cabbage Cucumber Salad

from theyummybowl.com

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb young green cabbage, shredded

• 2-3 small (pickling) cucumber or ¾ of english cucumber, peeled, cut into half moon

• ½ cup fresh dill

• 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil

• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste

• ¼ black cracked pepper

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 6% or white cider vinegar 5%

PREPARATION

1. Slice the cabbage thinly, preferably with a large and sharp knife. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper.

2. Using your hands stir and massage the cabbage to soften it and to make sure that all the seasoning is incorporated.

3. Cut the cucumbers into half moon circles. Prepare dill and add to the bowl with sliced cabbage.

4. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. Mix well and serve immediately or leave in the fridge for 15-30 minutes to chill and flavors to combine even more.