CSA Week 9, Flower, and Farm store updates

CSA August time slots start this week. However, we are anticipating some inclement weather this week so if weather limits Tuesday pick-your-own we will as usual have Friday open as a make-up PYO day (11am-6pm). We anticipate needing to take down the CSA tent Tuesday evening in preparation for high winds. Because it looks like there will be thunderstorms in the early evening, we are planning to pack up the CSA and the tent by 5pm Tuesday (possibly earlier if needed), but we will have pre-packed CSA bags available in the farm stand until 6 for anyone who comes after the CSA has been packed up! We apologize for the inconvenience, but we think this is the safest solution given the forecast. We hope to have the tent back up Wednesday morning in time for the opening at 11am!

Summer is in full swing! The watermelon harvest has begun, the flower field is in full bloom, and the cherry tomatoes are now coming in strong! This week we will start picking our field tomatoes (so far they have been early tomatoes from our high tunnel) and we even have the first red peppers ripening in our high tunnel. The recent hot weather is hard to work in but what great rewards! Summer on the farm also means we need to start thinking of fall so this week we will begin harvesting our storage onions and the first of our winter squash (spaghetti squash) for curing. We will also start mowing and disking fields for cover cropping soon. But first let’s enjoy these first watermelon, cherry tomatoes, flowers and sunny skies for a couple of days!

In the CSA this week:

• Watermelon!

• Garlic - We have cured our garlic in the farm stand for the past month and it is now ready for eating and storage! We will have it this week as a treat but then will likely save the rest for the fall.

• Slicing tomatoes - It is still early but the harvest will pick up once the field tomatoes start coming in.

• Arugula - This spicy crowd favorite is back this week! It has some holes due to insects as it was too hot for row cover, our usual preventative measure.

• Yukina Savoy - A milder green for those who find arugula too spicy! It makes a great raw spinach substitute and also holds up well to light cooking.

• Potatoes - This week we will have the last of the red potatoes and a new-to-us purple skinned variety (white flesh) called Caribe, which is delicious.

• Fresh onions - Ailsa Craig (white) and Red Long of Tropea (red). Store in the fridge.

• Peppers - green and purple.

• Eggplant - we are now harvesting 3 types of eggplant: Asian eggplant, Italian eggplant and Beatrice (a bright violet colored Italian eggplant)

• Zucchini

• Summer Squash

• Carrots

• Lettuce - We will have a mix of summer crisp varieties.

CSA PYO:

Please bring scissors from home for your herb and sunflower picking. We do have some you may borrow but quantities are limited each day due to necessary sanitizing measures.

• Herbs: basil, cilantro (new planting now open!), dill (new planting open!), dill flowers, parsley

• Cherry tomatoes - All varieties that are now ripening! Sungold (orange), Cherry bomb (red), Jasper (red), Red Pearl (red), Mountain Magic (red), Yellow mini (yellow), Sunpeach (pink), Black cherry (deep brownish purple), Supernova (red with yellow flecks), Moonbeam (pale yellow), mightnight pear (brownish purple). Look low on plants for the ripe fruit.

• Hot peppers - jalapeño, Fresno and Hungarian hot wax

Pick-your-own Flower CSA

The flower field is at it’s peak so this is a great time to pick! The flower field is open to both flower CSA members as well as for those who would like to purchase PYO flowers by the jar. Picking is open anytime the Farm Store is open: Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. For the safety of everyone, there are capacity limits in the flower field and everyone over the age of 2 must wear a mask in the PYO fields. Flowers available for picking this week include: zinnias, bachelor’s buttons, bells of Ireland, scabiosa, didiscus, cosmos, snapdragons, rudbeckia, dill flowers, decorative basil, strawflower, gomphrena, sweet Annie, amaranth, and verbena. Don’t forget your pruners and scissors from home and water for your jar! Check in at the farm stand before picking.

In the Farm Store:

In addition to most of the items listed in the CSA we will also have sweet corn from Verrill Farm, mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm and eggs from Pete and Jen’s Backyard Birds available this week. Online pre-orders continue, but please note that pre-orders are now available for Tuesday, Friday and Saturday pick-ups only. We will not be offering pick-ups on Wednesday and Thursday as we try to improve efficiency and focus on the most popular ordering days. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering opens at 2pm the day before pick-up. Walk-up sales continue to be open for all Tuesday-Saturday.

Farm Store Hours

Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm

Saturday 9am-3pm

Please wear a snug fitting mask with multiple layers when approaching the farm stand. If you cannot wear a mask, simply order online and include a note in your order letting us know what car you will be driving (as well as roughly what time you will arrive) and we will bring your bag out to your car when you arrive. Thank you for your understanding!

Recipes:

Pesto is a highlight of summer! I tend to make the basic but if you’ve mastered that and want something new skip the first recipe and check out the second, Zucchini Noodles with Basil-Pumpkin seed pesto!

The Best Basic Pesto

By Jennifer Segal: https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/basil-walnut-pesto.html

This is my go-to pesto recipe — and it’s delicious on just about everything, from pasta to sandwiches to salads.

Servings: Makes about 1-1/4 cups (about 10 servings)

Total Time: 15 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 cup walnuts

• 2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped

• 2 cups gently packed fresh basil leaves

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, best quality such as Lucini or Colavita

• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the walnuts and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until coarsely chopped, about 10 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper and process until mixture resembles a paste, about 1 minute. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly blended. Add the Parmesan and process a minute more. Use pesto immediately or store in a tightly sealed jar or air-tight plastic container, covered with a thin layer of olive oil (this seals out the air and prevents the pesto from oxidizing, which would turn it an ugly brown color). It will keep in the refrigerator for about a week.

2. Freezer-Friendly Instructions: Pesto can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 6 months. You can also divide your prepared pesto into the compartments of an ice cube tray and freeze. Once it’s frozen, remove the pesto cubes from the tray and put in a sealable plastic bag or airtight container. You can add the defrosted pesto cubes to soups, pasta dishes, eggs, sandwiches, and potatoes.

Heather’s Zucchini Noodles with Basil-Pumpkin Seed Pesto

From Cookie and Kate: https://cookieandkate.com/zucchini-noodles-with-pesto-recipe/#tasty-recipes-24118

INGREDIENTS

Basil-pumpkin seed pesto

• 1/2 small yellow onion, roughly chopped*

• 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped

• 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves (arugula works, too)

• 1/2 cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds), toasted**

• 1/3 cup olive oil

• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar, to taste (or lemon juice)

• Pinch of red pepper flakes

• Salt, to taste

Zucchini noodles

• 3 large zucchini

• Salt

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes (Heather served her tomatoes whole; I halved mine vertically)

• Fresh basil leaves, for garnishing

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To prepare the pesto: In a food processor, combine the onion (if using, see notes), garlic, basil, toasted pepitas, olive oil, vinegar and red pepper flakes. Blend until smooth and season with salt, to taste (I added about 1/2 teaspoon—if the mixture tastes overwhelmingly oniony, don’t worry, it will mellow in a few minutes. I added another teaspoon of vinegar to help balance the flavors).

2. To prepare the noodles: Spiralize the zucchini with a spiralizer (here’s how), or turn the zucchini into noodles with a julienne peeler, or grate the zucchini the long way on a large box grater. Toss the zucchini with pesto until well coated, and season with salt (I added another 1/4 teaspoon).

3. Transfer the pesto noodles to a large platter and sprinkle with the cherry tomatoes. Tuck the fresh basil in to the corners to garnish.

NOTES

Recipe minimally adapted from Pure Delicious by Heather Christo, with permission.
*If you’re sensitive to the flavor of raw onion, just skip it.
**To toast the pepitas, pour them into a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the seeds are fragrant and the pepitas are starting to make little popping noises, around 5 minutes.

Ratatouille

By Martha Rose Shulman, New York Times August 30, 2010

• 1 1/2 pounds eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• Salt

• 3/4 pound (2 medium) onions, thinly sliced

• 4 to 6 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced

• 3/4 pound mixed sweet peppers cut into slices about 3/4 inch wide by 1 1/2 inches long

• 1 1/4 pounds zucchini, sliced about 1/2 inch thick

• 1 pound tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 to 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried thyme

• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

• Freshly ground pepper

• 2 to 4 tablespoons slivered or chopped fresh basil, to taste

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the cubed eggplant in a large, heavy flameproof casserole. Toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and salt to taste. Place in the hot oven, and roast uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring from time to time until the eggplant is lightly browned and fragrant. Remove the casserole from the oven, cover tightly and allow the eggplant to steam in the hot casserole.

Heat a tablespoon of the remaining oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet. Add the onions. Cook, stirring often, until just about tender, about five minutes. Stir in the peppers and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the peppers have softened and smell fragrant, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in half the garlic, and cook for another minute. Season with salt and pepper, and transfer to the casserole with the eggplant. Heat the remaining oil in the skillet, and add the zucchini. Cook, stirring often, until tender but still bright, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the remaining garlic and mix together for a minute until fragrant. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and transfer to the casserole. Add the tomatoes to the casserole along with the bay leaf, thyme, oregano, and more salt and pepper to taste. Toss everything together, and place over medium-low heat. When the vegetables begin to sizzle, cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring often, for 30 to 45 minutes until the mixture is juicy and fragrant and the vegetables are thoroughly tender. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve warm or cold, preferably the next day. Stir in the basil shortly before serving.

Farm Updates: CSA Time slot selection this week and Thank you to our shopkeepers!

We are entering Week 8 of the CSA and August is fast approaching, which means this week we will send out emails inviting the primary contact from each CSA membership to sign up for an August CSA pick-up time slot. If you need to change the primary email address on your CSA membership, please email Melissa ASAP. Sign ups for time slots will begin this Thursday at 6pm and will be good for August 4th-August 29th.

We wanted to dedicate the rest of this newsletter to thanking our amazing Shopkeepers, Ione, Phoebe, Sue, Annemarie, Debbie, Jane, and Sophie. As many of you may have heard (or experienced yourself), it is a very stressful time for retail workers. Many people have strong opinions about mask wearing and other pandemic-related safety measures. Emotions and tensions are high, and a lot times that frustration spills over and gets taken out on these essential workers. These women have handled all of the pressure with friendliness and grace throughout. They are the gatekeepers that help ensure that the farm is a safe place for all of us, and they have been calm and collected in the face of several difficult situations this season. It is so easy to let one negative interaction cancel out many positive ones, but they have all refused to become discouraged and they keep on approaching their work with enthusiasm and positivity. We feel so lucky to have them on board and that they keep coming back day after day. If you have a chance, please don your mask, thank them and let them know how much you appreciate all they are doing to keep the farm safe!

In the CSA this week:

• Slicing tomatoes! - It is still very early, but we are very excited that we have enough for one tomato per CSA share!

• Celery- it’s been a dry year overall and celery likes a lot of water, so these are fairly small, but they pack a lot of flavor. We also tried out a new “pink” celery variety this year, so you may see a few of those mixed in!

• Mizuna - this green is milder than mustard greens and can be eaten raw or cooked. Chop it up and toss with a potato salad, add it to your sandwich, or sautee it with garlic.

• Potatoes - We are harvesting Dark Red Norlands right now (red skin with white flesh).

• Fresh onions - Ailsa Craig (white) and Red Long of Tropea (red). Store in the fridge.

• Peppers - green and purple.

• Eggplant - we are now harvesting 3 types of eggplant: Asian eggplant, Italian eggplant and Beatrice (a bright violet colored Italian eggplant)

• Cucumbers

• Zucchini

• Summer Squash

• Carrots

• Cabbage or kale - we are nearing the end of our spring planted brassicas, but we’ll still have one of these out this week!

• Lettuce - We will have a mix of summer crisp varieties.

• Yukina Savoy or mustard greens

CSA PYO:

Please bring scissors from home for your herb and sunflower picking. We do have some you may borrow but quantities are limited each day due to necessary sanitizing measures.

• Herbs: basil, cilantro and parsley, thyme and sage

• Green beans or Cherry tomatoes - it’s the beginning of cherry tomato season and the end of our first green beans planting, so you will have a choice of one or the other at the beginning of the week (the green beans might be finished before the end of the week, so it may just be cherry tomatoes by then!). Varieties that are ripening include Sungold (orange), Cherry bomb (red), Jasper (red), Red Pearl (red), Mountain Magic (red), Yellow mini (yellow), Sunpeach (pink) and Supernove (red with yellow flecks). Look low on plants for the ripe fruit.

• Sunflowers

• Hot peppers - jalapeño, Fresno and Hungarian hot wax

Pick-your-own Flower CSA

For the safety of everyone, there are capacity limits in the flower field and everyone over the age of 2 must wear a mask in the PYO fields. Flowers available for picking this week include: zinnias, bachelor’s buttons, bells of Ireland, scabiosa, didiscus, cosmos, snapdragons (lots of new snaps blooming this week!), rudbeckia, dill flowers, decorative basil, strawflower, gomphrena, sweet Annie, amaranth, and verbena. Don’t forget your pruners and scissors from home and water for your jar! Check in at the farm stand before picking, the flower field is open during all farm store hours and is open to both flower CSA members as well as for those who would like to purchase pyo flowers by the jar.

In the Farm Store:

In addition to most of the items listed in the CSA we will also have sweet corn from Verrill Farm, mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm and eggs from Pete and Jen’s Backyard Birds available this week. Online pre-orders continue, but please note that we are cutting back on the number of days. Starting this week, you will be able to pre-order for pick-ups Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. We will not be offering pick-ups on Wednesday and Thursday as we try to improve efficiency and focus on the most popular ordering days. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering opens at 2pm the day before pick-up. Walk-up sales continue to be open for all Tuesday-Saturday.

Farm Store Hours

Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm

Saturday 9am-3pm

Please wear a snug fitting mask with multiple layers when approaching the farm stand. If you cannot wear a mask, simply order online and include a note in your order letting us know what car you will be driving (as well as roughly what time you will arrive) and we will bring your bag out to your car when you arrive. Thank you for your understanding!

Green Gazpacho

Adapted from “Plenty,” by Yotam Ottolenghi

This recipe uses so many summer farm crops and is a delicious and refreshing cold soup that is perfect for a hot day!

• 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 spinach (or other tender green like mizuna or yukina savoy)

• 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

• Ice cubes

Combine the celery, green peppers, cucumbers, chili, garlic, sugar, walnuts, spinach (or other tender green), 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.

CSA Week 7 and Farm Store updates

We hope everyone is holding up okay in this oppressive heat! It’s not easy farming in this weather, especially while masked, but we try to plan our days so that we do harder tasks in the morning and have less strenuous ones later in the day. There isn’t a lot of work that takes place in the shade in farming (what with plants loving sunshine!) so bin washing and seeding greenhouse trays are coveted activities on hot days. Fresh onion harvesting is also a great hot weather activity (see photo above), as you can periodically sit down while bunching (and you can sit on straw mulch rather than hot sandy soil!). Regardless of what we’re doing, we also try to have crew popsicle breaks on really hot afternoons to keep everyone energized!

This week we will enjoy the first potatoes of the year. Potatoes are one of those staples that seem like they should be easy to grow based on their price point in the grocery store, but are actually quite challenging on an a small organic diversified vegetable farm. They are particularly susceptible to moisture and nutrient deficiencies, as well as to several pests. With our sandy, well-drained soils, moisture and nutrient deficiencies are perennial problems. We have also in the past struggled with Colorado potato beetles. They evolve so quickly that they rapidly develop resistance to organic pesticides, which means we have resort to some more “hands-on” control methods. Proper control requires going through the fields once a week and picking bugs off and crushing egg clusters by hand, which can take a crew of 8 or 9 people 3-4 hours in our fields. This year we also tried out planting strips of cover crop in the potatoes to create beneficial insect habitats (lady beetle larvae love eating potato beetle larvae).

Once the plants get bigger, it is too time consuming to hunt for beetles and larvae under every leaf, so we break out our flame weeder and have two crew members knock bugs off the plant while another person follows behind and burns the bugs that have dropped to the ground (this is a crew favorite activity!). This year we finally had enough crew members to properly manage the annual Colorado potato beetle invasion - all of our efforts paid off, and we had the least amount of pest pressure we’ve seen since we moved onto the farm! However, it seems that the drought earlier this summer combined with more recent potato leafhopper pressure have led to us ending up with only marginally better potato yields than previous seasons. We are encouraged by our potato beetle control success, though, and we hope that maybe in another season or two we will have dialed in our potato growing techniques enough to justify purchasing a mechanical harvester to save us many hours of time forking and digging potatoes by hand. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy the potatoes during the weeks that we have them - they were grown with a lot of effort and love!

In the CSA this week:

• Potatoes - We are harvesting Dark Red Norlands right now (red skin with white flesh).

• Fresh onions - Ailsa Craig (white) and Red Long of Tropea (red). Store in the fridge.

• Peppers - green and purple.

• Eggplant - we are now harvesting 3 types of eggplant: Asian eggplant, Italian eggplant and Beatrice (a bright violet colored Italian eggplant)

• Cucumbers

• Zucchini

• Summer Squash

• Carrots

• Beets

• Mini cabbage -Green “Farao,” green cone shaped “Caraflex,” and some red “Omero” heads

• Kale

• Lettuce - We will have a mix of summer crisp varieties.

• Yukina Savoy

• Mustard greens

CSA PYO:

We hope to begin picking cherry tomatoes next week but for this week we will enjoy two new pick your own items this week- green beans and hot peppers! Basil is still particularly nice, great for a small batch of pesto! Please bring scissors from home for your herb picking. We do have some you may borrow but quantities are limited each day due to necessary sanitizing measures.

• Herbs: basil, cilantro and parsley, thyme, sage and mint

• Green beans - Pick the biggest ones! We have 6 rows open so be sure to check them all!

• Hot peppers - jalapeño and Hungarian hot wax

Pick-your-own Flower CSA

Starting this week the flower field will be open not only to Flower CSA members, but also to the general public. For the safety of everyone, there are capacity limits in the flower field and everyone over the age of 2 must wear a mask in the PYO fields. Flowers available for picking this week include: zinnias, bachelor’s buttons, cosmos, snapdragons, rudbeckia, dill flowers, decorative basil, strawflower, gomphrena and verbena. Don’t forget your pruners and scissors from home and water for your jar! Check in at the farm stand before picking.

In the Farm Store:

In addition to most of the items listed in the CSA we will also have the first tomatoes from the high tunnels and cherry tomatoes from the field. We’ll also have blueberries a few days this week (we will try to have them for Wednesday and Friday, and there will be customer limits). There will also be sweet corn from Verrill Farm, mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm and eggs from Pete and Jen’s Backyard Birds available this week. Online pre-orders continue to be available for quick pick-up at the farm store, and walk-up sales are open for all Tuesday-Saturday. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering opens at 2pm the day before pick-up.

Farm Store Hours

Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm

Saturday 9am-3pm

Please wear a snug fitting mask with multiple layers when approaching the farm stand. If you cannot wear a mask, simply order online and include a note in your order letting us know what car you will be driving (as well as roughly what time you will arrive) and we will bring your bag out to your car when you arrive. Thank you for your understanding!

Summer Greens with Mustardy Potatoes and Six-Minute Egg

by Alex Lau from Bon Appetit, May 2016

• 4 large eggs

• 2 ounces sliced or slab bacon, cut crosswise into ¼-inch strips

• ¾ pound tiny potatoes, halved if larger than a ping pong ball

• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

• 1 small shallot (or half of a fresh Red Long of Tropea onion would work great!), finely chopped

• 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard

• 1 tablespoon (or more) white wine vinegar

• 4 cups (lightly packed) summer greens, such as arugula, baby romaine, and/or mustard greens

• 2 cups mixed herb leaves, such as parsley, chives, and/or chervil

Recipe Preparation

• Carefully lower eggs into a medium saucepan of boiling water and cook 6 minutes. Drain and transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water; set aside.

• Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fat is starting to render but bacon is not yet crisp, about 4 minutes. Add potatoes; season with salt and pepper. Cook, shaking pan occasionally, until potatoes are tender and cooked through, 8–10 minutes. Remove from heat and add shallot, mustard, and vinegar; toss to coat.

• Toss greens and herbs in a large bowl, add warm potatoes and toss again to coat; season with salt, pepper, and more vinegar, if desired. Peel and halve eggs; arrange over potatoes and greens.

Marinated Zucchini Salad

by Martha Rose Shulman , NYTimes Cooking

• 1 pound medium or small zucchini, preferably a mix of green and yellow

• Salt to taste

• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 1 garlic clove, crushed

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley, mint, chives, dill or a combination

  Preparation

• Slice the squash as thinly as you can. Sprinkle with salt, preferably kosher salt, and let sit for 15 to 30 minutes. Rinse and drain on paper towels.

• Mix together the lemon juice, garlic and olive oil. Toss with the zucchini. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for four to six hours.

• Remove from the refrigerator, and remove the garlic clove. Add the fresh herbs, and toss together. Taste, adjust seasoning and serve.



Grilled Zucchini Ribbons with Pesto and White Beans

from Smitten Kitchen

• 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds zucchini, thinner longer ones are ideal here

• Olive oil

• Coarse or kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1 lemon

• 1 3/4 cups (from 1 15-ounce can) small-to-medium-sized white beans, drained (I used – Goya’s Great Northern beans)

• 1 garlic clove, peeled

• A 2-ounce bundle of basil (this is the small clamshell size at most groceries)

• 1 to 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

• Coarsely grated parmesan, to taste

Prepare the zucchini: Trim ends and cut zucchini the long way into 1/4-inch strips. I use a mandoline for this (I have this one but will soon replace it with this) but a knife works too. Spread out strips on a large tray and brush lightly with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.

On a grill (I use the full heat, but have a dinky, small grill; you might find a more moderate heat better here) or a grill pan, grill zucchini in a single layer until grill marks appear underneath, then flip over and repeat the same on the other side. Transfer zucchini back to platter and squeeze lemon juice over it.

Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, combine basil and garlic with a few good pinches of salt and a few grinds of black pepper until chopped. Drizzle in olive oil until it blends smoothly; you’ll want about 4, sometimes 5, tablespoons. Add 1 tablespoon vinegar and blend until well-mixed; taste and add more vinegar, up to 1 more tablespoon, to taste. Season to taste.

Combine beans with about 2/3 of the dressing in a small bowl. In a larger bowl or serving platter, pour half of dressed beans in the bottom. Arrange grilled zucchini on top, twisting and turning it so that it looks extra ribbony. Spoon remaining beans in the spaces. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the platter, to taste.

Finish with a light blanket of parmesan and eat whenever you’re ready. As assembled, it keeps well at room temperature for an hour, giving you time to do everything else.

CSA Week 6 and Farm Store updates

More summer crops are coming in, making it a great time for grilling. The first fresh onions, green and purple peppers, as well as the first eggplant are being added to the mix. Soon we’ll also have potatoes and celery, so your summer barbecues will be complete with potato salad! Cherry tomatoes are also just around the corner (perhaps next week), and the slicing tomatoes from our high tunnel shouldn’t be too far behind.

We are also busy taking care of later fall crops like the winter squash pictured above. Even when things start to seem under control and you feel like you’ve hit your stride, there is always something new to keep us on our toes. This time it was a brave woodchuck (or two) that climbed up on our greenhouse table and ate some of our broccoli seedlings last week! Enough were rescued in time so there won’t be shortage this fall and they are now happy and growing safely out in the field across the street from the woodchuck den!

In the CSA this week:

• Fresh onions - Ailsa Craig (white) and Red Long of Tropea (red). These fresh onions are a little sweeter than cured onions and are great raw, pickled or caramelized on top of a sandwich or burger. Or just use them as you would any

• Peppers - green or purple. You will have a choice between either peppers or eggplant.

• Eggplant - It’s still early, so while the first eggplant are coming in, you will have a choice between eggplant or peppers.

• Slicing cucumbers

• Pickling cucumbers

• Zucchini

• Summer Squash

• Carrots

• Beets

• Mini cabbage -Green “Farao,” green cone shaped “Caraflex,” and some red “Omero” heads

• Kale

• Lettuce - We will have a mix of red leaf and green summer crisp.

• Salanova lettuce mix - We thought last week would be the last week of salanova until the fall, but it is still hanging on for one more week. Will likely be limited.

CSA PYO:

If possible please bring scissors from home. We do have some you may borrow but quantities are limited each day due to necessary sanitizing measures.

• Herbs: in addition to basil, cilantro and parsley, we have reopened the perennial herb beds by the farm stand, so you will also have chives, oregano, thyme, sage and mint to choose from.

• Sunflowers!

Pick-your-own Flower CSA

The PYO Flower CSA opens this week for Flower CSA members (both Small and Large memberships)! In a couple of weeks when the flower field is in full bloom we will also have pick-your-own flowers available for anyone to purchase by the jar. PYO Flower CSA members, look for an email today with more details about how it will work. Flowers available for picking this week include: zinnias, bachelor’s buttons, cosmos, snapdragons, rudbeckia, dill flowers, decorative basil, strawflower, gomphrena and verbena.

In the Farm Store:

In addition to most of the items listed in the CSA we will also have the first blueberries (there will be customer limits), golden beets, purple carrots, scallions, yukina savoy and red Russian kale. We’ll also have mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm and eggs from Pete and Jen’s Backyard Birds available this week. Online pre-orders continue to be available for quick pick-up at the farm store, and walk-up sales are open for all Tuesday-Saturday. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering opens at 2pm the day before pick-up.

Farm Store Hours

Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm

Saturday 9am-3pm

Please wear a snug fitting mask with multiple layers when approaching the farm stand. If you cannot wear a mask, simply order online and include a note in your order letting us know what car you will be driving (as well as roughly what time you will arrive) and we will bring your bag out to your car when you arrive. Thank you for your understanding!

Quick-Pickled Onions

from Cookie + Kate

This tangy and crisp pickled onion recipe is ready in 30 minutes. These onions are the perfect condiment for tacos, burritos, nachos, burgers and more.

Ingredients

• 1 medium red onion, very thinly sliced (you can also use the white fresh onions - they are seet enough!)

• ½ cup water

• ¼ cup distilled white vinegar

• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar or additional white vinegar

• 1 ½ tablespoons maple syrup or honey

• 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt

• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, for heat)

Instructions

1. Pack the onions into a 1-pint mason jar or similar heat-safe vessel. Place the jar in the sink, to catch any splashes of hot vinegar later.

2. In a small saucepan, combine the water, both vinegars, maple syrup, salt, and pepper flakes. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then carefully pour the mixture into the jar over the onions.

3. Use a butter knife or spoon to press the onions down into the vinegar and pop any air bubbles in the jar. Let the pickled onions cool to room temperature (about 20 to 30 minutes), at which point they should be sufficiently pickled for serving.

4. Cover and refrigerate leftover pickled onions for later. Quick-pickled onions are best consumed within three days, but they keep for 2 to 3 weeks in the refrigerator.

Crunchy Cucumber Cabbage Salad with a Sesame Dressing

from Flourishing Foodie

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 small cabbage (2 1/2 cups), chopped

• 2 green onions, sliced (or use a small amount of diced fresh onion)

• 1 tbsp chopped parsley

• 1/2 cup sliced cucumber

• 1/4 cup shelled edamame

• 1/4 cup sliced almonds

• 1/4 cup dry chow mein noodles

• 1 tbsp sesame oil

• 2 tbsp rice vinegar

• 2 tbsp mirin

• 1/2 tsp grated ginger

• 1 tsp black sesame seeds

• salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl combine the cabbage, green onions, parsley, cucumber, edamame, almonds, and chow mein noodles.

2. In a jar with a tight fitting lid, add the sesame oil, rice vinegar, mirin, and grated ginger. Shake to combine.

3. Pour the dressing over the salad and combine. Add the sesame seeds and salt to taste.

4. Serve.

CSA Week 5 and Farm Store updates

The silver lining of farming in the midst of a pandemic has been the great crew we have on the farm this year. Because of COVID-19 we were faced with a need to hire additional help to to accommadate the changes in the farm store and CSA distribution this season. However, the pandemic also ended up changing the plans for several crew members from last year, making it possible for them to return to the farm for another season and giving us an unexpected boost (and reprieve) in the hiring process. We now have 11 returning crew members (out of 17 total employees)! Having a knowledgeable, friendly, reliable crew has helped ease the burden of the increase in workload - as well as stress levels - from the current pandemic. They make each CSA and farm store day happen from morning sanitizing, to harvest, distribution, and clean up. The first crew member starts at 6:30am (rockstar Sarah!) to sanitize and prepare for the field crew’s arrival, and the last crew members leave the farm after 6:30pm, with lots of bagging, sanitizing, stocking and bin washing in-between of course! While it has been a challenging season in many ways, our crew has remained upbeat, cheerful and hardworking throughout. With faces covered under masks the farm doesn’t always look as friendly as in the past but know they are smiling under there and happy to help!

In the CSA this week:

• Purple Haze Carrots- These carrots are purple on the outside and orange on the inside. We grow one planting a year because they are fun! They taste similar to the carrots you are used to.

• Slicing cucumbers - We are enjoying this early harvest from our high tunnel! The field slicing cucumbers are just beginning to produce.

• Golden beets - These beets are sweet, pretty, and don’t turn your kitchen red when you cook them! Golden beet seed is less dependable and more expensive then that of red beets so we grow just one planting in the spring and one in the fall.

• Scallions - Field scallion harvest has begun! The tops are slightly damaged by thrips but they still taste great.

• Zucchini

• Summer Squash

• Pickling cucumbers - These cucumbers are known for being good for pickling but are also great for eating raw any way you would slicing cucumbers!

• Mini cabbage -Green “Farao,” green cone shaped “Caraflex,” and some of the first red “Omero” heads

• Kale

• Lettuce - The last of the spring lettuce before we move on to summer crisp varieties.

• Salanova lettuce mix - Likely the last week of this spring favorite! Weather in July gets too hot for us to grow lettuce mix so we take a break and start back up in the early fall.

CSA PYO:

If possible please bring scissors from home. We do have some you may borrow but quantities are limited each day due to necessary sanitizing measures.

• Basil - To harvest pinch or cut plants at the stem. Cut above the lowest branching leaves.

• Dill - Use scissors to cut about 2” from the ground

• Cilantro - Use scissors to cut about 2” from the ground

• Parsley - Cut or pinch outer leaves, leaving interior leaves to grow.

Pick-your-own Flower CSA

The PYO Flower CSA will likely begin next week (July 14th) for Flower CSA members (both Small and Large memberships)! The first flowers available will be snapdragons, zinnias, and bachelor buttons. The Flower CSA is separate from the Main Season CSA but the Main Season CSA (including Flex and Extended memberships) does include pick-your-own sunflowers and the first planting will hopefully be ready next week! In a couple of weeks when the flower field is in full bloom we will also have pick-your-own flowers available for anyone to purchase by the jar. We will email Flower CSA members additional details about your membership next week and continue to post updates about variety availability here on the blog.

In the Farm Store:

In addition to most of the items listed in the CSA we will also have mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm and eggs from Pete and Jen’s Backyard Birds available this week. Online pre-orders continue to be available for quick pick-up at the farm store, and walk-up sales are open for all Tuesday-Saturday. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering opens at 2pm the day before pick-up.

Farm Store Hours

Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm

Saturday 9am-3pm

Please wear a snug fitting mask with multiple layers when approaching the farm stand. If you cannot wear a mask, simply order online and include a note in your order letting us know what car you will be driving (as well as roughly what time you will arrive) and we will bring your bag out to your car when you arrive. Thank you for your understanding!

Warm Golden Beet Salad with Greens and Almonds

By Faith Durand at the Kitchn: https://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-warm-golden-beet-salad-116139

Ingredients

• 1 bunch beets, both tops and roots

• Olive oil

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

• 2/3 cup toasted almond slivers

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 425°F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan or cake tin with a big square of foil, large enough to complete enclose the beet roots. Lightly rinse the beet roots to remove any really clumpy dirt and pat them dry. Place them in the foil square and lightly drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Fold up the foil and crease to seal. Bake the beets for 60 minutes or until they can be just pierced with a fork. Set aside to cool.

2. Meanwhile, chop the beet greens into bite-size ribbons. Discard the stalks between the roots and where the leaves start, but chop the leaf ribs along with the leaves. Rinse thoroughly to remove all traces of dirt and grit. In a large skillet, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat and add the garlic. Cook on low for about 5 minutes or until the garlic is golden and fragrant. Add the chopped leaves and stir to coat with the garlic. Cook on medium-low for about 10 minutes or until the leaves are soft and tender. Remove from the heat.

3. When the beets are cool, rub them with a paper towel to remove the skin. Then chop into bitesized pieces and toss with the cooked greens, goat cheese, and almonds. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or cold. (This also makes an excellent pressed sandwich filling, especially with some extra goat cheese.)

Our crew has been chatting in the fields about their recent culinary exploits and scallion pancakes have been on the top of the list! They are a little more involved than our usual recipes but here is a “how to” from the kitchn website in case you want to join in the fun with this week’s scallion harvest!

How To Make Scallion Pancakes

by Faith Durand

https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-scallion-pancakes-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-107405

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups

  white flour

• 1 cup

  warm water

• Oil for the pancakes, such as vegetable, sesame, or shortening

• Coarse kosher salt

• 1 bunch

  scallions

• High smoke point oil for the pan, such as vegetable, canola, or peanut oil

Equipment

• Spray oil or cooking spray

• Rolling pin

• Baking sheet or pastry board

• 10-inch heavy skillet or sauté pan

• Thin spatula

• Kitchen scissors

Instructions

1. Make the dough and let it rest: Mix 2 1/2 cups flour with 1 cup water until it forms a smooth dough. Knead by doubling the dough over and pressing it down repeatedly, until the dough is even more smooth and very elastic. Coat this ball of dough lightly in oil and put it back in the bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.

2. Roll out the dough: Cut the dough into 4 equal parts. Lightly oil the back of a large metal baking sheet (or a smooth stone countertop or pastry board). Roll out one part of the dough on the back of the baking sheet. Roll until it is a thin rectangle at least 12 x 9 inches.

3. Chop the scallions: Finely chop the bunch of scallions. (I usually use the green tops and just the very top of the white parts.) Set them on your work surface along with a small bowl of kosher salt.

4. Top the dough: Lightly brush the top of the dough with oil, then sprinkle it evenly with chopped scallions and kosher salt.

5. Roll up the dough: Starting from the long end, roll the dough up tightly, creating one long snake of rolled-up dough.

6. Cut in half: Cut the dough snake in two equal parts.

7. Coil the dough and let it rest: Take one of these halves and coil into a round dough bundle. Let it rest for at least 15 minutes and ideally longer, while you repeat this process with the rest of the dough.

8. Roll out the coil: Pat a coiled dough bundle into a flat, smooth, round pancake. You can do this with a rolling pin or with your hands.

9. Cook the pancake for 2 minutes: Heat a 10-inch heavy skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat, and oil it with a drizzle of canola, vegetable, or peanut oil. When the oil shimmers, pick up the pancake dough and lay it gently in the pan. It should sizzle, but not burn. Cook for 2 minutes on one side.

10. Flip and cook for an additional 2 minutes: Flip the pancake over with a spatula and cook for an additional 2 minutes on the other side, or until golden brown. Repeat steps 9-11 with the rest of the pancake dough coils.

11. To Serve: Cut the pancake into wedges with a pair of kitchen scissors, and serve immediately with soy sauce or another dipping sauce.

Recipe Notes

Oils: This recipe calls for oil in two different places: Once to make the filling, and once to fry the pancakes. For the filling, any neutral oil will do, but commenters (and I!) prefer sesame oil. Other recipes call for shortening. For the pan, use a high smoke point oil such as peanut.

Make ahead: If you would like to make a few pancakes but save the rest for later, you can save the dough in the fridge for up to 5 days. Just make sure the dough is oiled and well-covered. You can also roll out individual pancakes and stack them between well-oiled layers of wax paper.