CSA Week 10 and Farm Store

The beginning of last week was taken up by storm prep followed by storm recovery. On Monday and Tuesday we tried to harvest enough to get us through Wednesday, as we anticipated that Wednesday morning we would be busy with post-storm clean-up. We also took down the CSA tent Tuesday afternoon and tucked it away safely inside, along with the CSA and wash area tables, handwashing sinks, harvest buckets and seedling trays. Normally this time of year we leave the sides of our greenhouse and high tunnels rolled up, but we closed all of them and secured with “wiggle wire,” a wire we put inside tracking to hold down the plastic. Wednesday morning we immediately set to work putting the tent back up (which we’ve gotten much more efficient at now, but it was complicated by some frayed and broken ropes!) and moving everything we had put inside the night before back outside! The rest of the day the field crew was occupied with repairing over 600 feet of cherry tomato and field tomato trellising that had fallen over. We are all a bit sore from taking turns pounding in new posts and lifting up hundreds of pounds of fallen plants, but fortunately our crew is not only very tough, they have a great sense of humor and we were able to laugh together throughout!

Though we would have rather not had all this additional work this past week, we are grateful this didn’t happen any later in the season, as soon we won’t have enough crew members to pull off such a fast and efficient repair! Last week we said goodbye to Rachael. This week we also bid farewell to Jess, Dave, Annemarie, Emma, Molly and Elise as they return to school and regular jobs. We are so grateful for all their hard work, as well as their positivity and good humor!

Though the early part of the week felt a bit like “Groundhog Day”, the rest of the week we made up for it with lots of weeding, cultivating, seeding and field prep for cover crops to go in soon. We also started harvest of our fall storage crops. Shallots and half of our yellow onions are now curing in our smallest high tunnel, and on Saturday we harvested and brought in 3 bulk bins of spaghetti squash to finish curing in the barn. There’s still a little more out in the field to collect this week, and then we’ll move on to red onions and pie pumpkins!

In the CSA this week:

• Heirloom tomatoes - we’ll have mostly Pruden’s Purple (actually a pink tomato), but you may also see some Striped German, Pineapple, Cherokee Purple and Carbon in the mix!

• Slicing tomatoes - red, orange and pink slicers are all coming in now!

• Colored sweet peppers - mostly Carmen (sweet red Italian type), but there will also be a few red, yellow and orange bells from the high tunnel and field in the mix!

• 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

• Garlic

• Watermelon

• Zucchini

• Summer Squash

• Swiss chard

• Arugula - not only great in salads, but makes delicious pesto, either mixed in with basil or on its’ own. (See the pesto squash noodle recipe below)

• Mizuna

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

CSA PYO:

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, dill, parsley

• Edamame - steam these, then shell them once they have cooled and sprinkle with a little salt for a delicious protein-filled snack! We will be harvesting by the plant so pull the entire plant out of the ground, then remove each soybean pod.

• Cherry tomatoes - All varieties are now available: Sungold (orange), Cherry bomb (red), Jasper (red), Red Pearl (red grape), 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, Aji Rico and Hungarian hot wax

• Shishito peppers - these peppers are fairly mild, but every so often you will get a hot one! We are trying them out this year for the first time, so if you like them let us know - we may grow more next year! See below for a very simple recipe.

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 scallions and the first honey of the season from Double B Honey (harvested from hives on the property). We’ll 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!

Sautéed Shishito Peppers: Summer's Best New Bite

by Deborah Madison, March 2013, Vegetable Literacy

“Here's what you do. Heat a little olive oil in a wide sauté pan until it is good and hot but not smoking. Add the peppers and cook them over medium, tossing and turning them frequently until they blister. They shouldn't char except in places. Don't rush. It takes 10 to 15 minutes to cook a panful of peppers. When they're done, toss them with sea salt and add a squeeze of fresh lemon. Slide the peppers into a bowl and serve them hot. You pick them up by the stem end and eat the whole thing, minus the stem, that is.

You can probably do fancier, cheffy things with them, but they're terrific like this. For variety, I sometimes use a little toasted sesame oil instead of olive oil and finish them with togarashi. If you have leftovers, an unlikely event in my experience, chop off the stems and put the peppers in an omelet or some scrambled eggs.”

Pesto Squash Noodles and Spaghetti with Burst Cherry Tomatoes

by Cookie and Kate

• Prep Time: 20 mins

• Cook Time: 10 mins

• Total Time: 30 minutes

Homemade pesto tossed with raw squash noodles and spaghetti, topped with burst cherry tomatoes. This vegetarian recipe is easily made vegan and/or gluten free (see recipe notes). Feel free to substitute 6 to 8 ounces of quality store-bought pesto for a quicker meal. Recipe yields two large servings or four side servings, which would be great served with big green salads!

Ingredients

Pesto:

• 2 cups packed fresh arugula and/or basil, tough stems removed

• ½ cup sliced shelled pecans

• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

• 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Squash noodles and spaghetti:

• 1 medium zucchini, julienne

• 1 medium yellow squash, julienne

• ⅓ pound (a little over 5 ounces) whole grain spaghetti or linguine

Burst tomatoes:

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes or ¾ pound small tomatoes

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• Dash red pepper flakes

• Dash salt

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cut off the tough ends of the squash and remove any discolored skin with a paring knife. Use a julienne peeler (or regular peeler) to slice the squash lengthwise, one side at a time. Stop once you get to the seeded part, then turn the squash to work on the next side.

2. Toast the pecans: In a large skillet over medium heat, toast the pecans, while stirring frequently, until they’re nice and fragrant, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the pecans to a bowl to cool.

3. To make the pesto: In a food processor, combine the arugula/basil, cooled pecans, Parmesan, garlic and salt. Pulse while drizzling in the olive oil. Stir in the lemon juice and season to taste with freshly ground black pepper.

4. Once the water is boiling, cook the pasta until al dente, according to package directions. Before draining, reserve ½ cup pasta cooking water. Drain pasta and return to pot.

5. Cook the tomatoes: First, slice about 5 of the tomatoes into thin rounds and reserve them for later. In a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, warm 2 tablespoons olive oil and red pepper flakes. Once the oil is shimmering, add the whole cherry tomatoes and a dash of salt. Let the tomatoes cook, stirring occasionally, until they are blistered in spots and starting to pop, about 3 minutes. Continue to cook, lightly crushing the tomatoes with the back of a big spoon or silicone spatula, until they are beginning to break down, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the sliced tomatoes.

6. To assemble the pasta: Combine the pasta and squash noodles in a serving bowl. Add most of the pesto and a couple tablespoons pasta water. Toss to combine, adding more pesto or pasta water until the noodles are sufficiently coated in pesto. Season to taste with salt and black pepper, if desired. Divide the noodles into individual bowls and top with cherry tomatoes. I finished mine with another twist of freshly ground black pepper.

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.