CSA Week 11 and Farm Stand Updates

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

In the CSA this week:

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

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

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

• Celery

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

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

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

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

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

• Peppers

• Summer squash

• Zucchini

• Cucumbers

• Lettuce - a mix of summer crisp varieties

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

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

• Shishito peppers

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

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

In the farm store:

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

We accept credit card, cash, check and EBT in the farm store. The farm store is open Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm and Saturday 9am - 3pm. We also continue to take online pre-orders for Wednesday, Friday and Saturday pick-up. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering opens at 6pm the day before pick-up.

Pick-Your-Own Flower CSA:

The PYO Flower garden is at it’s height so now is a great time to pick! The field is open to both Flower CSA members and to the general public for picking by the jar. Varieties available include snapdragons, zinnias, marigolds, gomphrena, strawflower, celosia, statice, ammi, ageratum, rudbeckia, scabiosa, cosmos, verbena, decorative basil and amaranth. We are also opening a bed of branching sunflowers for the PYO Flower CSA this week that are just beginning to bloom (there are 4 different varieties planted so we will continue to have more blooms and more types in the next week or two), located right next to the rest of the flowers. Please watch your step as herbs are planted just on the other side of the sunflowers. Picking hours are during any farm store hours: Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. We recommend bringing your own pruners or scissors as well as water for transporting your flowers home.

How to Cook Spaghetti Squash

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

Ingredients

• 1 spaghetti squash

• extra-virgin olive oil

• sea salt

• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

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

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

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

Pancetta, Mizuna and Tomato Sandwiches with Green Garlic Aioli

by Molly Stevens, from Bon Appétit July 31, 2006

Ingredients

AIOLI

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

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

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

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise, divided

• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

SANDWICHES

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

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

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

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

Preparation- Aioli

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

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

Preparation - Sandwiches

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

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

Week 10 and Farm Stand Updates

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

In the CSA this week:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Peppers - green and purple varieties.

• Carrots

• Summer squash

• Zucchini

• Cucumbers - pickling and slicing

• Lettuce - a mix of summer crisp varieties

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

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

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

• Jalapeño peppers

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

In the farm store:

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

We accept credit card, cash, check and EBT in the farm store. The farm store is open Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm and Saturday 9am - 3pm. We also continue to take online pre-orders for Wednesday, Friday and Saturday pick-up. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering opens at 6pm the day before pick-up.

Pick-Your-Own Flower CSA:

The PYO Flower garden is at it’s height so now is a great time to pick! The field is open to both Flower CSA members and to the general public for picking by the jar. Varieties available include snapdragons, zinnias, marigolds, gomphrena, strawflower, celosia, statice, ammi, ageratum, rudbeckia, scabiosa, cosmos and amaranth. Picking hours are during any farm store hours: Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. We recommend bringing your own pruners or scissors as well as water for transporting your flowers home.

Blistered Shishito Peppers

Adapted from: Cookie and Kate

INGREDIENTS

• Shishito peppers

• Extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil

• Lemon wedge, optional

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

INSTRUCTIONS

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

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

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

Sautéed Beet Greens with Garlic and Olive Oil

Adapted from New York Times Cooking recipe by Martha Rose Schulman

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bunch of beet greens

• salt

• 1 garlic clove

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

• freshly ground pepper

PREPARATION

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

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

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

Week 9 and Farm Stand Updates

Happy August! August on the farm means the beginning of bulk harvests so we get out our big plastic bins, put the forks on our International Hydro tractor from the 1970’s, and head out to the field! Last week we started with the quintessential summer crop, watermelon, but later this week we will finish up the garlic harvest, bring in the spaghetti squash, and start to harvest storage onions for curing. This week we will also continue to bring in the the current summer harvest of course, hauling 5 gallon buckets full of tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, carrots and more out of the fields each day. We try to get the harvest done in the morning before lunch so we can get to other tasks but this time of year we can often spend all day harvesting to keep up with the summer bounty! Other tasks we would like to get to this week include planting broccoli, scallions, fennel and lettuce, seeding radishes, greens, and turnips, trellising tomatoes, hoeing lettuce and cabbage, and hand weeding fall beets and carrots. We will work hard to get to those other projects to make sure the variety and quantity of crops continues throughout the season!

In the CSA this week:

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

• Celery - Our celery tends to be small and strongly flavored so great for recipes (not as great for snacking unless you are a big celery fan!). Our favorite recipe using celery is the green gazpacho recipe listed below.

• Uncured garlic -While we wait patiently for most of our garlic to cure so that it will store outside of a refrigerators for months, we are giving out some of the garlic uncured for use right now! This garlic should be peeled and used just like regular garlic. While whole it can be stored in a pantry but once peeled or chopped it should be stored in the fridge. It will last about a week (once we cure the rest of the garlic it will last for months!).

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

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

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

• Peppers - green and purple varieties.

• Potatoes - Yellow potatoes

• Carrots

• Summer squash

• Zucchini

• Baby leeks - Expect to see larger leeks later in the season!

• Cucumbers

• Lettuce - a mix of summer crisp varieties

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

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

• Sunflowers

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

In the farm store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will also have cabbage, colored peppers from our high tunnel, cherry tomatoes and mixed flower bouquets. We will also have sweet corn from Verrill Farm, eggs from Codman Farm and certified organic mushrooms from Fat Moon.

We accept credit card, cash, check and EBT in the farm store. The farm store is open Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm and Saturday 9am - 3pm. We also continue to take online pre-orders for Wednesday, Friday and Saturday pick-up. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering opens at 6pm the day before pick-up.

Pick-Your-Own Flower CSA:

The PYO Flower garden is at it’s height so now is a great time to pick! The field is open to both Flower CSA members and to the general public for picking by the jar. Varieties available include snapdragons, zinnias, marigolds, gomphrena, strawflower, celosia, statice, ammi, ageratum, rudbeckia, scabiosa, cosmos and amaranth. Picking hours are during any farm store hours: Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. We recommend bringing your own pruners or scissors as well as water for transporting your flowers home.

Green Gazpacho

Adapted from “Plenty,” by Yotam Ottolenghi

INGREDIENTS

• 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 tender green (mizuna would work well!)

• 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

DIRECTIONS

Combine the celery, green peppers, cucumbers, chili, garlic, sugar, walnuts, greens, 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.

We have the best crew! They ran the farm Saturday without us and sent us this photo to let us know that the day went great!

Week 8 and Farm Stand Updates

If you drive down Lowell Road, you may have noticed a sign saying Barretts Mill Road will be closed Tuesday the 26th until 3pm. While it will be closed to thru traffic during this window due to road work, it will still be possible to get to the farm. We are told that there will be a police officer directing traffic at the intersection with Lowell Rd and with Strawberry Hill Road who will let through drivers heading to the farm stand. Coming from the Route 2 rotary there will be single lane traffic up to College Rd. Please plan for a little extra travel time on Tuesday before 3pm.

After two years of intermittently working, our farm truck has finally ceased to function. We had been hoping to extend it’s life until we could buy an electric truck, but wait lists are long and it isn’t an optimal time to take out a loan. Plan B was to buy a cheap used truck to get us through a couple more years, but that is proving difficult to do in the height of the season! Our days are quite full, so all of the truck searching goes on after hours and during break times (as does most of our office work at this time of year!). Melissa has been diligently hunting down trucks within our budget, but so far nothing has worked out. We’ll keep forging ahead and hope for better luck this week. In the meantime, we will continue to bring in harvests and move around supplies in our garden carts, using our tractor bucket loader for the really heavy items.

Last week’s extreme heat was probably the most sustained we’ve ever experienced on the farm. To try to avoid spending too long in the sun during the hottest part of the day, many of the crew started an hour earlier and left an hour earlier than usual. Afternoon popsicle breaks were also a key component of our plans! Anything under 90 degrees this time of year feels very manageable, so this week is looking better. Now let’s hope for a little rain relief too!

In the CSA this week:

• Baby leeks - We tried 3 different varieties of leeks this year as our old favorite variety is no longer available. This variety didn’t size up very well and then got out-competed by some perennial weeds, so we decided to clear them small rather than continuing to irrigate and devote energy to them. These leek bunches will look closer to scallion bunches, but you can use them the same as you would regular leeks. The other 2 varieties appear to have much fared better, so expect to see larger leeks later in the season!

• Tomatoes - Mostly from our high tunnels but we are starting to see more field tomatoes ripening as well. There will likely be a mix of slicing tomatoes (red, orange and pink), heirlooms and some hybrids that look and taste like heirlooms.

• Peppers - green and purple varieties.

• Potatoes - Dark Red Norlands or yellow potatoes

• Fresh onions - We’ll continue to have a mix of Red Long of Tropea and Ailsa Craig fresh onions.

• Carrots

• Summer squash

• Zucchini

• Cucumbers

• Lettuce - a mix of summer crisp varieties

• Mini Cabbage

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

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

• Snap beans - green beans as well as purple snap beans.

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

In the farm store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will also have escarole, frisee and mixed flower bouquets. We will also have sweet corn from Verril Farm, eggs from Codman Farm and certified organic mushrooms from Fat Moon.

We accept credit card, cash, check and EBT in the farm store. The farm store is open Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm and Saturday 9am - 3pm. We also continue to take online pre-orders for Wednesday, Friday and Saturday pick-up. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering opens at 6pm the day before pick-up.

Pick-Your-Own Flower CSA:

The PYO Flower garden is now open to both Flower CSA members and to the general public. Varieties available include snapdragons, zinnias, marigolds, gomphrena, strawflower, celosia, statice, ammi, ageratum, rudbeckia, scabiosa, cosmos and amaranth. Please pick flowers above branching points so that we can enjoy the plants for the next 2 months. Picking hours are during any farm store hours: Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. We recommend bringing your own pruners or scissors as well as water for transporting your flowers home.

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 7 and Farm Stand Updates

We are bracing ourselves for the heatwave this week and trying to dust ourselves off after a crushing defeat in our eggplant at the hands of the Colorado Potato Beetle (CPB). We devoted a significant amount of time over the past 2 months to hand picking, burning and vacuuming (a new technique we tried out this year!), as organic pesticides are no longer effective against these bugs. We do think our potatoes managed to size up a little better than they have in recent years as a result of our efforts, but the CPB were relentless and the last potato plant holdouts succumbed over a week ago. Eggplant are a close second favorite meal for CPB and they were already doing significant damage in the eggplant before the beetles that had been feasting on our potato plants began migrating to the eggplant as well. We see a lot of damage to the eggplant every year, but they usually bounce back. This year we are missing large swaths of plants due to CPB pressure. They have been so pervasive that we have even been seeing significant damage in our field tomatoes as well!

It’s discouraging to see a crop fail in spite of our best efforts, but when you grow about 50 different types of crops, you’re guaranteed to have at least one fail every year (and you’ll usually have multiple fail!). We just have to keep reminding ourselves that it’s been an exceptionally good year in spite of a serious drought, and some key equipment failures. To keep ourselves going, we start to make plans for how next year will be different. So we are planning to rotate our potatoes across the street again next year, because the further away you can get from the previous year’s spot, the better. We are also strongly considering taking a a year off from growing eggplant ourselves to try to break the cycle of the ever multiplying CPB population. Trying to control the beetles drains energy from other essential projects that would probably have a bigger payoff! It’s no fun to admit something you worked really hard on didn’t go well, but one of the great things about farming is that you get to learn and try new strategies the next year!

In the CSA this week:

• High tunnel tomatoes! We are very excited to have enough tomatoes this early for every membership to have one this week!

• Peppers - we’ll have the first green and purple peppers in the CSA this week. They’ll be limited, but expect more soon!

• Escarole - We tried out a new heat-tolerant variety, as this is the time of year when it is tough to grow leafy greens. Escarole has a bitter flavor and is usually cooked. This may not be the week most people were hoping to turn on their stoves, but see below for a recipe idea that involves minimal cooking time!

• Potatoes - more Dark Red Norlands this week!

• Fresh onions - We’ll continue to have a mix of Red Long of Tropea and Ailsa Craig fresh onions.

• Carrots

• Summer squash

• Zucchini

• Cucumbers

• Lettuce - For the first time this season we will have to limit lettuce heads. We had a section of lettuce that we had to plant outside of our regular lettuce field, which made it tricky to get irrigation set up on it. That lettuce was due to be harvested this week, but it has struggled in this drought. Future plantings are looking really good though!

• Mini Cabbage

• Kale

CSA Pick-Your-Own:

• Cherry Tomatoes - Just a taste this week, but it’s only the beginning so expect much more to come! Varieties that are currently ripening include Sungold (orange), Citrine (orange), Cherry Bomb (red), Red Pearl (red grape), Valentine (red grape), Apple Yellow (new variety for us this year, and aptly named as it is an apple shaped yellow tomato!) and Midnight Pear (smoky purple pear shaped cherry).

• Snap beans - green beans as well as purple snap beans.

• Herbs - choice of basil, dill, parsley, dill flowers, sage or thyme.

In the farm store:

In addition to the items listed in the CSA, we will also have salanova (early in the week only) and mixed flower bouquets. We will also have mushrooms from Fat Moon Farm and eggs from Codman Farm and likely Verrill Farm corn by the end of the week.

We accept credit card, cash, check and EBT in the farm store. The farm store is open Tuesday - Friday 11am - 6pm and Saturday 9am - 3pm. We also continue to take online pre-orders for Wednesday, Friday and Saturday pick-up. The link for online orders is https://openfoodnetwork.net/barrett-s-mill-farm/shop#/shop. Online ordering opens at 6pm the day before pick-up.

Pick-Your-Own Flower CSA:

The PYO Flower garden is now open to both Flower CSA members and to the general public. Varieties available include snapdragons, zinnias, marigolds, gomphrena, strawflower, celosia, statice, ammi, ageratum, rudbeckia, scabiosa, cosmos and amaranth. Please pick flowers above branching points so that we can enjoy the plants for the next 2 months. Picking hours are during any farm store hours: Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday 9am-3pm. We recommend bringing your own pruners or scissors as well as water for transporting your flowers home.

Sautéed Escarole

from SimplyRecipes.com

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 clove garlic, sliced

• 1 small pinch red pepper flakes, optional

• 1 head escarole, well rinsed (and still a little wet), leaves removed from core, torn or chopped into 3 to 4 inch pieces

• 1 generous pinch sea salt or kosher salt

Method

1. Sauté the garlic: Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the sliced garlic and red pepper flakes (if using).

2. Add the escarole leaves, turn with tongs: Once the garlic starts to cook and is fragrant, add the escarole leaves to the pan. The leaves should still be a little wet from rinsing. They'll sizzle as they hit the pan, but if you add them all at once, the oil shouldn't splatter. Use tongs to turn the escarole over in the pan as it cooks. Sprinkle with a little salt.

3. Wilt the escarole: When the escarole starts to wilt and is barely cooked through, remove from the heat. Remove from the pan immediately to serve.

Zucchini Salad

from LoveAndLemons.com

Ingredients

• Lemon Vinaigrette, plus 1/4 cup minced shallot mixed in

• 3 small-medium zucchini

• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

• 1 tablespoon chopped chives

• Handful of basil

• Shaved Parmesan, optional

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the zucchini into thin strips. Place the zucchini in a large bowl, toss with drizzles of the dressing, then transfer the zucchini to a platter.

2. Top with the pine nuts, chives, basil, and a few shavings of Parmesan, if using. Drizzle with more dressing and season with salt and pepper, to taste.