Busy week on the farm

Newest member of the farm family!
photo: Ann Antonellis

Lots of farm news to share this week, but I'll start with the most exciting--our first calf of 2015 was born over the weekend! A little girl with a perfect "belt" (the white stripe around their bellies), she was a pretty quick delivery late Friday night. Have a good suggestion for a name? We'll have a poster up in the CSA room, so think up some good names that begin with 'C' and we'll pick the best one.

Over the next couple weeks we're expecting 8 more calves, including 2 that will probably be born within the day. For Tuesday pickups, you can visit the cows and see the new baby (babies??) up the hill by the top parking lot. By Thursday they'll be moved down to new pasture closer to the Yellow House and easy to see as you come pick up your share.

The Farm to Table Dinner date was officially announced this week--Saturday, September 19th. Tickets will go on sale online on August 3rd at 9am and they sell very quickly. Last year's tickets sold out in 15 minutes! To find out more, go to thetrustees.org/farmtotable. I hope to see you there!

This week we are excited to be offering our CSA members first dibs on the first batch of Weir River Farm meat chickens. Our chickens have been humanely raised on pasture in our mobile coop since they were chicks. They were processed at a USDA-inspected facility in Rhode Island today and will be available for pick-up on your share day at the Yellow House. We are selling whole birds, ranging from 4 to 6 lbs each, for $5.00 per lb. You can pay by cash, check or credit card. Please send an email to Ed at epitcavage@ttor.org to reserve your chicken today.

Native bee exploring a pink cosmo
photo: Sophie Shillue

Pick Your Own flowers are finally ready for picking! The flower beds are full of colorful calendula, cosmos, zinnias, snapdragons, gomphrena, Queen Anne's lace, cleome, celosia, and ageratum. We will have elastics and scissors for you to use in the PYO basket out in the field. Please remember to return the scissors to the basket after you're done with them. And please watch your step on our pathways, which can be rocky and uneven, and around our irrigation lines. If you would like to bring a small container to transport your flowers home in, they would appreciate it. A large yogurt container works great and you can fill up with tap water from the Yellow House.

In your share this week: the first of the summer tomatoes! plus more cherry tomatoes, fresh onions, eggplant, green peppers, a hot pepper, cucumbers, squash, and a small Pick Your Own flower bouquet.

Enjoy your share this week!

Hot weather pays off in delicious dinners

Long, hot summer days and warm, thick summer nights can always be trusted to bring on the farm

Ripening cherry tomatoes
photo: Sophie Shillue

bounty. This week we have several much-loved summer crops making appearances for the first time this season: our long-awaited cherry tomatoes, luscious eggplant, crunchy green peppers, and slightly sweet bunching onions. We're all excited for the change up in the harvest routine and the new veggies waiting for us at lunchtime and dinnertime.

This year, like last year, we're growing several varieties of eggplant and some of them look very different. The classic, dark, glossy purple variety is a mainstay; the long and slightly curved Asian eggplants work great in sautees or stir fries; the roundish, pastel violet ones are Italian heirlooms with extra creamy flesh that I love in eggplant parm; and the not-yet-ready-but-coming-soon white ones just look really cool.

Class of 2014 baby Belties

While we're out in the field harvesting and hoeing, we're also keeping one eye on our Belted Galloway cows, who are due to start calving over the next few weeks. I'll keep you updated on their progress and post cute baby cow pics as soon as I have them. For now, here's two of last year's calves chatting out in the field about a year ago.

In your share this week: the aforementioned eggplant, a green pepper, bunching onions, cherry tomatoes (yay!), plus more field and greenhouse cucumbers, squash and zucchini, beets, the very last of the peas, and PYO chives/sage/oregano.



Recipes of the Week

Eggplant is one of my favorite summer veggies, in part because it grills up so well and I don't have to make my house hot. To grill eggplant rounds for use as a pizza topping, for example, slice them 1/3" thick, brush both sides with olive oil, salt to taste, and grill, turning occasionally until they're tender and nicely colored.

Another eggplant favorite is Baba Ghanoush. Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone has a recipe that you can do either on the grill or in the oven. But first she has advice on the question of salting or not salting your eggplant.
     "Eggplant that's freshly picked, harvested before it's full of seeds, and eaten within a few days is naturally sweet and doesn't need salting; nor do the slender Asian varieties. Salting can, however, leach out bitterness from eggplants that have been stored too long or those that are overmature, and moisture for when it is to be fried, since a long salting keeps it from absorbing as much oil. I know some cooks who always salt their eggplants and other who never do, reflecting perhaps their own sensitivity--or lack thereof--to eggplant.
     Sprinkle eggplant slices or cubes lightly with whatever salt you normally use. Let it stand in a colander for at least 30 minutes to reduce bitterness, an hour or more to lessen oil absorption. Blot the juices that bead on the surface or quickly rinse the eggplant and blot dry. When seasoning the eggplant during cooking, taste it before adding more salt to a dish."
--Deborah Madison, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

Baba Ghanoush
Deborah Madison, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

1 large or 2 medium eggplants, about 1 1/4 pounds, roasted (see roasting instructions below)
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/4 c. tahini
Juice of one large lemon
Salt to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
Chopped parsley

Roast the eggplant via one of the two methods described below, letting the skin harden and char in places to give the dish a smoky flavor. Peel the eggplant, then puree it in a blender or food processor with the garlic and tahini. Season with lemon juice and salt to taste. Mound the puree in a bowl and make a depression in the top with the back of a spoon. Pour olive oil into the hollow and sprinkle with parsley.

Whole Roasted Eggplant
If using an oven, preheat to 425F; if grilling, preheat the grill. Slash the eggplant skin in several places so it won't explode. Place in a pan/set on the grill racks and roast until it's soft to the point of collapsing, 30-40 minutes in the oven, or as quickly as 20 minutes on a hot grill. You can also wrap it in foil and place it directly on the coals. Let cool 15 minutes or so. Discard any bitter juices that may collect.

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Our bunching onions are a summer treat that I usually enjoy grilled, but they're very versatile. You can use them in any recipe that calls for onions--they're really just a young onion with a funny shape. They're a fresh-eating type of onion, so you want to refrigerate them and enjoy them within two weeks. My grilling "recipe" is simple. Slice them the long way, in 2-4 slices, leaving the greens attached. Brush them with olive oil on both sides and salt and pepper them to taste. Place them directly on the grill grate, or an aluminum foil square, and grill until they are soft (and lightly charred if grilling them directly). Add more salt and pepper if desired and enjoy them as a side dish or on a burger.

Early summer beauty

Red Ace beets
photo: Meg Wilson

Summer has truly arrived here at the farm. Hot days and warm nights are bringing out the squash and finally, the first of the field cucumbers.We're happy to be picking all three of our beet varieties now: the heirloom Chioggia with the red stems, the attention-grabbing purple-stemmed Red Ace, and the lovely sunset-colored Golden Beets. I enjoy each of those varieties for different reasons--let me know which one is your favorite.

Heirloom Chioggia beets
photo: Meg Wilson

Colorful chard bunches
photo: Sophie Shillue

In your share this week: more of our bumpin' squash crop, a mix of greenhouse and field cucumbers (finally!), beets, a basil pot, chard or kale, peas, a choice of cabbage/fennel/escarole, and popcorn.
Our cucumbers are fresh-picked and never waxed, so you don't have to peel them like grocery store cucumbers--plus most of the nutrition is in the skin!

Recipes of the Week

Since this week isn't going to be super hot like the weekend was, it's a great opportunity to bake some delicious zucchini bread. My recipe is spice cake-type based on Jane Brody's, from her Good Food Book. It's easy and fragrant and melt-in-your-mouth yummy. When I make it, I more than double the amount of zucchini she calls for (and you could even go higher I think), plus I increase the signature spices (nutmeg and ground cloves) in line with that. I also double the nuts, which are optional. The lower end of the ranges below are as written in the recipe and the higher end is how I make it.

3/4 c. whole wheat flour
3/4 c. white flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 - 1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 - 1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 - 1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 egg white
1 whole egg
6 Tbs vegetable oil
1 1/4 - 3 c. packed, finely grated, unpeeled zucchini
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 - 1 c. finely chopped nuts, optional (I use walnuts or pecans).

Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients. Combine, add nuts. Pour into a greased 9x5x3 inch pan. Bake at 350F for 50-60 minutes.

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These beet slices are almost like a beet chip, so you can snack on them like that, or serve them as a side to a main dish. Susie Middleton's genius tip is to put a piece of parchment paper or brown butcher paper on your cutting board before slicing the beets to prevent it from getting stained. Or you could use the Golden variety of beets and they won't stain your cutting board OR your fingers :)
Try to keep all your beet slices to a consistent thickness so they all cook evenly.

Quick Roasted Beet Slices
from Susie Middleton's Fast, Fresh & Green
serves 2

1 bunch beets, trimmed, scrubbed (but not peeled) and very thinly sliced (between 1/8 and 3/16 inches)
1 Tbsp EVOO
1/2 tsp coarsely chopped fresh thyme (you can grab some out of the PYO herbs if you don't have any at home...the thyme is just finished flowering, so it looks a little raggy, but it's fine to eat)
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 475F. Line a large (18x13x1) heavy duty rimmed sheet pan with a piece of parchment paper. Put the beet slices in a mixing bowl and toss thoroughly with the olive oil, thyme, and salt. Arrange the slices, evenly spaced, on the sheet pan (it's OK if they touch a little).
Roast until the beets are tender, shrunken, wrinkled, glistening, about 16-18 minutes. You can flip them over halfway through if you like them equally browned on both sides. When done, the smallest slices will be black around the edges. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

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Enjoy your veggies this week!

Beautiful shot of last week's share!
photo: Lindsay Grimes

War on weeds!

Our weedy battles continue this week with an upcoming tactical strike to the pathways between our many rows of tomatoes--red slicers, cherry tomatoes, and the precious heirloom tomatoes. Staked with 5 foot tall oak stakes, these tomato rows unwittingly shelter diabolical weeds from the long arm of the cultivating tractor. I wish I had a 12 foot tall tractor that could clear these rows of stakes and cultivate out those sneaky weeds, but sadly one hasn't been invented yet. We'll be hunting down weeds the old fashioned way--with our trusty hoes.

The field cucumbers are running a little behind the summer squash and zucchini this year, so we'll have to make do with another greenhouse cucumber this week. The Weir River colony of groundhogs have been feasting liberally on our cucumber plants for the last month and the plants are struggling just to stay alive, never mind produce the avalanche of tasty cukes we've been waiting for. With luck, we might have some for next week...fingers crossed.

In your share this week: beets, summer squash and zucchini, peas, chard or kale, a greenhouse cucumber, cabbage, fennel, escarole or mizuna,
Don't forget your reusable grocery bags this week!

Recipes of the Week

Escarole is the beautiful but bitter cousin to lettuce, pale yellow at the heart, with feathery green leaves that almost look like petals. Martha Stewart has an excellent collection of 22 recipes for this wallflower green, but the quick and dirty way is to saute with garlic in olive oil. Tried and true wins every time. Mizuna is the milder cousin to bok choy and distant relation of arugula, but not from the peppery, spicy side of the family. Chopped and added to a raw salad it's delicious, but you can also do a quick saute in garlic (what else??) and ginger, with a splash of tamari at the end.

Wondering what to do with another head of cabbage this week? If you're not yet addicted to last week's Peanut, Carrot & Cabbage Slaw, I have a new super simple recipe for you to try. From one of my favorite food blogs, simplyrecipes.com.

Buttered Cabbage with Caraway & Celery Seeds
Elise at simplyrecipes.com

One head of cabbage (green works best--those lovely red cabbages just turn into a purple mess with this recipe)
4 Tbs salted butter
1 tsp caraway seeds
1/2 tsp celery seeds
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp black pepper

Bring a large (8-quart) pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Trim the cabbage stem, remove the outer leaves (aka the "wrapper" leaves), and quarter the cabbage. Discard the core and roughly chop the leaves into large pieces. Add the cabbage leaves to the pot and cook for 90 seconds. Drain the pot into a colander and then put the blanched cabbage leaves back in the pot with the 4 Tbs of salted butter. Stir thoroughly to melt the butter and coat all the leaves. Add the caraway and celery seeds and toss to combine. Add the salt and pepper to taste, toss again and serve warm.

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I love this beet hummus so much I'm posting it again for all the new members this year. CSA member and blogger Lindsay Grimes made this for me last year and it was soooo good (and sooo pink!).

Beet Hummus
Lindsay Grimes at iwillfeedyou.com (follow the link for Lindsay's beautiful photos!)

4 large beets, stems and greens removed
2 – 15 oz. cans of chickpeas, drained, and rinsed, peeled if so desired
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup quality olive oil
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon tahini
sea salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425, wrap each beet in tin foil with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Bake for 40 – 45 minutes until tender. In the mean time, drain and rinse chickpeas. Remove the external layer of skin from chickpeas if you deem you have time. This step will yield a creamier texture.

Once the beets are out of the oven, let them cool to room temperature. At this point it should be easy to peel away the skins with your fingers. Once skinned, roughly chop the beets. In the bowl of a food processor blend the chickpeas, beets and any roasting juices, garlic clove, olive oil, lemon zest + juice, and tahini until well combined. Taste for seasonings and adjust. Check for any lumpy bits of beet that may have missed the blade. Garnish well with good Olive Oil.

Serve this eye catching dip with toasted pita chips or crisp vegetable crudité.  Beet Hummus will keep well in the fridge for 3-5 days and freezes beautifully if you want to save it for another day. Just be sure to give it another good whip once it thaws as it may separate a bit.