CSA Week 3

Happy summer to you all!  Our peas and tomatoes have gotten so big they officially need some support, so this week has seen me doing lots of stake pounding and trellising. While it still hasn't rained on Turkey Hill, the cloudy, windy days have been perfect for such labor. They're not the only plants which have begun to produce fruit: small peppers and squash have also begun to appear, and some of our flowers are already in bloom. It’s always a great and exciting time of the season when the first harvest is in sight, and hopefully this time next month we'll have our first legitimate bounty of produce, grown right here in Hingham.

The share last week from Chestnut Hill was gorgeous and fresh (let me know what you thought about it on Thursday) and this coming week looks similarly delectable. Info on the share from Farmer Des is below…

Look forward to seeing you Thursday!

-Farmer Casey

In Your Share this Week (hopefully):

·         Lettuce (mixed heads this week)

·         Salad mix

·         Salad turnips

·         Mixed braising greens

·         Kale

·         I need to see if either the baby bok choi or the green cabbage are ready to go- so we might have those as well. If not, we will have chard available again.

Recipe/Veggie of the Week: What is a SALAD TURNIP anyway?

A salad turnip is a delicious, crunchy, sweet, somewhat (but not too) turnipy root veg that is bound to become one of your favorites. It looks somewhat like a white radish and has the texture of a crisp radish or daikon. They are amazing raw, sliced or grated into salad. Marinate in soy sauce, vinegar and ginger for a quick Asian-style pickle. Or you can make an incredible slaw with carrots and scallions and toss with a Ginger Miso dressing. So good. So easy. They can also be roasted-- quarter and toss them with olive oil and salt and roast quick in a hot oven until they are fork tender. Enjoy!

CSA Week 2

Welcome to the second week of the Weir River Farm CSA! Today marks the first day of summer, and we're feeling it on Weir River - the long, hot, dry days are here!  Every bit of rain helps up here, so make sure you're doing your duty and trying out a rain dance for us every now and then.  The first succession of veggies and flowers are in the ground, so now comes the balancing act of irrigation, weeding, scouting, and (eventually) harvest.  Its a lot of work for one person, so I will be reaching out to volunteers in the coming weeks - if you're interested, feel free to speak to me at the CSA.

We'll be trying out a bold new system this week at CSA pickup - we wont be bunching or bagging!  We'll provide you with a bounty of loose greens and more, and you can use your discretion as to how much you take. As long as everyone is conscientious of other members’ needs, I think this will be a superior system that gets people more of what they want and less of what they don't, while also cutting down on leftover veggies and plastic bags usage (that's a win/win). It might take a few weeks to iron out the kinks, but I have faith we'll all be happy with the outcome.

In other CSA news, we'll also be trying out CSA pick-up on the yellow house porch instead of inside the yellow house. You can park right next to the porch on the grass and come up the porch stairs (enter at the driveway right before the yellow house on Turkey Hill lane), or just enter through the kitchen and make your way to the porch.

Enough from me - I'll leave the rest to Farmer Des…here is what's in your upcoming share and some recipes, taken right from the Chestnut Hill Farm blog. Have a great week and look forward to seeing you Thursday!

- Farmer Casey 

In your Share (weather/final ripening permitting!):

Scallions

Chard

Garlic Scapes

Lettuce: Romaine and Leaf

Salad mix

Escarole

Braising Mix (mustards, spinach, baby kale, arugula, asian greens)

Broccoli Rabe (Rapini)

This is the week of bitter greens- not spicy, but bitter and wonderful. Escarole is a green head that looks like lettuce that you've either had and lovelovelove or you've never ever heard of it....it is similar to endive and chicory and has that same bitter flavor. I love it. It is a vegetable that I look forward to every year. I think it is best sauteed in olive oil, lemon juice and tossed with white beans and goat cheese and garlic. I could eat a whole bowl. However, most folks are daunted by its bitter tendency- they feel the same about broccoli raab which is also in your share this week and is also another favorite. If you aren't familiar with bitter greens, they are wonderful- full of folic acid and tops out spinach for Vit A & D. You have to be pretty hardcore to eat them raw (though they are great in a mixed salad- like radicchio in flavor). Mellow them out by eating them with creamy sauces such as alfredo and hollandaise. Add them to soups such as Italian Wedding soup. Check out CookThink for more info about escarole and I found a gorgeous recipe for broccoli raab here.

And a favorite recipe for lettuce…

Honey Lemon Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients 
1 Tbsp coconut oil
2 Cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Chicken breasts, finely diced
2 Tbsp soy sauce
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
3 Tbsp Honey
1/2 tsp Poppyseeds
6 Butter lettuce leaves
1 CUP Julienned carrots
1/4 CUP Microgreens or cilantro
1 1/2 CUPS cooked jasmine or sticky rice (optional)

Directions
1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt coconut oil.
2. Add garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30-45 seconds.
3. Add diced chicken and soy sauce to the pan, saute just until chicken is barely pink.
4. Add lemon zest and honey, turn heat to medium and cook just until honey is caramelized.
5. Toss in poppyseeds.
6. Serve in lettuce leaves (with rice, if desired). Top with julienned carrots, a fresh squeeze of lemon juice and microgreens as garnish.
7. Enjoy!

Alternates: You don't need to use butterhead lettuce for wraps- any lettuce will do....You can sub in your favorite pulled chicken or pork with BBQ and throw in lettuce wrap with cole slaw/avocado/salsa.

Vegetarian options: You can substitute strips of eggplant or white beans for the chicken.

First Week of the CSA!

Hello friends of Weir River Farm and CSA members!

Farmer Casey here, happy to report that the CSA season kicks-off this week...

Notes from the Field:

At Weir River Farm, what was empty soil just two weeks ago is now chock full of seedlings and transplants. With some help from Farmer Rory, our main field is now full of beans, beets, peas, carrots, tomatoes, peppers and eggplant, and a lovely assortment of flowers. Nature willing, the coming weeks and months will see us with a bountiful harvest here on Turkey Hill. As soon as they are ready, I’ll invite you to join me in the fields to pick your own veggies and flowers. You’ll also find Weir River Farm grown items in your CSA shares, supplementing the great produce we have coming from Farmer Des at Chestnut Hill Farm, and at our occasional Saturday Farmstand. Stay tuned for updates on when the Saturday Farmstand is happening, and what kind of treats we’ll be featuring!

 At Chestnut Hill Farm, Farmer Des reports that the erratic temperatures this spring led to some slow growth. Major temperature fluctuations put the plans into stress mode--they just don't grow very much because they don't know what's coming (no, they don't have brains, but they do have complex defense systems that are combined with the soil food web of bacteria and fungi who don't function well in dramatic temperature shifts). They are growing well when the weather holds steady, so hopefully they will put on some good growth in the next couple of weeks.

Week 1 CSA Share:

The theme this first week is greens (spring in New England is all about green!). Get your salad spinner and blender/green smoothie recipes ready! In seasonal eating, the first greens of the season are meant to jumpstart your body after a winter of eating comfort foods rich in starch, fats and proteins. Greens are for cleansing all the gunk out of the body that has built up; hence they tend to be either bitter (mustards) or thick and mucilaginous (chards, spinach, kale). They are filled with trace nutrients, calcium, iron, Vit A, E and more to clean you out and give your body exactly the nutrition it needs for summer's headlong sprint into action.

In your share this week you will find:

Arugula
Radishes
Braising mix/mixed mustard greens/mesclun- however you like to eat em
Spinach
Head Lettuce
Salad mix
Kale
Green Garlic

Recipes:

Green garlic is one of the more unusual items in your share this week, and you can read a bit more about it and how to use it here. 

If you haven’t tried green smoothies before, here’s a little how too guide. I recommend starting with spinach, which adds tons of nutrients to any fruit-based smoothie, and has little impact on taste.

Radish Butter with Lemon Zest and Sea Salt

I love this spread and it’s a quick an easy way to make use of radishes. I've even done the same with fresh goat cheese and it is equally amazing.

Ingredients:
1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
5 fresh radishes (use more if you really like radishes!)
1 tsp of fresh lemon zest
1/2 tsp sea salt (or salt to taste)

Directions:
Chop the radishes very fine by hand or use a food chopper and mix with the lemon zest and sea salt. Mix thoroughly into the softened butter and chill until firm but not hard. Spread liberally onto your favorite crackers, French Bread, or bagel. Preferable warmed but not hot (better creamy like cream cheese than melted).

Farmer’s Salad
Farmers’ favorite way to eat salad first thing in the late spring is when the lettuce, mustards and spinach are sweet and the strawberries are warm from the field. We tear the lettuces, mustards and spinach into bite sized pieces and toss with a maple balsamic vinaigrette. We throw in quartered strawberries, herb toasted croutons and feta or goat cheese. Yum…

Washing Veggies:
At the beginning of the season, we just want to remind you that while we quick rinse and cool all the veggies that we harvest for you- we ALWAYS recommend that you also re-wash your veggies again when you get home. There is a great guide in our CSA handbook that talks about the best way to store various veggies, but always feel free to ask again for quick tips at distribution. 

It's great to be back - happy summer to all!

- Farmer Casey

Our Farm Stand will be open this weekend from 10-12 pm. Come up to the Yellow House at 140 Turkey Hill Lane and get some Weir River Farm ground beef and local strawberries (the farm stand will be cash only). Our open Barnyard will be happening then too!

CSA Season is Here!

Dear CSA Members,

June has arrived, and CSA season is upon us!

I am very pleased to be able to share with you that we have hired Casey Amster as our farmer for this season. Casey has been part of the Weir River Farm community for several seasons and will be a familiar face to many of you. Rory O’Dwyer will also be on farm one day a week supporting Casey, which she has kindly agreed to do in addition to her new duties at Brookwood Community Farm. It is a treat to have both Casey and Rory with us again this season!

The bulk of the CSA vegetables in your CSA share will come from Chestnut Hill Farm, another Trustees farm. Casey is hard at work planting pick-your-own veggies and flowers, and we hope to have those available for you in July. In addition, he’ll be growing some extra items to add to your shares and produce for a Saturday farmstand that we’ll be piloting this year at Weir River Farm.

A few reminders about upcoming dates:
• CSA member orientation: Thursday June 9th, 4:30-5:30pm, Yellow House (140 Turkey Hill Lane).
• First CSA pick-up: Thursday June 16th, 2-6pm, Yellow House.

CSA distribution will be market style, and you’ll have the opportunity to select your own produce. At the first CSA pick-up you’ll receive a Trustees tote bag to transport your produce; please bring this bag to each pick-up.

Stay tuned for future blog updates about your share contents and farm happenings!

Sincerely,

Fran Blanchard
General Manager, Greater Hingham 
fblanchard@thetrustees.org