Happy Wednesday! Under the blistering sun, our garlic harvest went off without a hitch due to the support of our volunteers and about two dozen helpful Weir River campers. The greenhouse is now full of thousands of drying garlic bulbs.  It is fragrant, to say the least.  The heat and dryness cannot be overstated this week, and while our mature plants in plastic beds are managing to retain what little moisture the soil holds, our seedlings and fresh transplants are struggling to get by. We can only hope the end of the week forecast comes to pass, and we get multiple days of rain. Fingers crossed!

Our farm stand is moved to Saturday this week, where it will likely be stocked with squash, cucumbers, beans, and peas, sunflowers and perhaps some more surprises. The stand will be open as long as open barnyard is, so please stop by to check out or Hingham-grown veggies and beef. Just a heads up - open barnyard is closed if there is a strong forecast of rain, in which case the stand will be closed as well. Keep an eye on those weather apps.

Here's Des with this week's share:

In Your Share:

Carrots
Cabbage-red
Broccoli
Eggplant (?)
Summer Squash
Cukes are having a very hard time...
Kale
Fresh onions
Celery
New Potatoes

Recipes: I know that I've done a couple of weeks of zucchini and now I slightly missed the boat because we aren't giving out beets this week, but I found this recipe and thought I definitely had to share it with all of you and, I kinda sorta hope that some of you might have some beets left over in the fridge right now.
Creamy Beet Hummus (via foxandbriar.com)
3 med. beets, washed and trimmed
3-4 garlic cloves
1/2 cup tahini
1 cup plain yogurt
4 Tbsps fresh lemon juice
1 tsp salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste
pinch of cayenne
olive oil for drizzling, parsley for garnish

Preheat oven to 375. Wrap beets in aluminium foil and place on a cookie sheet, roast for an hour or so until tender. Let cool.
When cool, use a paper towel, to remove the skin (red beets will stain everything, so be prepared, but if you are using gold or chiogga beets then you should be fine).
Cut into wedges, add to a food processor with all the other ingredients except oil and parsely. Puree until smooth. Transfer to a lovely bowl, garnish with drizzles of olive oil, parsley and edible flowers (look in the PYO!!!) Enjoy.

Another fun favorite this week is Carrots- we've been waiting a little longer than usual for them to fatten up, but some of them are finally ready. If they make it home, our sweet, fresh eating summer carrots are usually a favorite ride home snack, we suggest removing the greens before storing (use the greens like parsley). I like my carrots cooked (I have the unfortunate gene that makes all things in the carrot family from dill and cilantro to fennel taste like I've just filled my mouth with dish detergent) then try slicing them into sticks, tossing with a little olive oil and salt/pepper and roasting them until tender and browning. Soooo ggooooddd. Another fun way to eat them is to slice them into coins, and saute them in A LOT of butter, slowly, stirring occasionally until they start to brown and caramelize- they are best when they are almost, but not quite, starting to burn.

Weir River Farm Blog 7/19

Happy Tuesday!  I can happily report we got a nice little down pour last night... except it came hitched to a microburst! Here in north Hingham it looks apocalyptic; trees and branches and downed power lines all over. I hope all of your properties and loved ones made it through unscathed (my van has a brand new dent, but that's all. I'm grateful!).

On a lighter and brighter note, our first farm stand of the summer will be open tomorrow at the yellow house, from 10 to noon.  Everything for sale will be from our own main field here on Turkey Hill, grown by yours truly (with help from farmer Rory).  The stand will be stocked with squash, cucumbers, beans, peas, and pick your own flower bouquets, as well as the farm fresh ground beef which we are still selling. Pricing will be available at the stand, and we are cash only for the time being.  I hope to see you there!

Here's Des with the CSA info:

In Your Share (maybe):

Cucumbers
Summer Squash and Zucchini (it is time for zucchini bread people!!!!)
Fresh onions
Swiss Chard
Cabbage....yeah, i know. Saute it with bacon and new potatoes, you will never not love it again.
New Potatoes
Celery

Recipes and Vegtastic of the Week

So, it is summer squash. yep. again. I'm telling you, this is the time of year to eat as much as you can. It is just so good. I've been told that everyone needs a spiralizer to make the zucchini noodles...That sounds wonderful....especially with hollandaise sauce.
Anyway, I'm going to give you my daughter's winning 4-H recipe for zucchini bread. She won a grand prize for it, it is delicious, not too sweet and because it is zucchini bread you don't even have to feel guilty about eating it. Also going to give up my Zucchini Crusted Pizza recipe- which may be in one of the Moosewood cookbooks, but I've been making it for so long that I barely need the recipe. It is kind of like a combo of quiche and pizza and just short of amazing depending on what you dress it with. I like it because it is so easy to make gluten-free, which means it is perfect for dinners/potlucks with friends who aren't eating gluten.

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread
2 cups grated zucchini

1/2 cup sunflower oil
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 2/3 cups flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon or espresso powder
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325. Grease and flour a large bread pan. Cream sugar, honey, oil. Add in eggs, vanilla and milk and beat well. Mix dry ingredients separately and add to sugar mixture, mixing until just mixed and then add in the zucchini. Pour into the prepared pan(s). Sprinkle the top with chocolate chips and bake 60-70 mins until a toothpick poked into center comes out clean (might need a little longer with bread pan. Doubles and freezes easily!

Zucchini Crusted Pizza
3 1/2 cups grated zucchini (add a little salt and then let sit for 15 mins, then squeeze out extra moisture before using in recipe)
3 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup flour (or use GF baking mix)
1/2 cup grated parm or mozzarella or both
1 Tbsp minced fresh basil
Black pepper to taste
Favorite pizza toppings

Oil a cookie sheet (with sides). Combine all ingredients and then spread in a thinnish layer across the pan to the edges. Bake until surface is firm- about 20-25 mins. Brush the surface with more olive oil and then top with your favorite toppings. Bake another 20 mins and then serve. This is not a crispy crust kind of pizza- more of one that you eat with a fork and is mind-numbingly delicious. Enjoy!

Oh. And Hollandaise. Since I seem to be the only one I know besides my momma who makes it from scratch. If raw eggs give you the heebs then my saying 'the hot butter cooks them' may or may not do it for you. I make my own mayo too. Trust me- it is also so good that it is a wonder that they call the stuff they sell in jars at the store by the same name. Use eggs you trust. I prefer local ones from healthy chickens running around outside eating bugs.

Anyway. You need a blender.
Juice one-two lemons into the blender
Separate two eggs and drop the yolks into the blender.
Pinch of salt, maybe a little pinch of cayenne and/or black pepper
Pulse the blender.
Melt a stick (yes a whole stick) on the stove or in the microwave. It should be fully melted and bubbling, but not browning.
Turn on the blender and then gently, gently, pour the hot butter into the blender while it is running.
Turn off the blender as soon as you've finished with the butter.
Voila. Hollandaise. Feel free to adjust proportions for more or less lemony, but basically you need two yolks and a stick of butter for the proper consistency. We will do mayo another day. :)

CSA Week 5

Happy July!  This week marks the beginning of greenhouse seeding for the late summer crops; over the next two weeks I'll be secluding myself away from the world, to seed nearly 200 flats of lettuce, spinach, kale, and chard. It's a big undertaking, one that'll all be worth it in a month when thousands of healthy seedlings are transplanted into waiting beds. 

Along with your CSA share from chestnut hill, we will be opening our first two flowers beds to all CSA members for PYO (pick your own) flower bouquets.  Feel free to take up to 15 stems - scissors and rubber bands will be provided, and the beds will be labeled. I'm so glad you all will finally be able to enter the field and see all the work I've put in this summer!

Here's Des with the share contents and some recipes:

In Your Share (if all goes as planned):

Beets
Head Lettuce
Salad mix
Kale
Green Cabbage
Summer Squash & Zucchini
Cucumbers (hopefully!!!!)
Green onions
New Potatoes?!?

Recipes and Veg of the Week:

I love summer squash and zucchini. If pressed, I might say that it was my favorite veggie right next to tomatoes- which I also adore. In the summer time (never in the winter because the squash from the grocer that has been shipped 3000 miles tastes disgusting and has the texture of slimy cardboard), I eat summer squash every day, sometimes for all three meals in some fashion. I love it sliced, brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper and grilled. I love it roasted, sautéed, steamed with butter. I love it made into quick bread, muffins, cake, pizza crust and so on and so forth. I think it might just be more versatile than the potato. 

If anyone ever tells me they don't like squash, I usually ask them if they've ever eaten it any other way than boiled (um, this is gross. for almost any vegetable other than a potato). 

I was given this recipe by a CSA shareholder nearly 10 years ago. Her father was Lebanese and she said that he made it every year only during the summer because that was when the zucchini were the sweetest. This has become the staple stuffed zucchini in our household and we look forward to it every summer as well. For the vegetarians in my life- I've experimented and successfully substituted eggplant sautéed and minced fine (think of the eggplant meatball recipes you've seen and do that) instead of the ground beef. 

Cousa Mihshi
1.5 lbs of cousa or zucchini squash up to 8 inches in length
1 small chopped onion
butter for sautéing
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1lb of ground lamb or beef
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp salt
pepper to taste
1lb can of stewed tomatoes

Cut the squash lengthwise and remove the cores leaving 1/2 inch of sidewall, careful not to pierce the sides. Rinse in cold water and drain. Saute onions in butter in a large pan. Place rinsed, drained rice in a bowl and add meat and seasonings, mix. Add half of the diced tomatoes to meat mix. Stuff the zukes 3/4 full. Arrange the stuffed zucchini over the onions and pour the rest of the tomatoes on top. Barely cover with water and a little additional salt. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 35 minutes or until the rice is done. Enjoy!

--Farmers Casey & Des

CSA Week 4

Happy 4th of July! Your rain dances were successful - we find ourselves with a lovely, rainy week ahead, just what the veggies needed. As we celebrate our independence from the crown, our plants up on Turkey Hill will be celebrating their independence from weeds! While rain does bring weeds, it also brings clouds and mild temperatures, perfect for long days of hoeing and hand weeding.  Our trellised tomatoes are exploding in size, and our zucchini and summer squash are nearly ready to be picked - a sign July is truly here.

This week you'll be getting more fresh greens, as well as (hopefully) the first squash of the season. A truly momentous occasion at any CSA! I'll see you all on Thursday, here's Des with the share specifics:

In Your Share this Week (hopefully, as always!):

Summer squash & Zucchini
Swiss Chard
Salad mix
Kohlrabi
Cabbage
Salad turnips
Bitter Greens-Escarole and Italian Dandelion

Recipes and Veggie of the Week:
Swiss Chard is beautiful and tasty and you can use it anywhere you would normally use spinach. Last week I stuffed a couple of chicken breasts with sauteed garlicky chard and fresh mozzarella, baked them for 1/2 hour and then served them with a creamy sauce. Delicious. Personally I think chard needs to be on the superfood list just as much as kale- it has an incredible nutrient and antioxidant profile and easy to digest. It makes for a quick green side dish- strip the leaves from the stems and set aside. Chop the stems and saute in olive oil with a couple minced cloves of garlic. Add the leaves, a splash of white wine and a couple Tbsps of lemon juice. Cook until just wilted. Finish with black pepper, sea salt and a grating of parmesan. Look for other recipes for Chard here.

--Farmers Casey & Des