Week 3: July 2 - 6, 2007
Dear CSA members,
Sorry to any Monday shareholders who may not have gotten your fruit. We are still working out our systems here to make things as clear as possible to us and to you. If you didn't get strawberries and were supposed to, drop me a line and I will give you an extra of something else later.
Every week we get a few more things under mulch, which slows down our need to pay close attention to them for weeding. This week we took care of potatoes and made a good start on our baby brassicas across the street (broccoli, kale, collards, cauliflower, cabbage). Also, we plant throughout the season in order to bring you fresh produce up until November. This week we planted more lettuce, carrots, beans, soybeans, chard, peas for fall (this is a new item for us - fall peas), corn and squash. Our first planting of corn either didn’t come up or got eaten by birds. This will be our third planting. We replanted crop two last week. Let's hope for some good sweet corn, and also to harvest it before the raccoons do. Planting peas for the fall is something that I tried about 20 years ago, and have not tried recently. We should be able to harvest some great snap peas this fall.
This week we add snap peas. For new folks, you eat the entire pea. We will have slower quantities at first, but more as the pea season gears up. Shell peas will be ready soon. There will be no fruit shares this week - black raspberries should be in by next week. And no flowers either - we will give them a rest and we need to weed them this week - one of our highest priorities.
Potato bugs are still healthy although we hand pick them from the potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplant every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Flea beetles (fans of broccoli and family) are at an all time low this year - a good thing. And the squash bugs did minimal damage this year too.
If you want to get a copy of From Asparagus to Zucchini, please get me your checks by July 15 ($15 to Many Hands Organic Farm).
Remember that we are picking on Wednesday, July 4. Happy holidays to all.
Julie
From Nina the cook
Dear CSA Members,
For week Three.
Following are a few recipes for the garlic scapes in your bag today. These are the curly tops to the garlic plant that would produce the flower and more seeds if left on. We cut them off so as to increase the size of the garlic bulbs later in the summer.
I like to chop up the garlic, put it in the food processor with or without a little olive oil and then freeze it in ice cube trays. After they are frozen pop them out and store in a plastic bag in the freezer for use in soups, stews, stir-fry and casseroles. They are also good chopped and sautéed with greens, or chopped up into salads.
Notes from shareholders
Made the bean soup last week. Mmmm. Chard and spinach. Yummy.
Nancy Hornbaker
Hi Julie,
Thanks for the delish veggies in our CSA share today and also for this fabulous newsletter! I am loving the CSA, so full of yummy veggies, beautiful flowers today and great recipes. Special thanks to Nina too!
xxx (Kathy Litchfield)
Julie
Sorry, I did not know there was a separate fruit share. last year we did receive berries.
Josephine
Hi Josephine,
Yes, we separated out fruit and flowers this year. We can't sustain fruit shares for all the folks at the numbers we are now serving, and we want to cut back on flowers to folks who really want those, also. Sorry for any misunderstanding.
Julie
Julie,
Thank you so much. First share was great looking forward to more!
Nicole
Upcoming Workshops
Below are listed 3 workshops that may be of interest. One of them will be held here at the farm.
The 2007 NOFA/Mass Practical Skills Workshop Series presents
Starting with Draft Horses with Heifer Project's Dale Perkins in Rutland, Massachusetts
Saturday, July 14 2007; 9 AM to 3:30 PM
You will learn about both the care (health, nutrition, foot care) of horses as well as have hands-on opportunities in handling, harnessing, and driving draft horses (single and team). There will also be farm equipment demonstrations (logging, wagon, cultivator and walking plow) and informal question and answer time throughout the workshop. Dale Perkins is the Farm Steward at Heifer International's Overlook Farm and has more than 20 years experience working with draft and saddle horses. NOFA Members: $43, Non-members: $48
You can find more information on this or other workshops in the series and register online here, or contact tom at (781) 894-4358 or at seedpotato@yahoo.com
The 2007 NOFA/Mass Practical Skills Workshop Series presents
Organic Gardening: Caring for the Soil with Karen DiFranza at Down to Earth Farm in Hubbardston, Massachusetts
Saturday, July 21 2007; 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM
Learn how gardening begins with the soil and building and maintaining a compost pile; choosing, planting and incorporating cover crops; no-till gardening techniques; mulches; soil testing; raised beds vs row planting; and using soil amendments. Wear protective gear in case of inclement weather. NOFA Members: $46, Non-members: $51
You can find more information on this or other workshops in the series and register online here, or contact tom at (781) 894-4358 or at seedpotato@yahoo.com
Many Hands Organic Farm Food Production Workshop Series
Chickens for Meat and Eggs
Saturday, July 21 2007; 9 AM to 3 PM
The workshop runs from 9 AM to 3 PM, $40 per day and course packet is included. Bring a contribution for a pot luck lunch. You can download a registration form on line here or drop a check by here at the farm.
In this hands-on workshop, we will discuss the best varieties for laying, meat, and combined use along with reliable sources for chicks. We will visit the baby chicks, as well as adult and juvenile layers and meat birds in their movable pasture houses. Covering feed and disease prevention, we will also show and give practical examples of appropriate housing. We'll discuss animal/vegetable rotations for the optimal health of both. Logistics of marketing will be discussed, and we will slaughter one or a few chickens.
Topics covered: variety/breed selection, feed, brooding, marketing, slaughter, pasturing and rotation, housing for summer and winter, disease prevention, health care, animal/vegetable rotations.
Julie,
We have been so happy with our greens this week!
I thought I'd send back a vegetarian variation on the pasta recipe, along with a garlic-use tip I learned from a chef-trained friend.
I make this pasta cannelini (sp?) beans and no anchovies. I've used this for kale and this week with your Swiss chard (plus a few other greens tossed in for good measure), and did not need to par-boil it. It sautéed just fine. I'm sure tougher greens might need to be boiled, though. And I love to add lemon juice or white wine as well.
As for the garlic, my friend taught me this trick, which makes the garlic smooth and mild, and imparts a wonderful garlic taste into all of the oil:
Slice the garlic as thin as you can.
Put it in your sauté pan with cold oil. Slowly bring up the temperature of the oil (use about a medium low setting). When you can smell the garlic, it's time to turn up the heat and add your next ingredients.
I add a can of drained cannelini beans next. The greens come after that, with the acid (lemon or white wine).
Then add the pasta to sauté and ensure everything is well-mixed. (This is especially important for me, because my daughter will only eat the noodles and I like to make sure it absorbs some of the nutrients from the greens surrounding it.)
For good measure, I like to add a half or whole log of pepper-encrusted chevre from the self-serve Capri store in Hubbardston. Add it, crumbled, after turning off the heat.
Looking forward to this week's bounty,
Stephanie Goldenhersh