July 20

It’s been a big relief this week, finally getting some good soaking rains.  We’ve waited long enough.  The vegetables had been in a state of suspended animation and have now really taken off.  Unfortunately, so have the weeds.   At least the farm is looking lush again, if a bit overgrown until we catch up with the weeds. 

The focus this past week has been on building a deer fence around one of our fields, which we hope to finish in the next few days, and planting our fall brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale, collards) and lettuce, which we had been holding in the greenhouse until more favorable planting (and growing) conditions arrived.  We’re happy to have those planted because they were starting to get rootbound in their containers and the potting mix was running out of juice. 

All in all, the summer crops are looking great, and you can look forward to more eggplant, tomatoes, squash, cukes, and soon melons, peppers, watermelons, sweet corn, and lettuce in the coming weeks.

This week’s share includes:

Beets, Chard, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Kale, Candy Roaster Onions, Salad Mix, Tomatoes, Basil, and choice of Cilantro or Parsley.

Recipe ideas:

Try boiling the beets until tender, then plunge them in icewater and slip the skins off.  Cube them and put on top of a salad with roasted onions and candied walnuts. 

Slice eggplant into 1/2″ rounds, salt heavily, and let sit in a bowl for 30 min-1hour to remove any bitterness.  Rinse the salt off and then toss with oil, pepper, and salt to taste if necessary.  Cook in the oven at about 420 on a cookie sheet for 15-20 minutes or until tender.  Flip them halfway through.  Serve with pasta and fresh tomatoes and basil, or something else similarly delicious.

Newsletter July 13th: A great Garlic Harvest and not so great Striped Cucumber Beetles

We were relieved to get ¾” of rain on Saturday but it still just wasn’t enough. 50% chance the next two days so cross your fingers. It is July and cucumbers are here but you may have noticed that your cucumbers don’t look quite like the ones at Shop-rite, they have some damage from Striped Cucumber Beetles, a cute little yellow and black bug the size of a ladybug that both overwinters easily in soils and woodlands in new york state and can travel up to 2 miles on wind currents in search of an appropriate snack. They feast on all members of the cucurbitaceae family, that is melons, cucumbers, summer squash and winter squash. There are wild plants in the cucurbit family too which is often what cucumber beetles go for but in this drought, many of those are drying up, making our luscious cultivated varieties even more appealing. When we transplant and direct-seed cucurbits we cover them with row-cover until they flower to protect them from cucumber beetle damage when they are fragile youngsters. Once they are about to flower we need to remove the row cover so that they can be pollinated and produce fruit. At that point we just wish them luck and wish ill-fate on the cucumber beetles. We could spray pesticides to avenge them but we don’t do that sort of thing. Some organic growers are experimenting with planting temporary high-tunnels covered in insect mesh barrier and then importing bumblebees to pollinate the crop so that they never have to open the high-tunnels which would allow the beetles in. Some have reported that the beetles are still managing to find their way in but that yields seem to be improved nonetheless. We will keep our eye on all ideas for improvement but until then we offer you these un-impeccable but completely delicious cukes.

And a trick of the trade to make them even more delicious: cut your cucumber an inch from the end and rub the two pieces together in a circular motion for 30 seconds or so. You will see foam emerge up through the skin, the bitterness is coming out of the peel. Toss the short piece, rinse the rest of the cucumber and enjoy it in it’s new sweeter form!

In other much better news we harvested all our garlic last Wednesday and it is hanging calmly in the barn. We were nervous that yields would be greatly reduced from lack of rain but in pulling it all we were pleased with the average bulb size.

This weeks goodies:

Beets  & Carrots

Swiss Chard

Bunching Onions & Garlic

Herbs

Cabbage

Lettuce Mix

Cucumbers

Potatoes

till next time…. – Ashley

ooh and a recipe

Beet and Apple Salad

1 bunch of beets

1 or 2 apples, preferable a tart variety

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon honey

1/2 cup or more of finely chopped scallion

1/2 teaspoon salt

Fresh ground black pepper

1 teaspoon lemon or orange juice, plus 1/2 cup water

In salted simmering water, cook beets whole until tender, about 45 minutes.  Drain and cool until you can handle them.  Peel the outer skin and julienne.

Combine olive oil, vinegar, honey, and scallion greens in a small bowl. Add the beets and coat with the dressing.

Peel, core and thinly slice the apple.  Toss in a small bowl with citrus juice and water to coat.

On top of salad greens, arrange apples attractively, spoon beets over apples and drizzle dressing over the entire salad.  Finish with a sprinkle of kosher or sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.

You can tell that summer is here

The cucumbers just started coming in this week, a sure sign that summer has arrived.  It has been extremely dry and hot at the farm.  We’ve been holding out on setting up our irrigation because rain is always in the forecast, but we always seem to miss it.  So, this week we will finally start to irrigate, and the vegetables will be very happy.

We’re very excited to report that our walk-in cooler is complete.  We just packed the last of your veggies for this evening in there where they are chilling at a nice 38 degrees. 

We hope you enjoy your vegetables this week:

Carrots, Cucumbers, Kohlrabi, Rainbow Chard, Cabbage, Scallions, choice of Radishes or Salad Turnips, Head Lettuce and Lettuce Mix, choice of Herbs

june 21st

Fog and Thistle Farm

Newsletter

Deep breath of relief the weather of this season is friendlier than the last. The third week of June and things are coming in more or less as planned. The tomato house is looking full and prepared, vines strung tall and sturdy. The baby chickens are maturing into awkward adolescents.

We are still working feverishly, thinking that we are about to be over the hump but then the hump somehow gets further away. Just that this is the time when we are still prepping fields, seeding and planting but are also in the full swing of maintaining: weeding, pruning, trellising, watering and not to mention harvesting, farmer’s markets, wholesale deliveries and CSA pick-ups. So maybe when we stop introducing new things into the fields and can focus on what is already in the ground we will find ourselves on the other side of this extended spring frenzy.

The 7th street park is still turning out to be a great pick-up site. Confusing for many passers-by that nothing is for sale but it is a nice, shady, central spot for members.

here are some pictures of the first week of pick-ups:

It is awfully exciting getting to see (and meet) you all and remember that all these little green things we have been tending are going to good homes.

And don’t forget: Tuesday afternoons from 4-7 are still volunteer hours so if you want to get your hands dirty stop on by.

In your share this week:

Spinach

Beets!

Kale

Napa Cabbage

Garlic Scapes

Lettuce

Scallions

Choice of Herb

Broccoli

And a recipe for that Napa Cabbage:

With the following: 1/2 cup slivered almonds or chopped peanuts, 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, 3 tablespoons sesame oil,  2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 head napa cabbage, chopped, 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, 1 teaspoon paprika

1. In a pan on medium heat toast the sesame seeds and nuts
2. In a bowl, mix the oil, vinegar, and soy sauce. Add the cabbage, scallions and cilantro and paprika. Salt to taste…

thanks for sharing the season with us…

- Ashley

First week for farm member pick-ups!

Another busy week culminated in some very much needed rain this sunday.  The crops responded by growing beautifully and looking their best for the first CSA pick-up day.  Our tractor was out of commission for most of the week and we finally got it back on its feet late last week in time to get some field prep done and plant the rest of our potatoes, along with all of our peppers and eggplant.

The tomato plants in the new hoophouse are looking great and are ready to be trellissed, as are the peas.  All in all, everything on the farm is going well.  We still could use some more members, so we’ve decided to extend the sign-up window.  Please tell your friends if you know anyone who might be interested! 

Our harvest for this week includes:

Arugula, your choice of collards or kale, garlic scapes, head lettuce, radishes, salad turnips, spinach, garlic scallions, and your choice of thyme, dill, chives, mint, or lavender.

I’m sure you probably know what to do with most of these items, but a few tips:

The salad turnips are completely amazing, sweet, crisp, and juicy eaten raw on top of a salad or just out of hand.  The greens can also be cooked and eaten-cooking time is slightly less than for kale.

Garlic scapes can be used anywhere that you would use garlic, or raw, or lightly steamed by themselves or with other vegetables.  They also make a lovely pizza topping.

See the recipe section of our website for more ideas.

Spring Frenzy Update

Inklings of Spring…

A few warm days is a true tease and a fantastic preview…

Greenhouse is going, a new hoophouse up for the earliest of greens and the chickens are going berzerk and getting promiscuous…

What will the warm months of 2010 hold?

With so much precipitation in the last few weeks we are hoping that we are not in for another wet year if the weather stays dry through the weekend we may plow fields as early as next week!

That’s all for now…